Music icon Daddy Yankee becomes part owner of Puerto Rican pro baseball team
The author of the world-hit 'Gasolina' said: "My fans know baseball is my passion."
Ramon Luis Ayala Rodriguez, better known as Daddy Yankee, became the latest celebrity to throw his hat into the sport of baseball. The music icon, known worldwide as The King of Reggaeton, joined Chairman Thomas Axon and President Justo Moreno as the Cangrajeros de Santurce owners.
Daddy Yankee was born in 1976 in Rio Piedras, a village that is part of the municipality of San Juan. He had just tried out for the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball (MLB) when he was hit by a stray Kalashnikov round and had to give up a baseball career.
After spending a year and a half recovering from the wound, he released in 2004 the international hit single Gasolina. Music critics believe the single introduced reggaeton to audiences worldwide.
Later in his career, Daddy Yankee would credit the shooting incident with allowing him to focus entirely on his music career.
"My fans know that baseball is my passion," Daddy Yankee stated in a press release. "I was raised in Santurce, so what better way to celebrate the place I grew up in than to partner with their very own, Cangrejeros, to continue promoting our homegrown talent outside of Puerto Rico, and inspire a new generation of local young athletes."
The Cangrejeros de Santurce have won 16 titles in the professional Winter League of Puerto Rico (LBPRC, Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente), including back-to-back titles in the 2018-19 and 2019-20 campaigns. They call Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan their home.
