• Submitted by: lena campos
• Personalities
• 07 / 20 / 2012

---

Baseball star says he never wanted to leave his country for money

Enrique Diaz owns many of the records in Cuban baseball — most hits, most triples, most stolen bases.

He’s regarded as one of Cuba’s best leadoff hitters and second basemen. He has the talent of many young Cubans now playing in the United States — but none of the money.

And at 44, he knows he’ll never cash in.

Cuba-born players like Yoenis Cespedes (Oakland Athletics), Yunel Escobar (Toronto Blue Jays) or Aroldis Chapman (Cincinnati Reds) are earning millions after fleeing Cuba for baseball in the Major Leagues.

On top of this, Diaz has never played on Cuba’s powerful national team in an official game.

“It left a bad taste in my mouth and the feeling of injustice,” Diaz said in an interview with The Associated Press.

“But I’m not frustrated because these things were out of my control.”

Diaz had the misfortune of coinciding with two other great Cuban second basemen, Antonio Pacheco and later Yulieski Gourriel. In the just-completed season he surpassed Pacheco’s record for hits.

Diaz has played 26 seasons — 19 with the club the Metropolitanos, and seven with Industriales. And there is no hint of a pending retirement.

“It’s uncertain if I will retire or not,” he said. “My wife and kids want me to, but I don’t know what to do. The only thing I’ve done in my life is play baseball. From that point of view, my motivation is the same. I feel good physically and want to continue — at least next season.”

Diaz said his career highlight was playing for the national team in 1999 in an exhibition against the Baltimore Orioles.

“I was proud to play with the team, and doubly proud because Fidel Castro chose me,” Diaz said. “Fidel said Cuba needed a fast player who could bunt and steal bases off any catcher. He said I was the guy, and they put me on the team.”

Diaz said he never had an offer to play professional baseball, and he emphasized he would not have accepted one if that meant leaving the Caribbean island.

“Leaving the country, away from my family, never interested me,” Diaz said.

Source: Florida Today.com