Yasser Gómez
Encyclopedia
Yasser Gómez Soto is a Cuba
n baseball
player and Olympic
silver medalist with the Atlanta Braves
organization.
in the 2000 Summer Olympics
, winning the silver medal.
Gómez was originally slated to play in the 2009 World Baseball Classic
, but he and Yadel Martí
were kicked off the team in November 2008 for an unspecified reason, believed to be an attempted defection to the United States. Gómez, Martí, and Juan Yasser reportedly defected from Cuba in December 2008 in an effort to get to the Dominican Republic to seek a Major League Baseball career. In August 2009, they were declared free agents.
organization. He was assigned to the Double-A Mississippi Braves
.
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
n baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
player and Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
silver medalist with the Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
organization.
Cuba
Gómez played for the Cuba national baseball teamCuba national baseball team
The Cuba national baseball team is the national team of Cuba. The team is made up of amateur players from the Cuban national baseball system, as there are no professional sports leagues in Cuba...
in the 2000 Summer Olympics
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
, winning the silver medal.
Gómez was originally slated to play in the 2009 World Baseball Classic
2009 World Baseball Classic
The 2009 World Baseball Classic was an international baseball competition. It is the only international baseball tournament to feature a large number of players from the major leagues of North America and Asia. It began on March 5, 2009, and finished March 23, 2009.Japan emerged victorious for the...
, but he and Yadel Martí
Yadel Martí
Yadel Martí Carrillo is a right-handed pitcher in the Oakland Athletics organization.-Cuba:Martí formerly played for the Cuba national baseball team and Industriales of the Cuban National Series....
were kicked off the team in November 2008 for an unspecified reason, believed to be an attempted defection to the United States. Gómez, Martí, and Juan Yasser reportedly defected from Cuba in December 2008 in an effort to get to the Dominican Republic to seek a Major League Baseball career. In August 2009, they were declared free agents.
Atlanta Braves
On May 26, 2010, Gómez signed with the Atlanta BravesAtlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
organization. He was assigned to the Double-A Mississippi Braves
Mississippi Braves
The Mississippi Braves, or M-Braves as they are referred to locally, are a minor league baseball team based in Pearl, Mississippi, a suburb of Jackson. The team is the Class AA affiliate of the Atlanta Braves, and plays in the Southern League. The team is owned and operated by Liberty Media, which...
.