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1941 and 1942 Los Angeles Dodgers: The Dodgers held spring training in Cuba two years in a row. In 1941 the Dodgers, with Pee wee Reese, split a 5 game series against Cuban teams. The Boston Red Sox, without Ted Williams, and the Cincinnati Reds also visited the island. In 1942 the Dodgers split 2 games with the visiting New York Giants and lost 2 of 5 to Cuban teams.
1947 Los Angeles Dodgers and Montreal Royals: Branch Rickey brought the Dodgers and the Royals to Cuba in order to avoid the racism of the South. The Royals had future Dodgers Jackie Robinson, Roy Campanella and Don Newcombe. Cubans had a higher acceptance of black players and allowed Rickey to prepare the Dodgers for his grand experiment.
1953 Pittsburgh Pirates: Branch Rickey, now running the Pirates, brought the team for spring training to Cuba. The Pirates, with Ralph Kiner, won 6 of 10 games against Cuban squads. The Pirates split two games with the visiting Philadelphia Athletics.
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