The 63rd National Baseball Series will enter its decisive stage this Sunday, the last duel that will determine the champion of the season. And it will be an unprecedented final between the Leñadores de Las Tunas, current champions, and the historic Pinar del Río, which had not reached this stage since Series 55.
Both teams got through their semi-final matches without too many surprises. The team from Las Tunas deployed a relentless offensive against the Alazanes from Granma, while the team from Vueltabajo demonstrated against Industriales that it was not by chance that they were the best in the qualifying stage. But let’s look at some of the details of these matches and what the final may bring us.
Pinar del Rio vs. Industrialists
The Vegueros confirmed their favoritism against Industriales. They won the first two games, but lost the next two. However, in the fifth and sixth duels they left no room for doubt.
Tailon Sánchez was the great offensive figure of his team, with offensive line (Average/On-base average/Slugging) of .545/.615/. 773.
The shortstop from Pinar del Río hit 5 doubles, with 9 RBIs, the same as the tireless Willian Saavedra. The most striking thing is that Pinar del Río set a record for home runs in the qualifying stage, and against Industriales he only hit one.
The Pinar del Río pitching did the job, with an ERA of 3.98. Applause for former Major Leaguer Raudel Lazo, who saved the first 2 games and won another, thus participating in 3 of his team’s victories. Excellent work by Branlis Rodríguez, who won 2 games with an excellent ERA of 1.59 and an average of runners on base per inning (WHIP) of 1.15.
The defense behaved very well with only 4 errors committed for an average of .983, which supported their pitchers. But, beyond numbers, there is the good dynamic of a group that has not had any downturns at any time during the championship.
Industriales made their defeat come back dearly. They were able to come back from behind and equalise. playoffPerhaps the only negative note was his pitching in the fifth game, in which he allowed 15 runs.
The offense was below expectations. Yasmany Tomás was the top RBI (7) and produced 8 runs, ahead of Roberto Acevedo and Alberto Calderón, both with 7. The defense was pretty good with 5 errors and an average of .977.
But you can’t ask for more from a team that was plagued by absences for different reasons, and snuck into the big four. Industriales deserves a bow.
Las Tunas vs. Granma
This playoff broke most predictions. Although the champion team deserves all the respect in the world, Granma arrived as the favorite. The Alazanes managed to overcome a difficult duel against Matanzas, but they never had an answer against the Leñadores.
Their pitchers worked for more than 8 clean runs per game, with almost 6 walks and batted .366. The Las Tunas team hit 9 balls in 5 games, and had no mercy on their rivals. They won the duel with clean batons.
The Granma offense was not bad, since it averaged .302, with 6 home runs and 9 doubles, but the pitching showed a face that no one could have foreseen. If we add that Alfredo Despaigne, the team’s spark plug, was missing with an anemic .118 batting average, there was little that a team that was not even a shadow of the one in the quarterfinals could do.
Once again, Osvaldo Abreu, Guillermo Avilés and Alexquemer Sánchez confirmed the excellent form with which they reached the postseason. Abreu is not a media player, but when the heat is on he takes on the main role. The defense of the Granma team, a pillar throughout the qualifying stage, was left in the dust with 9 runs and a poor batting average of .952.
Las Tunas had no mercy on their eastern neighbors. They scored 38 runs in 5 games against their rivals, with 16 extra-base hits. Roberto Baldoquín hit the ball with an average of .542, 3 home runs and 12 RBIs. Viñales did the same with an average of .450, two home runs and 13 RBIs. Denis Peña was not far behind, and hit 3 balls out of the park.
Las Tunas’ pitching was not the eighth wonder by any means, but it did the job, supported by a defense that averaged .974.
The final
Unfortunately, the Cuban baseball final will end after the start of the Olympic Games, which will lose out in media coverage to the event that everyone is waiting for.
If we add a day between the first and second matches due to the national mourning following the death of the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong, plus two dates for travel and rest, the final will seem eternal.
The coincidence with Paris 2024 is already disastrous. Why establish two days of rest before games 3 and 6?
For Pinar, this will be their final eleven. In the previous 10, they have won 4 titles and 6 silver medals. Las Tunas will play their fourth, after winning 2 crowns and a runner-up position. In the historical record, the Patisverdes have an advantage over their rivals of 84 victories against 74, although they have never faced each other in playoff.
Las Tunas is playing for life in the postseasons at .560 with 10 participations, and Pinar in 22 at .549. The Leñadores are the champions, and I repeat that they deserve all the respect, but the group dynamics and the state of form of the westerners has not declined throughout the tournament.
The advantage represented by veterans Alexei Ramírez and William Saavedra, plus the collective contribution of all, confirm their favoritism. The doubts, once again, will be about their pitching, which has behaved well in all instances of the competition, beyond the fact that it does not have such high-profile names.
Las Tunas will have as its main weapon its ferocious offense, capable of reversing important disadvantages. Their pitching was not good against Granma, but it was enough to meet the objective.
Defense could be vital when it comes to one team beating another. I think the wood tonga will not be able to beat the best team in the championship, from start to finish.
Prediction: Pinar del Río wins in six games.
Flashes
The best: The fearsome offensive of Las Tunas. Participation in three victories of Raudel Lazo.
Worst: Granma’s pitching. Industriales’ poor offense in decisive games.
The record: The 41 indisputable in the fourth game of the play off between Granma and Las Tunas.
The incredible: How is it possible that in a semi-final match 33 runs are scored, with 41 hits, and 13 pitchers are working?
