In a night of records in front of more than 32,000 fans at the La Rinconada stadium in Caracas, Venezuela destroyed Cuba (20-3) on the third day of the 2023 Caribbean Series. Twenty runs and 25 hits were the balance of the hosts against the ineffective pitching of the ninth Antilles, which must now rise from its ashes if it wants to fight for the top spots in the event.
Five Cuban pitchers paraded down the mound in front of the Caracas Lions and all were mercilessly beaten by a round in which nine players hit at least two hits. José Gregorio Rondón (double, home run, six RBIs and three runs scored), Danrry Vásquez (home run, four rockets, three RBIs and three runs scored) and Francisco Arcia (double, four runs scored and three RBIs) led the singing voice for the local cast, who stepped on the rubber in six of the eight offensive episodes they consumed.
Joel Mogena, Carlos Martí’s designated starter, couldn’t do himself justice and exploded after getting only one out against six batters, while reliever Alexander Valiente didn’t sail with any luck either, issuing a walk and conceding two hits. Between them, they allowed seven runs and as many hits in the opener alone, a prelude to what would come later.
Yunier Castillo (nine hits and five clean scores), Carlos Santana (six hits and five runs) and Alberto Pablo Civil (three hits and the same number of scores) were the other three pitchers who suffered the attack from the Venezuelan team, which had connected 12 hits in his first two games against Panama and Puerto Rico.
“This game has already been lost. It doesn’t take as much analysis. It’s already past. What you have to do is think about tomorrow and prepare yourself psychologically, because it’s a very important game. Obviously, pitching didn’t work for us and it did for them. We are facing a rival with a lot of experience”, said the mentor Carlos Martí to the Cubadebate journalist, Angélica Arce.
“A game like today, where 25 hits are connected, you don’t see it every day. We brought some pitchers to prepare them, they even hadn’t pitched for days like Alberto Pablo Civil, but they didn’t solve the problem either”, added the helmsman, who is waiting for the reaction of his squad after a game of records.
From the outset, this is the worst defeat of a Cuban team in the history of the Caribbean Series, surpassing by a wide margin the 13-1 setback of the Leones de La Habana against the Cangrejeros de Santurce in distant 1951.
On the other hand, the advantage of 17 runs that the Venezuelans achieved is the largest recorded in the second stage of the event (since 1970 to date), leaving behind the difference of 16 scores that the Puerto Rican Dream Team achieved in 1995 against República. Dominican (16-0).
The Leones del Caracas also set a new record for hits for a challenge with 25, ahead of the 23 that the Mexicans achieved against the Dominican Republic in 1977. Similarly, the 20 runs equal the historical record of the Naranjeros of Hermosillo, who beat the San Juan Senators 20-8 in 1990.
