Photo Credit: @MayoresShow
The catcher of the Cuban team, Ivan Prieto, did not return to the island this Monday morning. The player reportedly ran away from the hotel where the team was staying in Miami. Prieto did not belong to the official roster of the Cuban national team.
Following the elimination of the Cuban team from the World Baseball Classic at the hands of the United States, Prieto reportedly left the camp in the evening after the game. The player reportedly took his luggage, left the hotel and went with alleged relatives.
The website Pelota Cubana was the first media outlet to report the situation. Francis Romero, a Cuban journalist, made Prieto's act known on social networks.
"Prieto is the first player to leave the Cuban national team in a World Baseball Classic," he wrote on Twitter.
So far he is the only Cuban player known not to have returned to his country.
Protests in the stadium at the Cuba vs. United States
Political overtones did not shy away from the World Baseball Classic in the Cuba vs. United States semifinal at LoanDepot Park Stadium in Miami, Florida.
Before the game started, about 200 Cubans stood outside the stadium to demonstrate against the Cuban government and President Miguel Diaz-Canel.
During the game, thousands of Caribbeans shouted "Freedom, Freedom", "Down with the dictatorship" and "Homeland and life". Cuban baseball players stayed on the sidelines and did not make any gestures in favor or against.
One person jumped onto the field with a banner that read: "Freedom for the Cuban prisoners of July 11". The man was intercepted by authorities and taken off the field.
