1999 Baltimore Orioles – Cuban national baseball team exhibition series
|
|
| Teams | |
|---|---|
|
Baltimore Orioles Cuban national baseball team |
|
| Game one | |
| Date | March 28, 1999 |
| Location | Estadio Latinoamericano, Havana, Cuba |
| Result | Orioles defeat Cuba, 3–2 |
| Game two | |
| Date | May 3, 1999 |
| Location | Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Baltimore, Maryland |
| Result | Cuba defeats Orioles, 12–6 |
The 1999 Baltimore Orioles – Cuban national baseball team exhibition series consisted of two exhibition games played between the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Cuban national baseball team on March 28 and May 3, 1999. The first game took place in Havana, while the second was held in Baltimore. This series marked the first time that the Cuban national team had faced a squad composed solely of major league players and the first time an MLB team played in Cuba since 1959.
Fidel Castro overthrew American ally Fulgencio Batista in the Cuban Revolution and established a Communist government in 1959. Castro broke off diplomatic relations with the United States. The United States instituted an embargo against Cuba in an attempt to weaken Castro's regime. MLB stopped holding exhibitions in Cuba.
In the 1990s, Orioles' owner Peter Angelos lobbied the United States Government to gain permission to hold this series for three years. Various politicians, including members of the United States House of Representatives, opposed the idea and attempted to block the series. Eventually, Angelos secured the approval in 1999, after a change in United States foreign policy to Cuba under President Bill Clinton, which eased travel restrictions and increased cultural exchange.
The Orioles won the first game, which was held in Havana, by a score of 3–2 in extra innings. The Cuban national team defeated the Orioles 12–6 in the second game, which was held in Baltimore. The series introduced José Contreras to the American baseball audience; Contreras defected from Cuba in 2002 to pitch in MLB. The United States and Cuba now compete with each other and other nations in the World Baseball Classic.
...
Wikipedia