In one of the most important stories in the 61st National Baseball Series, the experienced player from Las Tunas, Danel Castro, became this Friday the player with the second most hits in the history of the domestic classics, after beating the mythical indomitable waiter Antonio Pacheco.
In the same opening episode of the clash between the Lumberjacks of Las Tunas and the Hurricanes of Mayabeque, the 45-year-old player hit a single to the central defender against the shipments of the young pitcher Yulián Quintana and left behind Pacheco, who had 2,356 hits in 22 Series Nationals.
Danel began the current season with 2,284 hits, third on the all-time list, so he had a shot at the once-stellar second baseman from Santiago, whom he has finally surpassed with a whopping 73 rockets in the 61 Series.
The man from Las Tunas, immersed in his twenty-seventh season, had matched Pacheco last Saturday, May 7, in a doubleheader against the Tigres de Ciego de Ávila. That day he hit five hits in two duels and certified the tie with the indomitable by connecting a double against Orlando Blanco.
Castro debuted in the National Series in the 1993-1994 season and got his first hit on December 30, 1993, against Rembert Abella from Guantanamo. Coincidentally, his hitting record began at Roque Ríos Park in Manatí, his hometown.
From then on, Danel has achieved seven campaigns with more than one hundred hits, four of them consecutive between 2008 and 2012. In the 49 Series he achieved his best record of hits in a season, with 123.
The next objective of the player from Las Tunas is to reach and surpass Enrique Díaz, from the capital, who leads the list of players with the most hits in the history of the National Series. The second baseman of the Metropolitan and Industrial teams achieved 2,378 rockets in 26 seasons, so Danel is 21 from the finish line.
Although the experienced slugger for the Lumberjacks will play in the postseason of the 61st National Series, it seems unlikely that he can break the mark this year. In fact, to achieve this he would have to beat his record for hits (17) in the playoffs, set in the 57 Series.
Danel will be in the postseason of the 61st National Series after his team easily secured a place among the eight best teams in the championship. Together with Las Tunas, they have a secure place in the Sancti Spíritus, Granma, Ciego de Ávila, Matanzas and Industriales playoffs, while Mayabeque is just one step away from making their first appearance in the playoffs. The other quota will be disputed between Pinar del Río and Villa Clara.
