Cuba beats Australia to reach World Baseball Classic semifinal

Of course its Cuba..

Well done guys, go to the finals..

Cuba beat Australia?

I guess anyone can beat Australia nowadays.

It was a great game.

I guess anyone can beat Australia nowadays

Well, they were 3-1 in the group stage. Not bad though 2 games were gimme games, beating Korea was a good feat.

Wehpa to Cuba

Good job, Latin America!

I guess anyone can beat Australia nowadays.

What a casual. Why do people on JT insist on commenting on things they know nothing about?

Using current major leaguers for the first time at the WBC, Cuba plays on Sunday in Marlins Park

Cuba is using MLB players for the first time because their best players had escaped Cuba to earn money in the MLB. But it's a contentious issue - many Cuban MLB players don't want to play for Cuba or not invited by the Cuban federation. For example, Tampa Bay Ray star player Arozarena, born and raised in Cuba, chose to play for Mexico instead, where he resided briefly after escaping Cuba

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/35850122/world-baseball-classic-2023-team-cuba

This year's World Baseball Classic represents a seismic shift for Cuba, which included current major league players on the roster for the first time ever. It led to the additions of Yoan Moncada and Luis Robert, central figures for the Chicago White Sox. But Arozarena, who has spoken openly in recent years about representing his adopted country, represents a litany of Cuban-born stars who were either not invited or not interested or, in some cases, both, a list that also includes Jose Abreu, Yordan Alvarez, Yasmani Grandal and Aroldis Chapman, among numerous others.

CUBA'S DECISION TO accept players who fled was surprising considering its sensibilities but predictable considering its circumstances. "It's a reflection of the crises in which Cuba finds itself, in all aspects of life," said Roberto Gonzalez Echevarria. "Things have deteriorated, and so has baseball."

Cuba, which dominated on the Olympic stage throughout the 1990s and 2000s, possesses a rich history of baseball excellence. But massive defections have diminished the level of talent on the island and brought with it numerous disappointments on the international stage. The inclusion of major league players was considered a much-needed boost.

"Unfortunately in Cuba everything is mixed with its politics," veteran infielder Aledmys Diaz said in Spanish. "The [Cuban Baseball Federation] is part of the direction of the Cuban government. In order for you to represent them, or be part of that, you have to think the way they do. That's a problem that Cuba has, and it's what differentiates it from other countries."

For some, it meant taking part would require forgetting the reasons they left in the first place. "There is no freedom in Cuba," said Yale professor Roberto Gonzalez Echevarria, author of a book about the history of Cuban baseball. "They called us traitors, they said we were a disgrace to our country, and now you want us to play for you -- and we don't even get an apology?" said a Cuban-born major league player who did not want to be publicly identified. "We don't forget. I'm not going to forget, at least. I have my pride."