Cuban pitcher Yariel Rodriguez (26) apologized belatedly after signing a two-year contract with the Chunichi Dragons of the Japanese professional baseball team, but suddenly disappeared before the opening game. However, he still has no intention of returning to the team due to his intention to unilaterally break the contract. An absurd move.
On the 27th (hereafter Korean time), Rodriguez posted a photo of him pitching in a Chunichi uniform on his SNS and said, “This is a beautiful memory for me. I would like to express my gratitude to all the fans who supported me as a Chunichi player for 3 years. He apologizes for suddenly abandoning the contract.”
“I decided to follow my dream of playing in the major leagues,” said Rodriguez. Unfortunately, this is not possible in Cuba. As always, I believe that if you have passion for baseball, belief, and self-leadership, you will be able to achieve that dream.”
Rodriguez signed a two-year contract with Chunichi at an annual salary of 200 million yen in February, and participated in the World Base Classic (WBC) as a member of the Cuban national team, contributing to advancing to the semifinals. As he failed to advance to the finals, he decided to enter Japan on March 29 after temporarily returning to Cuba, but did not board the scheduled flight. 크크크벳
Reporter Frances Romero of the All Baseball Writers Association (BBWAA), who is well versed in Central and South American baseball news, found out that he was exiled with the goal of advancing to the major leagues, which puzzled Chunichi. It is absurd that he defected before the start of the season, but the club was not even contacted. Earlier this month, a video of him doing personal training in the Dominican Republic was released through reporter Romero.
Rodriguez, who belatedly announced the current situation through social media, apologized to fans and contacted the club. According to Japanese media, including ‘Sports Nippon’, Hiroyuki Kato, CEO of Chunichi, said, “I got in touch with the player. About last week, the representative of the player contacted the foreigner. A few days later, a letter from a player came to me. He owed his place to the team, and it was written that he wanted to pursue his dreams,” he explained. He also asked about his intention to return to the team, but Rodriguez was determined to take on the challenge.