The Cuban Baseball and Softball Federation (FCBS) has requested the public announcement of the 4th Cuban Baseball Elite League, which will begin on 2 May. Below, we reproduce the information.

Information from the FCBS

Given what baseball represents in the Cuban popular imagination, given its connection to the country’s cultural and national identity roots, and because it is a demand of the people, from 2 May Cuba will deploy the 4th Baseball Elite League.

Despite the situation the country is going through due to the tightening of the economic, commercial and financial blockade by the United States government, and due to the energy siege with which it intends to strangle an entire nation, baseball returns to the stadiums, to homes and to the feelings of every Cuban man and woman.

In a colossal effort, amidst this adverse panorama, the League will be played in each of the stadiums of the six teams that achieved qualification in the past 64th National Series.

The qualifying stage will be played between 2 May and 19 June, with 40 challenges for each team, in four-game sub-series. The semi-finals, with a best-of-seven play-off and one travel day after the second and fifth games, are scheduled between 21 and 30 June. The final, with the same format, will be from 2 to 10 July.

As in previous editions, there will be a reinforcement draft, which will take place this Tuesday, 21 April, at 10 a.m. Each squad will consist of 20 players from the rosters that qualified for the Elite League, and may take seven players for reinforcement from a pool drawn up by the FCBS.

The first four rounds of reinforcement will be from that pool only, and the remaining three will be free, provided the players are eligible. It will not be accepted for a manager to include an athlete from his National Series team beyond the 20 he previously chose.

Game times will be at two in the afternoon, and postponed or suspended games will be resolved within the context of the sub-series being played, as there will be no make-up games at the end of the preliminary schedule. The top four by wins and losses will advance to the next phase.

This Tuesday 21, a technical meeting will also be held before the reinforcement draft.

Cuban Baseball and Softball Federation