Written by Damien Cave at NewYorkTimes
The ball soared off the bat of Tampa Bay’s James Loney in the top of the fourth inning and headed toward the stands in right field that were painted with the slogan “Sport, Conquest of the Revolution.”
The crowd stood and watched as the drive sailed over the wall, and then came the cheering. Not as loud as it might have been if the home run had been hit by someone on the Cuban national team, but loud enough, with the many thousands of Cuban fans on hand clapping in unified respect with their American guests.
Impressive as the moment was, the cheering was a more modest version of the reception that had greeted President Obama and President Raúl Castro of Cuba when they entered the stadium before the first pitch, waving to the crowd and shaking hands and then sitting down behind home plate to watch the first game in 17 years between a major league club and Cuba.
The sight of the two of them seemed to leave many Cubans present filled with a mix of pride and amazement. “This is such a unique opportunity for me,” said Angel Daniel Cardenas Gomez, an 11-year-old fan with “Cuba” painted on each cheek. “I know my mom and aunt have waited a long time to see this.”
Baseball in Cuba, of course, is not what it once was. The teams are weaker, sapped by dozens of defections, and the Cuban fans who filled Estadio Latinoamericano on Tuesday seemed to have realistic expectations for what might occur. Many of them were probably not surprised that the Rays came away with a workmanlike 4-1 victory.
But the fans, made up mostly of Cubans given tickets by their bosses at government jobs, yelled loudly for what they could: simple strikes by the Cuban pitcher, a fine defensive play in center field in the top of the first and, finally, with one out in the bottom of the ninth, a home run that put Cuba on the scoreboard.
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