Five Hundred Runs From Sagua la Grande

Sagua la Grande

Two tries at leaving Cuba had each cost Yandy Díaz 21 days in jail. On his successful attempt in 2013, he and a childhood friend hid in bushes on a beach before boarding a motorized raft for a 12-hour crossing to the Dominican Republic, sharks visible in the water. He was 21. His father, Jorge, had defected years earlier, briefly played in the Texas Rangers organization, and spent most of his career in independent leagues. Yandy last saw him at age six. His mother, Elsa María Fernández, steered him toward baseball when he preferred soccer and basketball, and she remains in Cuba.

He signed with Cleveland for $300,000 as an international free agent. After minor-league work that included International League Rookie of the Year honors in 2016, he debuted with the Indians on April 3, 2017. A three-team deal in December 2018 sent him to Tampa Bay, where he has been ever since.

Five Hundred

The runs came across 1,001 games and ten seasons, eight of them in Tampa Bay. Díaz has reached base at a .373 clip for his career, with a .292 average, 201 doubles, and 114 home runs. A Silver Slugger season in 2023 and two All-Star selections frame the peak. On May 29 of this year, Díaz scored his 500th career run.

The first All-Star Game, in Seattle in 2023, is the one that holds the story. His wife Mayisleidis's labor induction was delayed so he could attend. He homered in his first at-bat, caught a red-eye flight home, and their first son was born the next day.

Rays hitting coach Chad Mottola told manager Kevin Cash that Díaz came into 2026 spring training looking the best he could recall at that point in the year. He is 34, still the Rays' designated hitter, and an All-Star again this season.

Reporting: MLB.com, Wikipedia, ESPN. Career and biographical data: MLB StatsAPI, via the Fever engine.