(Story by Marco Stoovelaar; Photos by Henk Seppen & Marco Stoovelaar)
  Historic baseball game in Cuba
Nederlands
 HAVANA (Cuba) -
On Tuesday-evening (March 22), the Tampa Bay Rays played against the Cuban National Team in the historic, 55,000 seat Estadio Latinoamericano in Cuban capital Havana.
It was a historic game, which was attended in the first three innings by American President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raúl Castro Ruz.
Before the game, there was a moment of silence for the victims of the attacks earlier in the day in Belgium.
Also present at the game today and the press conference on Monday were Cuban baseball-greats Orestes Kindelán Olivares, Omar Linares Izquierdo and Antonio Muñoz Hernández, as well as Derek Jeter, the former short stop of the New York Yankees and Hall of Famers Dave Winfield and Joe Torre, as well als MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred.
But also, Cuban-born former Major Leaguers Luis Tiant and José Cardenal, the President of the Hall of Fame Jeff Idelson and the 93-year old Rachel Robinson, the widow of the legendary Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson.
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...Left: Derek Jeter at Spring Training in 2011 with the New York Yankees...
..Right: Antonio Castro with the Cuban Team at the 2009 World Championship...
(© Both Photos: Henk Seppen) |
Also there was Antonio Castro Soto, the son of longtime Cuban leader Fidel Castro Ruz and nephew of current President Raúl Castro Ruz.
In his young days, Fidel Castro was a talented pitcher.
Tony Castro had been the Team Doctor for many years of the Cuban National Baseball Team and as such was with the squad in many international events, including the Olympic Games and World Championships, but also the two events in the Netherlands, the Haarlem Baseball Week and World Port Tournament.
Castro is now the Vice-President of the Cuban Baseball Federation and Vice-President of the World Baseball Softball Confederation.
Barack Obama is the first sitting US President to visit Cuba since Calvin Coolidge did 88 years ago in 1928.
The last time a Major League-team played in Cuba was in 1999 when the Baltimore Orioles played against the Cuban Team, also in Havana.
The American President visited Cuba the past few days to strenghten the relations between the two countries.
Luis Tiant, who pitched 19 years in the Majors, including eight with the Boston Red Sox, threw out the ceremonial first pitch, as did legendary Cuban pitcher Pedro Luis Lazo, who was a longtime member of the Cuban National Team.
With Cuba, Lazo won the Gold Medal at the Olympic Games in 1996 and 2004 and the Silver in 2000 and 2008.
He also won the World Championship-title in 1998, 2001, 2003 and 2005, won three Intercontinental Cups and three Pan American Games.
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...Left: Ángel Hernández during MLB Opening Day in 1993 in New York...
...Right: Victor Mesa at the World Baseball Classic 2013 in Japan...
(© Photo Hernández: Marco Stoovelaar; Photo Mesa: Henk Seppen) |
The umpiring crew was led by Cuban veteran Elber Ibarra Santiesteban, who was behind the plate.
There were two Major League-umpires in the crew: Cuban-born Ángel Hernández at first base and at third base Laz Díaz, who was born to Cuban parents in Miami.
Tampa Bay won the game 4-1.
The Rays scored its first run in the second inning when Kevin Kiermaier doubled with two outs and scored on a single by James Loney.
Two runs were added in the fourth when Desmond Jennings walked with two outs, then Loney followed with a homerun.
In the seventh, Tampa Bay made it 4-0.
Mike Mahtook then led off with a walk, stole second base and scored on a single by Steve Pearce.
The lone Cuban run was scored in the bottom of the ninth when Rudy Reyes homered with one out.
Cuban Manager Victor Mesa used ten pitchers in the game.
For Tampa Bay, four pitchers threw, including lefthander Matt Moore, who started and threw six strong innings.
(March 22)
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...Left: Pedro Luis Lazo during the World Championship 2009 in Italy...
...Right: Orestes Kindelán during the World Championship 1990 in Canada...
(© Photo Lazo: Henk Seppen; Photo Kindelán: Marco Stoovelaar) |
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