On Saturday, Jan. 18, the Miami Dade College Sharks and FEPCUBE Dream Team competed in an exhibition matchup held at Kendall Campus Baseball Field. The Sharks were victorious over the Dream Team, winning 5-4 and stopping a would be comeback victory for the Cuban side. This event was in part of putting together a reunion for Miami Dade College baseball alumni and continues a relationship between the Cuban Professional Baseball Federation and Miami Dade.
¡Hola a todos! Miami Dade Baseball nos invita a su evento anual de alumni el 18 de enero, donde compartiremos con ellos esta tradición.
Los esperamos a todos#oneteamonedream #todossomoscuba #fepcube pic.twitter.com/Z69n0pxJdu
— FEPCUBE (@fepcube) December 20, 2024
The FEPCUBE Dream Team is a team made up of some of the best, young talent from Cuba. Yanquiel Fernandez is one of the most talented players on the FEPCUBE roster. He is a top five prospect in the Colorado Rockies system who is currently playing for the Rockies’ Triple-A affiliate the Albuquerque Isotopes.
The MDC Sharks are a good junior college program with 38 national championships. They also had two players get drafted in 2024. Herick Hernandez was selected by the Atlanta Braves in the 4th round and D’Angelo Ortiz, the son of David Ortiz, was selected by the Boston Red Sox in the 19th round.
The game was celebrated by individuals in the Miami-Dade county area, as former MLB veteran Guillermo Heredia threw out the first pitch to commemorate the game showcasing Cuban heritage.
Guillermo Heredia threw out the first pitch on January 18 during the FEPCUBE vs. Miami Dade Sharks exhibition game.
Heredia plays for the SSG Landers in the KBO and has spent the last two seasons with the team.
In 2024, he led the league with a .360 batting average and set… pic.twitter.com/9Kf2CB1REe
— CubanBaseballZone ????????⚾️???? (@CubanBaseballZN) January 19, 2025
Heredia isn’t the only player with Major League experience who has interacted with the FEPCUBE team in the Miami Dade area. Last year, Cuban outfielder and 11-year MLB veteran Jorge Soler was videoed training with the FEPCUBE team on the Miami Dade College campus around the same time of year for last year’s bout between the two squads. Soler was traded this past offseason from the Atlanta Braves to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in exchange for pitcher Griffin Canning.
Free agent Jorge Soler training today at Miami Dade North Campus with the @fepcube team. pic.twitter.com/IdfPWC097B
— Francys Romero (@francysromeroFR) January 12, 2024
This was just the second time the FEPCUBE Dream team has played against Miami Dade College. Last January, the dream team defeated the Sharks 3-2. This year, the contest was just as tight. This time, it was the Sharks who struck first accumulating a 4-0 lead through five innings. However, the dream team tied the game with a four-run top of the sixth inning. Both bullpens battled from there, but ultimately the Sharks had the last laugh when they walked off the game in the bottom of the ninth to win 5-4 in the second bout of this hopefully annual exhibition series.
WBN Cuba: https://worldbaseball.com/league/cuba/
Photo Credit: Pelota Cubana USA and Silvio Campos Photography on January 19
