Danny Miranda, an Olympic gold medal-winning baseball player and manager in Cuba’s top league and national team program, died on April 5 at age 47.
Miranda, who won the old medal with Cuba at the 2004 Olympic Summer Games in Athens, Greece, was admitted to a hospital in Ciego de Avila, Cuba, over the weekend with an intestinal obstruction, according to 14yMedio, an online news outlet covering Cuba. He underwent emergency surgery, but developed complications and passed away on Sunday, according to CiberCuba.com.
A first baseman and outfielder, Miranda was part of the 2004 Cuba team that went 6-1 during preliminary play at the Athens Olympics, their lone loss coming 6-3 to Japan, and then beat Canada 8-5 in the semifinals and Australia 6-2 in the gold medal game. The win was Cuba’s third Olympic gold medal in baseball and the island nation’s last major win in international senior competition.
As a manager, Miranda took over the Serie Nacional’s Tigres de Ciego de Avila in 2023, leading them to a 39-36 record in his first season, which was also the Serie Nacional’s first time playing a summer schedule. The Tigres were swept 4-0 in the first round of the playoffs by the eventual champion, the Lenadores de Las Tunas. A year later, Miranda led the Tigres to a sixth-place finish and a berth in the Cuban Elite League, in which the Tigres won their first championship, going 24-16 and then sweeping Las Tunas 4-0 in the championship series. This past season, the Tigres finished 28-45 under Miranda.
In October, Cuba’s U23 national team, managed by Miranda, took third place in the Pan-American Championship, qualifying the team for the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s U23 World Cup, which will be held in November in Nicaragua.
During his playing career, Miranda played 12 seasons in the Serie Nacional, all with Ciego de Avila, batting .290/.376/.428 with 1,009 career hits, 144 doubles, 88 homers, and 542 career RBIs.
Photo: Canada’s Adam Stern (19) is tagged by Cuba first baseman Danny Miranda (74) as he tries to steal second base during the eighth inning of the team’s semifinal round game at the Olympic Baseball Center at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2004. Cuba won 8-4 and will play in Wednesday’s gold medal game. Canada will face Japan for the bronze medal. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
