The Cuban Baseball and Softball Federation announced that eight members of the traveling party that is set to accompany Cuba to the World Baseball Classic have been denied visas.
Still, Major League Baseball officials expect Cuba to take part in the 20-team tournament set to begin on Mar. 5. Cuba is a part of Pool A alongside Canada, Panama, Colombia and hosts Puerto Rico. All games will be played at San Juan’s Hiram Bithorn Stadium.
Among those who have been denied visas are federation president, Juan Reinaldo Pérez Pardo, its secretary general, Carlos del Pino Muñoz, and Cuban baseball legend, Pedro Luis Lazo, who was set to serve as the team’s pitching coach. Lazo, 52, is a four-time Olympian who won gold at Atlanta 1996 and Athens 2004 and holds the all-time wins record in the Cuban National Series with 249.
A source tells USA TODAY’s Bob Nightengale that all Cuban players have received the requisite visas. Ahead of the WBC, Cuba is set for exhibition games against the Kansas City Royals and Cincinnati Reds.
The arrival of the team in the U.S. comes at a perilous time in Cuban-American relations. In late January, an executive order from president Donald Trump effectively put into place an oil blockade of the island nation. With the blockade in place, Cuba has experienced a fuel shortage that has led to the closures of schools and businesses, disruption of hospital services and blackouts across the island. International carriers, including Air Canada, have suspended flights to the country due to the shortage.
Tensions were exacerbated on Wednesday when Cuba said its soldiers killed four and wounded 10 others on a U.S.-registered speedboat that had opened fire. A government spokesperson claimed the passengers were Cubans living in the U.S. who intended to infiltrate the island.
