USA Baseball will travel to Havana in the coming months to discuss restarting a friendship series with the Cuban national team. If both federations come to an agreement, the series would commence once again next year (2024).
The two countries were bitter rivals throughout the 80’s, 90’s and early 2000’s. But after professional baseball players were allowed to play in international competitions the Cuban dominance over the US came to an end highlighted by a Ben Sheets gem in which he tossed a complete game shutout against the Caribbean powerhouse.
During that start he kept legendary hitters like Omar Linares, Orestes Kindelan and Antonio Pacheco at bay. Lead by Tommy Lasorda the USwas simply better than the favored Cubans on that day. Future major leaguers Ernie Young and Pat Borders paced the American squad with three RBIs between them.
Cuba still leads the series against the Americans 65-35, but the US holds a 22-20 edge in games played in the United States, including a 16-1 record at the National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina. The last friendship series played by either country against each other in 2019 was won by the Americans 4-1. In fact in the last two years of the event “Uncle Sam” won 7-out-10 against the communist island.
USA Baseball will travel to Havana in the coming months to discuss restarting a friendly series with the Cuban national team. If both federations come to an agreement, the series would start back up next year (2024).#CubanBaseballDigest #USA #Cuba pic.twitter.com/nh8tGWjpK6
— Cuban Baseball Digest (@CBaseballDigest) August 11, 2023
Results by the Cuban National Team in International Events:
World Baseball Classic
2006 2nd
2009 6th
2013 5th
2017 7th
2023 4th
Olympics
Gold: 1992, 1996, 2004
Silver: 2000, 2008
Baseball World Cup
Gold: 1939, 1940, 1942, 1943, 1950, 1952, 1953, 1961, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1976, 1978, 1980, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2005
Silver: 1941, 2007, 2009, 2011
Bronze: 1944, 1951
Intercontinental Cup
Gold: 1979, 1983, 1985, 1987, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1995, 2002, 2006
Silver: 1981, 1997, 1999
Pan American Games
Gold: 1951, 1963, 1971, 1975, 1979, 1983, 1987, 1991, 1995, 1999, 2003, 2007
Silver: 1967
Bronze: 2011, 2015
Central American & Caribbean Games
Gold: 1926, 1930, 1935, 1938, 1950, 1966, 1970, 1974, 1978, 1986, 1990, 1993, 1998, 2006, 2014
Silver: 1982, 2018,2023
Bronze: 1946