The Cuban team “woke up” in the World Baseball Classic this Friday after beating Panama 13-4 in Taiwan and hitting 21 hits. The team’s performance, which could guarantee their classification in the next round of matches, was celebrated by the official press, which in days gone by he harshly criticized his defeats.
The offense of the so-called Team Asere in this Clásico match – held in the United States, China and Japan from March 8 to 22 – almost managed to match the record of 22 hits Established in Australia, in 2009. cubadebate and Hit announced the results of the game and noted the favorable changes in the lineup, designed by manager Armando Mandy Alonso, who replaced the players Yoenis Céspedes and Lorenzo Quintana with Roel Santos and Ariel Martínez.
Hit he called the match a “hitting party” where eight of the members gave it their all. Of them, seven “hit at least two hits,” praised the magazine, which highlighted the role of Yoan Moncada, a Major League Baseball player (MLB, who batted 5-3 and led four other players to advance to home). Moncada had been one of the most reviled – along with Luis Robert Jr. – by the official media, which pointed out his poor performance in the matches against Netherlands and Italy.
Despite the praise, the analysis of the game itself was more measured. The game was separated into two parts, According to journalist Renier González Jr.collaborator of Play Off Magazine. before the sixth inningexposed, the team reached the performance of the “recent times”, an “improved selection that can compete”.
Francys Romero highlighted the 4-4 score achieved by outfielder Yadir Drake. The result placed him as the leader of Team Asere’s offense. “He becomes the second Cuban player with 4 hits in a World Classic since Yoandy Garlobo (2006)”, noted González, who said he was waiting for “other favorable results”.
‘Cubadebate’ and ‘Jit’ announced the results of the game and noted the favorable changes in the lineup, designed by manager Armando Mandy Alonso
At the end of the game at the Taichung Intercontinental Stadium, in Taiwan, manager Alonso appeared before the media accompanied by MLB players Yoan Moncada and Luis Robert Jr., to address the lack of results at the international level.
According to the coach, this “drought” is due to “the newer athletes at a level”, who “are not very focused on what we want.” For Alonso, “there are baseball players who are young and perhaps don’t have the mastery” of the Major League players. There, he said, was the objective of the tour prior to the World Classic, “for the boys to see sets that sometimes we don’t see in the National Series.”
The last time Cuba won a global title was in 2016, when they won the U-15 World Cup. For this reason, the inclusion of players from international teams –especially from the MLB– has aroused the interest of thousands of followers.
Johnson announced that for the confrontation with the Taiwanese team, which he must beat and wait for the results and depending on it to see if he qualifies for the next round, “the starter must be Elián Leyva. The lineup will be the same because as they say : line up winner is not touched”, he affirmed.
The only victory that Cuba obtained this Thursday over Panama does not seem enough to get excited about the classification, since this occurred after knowing the comeback of Taiwan 11-7 against Italy. The Netherlands continues to lead group A of the World Classic (2-0), followed by Panama, Taiwan and Italy (1-1) and Cuba closing the list (1-2).
Now Cuba is obliged to beat Taiwan, but it depends above all on Italy continuing to lose, the Netherlands continuing to win and whether their classification is decided against Taiwan or against Panama. “All of this, of course, if Team Asere wins their last World Classic challenge,” public Full Swing.
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