Posted 03/03/16

     MLB has announced it will make a historic visit to Cuba this month according to a press release.
     “The Tampa Bay Rays will play the Cuban National Team in an exhibition game on Tuesday, March 22nd at Estadio Latinoamericano in Havana,” the release said.
     No Major League Baseball franchise has visited the nation since the Orioles in 1999. ESPN will broadcast the game live and the game will be streamed on WacthESPN.
     “Major League Baseball is excited to play in Cuba and to have the Tampa Bay Rays representing our 30 Clubs,” Commissioner Robert D. Manfred, Jr. said. “ During a time of historic change, we appreciate the constructive role afforded by our shared passion for the game, and we look forward to experiencing Cuba's storied baseball tradition and the passion of its many loyal fans."
     Stuart Sternberg, Principal Owner for the Rays, says his team is proud and will represent MLB.
     “The Rays are extremely proud to represent Major League Baseball on a trip that will be so memorable and significant for two countries that revere our great sport,” he said. “Our franchise will be privileged to visit Cuba, to share the field with its National Team and to embody the goodwill of our game."
     This is not the first time the sport has tried to display goodwill towards Cuba. In 2015, MLB and the MLB Players Association went on a goodwill tour in Cuba, hosting four days of children's clinics and charitable events.
     “As a part of the shared trip, MLB and the MLBPA made a joint $200,000 donation to Caritas Cubana, the U.S.-based, non-governmental provider of humanitarian, social and emergency services to Cuba,” according to the release.
     The release can be read in full here.