Photo: WBC/Twitter
Text: Raúl del Pino
After losing consecutively against the Netherlands and Italy in their first two appearances, Cuba’s chances of staying alive in the World Classic were practically nil. A group of very specific results had to follow, starting with two victories for the Caribbean team, which until now had shown one of its worst faces in recent years in international events.
But the baseball gods wanted the luck of the Antilles to change suddenly and after several matches of pure madness, this Sunday morning arrived with the still incredible news of qualifying for the quarterfinals and as group leaders, something unthinkable just couple of days. It all started in that clash against Panama where the bats woke up and ended today against Taipei with a resounding 7×1 victory.
With that last score, the ticket to the crossing was almost certain, but as if that were not enough, there was also the success of Italy over the Netherlands to close the group’s actions and leave an unprecedented five-fold tie of two wins and two losses among all the participants. of the key.
It makes no sense to explain in these lines the details of the complicated qualifying formula when it is enough to say that the outcome allowed the Cubans to rise to the first position and avoid the powerful Japan in the quarterfinals. In short: the miracle happened and Cuba is already packing its bags for Tokyo.
Against the hosts, a selection of the four letters was as forceful as in its golden age, a performance that makes several million Cubans all over the planet dream. The artillery again made itself felt in the thunderous Taichung Stadium and the pitching only allowed a small slip at the end of the game that brought no major consequences.
The Cubans got their eyes on the meek rival starter in the same first inning with a bunch of four, then added another two in the second and scored the seventh run in the fourth inning. The star Yoan Moncada led the way by connecting 3-4, with a long home run in the second chapter.
Roel Santos (4-2, 2CI), Alfredo Despaigne (4-2, 2CI) and Erisbel Arruebarrena (4-1, HR) also stood out, the latter with the first Cuban home run of the Classic and drove in the first two stripes of the game Although it was his only unstoppable of the match, “Cricket” hit the ball well every time and was about to make it disappear again.
For his part, starter Elian Leyva (2.1, 2BB, 4K) walked without allowing damage before requesting substitution in the third inning due to a soreness in his throwing hand, but his performance was enough to earn a smile. In his relief Miguel Romero came with an efficient work (2.2, 4K) and later a similar performance was given by the left-hander Onelkis García (2.0, 2K), who this time lived up to expectations.
The two stars from Pinar del Río were in charge of closing in the competitive Japanese Professional League. Liván Moinelo retired the eighth with just 10 pitches and three strikeouts, while Raidel Martínez did the same in the ninth, although with fewer commands in his pitches. In fact, the tall closer for the Chunichi Dragons did not show his usual speed and allowed the only run for the locals, but his work was enough to seal the important victory.
The feat of advancing first finished a few hours later with the Dutch defeat at the hands of former Major League star Matt Harvey, the same starter for Italy who worked for Cuba in their initial failure of the tournament. The “bambinos” sealed their pass as second in the group with an identical 7×1 scoreboard against a “tulipán” team whose luck ran in the opposite direction to that of the Cubans.
The “azurros” surpassed all expectations and now they go with nothing to prove to challenge the favorite Japan in the first of the two matches of the crossing, on Wednesday, March 15. A day later, also in the majestic Tokyo Dome in the Japanese capital, Cuba will seek the ticket to the semifinals against the second in sector B, which for now has all the ballots to be Australia.
If they prevail in that crucial duel, the Antillean cast would be reaching the semifinals for the first time since the first edition of the Clásicos in 2006. But let’s not get ahead of events. Until that happens, there is still a lot to write.