Baseball becomes a shelter for Venezuelan children in soccer-mad Peru
By FRANKLIN BRICEÑO
Associated Press
LIMA, Peru (AP) — The crack of bat on ball and the sight of Venezuelan children running the bases on the soccer field turned baseball diamond on the outskirts of Peru’s capital are watched with confusion by locals accustomed to soccer. The questioning looks don’t deter the young Venezuelans for whom baseball reinforces a strong bond with their embattled homeland. And there is no shortage of players with more than 1 million Venezuelans estimated to live in Lima, a city of about 10 million people. Immigrants, mainly Venezuelans, have opened five baseball academies in Lima, the capital of soccer-made Peru.
