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The director of the Cuban baseball team, Germán Mesa, referred to the appearance of posters with messages against the Castro regime during the opening match of Group A of the World Baseball Classic.
At a press conference, Mesa attempted to downplay the incident and stated that he did not see any sign.
"I didn't see it. We are focused on the game, which is what we came here for. External factors will not distract us," he stated in response to a question from Martí Noticias.
The incident occurred at the Hiram Bithorn Stadium, located in San Juan, Puerto Rico, during a match between Cuba and Panama.
In the stands, someone displayed a message reading "Down with the dictatorship" along with a play on words using Miguel Díaz-Canel's last name, presented as "Díaz-Contados".
But according to Mesa, the players' attention remained focused on their performance on the field.
"We are not looking at the signs; we came with a purpose, which is to play baseball, and that is what we are doing," he emphasized.
What happened 20 years ago
Journalist Jorge Morejón recalled a similar incident in 2006, during the first World Baseball Classic, when Germán Mesa confronted fans who displayed signs against the Cuban dictatorship during a game against the Netherlands.
On that occasion, banners with messages such as "Players yes, Tyrant no" and "Players yes, Castro no" were displayed.
Regarding that incident, Mesa downplayed it as well: "It was simply a misunderstanding with the colleague who was there, and I went to see what was happening."
Cuba's performance on the field
The match on Thursday ended with a victory for Cuba over Panama 3-1.
Cuba took the lead early. In the second inning, Yoelquis Guibert hit a home run to right field off the Panamanian starter Logan Allen.
One inning later, Yiddi Cappé hit a double, and Yoan Moncada launched the second Cuban home run, securing three runs for the Antillean team.
Although the Cuban offense did not score any more runs after the start, the pitching maintained the lead.
Liván Moinelo pitched three and two-thirds scoreless innings, allowing just two hits and issuing two walks while striking out four batters.
Subsequently, Yariel Rodríguez retired all seven batters he faced, three of them by strikeout. Darién Núñez, Yoan López, and Raidel Martínez completed the relief effort to secure the final victory 3-1.
Among the standout hitters of the game were Ariel Martínez from Cuba and Leonardo Bernal from Panama, both of whom recorded two singles during the match.
The victory left Cuba with a strong start in Group A, with their next match against Colombia on Sunday, while Panama will face Puerto Rico the following day.
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