14ymedio, Havana, 12 September 2022 — Players Reilandy González, Tony Guerra and Lázaro Emilio Blanco resigned from Cuban baseball for various reasons. According to journalist Ernesto Amaya Esquivel, the three athletes were key in the results obtained by Pinar del Río, and “they always stepped up; they showed commitment and dedication to their people.”
González’s absence as a player in the Elite League, which is expected to begin on October 8, was the preamble to a farewell marked by the lack of opportunities. “I decided not to play anymore. I’ve been having results for three years, sacrificing myself, and they didn’t even take me to Curaçao,” the reliever said last Friday.
This player experienced his best moment in the 60th National Series with a balance of 3-1: he saved six games, struck out 45 batters (49 innings), and his clean average was 1.82. With these numbers, González told the reporter, they didn’t call him for any of the pre-selections that year. “I’m not going anywhere to launch the Elite Series or the other National Series,” he lamented.
Another factor that discouraged González was the low salary and the limitations. “We looked at the figures, and in a pre-selection we win more than in the series,” the athlete said.
Tony Guerra lives in a similar situation. The 24-year-old pinareño formed the team that won the bronze medal in the First Junior Pan American Games that took place in Calí, Colombia (2021). The decision of this athlete, who made a difference with his home runs and gave several victories to the Vegueros team, is surprising.
“We looked at the figures, and in a pre-selection we win more than in the series,” said Reilandy González.”
González and Guerra were joined by the veteran Lázaro Emilio Blanco, the 37-year-old outfielder, who with this decision seems to end his career as a player. In addition to being an active athlete, Blanco has studied automotive mechanics and has a bachelor’s degree in Physical Culture.
These players’ request to leave baseball comes while others continue to leave the island. That exodus to the U.S. doesn’t stop. “In this phenomenon, more than thirty players have arrived in the U.S. from the Mexican border during 2022,” said journalist Francys Romero.
On Saturday, Matanzas’ natural right-handed pitcher, Alain López, arrived in the U.S.. The reporter said that this young man was able to achieve his dream thanks to the fact that he resorted to the “family claim” option and will set himself up in Florida.
López was then “leader in effectiveness of the 2019-2020 National Youth Championship with Matanzas. He participated in nine victories of his Matanzas team in the last National Youth Championship,” according to the portal Béisbol FR!
One day before López set foot on U.S. territory, it was confirmed that the Cuban Juan Carlos Hernández had arrived in Miami. The former Mayabeque player left the Island and took the route of Nicaragua, from where he began his journey until he reached the Mexican city of Piedras Negras, in Coahuila, where, after 25 days, he was able to cross the Rio Bravo.
Translated by Regina Anavy
____________
COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORK: The 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.
