The Cubans will fight for the World Classic crown in Miami. Author: Roberto Morejon/JIT
When Raidel Martinez swallowed the 27th with the tenth out of the game and the 48th given staff in Classic, many remembered that baseball is as virtuous as it is unpredictable.
Three games earlier, many had already booked a trip to Havana and yet, thanks to dedication and victories, they changed their destination to Miami, where the top four of the tournament will meet.
Australia tried to break the spell of not knowing how to win close matches with the Cubans, but they arrived from Chinese Taipei with a lot of energy, as if someone had come out of a coffin during a funeral.
The majestic and familiar Tokyo Dome served as the site of the third clash of the two teams in the classic. As in the previous one, held at the same venue, the score was 4-3, with captain Alfredo Despain taking the lead. Then he shook the Grand Slam, and now he began his career.
However, Yoelkis Gibert became the hero of the game with an unstoppable two-round streak in the fifth inning, the last of which was scored by Armando Johnson’s guys, who later relied on their flashy bullpen.
Perhaps many would have sent a pinch hitter for Guibert, given that he had not had good contacts in his previous moves and the pitcher was also a lefty, but the untamed was given the opportunity and responded in style, with the blow of his life.
One inning later, Australia discounted two with Wingrove’s superior shovel against Roenis Elias (2.0 INN, 2CL, 2H), the only one of Cuba’s five pitchers who didn’t hit but completed the task of taking the game to the Moynelo-Rydel Tandem with the lead.
If Yariel Rodriguez (3.1 INN, 1CL, 2H, 4K and 5BB) didn’t seem more difficult, it was thanks to the sensational work of Miguel Romero, who became the perfect link between the starter and those in charge of the last pitch.
Romero (1.2INN, 1H, 2K) got a two-man match on tickets – he was supposed to start this chapter and not act as a fire extinguisher – but he resolved the situation and took his second Classic win.
This job brought him on par with Danny Betancourt, Norge Luis Vera, Ormari Romero and Ismel Jimenez of Santiago as the Cubans who won the most games in these fights.
And his two outs, added to the top ten in the preliminary stage, make him the pitcher from our country who has thus eliminated the most opponents in the same Classic, one more than Yadel Marty (2006), Vera (2009). .) and Betancourt. (2013).
Romero placed himself at just two K’s to equal Norberto Gonzalez and Ismel, who are top of the Cuban strikeout rankings, only because they achieved this by collecting three and two editions’ work, respectively.
If he staff four strikeouts in the semi-finals will leave behind the marks achieved in the 2006 and 2009 nominations. These numbers confirm that the serve is the strongest selection weapon.
And if Guibert and Romero are to be commended for their game, in the quarterfinal clash Yoan Moncada continued to display his attacking tools without being knocked out of the game on four attempts: he landed two punches, including a tuba, and passed two.
At the end of the game, the Chicago White Sox MLB player told ESPN that he had always wanted to play for Cuba in the Classics, he thanked the coaches for trusting him and calling him.
Shortly after the victory in Tokyo, Team Asere, a brand that went viral on digital social media, traveled to Miami where they waited for the winner of the duel between Venezuela, the leader of group D and the second in group C, which was not. determined at the time of this writing.
This Thursday morning, Japan and Italy will also meet in the quarter-finals to complete the action in Asia.
How far will classical Cuba go? On Sunday we will find out, but from now on his performance is historic, for what he played and for what he lived together.
Source: Juventud Rebelde