NEW DELHI: The MLB Cup, a youth tournament conducted by the India unit of Major League Baseball, held for the first time in the country from 10 to 12 December, saw the Satara Blue Jays defeat Pune Angels 14-4 in the final in Gurugram, Haryana.
Earlier Sunday, Pune Angels beat Ahmednagar Athletics 17-6 in the first Semi-Final, while the Satara Blue Jays went past Kolhapur Braves 14-3 in the second Semi-Final.
The MLB Cup, a part of the league’s larger initiative to have significant growth in participation levels for baseball in the country, is conducted in each of the countries in which MLB has a presence in.
A total of 12 teams namely Satara Blue Jays, Pune Angels, Malappuram White Sox, Pondicherry Mets, Kolhapur Braves, Malappuram Tigers, Indore Red Sox, Delhi Dodgers, Ahmednagar Athletics, Indore Pirates, Hyderabad Cubs, and Srinagar Rockies competed in the inaugural edition of the MLB Cup 2021 in Gurugram, Haryana. The sides came from all over the country. There were four teams from Maharashtra, two from Madhya Pradesh (Indore), two from Kerala, one from Hyderabad (Telangana), one from Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir), one from Delhi, and one from Puducherry. Each of the 12 teams consisted of 12 players with boys and girls playing together for the same side.
Speaking about MLB Cup 2021, David Palese, Baseball Development manager, India said: “It was fantastic to host the first MLB Cup in India and great to see the boys and girls enjoy themselves playing baseball over the course of three days. This tournament was a great opportunity for the kids to enjoy the game of baseball through an MLB experience. We hope that the coaches, umpires, parents, and most importantly the players, had a great time and we would certainly look to host more tournaments in the future.”
Dinesh Patel, who was one of the first Indian-born athletes to sign a contract with an MLB club when he signed a contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates organization in 2008, attended the MLB Cup 2021 as a guest and also interacted with the participants.
The participants of the MLB Cup 2021 were provided with accommodation and to and fro travel to Gurugram from their hometowns. The teams were also provided with meals, uniforms, and equipment during their stay in Gurugram.
Since setting up office in 2019, MLB India initiated the MLB First Pitch grassroots program, which has given a fantastic opportunity to primary school children to understand and grasp the sport with guidance from MLB International coaches. MLB India also conducted online coaching and training lessons for baseball coaches to develop the game of baseball in India.
