The Victoria HarbourCats baseball club is acting as a sort of sporting peace ambassador.
Diamond diplomacy, during the Obama administration, helped thaw U.S.-Cuba relations. They have frozen again during the Trump years with the embargo making it hard for the U.S. to play Cuba in sports.
The HarbourCats are more than happy to help with gloves across the border when the Port Angeles Lefties of the West Coast League will cross the strait to play the Union de Reyes team from Cuba in an exhibition game on June 2 at Royal Athletic Park. The closing contest of that split-gate doubleheader will be the fellow-WCL HarbourCats taking on Union de Reyes later that evening.
The Union de Reyes team, which has a close association with a baseball group in Chemainus and Duncan, defeated the HarbourCats last season on their Canadian tour and celebrated with the Cuban players dancing the salsa with fans at Royal Athletic Park.
鈥淚t鈥檚 baseball exotic,鈥� said Jim Swanson, the HarbourCats GM and managing partner.
鈥淭his just doesn鈥檛 happen. This is very rare in sports to see a U.S. team playing a Cuban team. It鈥檚 something that can only happen, with rare exceptions, outside of their countries due to the politics involved. At one point, relations were thawing. But that kind of stopped after the last [U.S.] election.鈥�
Swanson said the response in Port Angeles has been enthusiastic.
鈥淭hey are all over it. We expect lots of fans over from Port Angeles,鈥� he said.
鈥淭his brings out a lot of passion. There鈥檚 a whole different energy level to international sport.鈥�
The HarbourCats will also play Union de Reyes on June 10 at Royal Athletic Park.
The HarbourCats鈥� WCL season opens June 4 in Wenatchee.
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