Cuban Baseball: Olympic Hearted

Baseball began to be played in Cuba a short time after it was created in the U.S. halfway through the 19th century. Most historians agree that the very first game was played in June 19, 1846 with the New York Nines trouncing the Knickerbockers by a score of 23 to 1.

On December 27, 1874, the Palmar de Junco Stadium in the Province of Matanzas hosted the first official baseball game in Cuba with Habana beating Matanzas 51 to 9. And thus began the introduction of baseball into Cuban culture.

The economic and social situation of the island in that period was a fundamental factor in the improvement of skills for the first generations of Cubans who practiced baseball. The first seasons were marked by the strong commitment of the players to survive the serious poverty and hunger of the time. Games ended with a “whip-round” or a public collection of money which often produced a ridiculous amount to be shared. Later, the baseball passion in Cuba started to increase along with the number of people practicing it. They began facing off with the best teams of the period from the U.S. professional leagues.

Many players took the field more for winning a contract abroad than for entertaining fans or representing their country in international events