top of page
Writer's pictureRay Otero-Alonso

Pan American U18 | In the semifinals, Panama defeated Cuba 3-1 in extra innings. Cuba is now contending for the bronze medal against Puerto Rico


The Cuban U18 national team, having secured a spot in the World Cup, suffered a 3-1 defeat against the host nation at the Rod Carew Stadium in Panama City. This defeat occurred in the semifinals of the Pan American tournament, which started in the city on August 2 and will end today, Sunday.



The crucial match went to extra innings, and was ultimately decided by a hit from Franklin Hernández, the cleanup hitter for Panama. A Tie-Break was required after both teams were tied at one run each following seven innings. Franklin's single with the bases loaded drove in two runners, sealing the final 3-1 score.


Cristian Rego (1-1), who had been flawless in the tournament as a reliever for the island team, had a contentious performance, pitching 6 1/3 innings in relief of left-handed starter Cristian Rojas. Rego ended up with the loss after giving up five hits, with three strikeouts and one walk.


Rojas started the game for Cuba and after a first inning where he faced the minimum of hitters despite a walk, things got very complicated in the second inning. Rojas loaded the bases with a walk and two hits, while a sacrifice fly by the seventh hitter and shortstop, Michael Nieto, produced the first run of the game. Rojas remained in the game, but after the second out, another walk to the ninth in the order led to his substitution.


To be honest, reliever Rego was at his best - as he had been throughout the tournament and despite his 16 years of age - and only the decision playing the Tie-Break and the continued lack of offense by the Cuban team, put him on the losing side. In the third inning, Rego gave up a double to Abel Valdéz with one out, but then proceeded to retire eight batters in a row until Valdéz singled starting the sixth inning. The most challenging moment came in the seventh inning, when Panama had two outs and Victor Jiménez and Luis E. Rivera hit back-to-back singles, but Rego managed to escape the inning by inducing Joey Wood to ground out to him.


During the second inning, the Cuban team managed to equalize the game against Panamanian pitcher Dylan He. Leo Sevilla got on base due to an error by the second baseman, stole second, and then moved to third base on Yordan Manduley's ground ball. He eventually scored when Cuban catcher Yaidier Díaz, the team's eighth hitter, executed a perfect squeeze play. An additional defensive error by Panama allowed Osniel Castillo to reach base. Subsequently, the Panamanian team opted to replace their starting pitcher with right-hander Anthony Ortega (2-0), a move that appeared to be the best strategic decision of the game.


From that moment on, Ortega dominated Cuba's offense, managing to retire eleven batters in a row until the sixth inning, when Raidel Sánchez broke the streak with a single to center field. Despite this, the single had not impact in the inning, as Ortega went on to strike out Darián Rojas, a top performer in RBIs for Cuba, and Sánchez was caught trying to steal second base for the third out.


After the seven regulated innings, the game reached the Tie-Break decision. In Cuba's final offensive opportunity, trailing 3-1, Castillo's unsuccessful sacrifice attempt with runners on second and first resulted in the first out. Ortega then struck out Jonathan Moreno for the second out, and finished his outstanding display by retiring Alexei Febles on a ground ball to third base.


Ortega delivered an outstanding performance throwing 6 1/3 scoreless innings, with 71 pitches, 47 of them for strikes. He allowed just one hit, issued no walks, and struck out three batters. This solid display continued his impressive run in the tournament, as he has now pitched 14 2/3 innings with only one earned run, 9 strikeouts, and no walks. With this performance, the Panamanian right-hander improved his record to 2-0 in the Pan American tournament.


Certainly, Cuba once again showcased its offensive deficiencies in this match, which have been a recurring aspect of the team's showing in the competition. A big issue has been the team's inability to capitalize on opportunities with runners on base. A case in point is their offensive line of .192/.368/.234 in the tournament, with both the batting average and slugging percentage ranking as the lowest among all the teams that advanced to the quarter-finals.


Meanwhile, Cuba's pitching has excelled in the tournament, conceding just 6 earned runs in 55 innings (0.76 ERA). Prior to this match, Cuban pitchers led in wins and saves, while also boasting one of the lowest walk rates per innings pitched. Additionally, they shared with Team USA the fewest extra-base hits allowed.


Having secured their spot in the world championship, Cuba will play on Sunday against Puerto Rico for the third-place, following Puerto Rico's 6-3 defeat to Team USA in the other semifinal match.



Comments


Commenting has been turned off.

News

Premier12

WBSC Premier12 | Con un grand slam de Shugo Maki, Japón pasa 9-6 sobre Venezuela. China Taipei sigue sorprendiendo y en la tarde venció 8-2 a Team USA
Samurai Japan sigue invicto con triunfo de 9-6 sobre Venezuela, mientras Taipei dispone 8-2 de Team USA este viernes

Premier12

WBSC Premier12 | Convincente Japón, dispone 9-1 de Team USA. Venezuela también con primer triunfo al vencer 2-0 a China Taipei
BUNKYO CITY, Tokyo - Todo empieza para doce y termina para dos y este jueves, en el inicio de la Súper Ronda del torneo mundial WBSC...

