Baseball Exhibition Bolsters U.S., Cuba Diplomacy -- Photodesk

(ATR) The Tampa Bay Rays played an exhibition game in Havana, Cuba on March 22 against the Cuban national baseball team at Estadio Latinoamericano.

Around the Rings was on the scene for the historic event that marked the first time a Major League Baseball team played in Cuba since 1999. Adding to the hype of the exhibition was the presence of both Cuba President Raul Castro and United States President Barack Obama.

The baseball game was the final appearance that President Obama made in Cuba after arriving on Sunday, March 20.

President Obama’s visit was the first by a U.S. president since Calvin Coolidge traveled to the island in 1928 due to decades of hostility brought on by the Cold War and the subsequent trade embargo.

Although the two countries disagree on political and economic issues, baseball is a shared national pastime with both the U.S. and Cuba ranked in the top three in the World Baseball Softball Confederation world rankings.

The exhibition game provided an opportunity for the two leaders to meet on common ground and work towards ending the years of separation and disconnect between the two countries.

Obama and Castro left the game after three innings with the United States leading 1-0. The U.S. would add two runs in the fourth and another in the seventh to go up 4-0. Cuba got on the board in the ninth inning with a solo home run by Rudy Reyes to bring the final score to 4-1.

Click here for photos from Major League Baseball’s groundbreaking visit to Havana, Cuba.

Written by Kevin Nutley

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