for international competitions during the summer as well as for the World Baseball Classic and the Olympics (1992–2008 and from 2020 onward). The Cuban National Team Preseleccion is selected from the Series and practices in Havana. Sometimes more than one team can be asked to select players for international duty as part of the national team. To accommodate the 2013 World Baseball Classic, the league took a six-week break after the February 3rd All-Star Game. The CNS played a shortened 45-game season, with all 16 teams competing in a single table format (doing away with the regular two division format). The bottom eight seeded teams then played amongst themselves in the consolation round, while the top eight did the same for the championship. In 2014, the consolation round format for the midseason was officially adopted, effectively making it a de facto wild card game with the winners having a chance to make it to the postseason. The designated hitter is used in all games. The CNS All Star Game is held yearly midseason of the regular season. Teams National Series champions See also Cuban League Cuban National Series Most Valuable Player Award Cuban National Series Rookie of the Year Award Baseball awards#Cuba List of organized baseball leagues References External links Cuban baseball Connor, Joe, Welcome to Cuba. ESPN (MLB), January 17, 2006. Retrieved 2009-12-16. Baseball in Cuba The Cuban National Series. Games and stats. Baseball de Cuba Daily league coverage. English and Spanish content. National Winter baseball leagues Recurring sporting events established in 1961 Professional sports leagues in Cuba