By José Alejandro Rodríguez Zas
The 41-year-old veteran Cuban pitcher, Yunesky Maya, is having an excellent 2022-2023 season in the Professional Baseball League of the Dominican Republic. Throwing for the Águilas Cibaeñas, the right-hander from Pinar del Río has numbers that can sneak into the discussion of the Best Pitcher of the contest.
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In seven openings made so far, Maya He is 3-1 with an excellent ERA of 0.76, allowing just five runs, three of them earned, in 35.2 innings, in which he has struck out 22 batters, adds just 11 walks and his WHIP is 1.01.
Despite his seniority, the current form shown in LIDOM by the vueltabajero, his great experience in baseball, professional and amateur, even at the national team level (he also participated in the I World Classic in 2006 when Cuba finished second), were elements Enough that made the followers of Antillean baseball think that the Cuban Federation (FCB) would summon him for the V World Classic, as part of its “opening”.
And, indeed, the call occurred, as the baseball player himself confessed in an interview with the YouTube channel “Luis Tomas En Los Deportes”but the veteran also made his position on the subject very clear and the response he gave to the FCB.
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The question asked by the interviewer to Maya was the following:
«Maya, there is a question that you are not oblivious to in that situation. In the year 2023 the Classic will be taking place. Politics and the Cuban regime did not allow many of your players to play for Cuba in previous years. We have seen that this has changed, we have seen Yoenis Céspedes who told ourselves these days that he is going to be in the Classic with Cuba, Roenis Elías told the boys the day before yesterday that he is also in the preliminary group . What opinion do you deserve?
The response of the veteran pitcher did not wait:
“I respect everyone’s opinion. I was also called, I said no, that I did not agree to participate. The one who took the step like Roenis, like Céspedes, the other boys, I know that many have come out saying many things but, we are human. In truth, I am not in anyone’s brain, I am not in anyone’s thoughts, I simply act with what I think and I am simply not going to represent Cuba in the World Classic. I will see it from home, I will support them from there, I do not wish them harm either, I will support my teammates wherever I am.
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Without a doubt, the figure of Maya was one of the most popular on social networks as a possible pitcher to be summoned by the FCB to the aforementioned fight, but little to nothing had been said about it, until the pitcher himself clarified the situation.
