Satara Blue Jays win inaugural MLB baseball tournament

The Satara Blue Jays emerged as champions of the first-ever Major League Baseball Cup 2021 in India after beating the Pune Angels 14-4 in the final.

The Pune Angels beat Ahmednagar Athletics 17-6 in the first semifinals, while the Satara Blue Jays went past the Kolhapur Braves 14-3 in the second one.

The youth baseball tournament was conducted for the first time in India at Gurugram, Haryana. The MLB Cup demonstrates MLB’s commitment to youth development and is conducted in each of the countries in which Major League Baseball has a presence.

A total of 12 baseball teams - Satara Blue Jays, Pune Angels, Malappuram White Sox, Pondicherry Mets, Kolhapur Braves, Malappuram Tigers, Indore Red Sox, Delhi Dodgers, Ahmednagar Athletics, Indore Pirates, Hyderabad Cubs, and Srinagar Rockies - competed in the inaugural edition of MLB Cup.

Platform for young baseball players

Dinesh Patel was one of the first Indian-born athletes to sign a contract with a Major League Baseball club. He signed a contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates organization in 2008. Patel attended the MLB Cup 2021 as a guest and interacted with the participants.

Patel was in awe of how the MLB Cup was conducted and said the baseball tournament has provided a good platform for youngsters.

"Major League Baseball has done a tremendous job by hosting the MLB Cup 2021. The tournament provided a brilliant platform for many children from around the country to show their talent and I was very fortunate to be here and witness this tournament. The children are very skilled baseball players and I am sure their experience here at the MLB Cup 2021 will provide a huge boost to their aspirations of becoming professional baseball players in the future," he said.

Tanaya Sachin Pawar, who is from Pune, expressed her excitement about participating in the MLB Cup.

"My experience of playing in the MLB Cup was excellent. I liked everything about the MLB Cup and I feel baseball is a unique game. I am lucky to have had the chance to play this game and be here in the tournament," Tanaya said.

Lokesh Reddy, a youngster from Hyderabad, concurred with Tanaya and said the equipment used in the tournament was good.

"This tournament was a great experience for us. It was really nice to play in such a tournament at a young age. I liked the equipment we got during the competition. We had a very good time," he said.