While baseball fans, players and officials debated the merits of the increased presence of instant replay during Major League postseason games, replay played a significant role in a recent game between Sancti Spiritus and Havana of the National Series in Cuba. In the 16th inning, Sancti Spiritus infielder Yulieski Gourriel, generally considered one of the best players in Cuba, hit a line drive that appeared to hit the pitching mound and then was caught by Havana infielder Dayan Garcia, which resulted in a single. After the play, Havana manager Esteban Lombillo argued that the line drive had struck his pitcher's foot and then was caught by Garcia, which would have resulted in an out. The umpires convened and could not come up with a consensus, so they decided to check the replay. After watching several replays, the umpires concluded that the ball had struck Havana's pitcher, so they ruled Gourriel out. Sancti subsequently played the game under protest. (Article: Spanish | English -- Google translation)

Puerto Rican absence

The Puerto Rico Baseball League, which two seasons ago ceased operations for a year after financial struggles, suffered yet another setback this week when one of the team's most storied franchises, the Cangrejeros de Santurce, announced it will not participate in the league this year. The team asked for a one-year exemption after it could not come to an agreement with the city of San Juan to use Hiram Bithorn Stadium.