The communist Castro dictatorship lost three more enslaved athletes this week when they defected from the Cuban national baseball team while participating in exhibition games in Mexico. A pitcher, an infielder, and an outfielder from the team of 23 players were confirmed to be missing two hours before their first game.
Via Periodico Cubano (my translation):
Three players from the Cuban baseball team currently in Mexico for a series of exhibition games have defected from the official delegation, choosing not to return to the Island to pursue a career in professional baseball.
According to journalist Francys Romero, the defection occurred hours before facing the Mexican team in an exhibition game at Tepic Stadium, located in the state of Nayarit. The players in question are Branlis Rodríguez, Over Cremet, and Alexis Varona.
The Cuban team, composed of 18 players and five pitchers, had begun pre-game training but noticed the absence of the three players about two hours before the game. Rodríguez, a left-handed pitcher from Pinar del Río; Cremet, an outfielder from Guantánamo; and Varona, an infielder from Havana, did not show up for practice or the game, confirming their defection.
The game went ahead without the defectors, and Cuba suffered a significant loss against Mexico. Despite scoring a run in the third inning, the Cuban pitching could not hold the lead and eventually succumbed to Mexico’s relentless offense.
These players are now free to pursue their careers as free men instead of slaves of a communist regime that sells their talent and labor to the highest bidder.