This Sunday, at the Rod Carew Stadium in Panama City, the Cuban U18 national team lost 3-2 to Puerto Rico in the battle for third place in the Pan American tournament. The event serves as a qualifier for the 2025 World Cup, with the United States, Panama, Puerto Rico, and Cuba having already secured their spots last Friday.
Puerto Rico secured two runs in the second inning and a crucial one in the fourth, holding off a Cuban comeback in the last two innings to claim the bronze medal in the tournament.
Puerto Rico extended their lead to 3-0 against Cuban left-handed pitcher Cesar de Jesus Morales (2-1) in the fourth inning without recording a hit. The decisive run was scored through a combination of a single, two errors, and another hit, capitalizing once again on Cuba's defensive lapses. The inning began with Jatniel McCloud drawing a walk and advancing to third base following a throwing error by Cuban third baseman Leo Sevilla on a ground ball hit by Xavier Rivera. Despite Cuba replacing Morales with reliever Jose E. Santos, the pitching change could not prevent Misael Maldonado from hitting a sacrifice fly to center field, resulting in a 3-0 lead for Puerto Rico.
Kaniel Rosado (2-0), a left-hander, dominated the Cuban team in the first four innings, conceding only one hit to Jonathan Moreno in the initial inning, despite allowing five walks and recording five strikeouts. In the first inning, Cuba missed a significant opportunity as Moreno's single and two walks loaded the bases, but Rosado managed to retire Sevilla on a fly ball to right for the third out. In the third inning, Brian Garzón walked to start the inning, but both Moreno and Alexei Febles fell victim to the Puerto Rican pitcher, with Febles ending the inning by inducing a double play. Cuba had its final chance against Rosado in the fourth inning, with two runners on base due to walks and one out already, but pinch hitter José Gómez, replacing Yordan Manduley Jr., struck out, followed by Yasel Mesa grounding out to end the inning.
After four innings, Rosado was substituted, and reliever Luis D. Mercado took the mound in the fifth. However, Mercado's time was short-lived, with two walks and an error leading to the bases being loaded with two outs in the inning. Despite this, the Cuban team's offense faltered once more, as Darian Rojas was retired on a fly ball caught by the second baseman, Joniel A. Cuadrado, ending the inning. Up to that point in the game, Puerto Rico had maintained a 3-0 lead over Cuba. However, the Cuban team struggled, leaving eight runners on base and going 0-for-6 with three strikeouts with runners in scoring position.
In the sixth inning, Cuba managed to score a run. Sevilla led off the inning with the team's second hit, a ground ball to the third base. But then a third baseman's error on the throw to first base allowed Sevilla to advance to third. Shortly after, Sevilla scored on a sacrifice fly to center field by José Gómez. Despite putting two more runners on base with walks in the inning, Cuba's opportunity to score more runs was abruptly ended when Moreno hit a fly ball to left field for the third out.
In the seventh inning, right-hander Yandiel Reyes (1) came to close the game, and after one out, he was backed by his center fielder, who took away a hit from Raidel Sánchez, in a great fielding catch that avoided further complications for Puerto Rico. Despite this, Cuba put together a comeback, with consecutive hits from Rojas, Sevilla and Gómez, bringing Cuba closer to 3-2. But Reyes put an end to the revolt, when a desperate Yasel Mesa swung at the first pitch, flying to right field for the third out of the game.
In summary, Cuba's performance in the game was not ideal. The team made four defensive errors that played a significant role in Puerto Rico scoring the three runs. Additionally, Cuba failed to take advantage of the nine walks given by Puerto Rican pitchers, resulting in 12 runners left on base. However, the pitching was remarkable, as they managed to keep their excellent tournament performance by not allowing any earned runs in the game.Of special mention was José E. Santos' exceptional relief performance, as he conceded just one hit in three innings along with two walks, giving Cuba an opportunity to stage a comeback in the game.
After their defeat, many believed that the Cubans could have achieved a higher placement than fourth based on their performance in the tournament. However, even before the tournament there were doubts about Cuba's chances of participating in another world competition of this caliber, considering the recent history of the Cuba's U18 teams. Nevertheless, the team, led by their manager Michael González, proved these doubts wrong.
Having not made it to an U18 World Cup since 2017 and with no podium finishes since 2006, the boys have unquestionably delivered on their potential. We must now anticipate what 2025 holds for them as they make a deserved comeback to the global stage.
Team USA emerged victorious in the battle for the top spot, defeating Panama 4-2.
Individual Awards
Following the conclusion of the Pan-American event, the All-Star or Americas Team was revealed, along with the presentation of individual player awards, with four going to the Cubans.
The designated hitter Raidel Sánchez, included in the All-Star or Team America roster, and the right-handed pitcher Cristian Rego, who had the best ERA of the tournament at 0.00 (7.0 IP-0 ERA), were among the standout players. César Morales led with the best W/L record (2-0), while Yordan Manduley, the Cuban second baseman, excelled as the top defensive player.
The American Kayson Cunningham clinched the title of Most Valuable Player, due to his outstanding offensive display, he holds the third position in batting average at .450 (20-9), ranks second in RBIs with 11, doubles with 3, and hits with 9.
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