The championship bears the legend’s name. At 7.50pm last night, 59 years after, Juan Marichal made another pitch, this time around it was an honor pitch, hence leaving formally inaugurated the 58th Edition of the Caribbean Baseball Series.
Precisely, it is this version of the Series that bears the name Juan Marichal , and it is precisely the Estadio Quisqueya which also bears the Dominican legend’s name in Cooperstown and also here.
A talented musical band composed by 500 children, all of them members of the National System of Free Schools (member of the Ministry of Culture), led by Samanta Olivero, began the inaugural protocol with a medley of different themes from all different participating countries. Santy Rodríguez led the band.
In the way that all children performed the themes, the players from the different nations came to occupy their positions in the field.
Cuba came out with “Guantanamera”, while Mexico did it with “Allá en el Rancho Grande” (*there in Rancho Grande”, Puerto Rico with “Lamento Boricano” (*Borinquen Cry) and the Dominican Republic came out with “Linda Quisqueya” (*beautiful Quisqueya).
Immediately the children went on to perform the instrumental anthems of Puerto Rico, Mexico, Venezuela, Cuba and Dominican Republic; with each anthem, the flag from each country was hoisted to wave all throughout the seven-day championship.
The merengue theme “The baseball capital” written by Leonardo Matos Berrido, LIDOM chairman, was performed by Amaury Colón.
Immediately a recognition to Juan Marichal was made, whom on the previous day lit the lights on the figure that today decorates the stadium which bears his name.
Source: Diario Libre
