Clayton Kershaw gets first-hand view of Cuba’s passion for baseball

Clayton Kershaw never doubted Cuba’s passion for baseball. But then he had never truly experienced it until Thursday, when a crowd of several dozen sat through a 2 1/2-hour children’s clinic, then waited another 30 minutes under a blazing sun just to watch Kershaw play catch.

“They love baseball,” the Dodgers’ three-time Cy Young Award winner said with a grin.

Major League Baseball’s three-day goodwill visit to Cuba moved to Matanzas, about 60 miles east of Havana, for its final public event Thursday. And that was fitting, because the city is hallowed ground, the site of both the first organized game in the island’s history as well as the birth of Martin Dihigo, the only man enshrined in five separate halls of fame and considered by many to be the greatest player of all time.

Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw does a long-toss drill with Cuban catcher Roberto Loredo during a workout in Cuba on Thursday.

(Kevin Baxter / Los Angeles Times)

So it was an honor that Kershaw was chosen to open the clinic by addressing the 150 youth players, their parents and a few thousand others who filed into Estadio Victoria de Giron to see the clinic’s eight instructors, who were taking part in MLB’s first visit to Cuba in 16 years.

Kershaw had the help of an interpreter in his welcoming remarks but as he put dozens of young pitchers through their paces, he shouted out commands in Spanish. A few dozen yards away Dodgers teammate Yasiel Puig and the Detroit Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera taught hitting.

Kershaw and Puig reportedly have a strained relationship after former major leaguer Andy Van Slyke, the father of Dodgers outfielder Scott Van Slyke, told a St. Louis radio station that the pitcher asked for Puig to be traded.

Kershaw politely declined to talk about that here, as did Puig, who also didn’t want to talk about a domestic violence investigation in Miami and his weight, which was a problem last season.

However a friend said Puig, who is working out regularly with Cabrera in South Florida, is aware of the trade demand and wants to remain with the Dodgers. As for the police investigation, that is likely to be dropped, the friend said.

Kershaw, who throws four times a week in December to prepare for spring training, tossed his Dodgers cap into the stands and handed his gray Dodgers jersey to a woman in the first row before walking to the outfield for a 15-minute long-toss session with Cuban catcher Roberto Loredo.

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The past dies slowly in Cuba, where every baseball park has a photo or portrait of Fidel Castro in fatigues playing baseball.

  (Kevin Baxter / Los Angeles Times)

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Infielder Lourdes Gourriel Jr., Cuba’s next potential superstar, could benefit from improved relations with the U.S.

  (Kevin Baxter / Los Angeles Times)

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Former Cuban pitching great Pedro Luis Lazo takes part at a baseball camp in Cuba during the MLB goodwill tour.

  (Kevin Baxter / Los Angeles Times)

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Conditions are rudimentary in Cuba, as the player’s weight room in Matanzas proves.

  (Kevin Baxter / Los Angeles Times)

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Defector Brayan Pena, an 11-year veteran in the major leagues, teaches youth players the finer points of catching during the MLB goodwill tour in Cuba.

  (Kevin Baxter / Los Angeles Times)

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Cuban defector Jose Abreu, who has hit 66 home runs in two seasons with the White Sox, drew a big crowd wherever he went in his first trip back to Cuba during the MLB’s goodwill tour.

  (Kevin Baxter / Los Angeles Times)

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Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig tips his cap to the crowd during a MLB goodwill tour.

  (Kevin Baxter / Los Angeles Times)

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Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw plays catch with a young Cuban player during a MLB goodwill tour.

  (Kevin Baxter / Los Angeles Times)

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Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig greets Cuban players before Wednesday’s clinic at Estadio Latinoamericano during a MLB goodwill tour.

  (Kevin Baxter / Los Angeles Times)

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Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig holds his nephew during a clinic at Esadio Latinamericano in Havana during a MLB goodwill tour in Cuba.

  (Yamil Lage / AFP/Getty Images)

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Cuban children line up ahead of Wednesday’s clinic at Estadio Latinoamericano during a MLB goodwill tour.

  (Kevin Baxter / Los Angeles Times)

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Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig greets Cuban players before Wednesday’s clinic at Estadio Latinoamericano during a MLB goodwill tour.

  (Kevin Baxter / Los Angeles Times)

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Yohandri Grandal, 23, left, and Avelino Grandal, brother and father of Dodger catcher Yasmani Grandal

  (Kevin Baxter / Los Angeles Times)

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Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig talks to Cuban players at Estadio Latinoamericano during a MLB goodwill tour.

  (Kevin Baxter / Los Angeles Times)

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Jerseys of the MLB players, including No. 66 for Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig and pitcher Clayton Kershaw’s No. 22, wait for the players on the railing of the third-base dugout at Estadio Latinoamericano during a MLB goodwill tour.

  (Kevin Baxter / Los Angeles Times)

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Cardinals catcher Brayan Pena talks to Cuban kids about how to be a catcher during a MLB goodwill tour.

  (Kevin Baxter / Los Angeles Times)

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Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw teaches kids the art of pitching during a clinic as part of an MLB goodwill tour.

  (Kevin Baxter / Los Angeles Times)

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Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw welcomes everyone to a baseball clinic at Estadio Victoria de Giron in Matanzas, Cuba, on Thursday as part of an MLB goodwill tour.

  (Kevin Baxter / Los Angeles Times)

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Dodgers fan Lautaro Martin holds up his Yasiel Puig jersey during a public event Thursday at Estadio Victoria de Giron in Matanzas, Cuba

  (Kevin Baxter / Los Angeles Times)

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Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw high-fives youth players after a clinic in Cuba.

  (Kevin Baxter / Los Angeles Times)

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Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw does a long-toss drill with Cuban catcher Roberto Loredo during a workout in Cuba on Thursday.

  (Kevin Baxter / Los Angeles Times)

Kershaw then joined Joe Torre, his former manager, and Seattle Mariners outfielder Nelson Cruz on a visit to Havana’s Parque Central and the famed esquina caliente -- or hot corner -- where dozens of fans gather year-round to debate and argue over baseball.

“I try not to have any free time,” Kershaw said of his first trip to Cuba. “You’re only here for a few days. Go see everything I possibly can see.”