Three years ago, Yunel Escobar left Cuba on a small, crowded boat to play pro baseball in America and never told his mother goodbye. Mariluz Almenares missed seeing her boy become the man he dreamed of being. Now 24, he scrapped through the minor leagues, got married and was called up to the Atlanta Braves in May.
His father and sister had followed him here this spring. His mother was the final family member left in Cuba. Because Escobar had left the communist country without permission, he feared authorities might keep her there.
"I'm always thinking about her," he said through a translator in May. "I will feel much better once she's made it here safely. I'm hoping she'll be the spark I need to take my game to the next level."
http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/sport ... _0719.html