Next Tuesday, November 7, the II Elite League season will begin with games starting at 6:30 pm

The regular season will be played between November 7 and December 25, 2023

Agricultores, with Carlos Martí at the helm, won the I Cuban Elite Baseball League in 2023

At a press conference held this Thursday at the Latin American stadium in Havana, Mr. Juan Reinaldo Pérez Pardo, National Commissioner and President of the Cuban Baseball Federation, confirmed that the II Elite Cuban Baseball League will begin on November 7 in three Cuban stadiums.

This Friday, the official tournament schedule must be announced for the tournament, which starts with three matches.

As the elite event will be opening at night, the matches that will inaugurate it will be:

Guillermón Moncada Stadium: 6:30 pm (ET), Matanzas vs Santiago de Cuba

Julio A. Mella Stadium: 6:30 pm (ET), Industriales vs Las Tunas

José A. Strike Stadium: 6:30 pm (ET), Artemisa vs Sancti Spíritus

Sunday's matches will begin at 1:30 pm (ET), the same time as the 26 de Julio Stadium's matches, since it does not have electric lighting.

Some details of the II Elite Cuban Baseball League

• The 6 teams competing (Las Tunas, Industriales, Santiago de Cuba, Sancti Spiritus, Matanzas and Artemisa) will have 32 players each

• There will be 40 matches in two rounds of four games each (8 games against each rival).

• Throughout the season, Teammate will dress the teams and supply the tournament baseballs

• Teams may remove and add three players between games 30 and 39 of the tournament, provided they meet the following criteria:

- Of those who participated in the 62nd National Series

- Baseball players from Cuba living abroad

• The top four places will qualify for the semifinals, with series based on 1st vs. 4th and 2nd vs. 3rd. Winners will discuss the championship. There will be a best-of-seven format for both series

• Teams will be able to select two reinforcements from the eliminated teams before the semifinals

• The tournament final allows for one reinforcement selection, also from eliminated teams

• Puerto Rico will host the Antillean Cup, where the tournament's champion team will compete. This tournament will also feature the Dominican Republic

II Elite Cuban Baseball League important dates

• September 21, selection of 12 reinforcements for each team (of the 72 selected, 20 won't participate for a variety of reasons, the largest being leaving the country).

• The tournament's Technical Congress will be held on November 3

• From November 7 to December 25, the qualifying stage will take place

• Celebration of suspended or postponed games from December 27 to 29

• Semifinals will take place from January 4 to 12

• The Finals will be held from January 15 to 23

The 20 reinforcements players who will not participate in the tournament

Left the country (7)

Osday Silva (Santiago de Cuba)

Pedro Pablo Revilla (Industriales)

Geomar Nuñez (Artemisa)

Yeudis Reyes (Matanzas)

Silvano Hechevarría (Industriales)

Kendri Hernández (Artemisa)

Franky Quintana (Matanzas)

Having personal problems (5)

Luis A. Marrero (Sancti Spíritus)

Yunier Castillo (Sancti Spíritus)

Liosvany Pérez (Artemisa)

No interest in the tournament (5)

Osvaldo Vázquez (Santiago de Cuba)

Freddy Asiel Álvarez (Industriales)

Miguel Paradelo (Las Tunas)

Edilse Silva (Santiago de Cuba)

Vladimir García (Industriales)

Injuries (3)

Carlos Juan Viera (Las Tunas)

Rangel Ramos (Matanzas)

Luis A. Serpa (Las Tunas)

Individual Request to not participate (2)

Dailier Peña (Las Tunas)

Manuel A. Ávila (Las Tunas)