Champ Kind Posted June 15, 2016 Share Posted June 15, 2016 By Nick Brown SAN JUAN (Reuters) - When the ball cracked off Cariduros shortstop Luis Mateo's bat, driving in the eventual winning run in a crucial June 4 play-off game, Angel Mulero and his family didn't just cheer. "Baseball is therapy," he said in Spanish, hoarse from cheering. He's not alone: Puerto Rico's so-called Double-A amateur baseball league, where Fajardo Cariduros play, drew some 400,000 fans last year, notable on a mostly rural island of 3.5 million. Fewer Puerto Rican prospects are reaching the top tier U.S. teams, and the island's own pro league is a shell of its once-vibrant self. Part of the reason for the stagnation: the island's relationship with U.S.-based Major League Baseball (MLB), a complex link in some ways reflective of the identity struggle at the heart of Puerto Rico's status as a U.S. territory. View the full article Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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