Six years after his last title in a National Seriesthe Crocodiles of Matanzas returned to the throne of the cuban baseball. And they did it in a forceful way: with a sweep over the until now Lumberjack monarchs of Las Tunas.
Those led by Armando Ferrer were a steamroller on the grass of the Latin American stadium – venue of the final due to the current energy crisis on the island – and they did not miss a single victory against some people from Las Tunas who could do little against the Yumurino impetus.
After three attacks in a row at his rivals – the last of them with a spectacular comeback on Friday— the scene was set for the coronation of the Crocodiles. And the people of Matanzas did not want to delay the celebration.
From the first inning of this Saturday’s match they marked distance to drown out any illusion of revenge on the part of the Lumberjacks. The seven runs in that first inning were the classic bucket of cold water for Las Tunas and paved the way for Matanzas’ new title.
resounding victory
In the end, the victory was sealed with a knockout score (11-0) in just seven innings, in which the winners totaled 16 hits—eight of them in the first episode, a record for the postseason—and made an error on the field.
Meanwhile, the Lumberjacks were barely able to connect five hits to left-hander Yamichel Pérez —who walked the entire route—, while at the same time they collapsed on defense, with four errors.
The defeat was for Las Tunas starter Eliander Bravo, who was succeeded by four other pitchers.
Eduardo Blanco, captain and center fielder of the Crocodiles, was awarded MVP of the final.
With this success, Matanzas returned to the throne of Cuban baseball and did so by dethroning the previous champion, Las Tunas, which had two consecutive titles.
The last National Series won by the Matanzas team had been in 2020, when under the direction of Armando Ferrer they beat the Toros de Camagüey in the final. Four years later, in 2024 and also led by Ferrer, they won the title of the second Elite League by unseating the Cazadores de Artemisa in the title discussion.
