This Sunday José Amaury Noroña had in his arms the possibility of putting the Crocodiles in Matanzas in the decisive pulse of the 64 National Baseball Seriesand he did not waste it.
After a previous mental slip he seemed condemned to the role of villain, but sport generally provides opportunities for revenge. The Yumurino outfielder had his chance at the height of the tenth inning, and took advantage of it with a home run that found all the bases occupied, and paved the way for his team to compete for the title. review the Cuban News Agency (ACN).
His home run left the Lions of Mexico lying on the diamond of the Latin American Stadium. Industrialand the lapidary score of 11-15 remained a heavy memory for their followers, who have not seen them ascend to the throne for 15 years.
Hits from one side and the other
The first third of the match served for a tense duel of pitchers, as a prelude to the offensive deployment of both sides. The visitors opened the scoring by combining a walk to Yurisbel Gracial, a home run by Ariel Martínez, a double by Eduardo Blanco and a single by Andrys Pérez off the pitches of starter Remberto Barreto.
The home team did not take long to respond, as at the close of the fifth chapter they linked two of Ariel Hechavarría and Jorge E. Alomá, the first of them with one on base.
In the seventh roll they broke the hug with another blow, this one signed by Roberto Álvarez – a former player on the Yumurino team – and a inning Later, those led by Guillermo Carmona seemed headed towards victory by adding three more scores.
The advantage seemed insurmountable when in the ninth inning Roque Tomás sent the ball flying beyond the limits, and to preserve the difference the management of Industriales sent right-hander Rafael Perdomo to the box.
However, the right-hander could not do himself justice and neither did rescuer Juan Xavier Peñalver manage to prevent the Crocodiles from tying 9-9 to force extra innings, when they were only three outs away from being defeated by the Blues.
Industriales and Artemisa advance to the semifinals of the National Series
The outcome
The exciting clash, which will take time to disappear from the memory of baseball fans on the island, “embraced” the regulations to unblock themselves, and the homeowners took control again, now hanging from an unstoppable tug of Álvarez, the worst wedge in the Matanzas stick.
However, there was still room for strong emotions, and when it was time to pick up the bats, Armando Ferrer’s disciples delivered the deadly blow. First, with Ariel Martínez’s hit that balanced the score again, and then with Noroña’s home run, already included among the great moments of the series.
With the peace of mind of the finalist ticket, the Matanzas team is waiting for its rival to be defined in the defining phase, which still has no assigned stage.
On the other hand, the current champions Leñadores de Las Tunas are fighting to advance to their third consecutive final, which they would achieve if they win against the Cazadores de Artemisa in the sixth match of that semifinal.
