Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, left, and his wife, Cilia Flores, wave to fans at Venezuela’s first game at La Rinconada in the 2023 Caribbean Series. Maduro recently claimed victory in Venezuela’s presidential election, though international watchdogs dispute his victory. (Photo: Getty Images)
On July 28, the citizens of Venezuela went to the polls in the country’s latest presidential election.
They’ve since taken to the streets after the incumbent, Nicolas Maduro, declared himself the victor over Edmundo Gonzalez, plunging the oil-rich country into political turmoil again. Gonzalez and his political party, Plataforma Unitaria Democrática, have published tally sheets from nearly 80% of Venezuela’s voting centers showing that Gonzalez, not Maduro, was the winner of the election, getting almost 75% of the vote.
Maduro has been president since 2014, taking power when his predecessor, Hugo Chavez, died of cancer. Under Chavez, who was elected president in 1998, and Maduro, Venezuela underwent a socialist economic reformation that has led to widespread poverty and a more than a decade-long economic crisis. According to the United Nations High Commission on Refugees, more than 7.7 million Venezuelans have fled the country, with many seeking political asylum in the United States.
Aside from oil, a resource in which Venezuela has the largest proven reserve in the world, Venezuela exports professional baseball players. The nation on the northern coast of South America had the second-most players on Major League Baseball’s opening day rosters born outside the United States with 62, trailing only the Dominican Republic, which had 104.
As Venezuelans have taken to the streets to protest against Maduro’s regime, several Major League Baseball players, including Willson Contreras of the St. Louis Cardinals and Maikel Garcia of the Kansas City Royals, have posted their support for Gonzalez and the opposition on social media.
Other players, including some of Venezuela’s most notable MLB players and alumni, have not – largely in fear of the regime seeking reprisal against them, as well as their families in Venezuela.
On the 98th episode of World Baseball Network‘s Baseball Without Borders Podcast, Leif Skodnick discusses the situation in Venezuela with Daniel Alvarez-Montes of El ExtraBase, a website that covers MLB, Venezuelans in MLB, and the Liga Venezolana Beisbol Profesional.
