The team that will represent Cuba in the V World Baseball Classic (WBC) triumphantly ended their last preparation game in the city of Taipei, by whitewashing the cast of the Cooperative Bank of taiwan with a 6-0 score.
It was the fourth challenge assumed in that city, where the precedent from Japan had arrived, where it held a series of friendly matches with teams from the professional league and a balance of two victories and two setbacks, according to a note published in the sports portal Hit.
#elCubaClasico celebrated another success in Taipei
This Friday he travels to Taichung to close the preparation and face the first round of the World Cup. #Cuba #baseball #CubanBaseball https://t.co/ApJacBxsTB pic.twitter.com/gSQr32JtKP— JIT Cuban Sport (@jit_digital) March 2, 2023
This time it was the right-hander Elián Leyva who was in charge of the opening and in 3.2 innings he allowed four hits, struck out five rivals and issued a walk, adds the report.
Left-handed Liván Moinelo followed him as a reliever, once again impeccable with shipments of over 93 miles per hour in 1.1 innings, with two strikeouts included. Yeudis Reyes, Frank Abel Álvarez and Naykel Cruz completed the mounting task.
For the occasion they had the offensive support of their teammates, with an attack that included two doubles by Drake, the first in the fifth inning, when he scored the first run of the game driven by Dayán García’s single.
The Cubans added another two streaks in the seventh chapter, towed in by another double by Yurisbel Gracial. Drake’s second two-base drive in the eighth inning drove in two more runs, shortly after Ariel Martínez pinch-hit one, the publication reported.
After the outcome, the Cuban team bid farewell to pitchers Marlon Vega, Franklin Quintana and Javier Mirabal, who accompanied them here as members of their reserves and are now returning to the island.
Jit informs that the cast under the orders of Armando Johnson will travel this Friday to the city of Taichung, where Luis Robert Moirán, Roennis Elías, Ronald Bolaños, Andy Ibáñez, Yoan Moncada, Miguel Romero, Yoenis Céspedes and Lorenzo Quintana, players of Major League Baseball (MLB) or residing in the United States who have been called up on this occasion.
Now with the full group, the Cuban team will have another two preparation duels, one of them against Monos de Rakuten (March 5) and Hermanos CTBC (March 6).
Cuba’s debut in the Classic is scheduled for March 8 against the representation of the Netherlands, in a duel corresponding to group A, which also make up the host team, along with those of Italy and Panama.
Cuba has participated in the four previous editions of the tournament and their best performance came in the initial version, when they finished in second position after losing in the final against Japan.
