A Little League World Series coach with Cuba’s first-ever team in the series has gone missing. A Little League International spokesperson said Monday that Bayamo Little League coach Jose Perez left the Little League International Grove late Saturday night and did not return.
A three-year rotation was established between Cuba, Puerto Rico and Panama in 2021. Under the rotation, two teams earn an automatic bid to the tournament each year, and the remaining team competes for a spot in the LLWS through its regional tournament.
To get the Cuban national champs from Bayamo to this year’s tournament, Little League worked with the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control and the State Department to get 20 visas for the Cuban team, plus coaches and baseball officials. Wednesday marked Cuba’s first game in the LLWS, a 1-0 loss to Japan. After defeating Australia 11-1 in the opening round of the elimination bracket Saturday, the Cubans lost 3-2 against Panama on Sunday and were eliminated from the tournament. Even after being eliminated, teams typically stay at the Little League campus and play exhibition games for a few days around the area.Seth Engle is a student in the John Curley Center for Sports Journalism at Penn State.
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