Yunel Escobar has passed his naturalization test to become a U.S. citizen more than a decade after his harrowing escape from Cuba.

Escobar took the exam earlier in the week in Miami.

"The greatest thing that can happen to you is to be a citizen of this great country," Escobar said.

The infielder fled Cuba in 2004 at age 21, leaving on a boat. He said giving up his Cuban citizenship was difficult, "but I also know this is the country that is providing for me now and in the future."