Seven Cubans were champions in the brightest diamonds in the week that ended. Another six escaped the surveillance and control of the bosses in Havana. And those bosses they whimpered and blamed others for their failure.
Welcome to Cuban baseball, once again a national mirror!
For second consecutive Year, Randy Arozarena (.273, 19HR, 3 3B, 31 2B, 68RBI, .810OPS) and Yandy Diaz (.258, 12HR, 3B, 20 2B, 62RBI, .740OPS), with the Rays, won the American League East crown for the city of Tampa, where in 1886 hundreds of Cuban cigar makers settled and founded a city to produce the two vitolas of the moment, the Prince of Wales and La Flor de Sánchez y Haya.
Meanwhile, in the Central division, Louis robert (.349, 10HR, 3B, 21 2B, 37RBI, .946OPS), Jose Abreu (.265, 29HR, 2 3B, 29 2B, 113RBI, .837OPS), Yasmani grandal (.241, 22HR, 7 2B, 61RBI, .941OPS), Yoan moncada (.265, 12 HR, 3B, 30 2B, 57RBI, .779OPS), Carlos Rodon (12-5, 127.2IP, 35ER, 181K, 34BB, 2.47) and the White Sox they raised the pennant for the first time since 2008, thus consolidating the indisputable Cuban stamp that the great Miñoso stamped on May 1, 1951. Then Perico made his debut, sending the first thing the Yankee threw at him to the stands Vic Raschi, known as “the Springfield Rifle”, thus breaking the racial barrier in the grounds of the south of Chicago.
Who gives more?
At the time that the above happened, in Mexico six young Cubans escaped from the national team present at the III U-23 World Cup. Luis Dannys Morales Aguilera, Ubert Mejias, Loidel Rodriguez, Reinaldo Lazaga, Dariel Fernandez and Dismany palacios they executed a political ball bunt and left it in the calluses of the bosses and their gedos, their deteí, their pececé, their ujotacé, their cedeerre, their emeteté and their efemecé.
With their new man names, invented by their parents to exercise at least a bit of freedom, the boys said goodbye to everything known, to revolutionary indoctrination, and assumed their own destiny.
A few days before the tournament that helped them escape began, the director of the group, Eriel Sanchez, spoke of “patriotism”. He then excluded two stars for allegedly lacking it. Now, Sánchez should reflect on the meaning of leaks. He should come to the only possible conclusion and, returning to the subject of patriotism, stand in Havana and tell the bosses what all of Cuba knows, that the system they have imposed is pure crap about to collapse, and that a Cuban who can , Cuban who is leaving.
This would be, without a doubt, the most patriotic thing that director Sánchez could do.
And it is that through the two most significant events of this week, national baseball reflects an irrefutable reality: while Cubans triumph and are masters of their destinies as soon as they move away from the alligator, those of alligator seek to escape by any means, drowned for the doctrines of that trilero who deceived them with the tale of the free ball and the slave ball, and with many other stories.
Picking up the bat and balls
In short: the palms of the week for the champions and for the maroons.
In total: with just a few days left until the regular Major League calendar ends, Yuli gurriel (.317) and Nick Castellanos (.309) are third and eighth in the batters’ lead; Abreu is second in RBIs; Castellanos himself eighth in OPS (.935) and in doubles (37), category in which JD Martinez walk third (40); while Grandal and Moncada are tenth in tickets obtained, with 81 each. Kudos then for them.
We saw each other last Monday, we’ll see you next.
National League
THIS: Atlanta (83-72), Philadelphia (81-75), NY Mets (73-82), Miami (64-91), Washington (64-92) CENTER: MILWAUKEE (94-62), Saint Louis (87-69), Cincinnati (81-75), Chicago Cubs (67-89), Pittsburgh (58-97) WEST: San Francisco (102-54), LA Dodgers (100-56), San Diego (78-78), Colorado (71-84), Arizona (50-106).
Wild Cards: LA Dodgers (+13), St. Louis (-), Cincinnati (-6), Philadelphia (-6)
* Milwaukee is champion of the Central division.
American league
THIS: TAMPA (97-59), NY Yankees (89-67), Boston (88-68), Toronto (87-69), Baltimore (50-106) CENTER: CHICAGO WHITE SOX (88-68), Cleveland (76-79), Detroit (75-80), Kansas (71-84), Minnesota (69-87) WEST: Houston (91-65), Seattle (86-70), Oakland (85-71), LA Angels (74-82), Texas (57-99).
Wild Cards: NY Yankees (+1), Boston (-), Toronto (-1), Seattle (-2), Oakland (-3)
* Tampa is champion of the Eastern division. The Chicago White Sox champions of the Central division.
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