The Cuban team will hold three friendly matches in February with clubs from the Japan Professional League (NPB)prior to his participation in the V World Baseball Classic (WBC)as announced by the island’s embassy in the Asian nation.
The preliminary schedule includes clashes with the Chunichi Dragons and the Yomiuri Giants on the 19th and 22nd, respectively, in the Okinawa prefecture, and another set for the 23rd against the SoftBank Falcons, in Miyazaki, according to the information published on the account. on Twitter of the diplomatic mission, and reviewed by the agency Latin Press (PL).
The team #Cuba to the V World Baseball Classic will hold preparation games in #Japanprior to the start of the event in Taiwan:
? Chunichi Dragons, 2/19, Okinawa.
? Yomiuri Giants, 2/22, Okinawa.
? SoftBank Hawks, 2/23, Miyazaki.
Cuba⚾️?Japan#WBC2023 pic.twitter.com/IWJTtpA8GF
— Embassy of Cuba in Japan / 駐日キューバ共和国大使館 (@embacubajapon) January 12, 2023
These games will serve as training for the Cubans towards the event that will be held from March 8 to 21, in various cities in Japan, Taiwan and the United States.
Both Dragones and Halcones have members of Cuba’s preliminary roster in their ranks, including Yariel Rodríguez, Liván Moinelo, Raidel Martínez, Pedro Pablo Revilla, Guillermo García and Frank Abel Álvarez.
Meanwhile, Ariel Martínez will play next season with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, adds the report, and points out that this preparatory base responds to the historical relations in baseball between both nations.
In early November 2022, the vice president of the Cuban Baseball Federation (FCB)Germán Mesa, and the head of the Japanese counterpart organization, Masatake Yamanaka, exchanged views in Tokyo on the potential for technical cooperation and the perspectives of each country for the next edition of the WBC.
The Cuban team was included in group A of the strong tournament, which will be held in the city of Taichung, in Taiwan. In addition to the host cast, the key is made up of the teams from Panama, Italy and the Netherlands.
For the first time, the representative of the Island will attend the tournament with players who, without the protection of the FCB, are active in foreign leagues, including the Major League Baseball (MLB) from United States.
After receiving authorization for the team to participate, the organizers informed the FCB that the US authorities had authorized the inclusion of players residing in that country, including Yoan Moncada, Andy Ibañez and Luis Robert Moirán, on the roster.
