Anti-Communism Protests Headline Tense WBC Game In Miami Between United States and Cuba

Cuba's one-party socialist regime took center stage Sunday at the World Baseball Classic when the United States played the Cuban national team at loanDepot Park in Miami, Florida.

Given Miami's high population of Cuban Americans, the game presented an opportunity for proud citizens of Cuban heritage to protest the oppressive socialist government that has ruined life for people on the island for over 50 years.

Cuba's Appearance Controversial At WBC

There was tension following the Cuban national team as Cuban-born MLB players highlighted a problem with representing the communist country.

Boos rained as Chicago White Sox stars Yoan Moncada and Luis Robert Jr. were introduced to the Cuban national team. Former Met Yoenis Cespedes also participated on Cuba's side. Livan Hernandez, the ex-MLB player who defected from Cuba in 1995, threw the ceremonial first pitch.

Pro-Freedom, Anti-Dictatorship Protestors Take Over loanDepot

Security at loanDepot was fortified for Sunday's game. Protests spanned from outside the stadium to on the field during live action.

Anti-communist slogans and signage were found throughout the venue grounds. The phrase Patria y Vida ("homeland and life") was commonly heard all afternoon. Libertad was also shouted, spotlighting a call for liberation for the political prisoners who spoke up against the communist government in 2021.

Protestors called out the Cuban government's imprisonment of protestors on July 11, 2021, during one of the greatest uprisings against the country's communist dictatorship. During the historical event, Cuban authorities imprisoned hundreds of protestors and withheld information on their whereabouts from the public, including their families.

Banners were spotted during the broadcast, all decrying a violation of freedoms that go on in Cuba, day to day. From food shortages to a lack of access to essential utilities, the Cuban government's grasp led millions of defectors to risk their lives in pursuit of a better life, especially in southeastern Florida.

The game was once halted as a protestor ran onto the field.

(Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images)

(Photo by Eric Espada/Getty Images)

Cuban fans also showed up with anti-Fidel Castro shirts, a slap in the face for woke Americans like Colin Kaepernick who hailed the political tyrant. Castro's communism led to death and despair in Cuba from 1959 to 2008.

In the anti-Cuban government protests was praise for America's land of opportunity. Americans that were proud to be American.

(Matias J. Ocner/Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

(Jose A. Iglesias/Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

READ: COLIN KAEPERNICK WEARS FIDEL CASTRO SHIRT AFTER ANTHEM PROTEST

USA Cruise To Dominant Victory Over Cuba

MLB star Nolan Arenado, who is of Cuban heritage but opted to play for Team USA, cast some hesitance at the thought of players choosing to play for Cuba.

"To be quite honest with you, there's a lot of anxious feelings," Arenado said, as relayed by ESPN's Alden Gonzalez.

"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."

(Photo by Rob Tringali/WBCI/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

Trea Turner homered twice against Cuba, just a day after scoring a go-ahead Grand Slam against Venezuela in the U.S.' win 9-7.

In the semifinal game, the United States steamrolled Cuba, 14-2. The Yanks will play the winner of Monday's matchup between Japan and Mexican for the World Baseball Classic championship.

(Matias J. Ocner/Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

(Photo by Daniel Shirey/WBCI/MLB Photos via Getty Images)