When Kevin Kiermaier slid into home for the Tampa Bay Rays' first run of the day, President Barack 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 country island nation since 1999, the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Cuban national team 4-1 on Tuesday.

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