The young pitcher Luis Dannys Morales abandons the Cuban team in Mexico

September 24, 2021

The young Cuban pitcher Luis Dannys Morales abandoned the Island team that will participate in the third Under-23 Baseball World Championship, which is taking place in Ciudad Obregón, in the Mexican state of Sonora. According to sports communicator Francys Romero, an expert in sports and resident of Miami, the ballplayer fled the official delegation at Mexico City Airport.

Morales, 18 years old and a native of Sancti Spíritus, is one of the ballplayers "most coveted by MLB (Major League Baseball USA) organizations," Romero indicated after confirming with sources close to the team that the ballplayers were to travel 18 hours by bus to the tournament venue.

Morales is considered one of the main promises of Cuban pitching and "was caught in August 2020 in an illegal departure through Guantánamo," Romero recalled.

The Cuban official press reported that the national team arrived this Tuesday in Mexico and was to make its debut last Thursday against the Dominican Republic under the orders of manager Eriel Sánchez from Sancti Spíritus, a game that was suspended due to rain. The roster was made up of three catchers, six infielders, four outfielders and 11 pitchers.

The Cubans play in group A, between September 23 and 27, and will face, in addition, representatives from Mexico, Chinese Taipei, Germany and the Czech Republic. The top 12 teams in the championship guarantee a spot in next year's Premier 12 tournament.

Added to Morales' desertion is a streak of Cuban athletes fleeing in recent months, such as judokas Ayumi Leyva and Nahomys Acosta, who abandoned the Island delegation last month during a stopover in Madrid, Spain. The athletes were to participate in the qualifier for the Junior Pan American Games in Cali (Colombia), but never reached the event.

At the end of June, athlete Raudelis Guerra also abandoned the basketball delegation in Spain, on the way to the world tournament qualifier, which took place in El Salvador. Guerra fled the delegation at Madrid-Barajas Airport itself, where part of the national team was making a stopover to continue to the Central American country.

Almost a month earlier, there were other cases of desertions by athletes and collaborators who were part of the Cuban delegation at the Baseball Pre-Olympic in Florida. Those who abandoned the delegation were second baseman César Prieto, pitchers Lázaro Blanco and Andy Rodríguez, and Jorge Sile Figueroa, the team's psychologist.