Spectators cheers during a baseball match between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Cuban national team, in Havana, Cuba, Tuesday March 22, 2016. The crowd roared as U.S. President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro entered the stadium and walked toward their seats in the VIP section behind home plate. It's the first game featuring an MLB team in Cuba since the Baltimore Orioles played in the country in 1999. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
Spectators cheers during a baseball match between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Cuban national team, in Havana, Cuba, Tuesday March 22, 2016. The crowd roared as U.S. President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro entered the stadium and walked toward their seats in the VIP section behind home plate. It's the first game featuring an MLB team in Cuba since the Baltimore Orioles played in the country in 1999. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa) Credit: Ramon Espinosa—AP

Havana — When Kevin Kiermaier slid into home for the Tampa Bay Rays’ first run of the day, President Obama flung his arms wide in the sign for “safe.”

Then he turned to his left and shook the hand of his seatmate and Cuban counterpart, Raul Castro.

The scene was a remarkable milestone for sports diplomacy as the two presidents try to set aside more than 50 years of Cold War hostility during which about the only thing the countries agreed on was a shared love of baseball.

Obama and Castro even joined in when fans were doing “the wave.”

In the landmark game, the first visit by a major league team to the communist island since 1999, the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Cuban national team 4-1 on Tuesday.

James Loney homered and drove in three runs, and Matt Moore and the Tampa Bay pitchers shut out the Cubans until Rudy Reyes homered in the ninth inning.

But the day will be remembered less for the final score than for the two men sitting in the front row at Estadio Latinoamericano, the last stop on Obama’s trip to Cuba this week in a bid to further pave the road toward normalized relations.

The near-capacity crowd roared as Obama and Castro entered and walked toward their seats right behind home plate, waving to fans and greeting other dignitaries.

Chants of “Raul! Raul!” broke out.

Before the first pitch, Rays players walked over from the dugout to say hello and passed flowers and small Cuban flags through the netting to first lady Michelle Obama and first daughter Sasha.

Obama shared an extended handshake with ace pitcher Chris Archer, who once was a minor leaguer for the Chicago Cubs. He gave Obama, a White Sox fan, a glove owned by Moore.

The last time a big league club played in Cuba was 17 years ago when the Baltimore Orioles came to this same stadium during spring training.

Marlins 3, Red Sox 0

Jupiter, Fla. — Marlins ace Jose Fernandez pitched five hitless innings in a 3-0 win over Boston, then shifted his focus to the world stage.

Fernandez struck out four and walked one. He threw 41 of his 60 pitches for strikes.

The Marlins held Boston to just one single. Blake Swihart singled with two outs in the eighth off Craig Breslow.

The Marlins’ regular season starting outfield had a good day at the plate. Giancarlo Stanton drove in his first run of spring training, Marcell Ozuna added two hits and scored twice, and Christian Yelich chipped in with a hit.