Seven baseball players leave Cuba's team at the U23 World Cup in Mexico

Record ID: 1639154

  • Title: Seven baseball players leave Cuba's team at the U23 World Cup in Mexico
  • Date: 28th September 2021
  • Summary: HAVANA, CUBA (FILE - MAY 27, 2021) (REUTERS) GENERAL OF "CIUDAD DEPORTIVA" HEADQUARTERS OF THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF SPORTS OF CUBA, NEXT TO AVENUE WITH TRAFFIC ADVERTISEMENT OUTSIDE INSTITUTO NACIONAL DE DEPORTES THAT READS (Spanish): "SPORT IS REVOLUTION, 60 YEARS OF VICTORIES"
  • Embargoed: 13th October 2021 00:04
  • Keywords: Cuba Havana Mexico World Cup baseball team
  • Location: SANCTI SPIRITUS & HAVANA, CUBA / CIUDAD OBREGON, MEXICO / INTERNET
  • City: SANCTI SPIRITUS & HAVANA, CUBA / CIUDAD OBREGON, MEXICO / INTERNET
  • Country: Cuba
  • Topics: Baseball,South America / Central America,Sport
  • Reuters ID: LVA003EWMXXZB
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: A seventh player for the Cuban baseball under 23-year team dropped out of the team on Tuesday (September 28) at the World Championship that takes place in various cities in Mexico, according to a report on the site pelotacubanausa.com.
    The left-handed pitcher Yeiniel Zayas became the seventh player to leave the Cuban squad, a fact that has been accentuated in recent years with the dream of enlisting in Major League Baseball in the United States.
    Zayas, 23, played in Cuba with the Isla de la Juventud team. Previously, Luis Danys Morales, Ubert Mejías, Loidel Rodríguez, Diasmany Palacio, Reinaldo Lazaga and Dariel Fernández also left, the Cuban Federation reported saying that "they joined those who renounced their commitment."
    The Cuban team currently has a record of three wins and one setback. On Tuesday it is contesting a pass to the decisive round of the World Championship against the Dominican Republic. Cuba currently has 17 players.
    Cuba has blamed the United States government for the repeated "desertions" of its athletes, arguing that "the annulment of the agreement between @CubanaBeisbol and @MLB (2018) (...) stimulates the trafficking of athletes in defense of political interests (...) ", said the Sports Institute on its Twitter account.
    In June, the players Lázaro Blanco and César Prieto left the Cuban squad in a pre-Olympic tournament in Florida, United States.
    After three years of negotiations, MLB (Major League Baseball) and the Cuban Federation signed an agreement in December 2018 that allowed Cubans living on the island to legally sign contracts to play for U.S. teams.
    The administration of former President Donald Trump blocked the agreement in April 2019, arguing that the Cuban Federation is part of the government to which Washington applies an extensive financial and trade embargo that prevents any pact.
    According to official figures, around 400 Cuban players have "defected" since 2014 in various countries. Yulieski Gurriel of the Houston Astros and Aroldis Chapman of the New York Yankees left Cuban teams years ago in Santo Domingo and the Netherlands, respectively.
    They are currently hired for million-dollar deals in the American Major Leagues.
    (Production: Anett Rios, Geraldine Downer)
  • Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
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