Sigfredo Barros

THE next Caribbean Series Baseball Tournament, to be played in early 2014 on Isla Margarita, Venezuela, will include a Cuban team, according to a recent announcement in Havana's Hotel Nacional.

The statement came from Higinio Vélez, president of the Cuban Baseball Federation, who declared that the winner of the national playoff final between the Villa Clara and Matanzas teams will represent Cuba in the tournament, which includes championship teams from Mexico, Venezuela, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico.

Juan Francisco Puello Herrera, president of the Caribbean Baseball Confederation, celebrated Cuba's return to the competition after 43 years. He stressed that with the Cuban team, the Caribbean Series gained quality, which will provide a better experience for fans. "Some performance records achieved by Cuban players remain unbeaten, such as Lorenzo ‘Chiquitín’ Cabrera's .619 batting average," he recalled.

Puello Herrera stated that the list of participants includes 28 teams which could be reinforced or even changed completely under the rules of the Baseball Federation. As regards the way the competition is organized, now involving five participating nations, there will be a first round of all against all, and then the top four teams will face each other in a playoff.