In 1999, Oscar Rivas gave up a career as an assistant baseball coach at Alvin College in Texas to pursue a career as a firefighter in Houston.

Rivas’ baseball background has given him an analogy he still uses in the emergency services.

“It’s the same camaraderie and bonding of personnel as baseball,” Rivas said.

Rivas takes great satisfaction in his current job, the same type of satisfaction he enjoyed on the ball field.

A left-handed pitcher, he played a year at Arizona State University, the Sun Devils losing to the University of Arkansas in the NCAA Super Regionals. The Razorbacks went on to win the College World Series.

That preceded a three-year pro career in the Seattle Mariners organization, beset by an injury to his pitching arm during his second year in the minors, one from which he never quite recovered.

Some of Rivas’ most vivid memories in baseball, however, came during his two years at San Jacinto (Texas) College-North.

The Gators made it to the Alpine Bank Junior College World Series during both of Rivas’ years at San Jac, winning the national title game in 1987, his freshman season.

National championship games are a special memory for any player fortunate enough to play in one. The 1987 game has a prominent place in Rivas’ heart. He was called upon by then-San Jac head coach Wayne Graham to start in the title game.

“That’ll probably never be forgotten,” he said. “That is probably one of the best games I have ever participated in my baseball career.”

The Gators defeated Seminole (Okla.) Junior College 2-1.

Rivas went 2-0 during the 1987 tournament and pitched in relief in another game. He had a tournament ERA of 0.69, gave up 10 hits and only one earned run.

He realized the stakes entering that championship game.

“The preparation and the anxiety before the game was phenomenal,” he said. “I remember just trying to stay focused, and what we did to get there.

“The butterflies were definitely in the stomach.”

Maybe it was the nerves, maybe it was the lack of humidity, but Rivas couldn’t find the right baseball in the championship game.

“I had some issues with the ball. I had several balls that didn’t feel comfortable in my hand,” he said.

“The umpire that was calling the game behind the plate didn’t care too much that I was changing the ball so often.

“I remember early in the game that he emptied both his bags of balls and threw them out on the field. I was amazed that that had occurred in the final game, that he made such a fuss for me to change out the balls.

“So I picked up the ball I liked and the one that was next to it, I put a foot to it and I kicked it basically back in his area.”

One he found the right baseball, Rivas settled down, but the intensity of the game kept growing.

That was particularly true in the ninth inning. After getting two outs, Seminole loaded the bases against Rivas. He didn’t panic, inducing a ground ball to short to end the game.

“The excitement and the level of play that we had in that game was phenomenal,” Rivas said. “You couldn’t have asked for a better group of guys playing for the national championship. We were both Alpha teams.

“Seminole’s pitchers threw exceptional games, too. Defensively there were so many great plays. Both teams had their highest level of play.”

In 1995, Rivas became an assistant coach at Alvin.

“We turned the team around,” he said.

That team came up just short in its quest for a JUCO World Series berth.

It seemed that Rivas’ alma mater, San Jac, always stood in the Dolphins’ way.

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Kent Mincer can be reached via e-mail at kmincer@gjds.com.