Photo: Yuhki Ohboshi
Text: Editorial Cuba News 360
A few hours after the Cuba team landed in Tokyo on Tuesday, the Cuban Baseball Federation (FCB) announced that infielder Andy Ibáñez will not be in the decisive quarterfinal match against Australia on March 15.
The second baseman belonging to the Detroit Tigers will travel to the United States by determination of his franchise in MLB to examine the evolution of the injury he suffered in the fourth finger of his left hand in the last preparation game of the Caribbean squad prior to the debut in the world contest.
Depending on the medical evaluation carried out by the Michigan organization, Ibáñez may rejoin the Antillean team in Miami if he gets a ticket to the semifinals. The nearly 30-year-old from Havana was unable to participate in any of the four group stage clashes of the event in Taichung, Taiwan.
“I wanted to be part of the team all this time but God did not allow it and I am leaving with the experience of the two exhibition games. I am pleased to have been able to support the boys and see them go through in the first place, ”he declared the infielder to accredited media before separating from the Cuban delegation in the Japanese capital.
This constitutes the second casualty suffered by the team so far in the tournament, since last Sunday the outfielder Yoenis Céspedes also left for the United States, his country of residence, to “solve personal problems that cannot be postponed,” according to the FCB.
Unlike his injured partner, the slugger From Granma, he did start in the first matches of the Classic, but his discreet performance led the team’s management to leave him on the bench for the last two games, which Cuba ultimately won and gave him a pass to the next phase. However, if the team goes to the semifinals, the former New York Mets could return to the concentration.
Both Céspedes and Ibáñez are part of the group of 10 players without ties to the FCB and with experience in professional baseball in the United States, including the Major Leagues in some cases, who integrated the Cuban team to the V World Classic in an unprecedented way. The remaining eight have had a prominent role within the roster and were the protagonists of the epic pass to the quarterfinals of the Antillean team as group leaders.
This Wednesday at 6:00 am, Cuban time, the right-hander Yariel Rodríguez will open the game against Australia. If they win, the Caribbean delegation will travel to Miami on Thursday, where they will play the first semifinal on Saturday the 18th.