To reach this point, the national team had to navigate a winding and at times bumpy road. During an Olympic qualifying tournament in November 2019, Mexico made history. In June, about a month and a half before the Olympic baseball tournament began, Mexican baseball officials dismissed the team leaders who led them here: general manager Kundy Gutierrez and manager Juan Castro. Gutierrez and Castro later told news outlets in Mexico that their dispute mainly centered around a lack of funding from Mexican officials and the national baseball federation. Benji Gil, the manager of the league’s Mariachis de Guadalajara and a former major leaguer, was asked to take over as national team manager.

Source: International New York Times July 30, 2021 09:32 UTC