Cuban coach requests asylum in U.S.

A Cuban baseball coach sought asylum in the United States today, skipping the flight that returned players home to Havana after their victory over the Baltimore Orioles, a congressman said.

Two other Cubans also may have asked for political asylum, said Rep. Bob Menendez, D-N.J.

Menendez identified the defector as Rigoberto Herrera Betancourt, 54, and said he was a pitching coach. Police identified him as Rigoberto Herrera.

The official brochure handed out by the Cuban team before Monday’s game had no listing for a Herrera or a Betancourt.

Police said Herrera walked into a police station this morning and requested asylum.

Police contacted the Immigration Naturalization Service, and the agency took custody of Herrera late this morning, police spokesman Robert Weinhold said in a statement.

Earlier, Luis Fernandez, a spokesman for Cuba’s diplomatic mission in Washington, said six Cubans missed their flight because they overslept. He said he had no information on any defections.

Fernandez said the six former baseball players were planning to catch another flight home either today or Wednesday.

“Unfortunately, they, overslept and missed their plane,” he said, adding that they “were very upset when they found out they missed their flight.”

He said the six men, whom he would not name, had attended the game and then went to an early morning reception before returning to their hotel rooms.

More than 300 Cubans were part of the delegation that attended Monday night’s game, which the Cubans won 12-6. Besides players, the delegation included journalists, retired baseball players, ordinary citizens, members of youth groups and outstanding students.

The INS would not comment on possible defections.

“Asylum is a very confidential process and I cannot confirm or deny that we are processing any members of the Cuban group,” said Ben Ferro, regional director for the INS in Baltimore.

During a lengthy speech welcoming the players at Havana University, Cuban President Fidel Castro mentioned and criticized defections in general, but there was no indication that anyone had stayed behind.

The game, a rematch after the Orioles defeated the Cuban players in Havana 3-2 on March 28, was surrounded by controversy. Hundreds of protesters gathered outside Camden Yards to speak out against Castro, while a smaller group supporting the lifting of sanctions against Cuba protested nearby.

Three men from Miami who ran onto the field in the fourth inning were given citations for misdemeanor trespassing. A 13-year-old boy also was detained but not charged.

At one point, one of three Cubans umpiring, Cesar Valdez, struck and body-slammed a demonstrator who had run onto the field carrying a sign that said “Freedom – Strike Out Against Castro.”

“Above all, I am Cuban,” Valdez explained later. “I just thought it was the right way to do it.” Associated Press