The Cuban baseball player Yunel Escobar made a forceful statement on Tuesday, during the training sessions of the Patria y Vida team of the Cuban Professional Baseball Federation (FEPCUBE).
In statements to the journalist Francys RomeroYunel clarified that his uniform is not that of the Cuba team but that of FEPCUBE, and that he represents the Cuban exile and free Cubans throughout the world.
“For me this is an honor, to be playing with the players who are outside the country, that is number one. Number two is to be representing the political prisoners, all the people who died at sea, those who have suffered the Cuban dictatorship,” he stressed.
For Escobar, the issue of rafters is particularly sensitive, since he himself fled Cuba on a raft to the United States in 2004.
Born in Havana 41 years ago, after emigrating he played as shortstop and third base for 10 years in the MLB, on the rosters of the Atlanta Braves, the Toronto Blue Jays, the Tampa Bay Rays, the Washington Nationals and the Angels. of the Angels.
The former industrialist Shares a shirt with Jorge Soler, Yulieski Gurriel and Aroldis Chapman at Patria y Vidawho trains at the Demie Mainieri field of Miami Dade College (North Campus) with a view to participating in the Intercontinental Baseball Series, in Barranquilla, Colombia.
“To all of our fans, please follow us, we are here working as you are seeing and we are going there to Colombia to give our all,” Soler asked.
For his part, Yulieski confessed how happy he feels to be surrounded by Cuban players again.
“It is not the same to be on a Major League team, there are one or two. (…) our language is different. That is why I tell you that it is a pride for us to be here,” he stressed.
On Tuesday, the government of Colombia declared that it does not support the Barranquilla Intercontinental Professional Baseball Seriesand that does not recognize the FEPCUBE, in a clear show of support for the authorities of the Cuban regime.
“The Intercontinental Professional Baseball Series, organized in the City of Barranquilla starting January 26, 2024 by Team Rentería USA, is a private and invitational event. That is, it is not organized by the Colombian Federation of Baseball, nor is it part of the events on the calendar of the World Baseball and Softball Confederation, the only organization endorsed by the International Olympic Committee,” indicated the Colombian Ministry of Sports.
The institution stated that it rejects the actions and demonstrations of the FEPCUBE, which it accused of attempting to use the name, representation and national symbols of Cuba, “without the respective authorization of the competent body of the country of origin and without having the recognition of the Colombian government or the sports authorities of our country”.
He team Patria y Vida is made up of Cuban baseball players based in the United States and other countries.
“He The team will be called ‘FEPCUBE, Patria y Vida’“said Mandy Llanes Jr., president of the project, which seeks to bring together the best Cuban baseball players from exile, including Major League stars.
The manager is Brayan Peña, Euclides Rojas is the bench coach and Orlando “the Duke” Hernandez He is the general manager.
