With the debut of star Yulieski Gurriel wearing the Kansas City Royals uniform, Cuba matched its record of 33 players in a Major League Baseball season this Sunday, a mark previously set in 2022.
The return of “El Yuli” to the “Big Show” was historic: he returned to the best competition in sports, tied the mentioned figure, and became the first person born in Cuba since José Ariel Contreras (Pirates, 2013) to debut with a new team in MLB at the age of 40 or older, a fact shared on Facebook by journalist Francys Romero.
Gurriel, who opened as seventh in the lineup and designated hitter, went 3-for-1, with one run batted in and one strikeout, bringing his average to .333, according to ESPN statistics.
We are talking about a man in his forties who hopes to continue shining in the "Big Top" after winning two World Series rings with the Astros, a batting title, and a Gold Glove in 2021.
His rise came after a solid campaign with the Gwinnett, Triple-A team of the Atlanta Braves, with a batting average of .292, 12 home runs, 48 RBIs, and an OPS of .863.
Before "La Piña," Víctor Mederos joined the Los Angeles Angels and a few days earlier, Ribalta had joined the Washington Nationals, bringing the total to 32 by dawn on this Sunday.
In 2022, the sequence was as follows: Michel Báez (who made number 29), Yusniel Díaz (30), José Barrero (31), Miguel Antonio Vargas (32), and Norge Luis Ruiz (33).
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