The World Series of the Major Leagues (MLB), which will begin this Friday in Toronto, will have only Andy Pagés as its only Cuban protagonist.
The Pinar del Río gardener Los Angeles Dodgers He will be with the current champions in the fight to preserve the throne, something that Camagüey pitcher Yariel Rodríguez will not be able to enjoy, as announced this Monday by the Blue Jays management.
OFFICIAL: Presenting our #WorldSeries roster! #WANTITALL pic.twitter.com/NVgo0tObjm
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) October 24, 2025
The “Gallero de San Serapio” was excluded from the roster of the Canadian franchise in the decisive stretch of the campaign, and many point to his discreet performances in the American League pennant series as the reason for his exclusion.
The season has been a kind of roller coaster in terms of performance for the 28-year-old from Camagüey. After his reconversion this year into a middle reliever, then a discreet performance during his debut in the MLB As a starter, he managed to show his best side and leave quite good numbers.
With action in 73 innings during the regular calendar, he achieved a 3-2 balance and an average of 3.08 earned runs per game, but the story took a sharp turn once the postseason began.
In that stretch, his statistics decreased considerably. Although he pitched impeccably for 1.1 innings against the New York Yakees, the lack of control came next, with four walks in his next two innings, three of them consecutively against the Seattle Mariners.
The coup de grace came against that same team, because in just one inning they allowed a couple of clean runs and an equal number of home runs, one of them signed by his compatriot Randy Arozarena.
There is no worse wedge… Cuban home runs vs. Cubans in the MLB postseason
However, the Blue Jays managed to come back in that series and win 4-3 in the seventh match, something that Yariel celebrated with evident euphoria.
“Today there are not enough words to describe what I feel… After so much work, sacrifice and faith, we are at the 2025 World Series! Every pitch, every training session, every sleepless night… it was all worth it,” he wrote on your Facebook profile.
“Now we continue with the same focus, with the same hunger and with a heart full of gratitude. Let’s go for the championship! That ehhhh!”, Yariel closed her message, but not before thanking her family, work team and followers.
Yariel Rodríguez after Toronto’s qualification for the World Series: “It was all worth it”
Clearly, Yariel hoped that the World Series would give him the opportunity to redeem himself, something that will be postponed by the decision of the Blue Jays brass.
Thus, the right-hander who impressed during his time in professional baseball in Japan, who convinced his team’s management of his talent to offer him a million-dollar contract, after propelling Cuba to the semifinals of the last World Baseball Classic (WBC), will have to trust in a brighter future.
The possibility of a revenge will then remain in their hands.
