2024-02-16 22:45:38
Text: Raúl del Pino
Photos: RL Hevia
Liván Moinelo’s biotype is far from being that of the perfect pitcher. Small, of medium height, his physique doesn’t really impress at first glance, but only until he climbs onto the box and starts whipping with his left arm. Yes, because his peculiar way of throwing, somewhat bent over, imitates the movement of someone wielding a riding crop to punish someone.
And if we talk about punishments, we will have to ask the Matanzas hitters that this Wednesday they suffered in the front row from the attacks of Artemisa’s reinforcement from Pinar del Río. Moinelo went to work long before the time he usually does, but that did not prevent him from putting together a fantastic effort to seal the 6-3 victory for the Cazadores that equaled the final of the II League with one success per side. elite of Cuban Baseball.
The left-hander from the Soft Bank Falcons suffered an injury midway through the year that forced him to undergo surgery and miss the rest of the season in Japanese ball. His presence in the Elite League is part of the recovery process and when Artemisa took him as reinforcement for the semifinals, very few thought that the 28-year-old pitcher was going to commit himself in the way he has done with your new team.
If there was any doubt, last night it was dispelled after his extraordinary performance of 3 and a third innings in which he struck out 5 times and made 54 pitches, a figure much higher than his usual average. However, he himself was the one who asked to be allowed to finish the job, with which he scored the third point per game saved in the postseason, and the first in the final.
Moinelo, who had to enter in the sixth inning to put down the Matanzas rebellion, rounded off the excellent performance of starter Raymond Figueredo. The right-hander from Industriales as a reinforcement pitched the first five innings in an immaculate manner but had to leave the game in the sixth after being hit by a pitch. In total, he allowed only two runs and scored the victory.
Likewise, the Cazadores once again showed off their tenacity when it came to producing runs, where the first to ninth bats contributed to the cause, despite the fact that the names of Dayán García, Frederich Cepeda and Dennis Laza stand out in the center of the lineup. On this occasion, the leading voice was the bottom of the sixth to ninth bats, with six of the 11 hits that the team produced in the clash, including four RBIs.
Now the grand final moves to the 26 de Julio Park in Artemisa, where tomorrow, Friday, the actions will restart for games three to five. For the hosts, the responsibility will be between Albert Valladares, Yunieski García and Erlys Casanova, according to statements by manager Yulieski González. Meanwhile, Armando Ferrer did not define his man either, although he hinted that it could be Yadián Martínez from Mayabeque, incorporated as reinforcement for this final, from Las Tunas.