Pittsburgh Pirates' Dinesh Patel trains kids as first-ever MLB Cup 2021 concludes in India

It was a sight to behold at The Dome in Gurgaon, Haryana, on Friday as Major League Baseball kicked off their first-ever MLB Cup 2021 in India, a youth tournament for children of age group 9-11. A total of 12 teams from across the country came to participate in the competition. 

A total of 12 teams namely 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 the MLB Cup 2021 in Gurugram, Haryana. The sides came from all over the country. There were four teams from Maharashtra, two from Madhya Pradesh (Indore), two from Kerala, one from Hyderabad (Telangana), one from Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir), one from Delhi, and one from Puducherry. Each of the 12 teams consisted of 12 players with boys and girls playing together for the same side.

Rick Dell, General Manager for Baseball Development in Asia, and Dinesh Patel, the first Indian-born athlete to sign with an MLB team, The Pittsburgh Pirates, were also in attendance. The tournament, as described by Dell, is designed to inculcate interest in baseball in children at a young age, which may give rise to the sport in the country.

"On our MLB development pyramid, on the bottom is the grassroots launch. That is what our first pitch programs do when we go to schools here in India. The next segment of the period is MLB Cup - it's called retention to play the game. The very purpose of that is to create Elite talents. MLB Cup 2021 creates playing opportunities and we hope, over a long period of time, it would lead to elite development," he said.

Dinesh Patel, who spent his time sharing tips with the kids at the field, said he felt great to see an atmosphere of baseball being created by the MLB Cup in India. "It is so nice to see all these young kids playing baseball. These initiatives can give a real boost to the sport in the country, and maybe, one day, India can also become a major power in this sport," he said.

The Satara Blue Jays eventually turned out to be first-ever winners of MLB Cup in India after defeating Pune Angels 14-4 in the final in Gurugram, Haryana. Earlier in the day, Pune Angels beat Ahmednagar Athletics 17-6 in the first Semi-Final, while the Satara Blue Jays went past Kolhapur Braves 14-3 in the second Semi-Final. The youth tournament was conducted for the first time in India from 10 December 2021 to 12 December 2021. The MLB Cup, which demonstrates MLB’s commitment to youth development and is a part of the League’s larger initiative to have significant growth in participation levels for baseball in the country, is conducted in each of the countries in which Major League Baseball has a presence in.

Speaking about MLB Cup 2021, David Palese, Baseball Development Manager, India said, "It was fantastic to host the first MLB Cup in India and great to see the boys and girls enjoy themselves playing baseball over the course of three days. This tournament was a great opportunity for the kids to enjoy the game of baseball through an MLB experience. We hope that the coaches, umpires, parents, and most importantly the players, had a great time and we would certainly look to host more tournaments in the future."

Dinesh Patel also interacted with the participants. When asked about the event, Patel said, "Major League Baseball has done a tremendous job by hosting the MLB Cup 2021. The tournament provided a brilliant platform to 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 skillful 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."

Dinesh also highlighted the benefit of having been trained in Javelin Throw before he took up baseball in 2008. Dinesh said the throwing arm is really important in baseball and it can be beneficial for youngsters if their throwing arm is strong. 

"I used to Javelin Throw. I got the benefit due to my history with Javelin Throw. There were many cricketers also in it but they did not get selected. The power used in Javelin Throw is same but the angle is different as it Javelin has to be thrown and baseball has to be released. Javelin Throw has greatly benefitted," Patel said.

The participants of the MLB Cup 2021 were provided with accommodation and to and fro travel to Gurugram from their hometowns. The teams were also provided with meals, uniforms, and equipment during their stay in Gurugram.  
Since setting up their office in India in 2019, MLB India initiated the MLB First Pitch grassroots program, which has given a fantastic opportunity to primary school children to understand and grasp the sport with guidance from MLB International coaches. MLB India also conducted online coaching and training lessons for baseball coaches to develop the game of baseball in India.