Rays enjoy smooth trip to Cuba - returning home, not so easy
FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) Star pitcher Chris Archer and the Tampa Bay Rays gushed about what a great trip they took to Cuba.
Getting home, that was a different story.
The Rays were stuck for several hours at the airport Tuesday night into early Wednesday when their plane had mechanical trouble. The part needed to fix the problem wasn't available in Cuba.
The players, coaching staff and manager Kevin Cash eventually changed planes and arrived back in Tampa around 5 a.m.
The Rays beat the Cuban national team 4-1 Tuesday afternoon in Havana.
Archer tweeted at 2:58 a.m.: ''Great trip to Cuba. But.we haven't left yet. We've been stuck on the runway for the past 6 hours. Safe to say we are a bit delusional.''
Cash got to Fort Myers for the Rays' game Wednesday against Minnesota about an hour before the first pitch. Cash and third base coach Charlie Montoyo were the only uniformed personnel who were at the game in Cuba and the exhibition vs. the Twins.