2023-06-27 13:09:00
With their 40th victory of the season, the Cazadores de Artemisa rose to fourth place, and will be, for the first time in the 12 years the province was founded, in the playoffs of the National Baseball Series.
They seal a great season with a flourish, led by a rookie manager, former pitcher Yulieski González Ledesma, whom the people asked to fill the position… and he did not disappoint!
They have written a story of courage. With barely two victories left to make the dream come true, the XXIV Central American and Caribbean Games in San Salvador 2023 left them without two of their main cards: pitcher Yunieski García Viera and batter Dayán García Ortega.
But there is much value in the ranks of these Hunters.
The manhood of Israel
The most accurate intermediate reliever and even closer of the team, Israel Sánchez Cuesta from Mariel, asked for the ball again to open the game. He even told the director that he threw the nine innings with no one behind him!
And in nine innings, he struck out the Cubs ten times, didn’t give them a single walk, and gave up just four hits with one run.
It must be for this reason that the stories of triumphs are written by those who do not hesitate in the face of danger, like the veteran pitcher, one of the most valuable pieces in the final stretch and in the Cazadores’ standings.
Three times he has asked manager Yulieski González Ledesma for the ball to open a match, in search of an unavoidable success: against Guantánamo, Mayabeque and Holguín.
“It is a great pride to give this victory to the people of Artemisa. We had promised her and she was waiting for her. There is the result. I feel very happy. You can always trust us.
“I appealed mainly to control. When I have it, I can put my fastball, slider and fork where I want…and do a lot of damage. Everything is a consequence of the daily focus on the ground. Every day I go up to the box to give my best”.
Various tools define a pitcher: his repertoire, control and, of course, courage. Everyone says that Israel Sánchez, above all, is brave.
“I know that the team needed it and I wanted to contribute this victory. I told the director that I was in charge of everything, with no one else behind me, that I was going to pitch all nine innings. Either they kill me or I eat the opposite! I am a fighting man. I like games with pressure, to show what one gives”.
Sure, it’s a real manhood for a reliever to suddenly become a starter, pitch a complete game and do it so well.
“It’s very difficult, because in my relief role I always threw two or three innings. But in sport you have to be physically and mentally prepared depending on the team. Everything has gone well for me, both in relief and as a starter, and here I am for whatever.
“Of course, it does not matter that one is a relay if it is about opening a game: the first thing a pitcher must have is a positive mind, convincing himself that it is possible and focusing.
“I thank my family, who always listen to the games. We will keep fighting. I tell the people of Artemisa to go support us in the playoffs. The party starts now. The team doesn’t stop until they discuss the championship”.
GEONEL GUTIÉRREZ was the leader in strikeouts and had his best season: formidable!
a first prize
“The classification is the reward for the effort in the preparation of the boys, for their full-time dedication, for the confidence in the team and for the maximum dedication of the management body”, assures Yulieski González.
“It is the result of all of them, who are the ones who leave their souls on a ball field and have given everything of themselves to give this joy to Artemisa.
“Everyone has a role, including the many rookies we have. We all have a first time. When we have given them a chance, they have done it with the greatest responsibility, as if they had already played two or three series before. You have to trust them.
Nobody knows who is going to get the last out or decide a game.
“And of course, in a long and exhausting championship, with five games in a row and only one day off, it is logical that fatigue arises, but the boys have always gone out to give their best for the people of Artemisa.
“We have gone game by game, because each challenge has been vital for the classification. Here’s the first prize.”
José Antonio Jiménez ranked among the top in several offensive departments
Artemis’s dream
Dayán García, who led hitters and different offensive departments for most of the season, insists that “when it all started we always said that our goal was to play more than 75 games. Life has proved us right, and we were able to take that step that every father expects from his son.
“I am grateful to be part of this great group; I have returned the illusion. We have made a province that was far from doing so dream”.
José Antonio Jiménez, another determining hitter in the team, reveals the keys to success.
“There is no secret; this victory is due to the very good preparation we had. Professor Balaguer taught us a lot about hitting and the adjustments that need to be made. And, of course, to the confidence that our director has given us.
“I have had a wonderful year, thanks to the confidence that Yulieski gave me in the responsibility as a fourth bat. I have known how to assume it, and things have turned out favorably for me.
“The fans demand the best from the player and I want to do it well. I hope they continue to trust me, because I’m always going to give myself completely on the field.”
Likewise, the young Elián Moreno has grown in his second campaign in national series.
“I have had a better result than last year, because the preparation has been long and good. The teachers and coaches have helped me, and things are turning out, still not as I would like, but little by little, but the important thing is to help the team.
“I included a new release, the fork, which has been very effective; I have used it several times for punching. I’ve been looking for control in practice, with a lot of bullpen work with the catcher. The other thing I have, which is speed and confidence.
“The director has talked a lot with me. He told me that when he had confidence in me, the results would come. I have worked on it with the collaboration of the psychologist, and I think it is starting to show.”
These are some keys and stories of how they carried out the feat. There are many left, decisive emerging players and players who have risen from their ashes, those who played despite being injured or returned without having recovered, with courage and desire, to believe and fight for a dream.
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