Editor’s Note: This story was included in The Athletic’s Best of 2019. See the full list.



From the moment they arrived in Barquisimeto, the fourth-largest city in Venezuela, the players knew that things would be different. There was danger in the streets, they were told. There could be no straying from the compound. But good sense is often no match for adventure. This is especially true for teenagers, even ones handpicked for their unwavering focus. That’s why when the kid in the bottom bunk called out to the kid up top, there was a swift answer.



“Hey, you ever have an empanada?” asked Manny Machado.



“No,” replied Bryce Harper.



“You gotta try this.”



“Let’s go get some food.”



It was 2 a.m., and they would have been sleeping had they not been starving. They’d brought from home a giant bag of Skittles, Starbursts, and chips, but these would no longer suffice.