Protesters gather in Miami outside Cuba-USA WBC semifinal

MIAMI — Cuban jerseys, caps and flags decorated the concourse directly outside of loanDepot Park on Sunday afternoon, moments before Team Cuba began its World Baseball Classic semifinal game against the United States.

That was within the gates. Directly outside of them, dozens of protesters gathered in front of about 15 police officers with signs speaking out against Cuba's communist government and the political prisoners still detained on the island.

«Libertad!» one man constantly shouted.

«Freedom for Cuba!» another woman hollered from time to time.

Sunday marked the first time since at least the beginning of Fidel Castro's reign more than 60 years ago that Cuba's national baseball team visited Miami, specifically Little Havana, the Cuban enclave that houses so many of the people who have fled the island dating back to the 1960s. Some have been able to separate its baseball from politics, while many others can't, a singular dynamic that, for one night, was encapsulated within one baseball stadium.

It extended beyond the fans.

«To be quite honest with you, there's a lot of anxious feelings,» said Team USA third baseman Nolan Arenado, the son of Cuban immigrants, adding that he had a long chat about Cuba's presence with his family earlier in the morning.

«You know, if it wasn't for the sacrifices my grandparents made to get here for my parents, I don't know if I would have been the player that I am today, so, there's a lot of feelings I feel toward it. I respect them, I respect the players, but we have a job to do.»

Cheers and a faint «Cuba!» chant were heard when the Cuban flag was unfurled during pregame introductions, but Yoan Moncada and Luis Robert Jr. of the Chicago White Sox — the first two active major leaguers