Havana Hardball: Spring Training, Jackie Robinson, and The Cuban League

In February 1947, the most memorable season in the history of the Cuban League finished with a dramatic series win by underdog Almendares against their rival, Habana. As the celebration spread through the streets of Havana and across Cuba, the Brooklyn Dodgers arrived on the island to begin spring training. One of the minor league players who made the trip was Jackie Robinson.

He was on the verge of making his major-league debut in the United States, an event that would fundamentally change sports - and America. To avoid harassment from the white crowds during this critical preseason, the Dodgers relocated their spring training to Cuba, where black and white teammates had played side by side since 1900.

It was also during this time that Major League Baseball was trying its hardest to bring the
outlaw
Cuban League under the control of organized baseball. As the Cubans fought to stay independent, Robinson worked to earn a roster spot on the Dodgers in the face of discrimination from his own teammates.

Havana Hardball captures the excitement of the Cuban League’s greatest pennant race and the anticipation of the looming challenge to MLB’s color barrier. Illuminating one of the sport’s most pivotal seasons, veteran journalist Cesar Brioso brings together a rich mix of worlds as the heyday of Latino baseball converged with one of the most socially meaningful events in U.S. history.