The right-hander Yariel Rodríguez will be the first starting pitcher for Cuba in the V World Baseball Classicaccording to official sources.
The right-hander from Camagüey, who plays for the Japanese club Dragones de Chunichi, will be in charge of launching against the Netherlands on March 8, on the opening day of group A of the tournament, as reported the digital medium Hit.
This was known after the training of the Cuban team this Saturday in Taichung, the first shared by the entire team after the recent addition of the players that were yet to arrive, among them the members of MLB franchises.
The appointment of Yariel by the leadership of the Cuban team clears up the unknown on this issue, and confirms the role that the so-called “gallero de San Serapio” will have in the Clásico, despite having stood out as a reliever last season in Japan.
In this regard, the pitcher said he felt “in a position to take on the challenge”
“I spoke with the professor, who asked me about it, and I told him that I am ready and willing to do it,” he said in statements quoted by Hit.
Yariel Rodríguez will be the starting pitcher for #elCubaClasico against the Netherlands, this March 8, in the opening day of group A of the #WorldBaseballClassic. #Cuba #BaseBall #CunanoBaseball pic.twitter.com/OxspZg60i6
— JIT Cuban Sport (@jit_digital) March 4, 2023
Yariel highlighted “the high level of motivation prevailing” in the Cuban team and said that he and his teammates will go out on the field “to offer the best of ourselves, thinking of giving the people the joy of reaching the final,” an undoubtedly ambitious goal. according to the quality of the rivals.
In the preparation games prior to the tournament, held against teams from Japan and Taiwan, the man from Camagüey threw six innings in two games, always as an opener. In those games, he allowed three hits, struck out 10 opponents and gave away three walks, according to statistics from the Cuban Federation cited by Hit.
Precisely this Sunday will be the penultimate warm-up game against the Taiwanese team Monos de Rakuten. Ronald Bolaños, also a right-hander, who plays for the Kansas City Royals franchise in the United States, was announced as the starter.
Bolaños, who joined the Cuban team this Friday night, asked to go to the box tomorrow, with the intention of “throwing a few innings as part of the preparation,” according to the sports publication.
So far, Cuba has two wins and two losses in the games held in Taiwan, where they still have the game this Sunday and another on Monday. Before, in Japan, the Cubans had suffered three defeats and had achieved two victories against teams from the Japanese professional league.
