According to several Japanese news outlets, the Softbank Hawks from Fukuoka will make Curaçaoan slugger Wladimir Balentien an offer for a two-year deal worth about $9 million. One of the demands/wishes Balentien has is to play with number four, the number he has worn during his NPB career with the Yakult Swallows. The Softbank Hawks…
Ever since Cuban players got permission by the Castro regime to leave the country to play abroad (except in the USA), quite a couple of players were signed by NPB clubs. The latest signees are RHP Raidel Martinez, Leonardo Urgelles and Alfredo Despaigne. Alfredo Despaigne was a familiar face in Japanese baseball already of course,…
The Cuban national team beat the Kingdom of the Netherlands by a narrow margin: 6 – 5 After taking an early 1-0 lead, Cuban pitcher Frank Montieth could not hold the Dutch bats at bay. In the bottom of the third inning, the Dutch scored two runs as Kalian Sams and Sharlon Schoop were the…
It was fifty-five years ago that the Cuban representative Elefantes de Cienfuegos won the last Caribbean Series in which the island participated. After Fidel Castro overthrew the regime of dictator Bautista, the island withdrew from the tournament, making it disappear for ten years. In 1970 the series were reborn and the Dominican Republic took Cuba’s…
