World's best baseball coming to area

AUGUSTA — Some of the best baseball the world has to offer is coming to the All-New Skylands Stadium this summer.
On June 21-23, the world-renowned Cuban National Team will square off against the Sussex County Miners. The Miners also hosted the Shikoku Island League All-Stars, a team comprised of some of Japan’s best young ballplayers, from June 9-12.
Cuba’s national team has historically been a powerhouse on the international baseball scene, winning Olympic gold medals three times. The Cuban squad has also secured 12 Pan American Games titles and a staggering 25 IBAF Baseball World Cup championships. Cuba reached the championship game of the 2006 World Baseball Classic, ultimately losing to Japan.
The Cuban National Team recently marked a milestone in both baseball and international relations when the Tampa Bay Rays went to Havana to play an exhibition against Cuba in March at historic Estadio Latinamericano. The game was attended by President of the United States Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro.
According to Patrick Scalabrini, the manager of the Can-Am League’s Quebec Capitales, “we will see pretty much the same team as competed against the Rays.”
Scalabrini and Quebec Capitales president Michel Laplante have received a preliminary roster of 40 Cubans that will soon be narrowed to 28 players for the US and Canada trip.
The Cuban National Team will travel to the United States and Canada to play each team in the Can-Am League from June 9-30. The trip will mark the first time Cuba has played a professional league in the United States since the relationship between the two countries began to improve. Previously, the only games played by the Cuban National Team in the United States were in tournaments. When the Miners host the Cuban National Team, however, all games will count as part of their regular season record.
The Minerws split the series with the Shikoku Island League All-Stars, two games to two. Shikoku won the first two games, and the Miners rebounded to take the final two.
Last season, the Japanese All-Stars played 16 games against Can-Am League competition and played to a record of 6-10.
The series between the Miners and Shikoku was also marked by a Japanese hospitality custom, as both sides exchanged gifts prior to the opening game of the series on June 9.
For tickets and more information, call Skylands Stadium at 973-383-7644 or email contact@scminers.com.