Cubans Meet At Great American Ball Park Aroldis Chapman and Yoenis Cespedes Renew Rivalry

Aroldis Chapman and Yoenis Cepedes are friends from Cuba.

They were teammates on the Cuban National team and competed against each other in the 20-team Cuban league that plays year round on the island.

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Cespedes, who is two years older than Chapman, played for Granma in the Serie Nacional for eight seasons before playing one season in for Aguilas Cibaenas in the Dominican Winter League.  He was a free agent for six weeks before signing with Oakland on March 3, 2012 which was early in spring training.

"We played against each other in the tournament.  We didn't face each other too much so, I don't remember how we did against each other," Chapman said.

The two men exchange messages at times during the season.

"We prefer not to talk about how they will do against each other," Chapman said.

They played together on Team Cuba in the 2009 World Baseball Classic.

Cespedes mother, Estela, also competed in international competition.  She pitched for Cuba in the 2000 Summer Olympics.