Text: Raúl del Pino
The Italian team achieved a hard-fought victory of six runs by three against Cuba in extra-innings on Thursday, which puts the Caribbean team on the verge of elimination in the World Baseball Classic.
In a heartbreaking match and numerous questionable plays by the Cuban side, the duel ended the nine regulation innings with a hug to two scores, but the Europeans took the victory with a rally of four in the top of the tenth.
An RBI hit from Italian third baseman and seventh bat Nicky López to reliever Onelkis García in that inning sealed the fate of a game in which Cuba came from behind and tied in the eighth, after several unsuccessful attempts to take command in previous innings.
Once again the lack of offensive opportunity took its toll on those led by Armando Johnson. The defeat does not eliminate them mathematically, but it forces them to win the remaining two games and wait for the results of the other teams involved in bracket A of the tournament.
The trio of big-name hitters, Yoan Moncada, Luis Robert Jr. and Yoenis Céspedes, were remarkably ineffective with a combined 14 misses and just one hit in the entire game, to the White Sox center field count in the loss of the tenth when everything was decided.
On several occasions the best players in the ninth came with men in circulation and could not justify the responsibility they held in the line-up, as happened the day before in the setback against the Netherlands.
Only Moncada left seven runners on base, while Robert and Céspedes shared two each, to add 11 among the three. And if we add to that scandalous statistic some conservative management decisions, such as sending a bunt sacrifice three times, there really was very little chance of achieving a positive result.
From the terrible collective image left by the team, designated Alfredo Despaigne and shortstop Erisbel Arruebarrena, as well as starter Roenis Elías, saved the honor. Both hitters hit a couple of rockets, including a tubey per capita, that kept Cuba alive until the extrainning.
The Chicago Cubs left-hander, for his part, signed a high-carat outing, in which he completed five innings before leaving due to pitch restriction, with only two hits allowed, one walk and three opponents retired on the road. of the strikes.
After concluding the second day of the Taichung-based group, the Netherlands (2-0) appears undefeated at the top, ahead of Italy (1-0), Panama (1-1), Chinese Taipei (0-1 ) and Cuba (0-2), in that order
The Antillean cast will be entrusted tomorrow at 11:00 pm, Cuban time, to the arm of the right-hander Ronald Bolaños as starter against the ninth channel, and another failure would definitely push them to the bottom of the abyss where they are about to fall.