Cuban baseball legend met live with adult lion and without close by

By Yasel Porto (taken from D´Porto Sports)

The lion is an animal that has accompanied Cuban ball for decades, first in the professional stage through the Havana club and later with the Industriales within the National Series. Its leading role has been in the way of identifying from the nominal point of view the two most winning teams in these two stages, which has included the presence of the feline in the image of the logo and the mascot.

But the story that I bring you today does not have to do with what I have just pointed out, but with the physical encounter between one of the most important figures in the history of capital baseball and even a Cuban with a lion. Yes, a real one. A somewhat grown specimen and with which he maintained contact without any kind of physical protection.

The event had as its protagonist Miguel Ángel González, one of the great characters that Cuban baseball has had and the most emblematic figure that the Reds or Lions of the Havana club had in the extinct professional league.

“Mike” can be seen photographed next to the so-called “king of the jungle” after his visit to the National Zoo of Havana (Zoo 26) shortly after it was inaugurated.

The photo dating from 1956 was anonymous for decades until the prominent collector and historian Rolando Sánchez made it public through our Facebook group D´Porto Sports.

It may interest you: HISTORY: The cyclone that killed a symbol of Cuban baseball

A native of Regla, González went down in the history of our ball for multiple feats, including being the first Cuban receiver in the Major Leagues and the first position player born on the Island with relevance within this baseball. His fundamental merit was in his defensive ability behind the plate that kept him in the majors for two decades.

After his retirement he became the first Latino who directed at that level and was for a long time as coach of third base, being key his decision to send to double towards the home plate Enos Slaughter for the Cardinals to win the 1946 World Series.

In Cuba he achieved an extraordinary impact as a mask, but also as the manager and owner of the Havana club. He holds the record for the most titles achieved as a helmsman with a total of 14.

Although Almendares was possibly the club with the most followers in that defunct league, the scarlet cats had an equally heavy following. And to that we must add that they were the highest accumulators of titles (30).

After the rented Cuban baseball was abolished, it was Miguel Angel the only one of the team owners who did not emigrate, although he also did not maintain a considerable link with the new baseball process that its fundamental event had in the National Series.

There is no other reference to such a close encounter between a player and a live lion in an early stage of development.

There is a very particular passage within the Cuban ball with this animal as the protagonist, but it has nothing to do with what is indicated in this article. It was in the sixties when a lion was released in the middle of the field of the Cándido González stadium to intimidate the Industriales players. Fortunately, that action did not bring fatal consequences.