Premier12

WBSC Premier12 | China Taipei blanquea a Cuba, 2-0, avanza a Tokyo como segundo por el Grupo B. Japón invicto
China Taipei blanqueó a Cuba 2-0 para avanzar con marca de 4-1 a la Súper Ronda en Tokyo. Cuba es último del Grupo B

Premier12

WBSC Premier12 | Con peleado triunfo de 7-6, Japón elimina a Cuba y clasifica para la Súper Ronda del torneo mundial
Japón aseguró el primer lugar del Grupo B del WBSC Premier12, con un peleado triunfo de 7-6 sobre Cuba.

Premier12

WBSC Premier12 | Cuba secures its first win thanks to Yadir Drake's crucial home run and strong performance from the bullpen
Yadir Drake's home run and the work of the Cuban bullpen keep Cuban hopes alive in the tournament.

Premier12

WBSC Premier12 | Cuadrangular decisivo de Yadir Drake y labor de bullpen cubano dan a Cuba su primera victoria
Cuadrangular de Yadir Drake y labor del bullpen cubano mantiene vivas esperanzas cubanas en el torneo.

Premier12

WBSC Premier12 | Cuba is aiming to secure a must win against Australia to stay alive in Group B. Darío Sarduy appointed as the starting pitcher
Cuba will go up against Australia this Saturday at 12:00 pm local time in Taiwan, aiming to secure a crucial first win.

Premier12

WBSC Premier12 | Cuba se juega todo ante Australia. Darío Sarduy la designación del mentor cubano
Cuba enfrenta a Australia este sábado desde las 12:00 pm, hora local de Taiwán, en busca de un triunfo que mantenga al elenco con vida.

Premier12

WBSC Premier12 | Con dos cuadrangulares de Kim Do-yeong en desastrosa salida de Liván Moinelo, Corea del Sur propina a Cuba su segunda derrota
Corea del Sur dispuso de Cuba 8-4 para propinarle a los antillanos su segunda derrota del torneo.

Premier12

WBSC Premier12 | Ofensiva tardía de República Dominicana y falta de producción de Cuba, deja al elenco nacional cubano con primera derrota
República Dominicana inflingió un duro revés de 6-1 a Cuba, en el inicio del Grupo B del 2024 WBSC Premier12 en ciudad Taipei

Premier12

WBSC Premier12 | South Korea handed Cuba its second loss with two home runs by Kim Do-yeong, during a disastrous performance by Liván Moinelo
South Korea defeated Cuba 8-4 to hand them their second defeat of the tournament.

Premier12

WBSC Premier12 | Cuba suffered its first defeat, 6-1, following a late comeback by the Dominican Republic
In the opening game of Group B at the 2024 WBSC Premier12 in Taipei City, the Dominican Republic handed Cuba a difficult 6-1 loss.

Premier12

III Premier12 | Se despide Cuba de gira asiática, con blanqueada de 2-0 sobre el Wei Chuan Dragons de la CPBL
Cuba logra victoria de 2-0 sobre el elenco Wei Chuan Dragons de la CPBL, para culminar etapa preparatoria con siete triunfos en 11 salidas.

Premier12

III Premier12 | Cuarta derrota de Cuba en gira preparatoria, 10-7 ante el Banco Cooperativo Taiwanés
Cuba archiva cuarta derrota en gira preparatoria para el Premier12.

Premier12

III Premier12 | Con gran octavo inning, dispone Cuba 10-5 del CTBC Brothers en segundo enfrentamiento
El equipo nacional de Cuba sipudo 10-5 del CTBC Brothers en segundo enfrentamiento

Premier12

III Premier12 | Cuba derrota 7-1 al CTBC Brothers de la CPBL. Este jueves ambos elencos volverán a enfrentarse
El elenco nacional de Cuba dispuso este miércoles del CTBC Brothers de la CPBL, 7-1. Jugarán de nuevo este jueves.

Béisbol Internacional

Camino a Premier12, México vence a una selección cubana en inauguración de Estadio Santa Teresita
México vence a Cuba 9-1, en inauguración de estadio Santa Teresita.

Premier12

Preparations are underway for the inaugural Copa América de Béisbol in 2025, which will serve as a qualifying event for major world tournaments
A Copa América Baseball tournament is on the horizon for 2025.

Premier12

III Premier12 | Cuba defeated Taiwan Life Aloong 6-5 in seventh preparation match
Cuba defeats Taiwan Life Aloong 6-5 in the seventh preparatory match.

Premier12

Una primera Copa América de Béisbol, clasificatoria para máximos eventos mundiales, se prepara para 2025
Una Copa América de Béisbol se perfila en el horizonte para el 2025
bottom of page