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- Jose made two starts in the 2002 World Cup, beating Canada and Japan.
- In 2003, Jose’s spring training locker was next to Mariano RIvera’s. The two became good friends.
- In 2005, the White Sox finished 21-11 in Jose’s starts.
- Jose set a record by hitting three batters in a game during the 2005 World Series.
- Jose was the 13th Cuban-born player to wear Yankee pinstripes. Others included Armando Marsans, Pedro Ramos, Luis Tiant, Bert Campaneris, Orlando Hernandez and Jose Canseco.
- Jose has a clause in his contract that allows him to pitch for the Cuban team when they play outside of Cuba—although it is unlikely he ever will.
- When Jose pitched for the Cuban national team, he was given a blue Peugeot by Fidel Castro.
- Jose was named Cuba’s Male Athlete of the Year three times.
- After defecting with coach Miguel Valdes and his son, Jose shared an apartment with them in Florida.
- On his first flight from California to Miami, Jose saw an ad for a Lincoln Navigator in an airline magazine. It was the first thing he bought after signing with the Yankees.
- When the White Sox paired Jose with Orlando Hernandez in their starting rotation, it marked the first time in almost 50 years that an AL staff had two Cubans in its starting rotation. The last ones were the White Sox (Mike Fornieles and Sandy Consuegra) and the Senators (Camilo Pascual and Pedro Ramos).
- Jose and El Duque play catch with a heavy, oversized baseball—a practice left over from their days as Cuban baseball stars.
- When Jose’s father died in 2004, he had to attend the funeral by cell phone. He stayed on the phone with his mother throughout the service and burial.
Mariano Rivera,
2004 New York Post
Orlando Hernandez,
2003 Topps