TAIPEI CITY, Taiwan - Cuba is set to play at Tianmu Stadium in Taipei City this Saturday at 12:00 pm, aiming to secure a crucial win to stay alive in Group B of the tournament. The qualifying round of the WBSC Premier12 tournament will continue until next Monday.
Following defeats of 6-1 to the Dominican Republic and 8-4 to South Korea, Cuba must secure a victory against Australia, a team known for their strong performance but has never been fortunate when facing Cuba.
In the most recent Premier12 tournament, Australia suffered a 3-2 defeat against Cuba after 10 intense innings during the preliminary round for Group C held in South Korea. This match marked the first and only meeting between the two teams in Premier12 editions, with Liván Moinelo emerging as the winning pitcher for Cuba, securing their sole victory in the tournament.
Australia's team has a new lineup this time around, including some experienced players like the designated starter for today, 35-year-old right-hander Tim Atherton. Atherton was part of the Australian team in the previous Premier12 edition, where they defeated the United States 2-1 during the Super Round, marking Australia's sole victory in that phase.
The Australian team has several new offensive players, but one standout is Travis Bazzana, who plays as a leadoff and second baseman. At only 22 years old, he was the top pick of the Seattle Mariners in the 2024 Draft, making history as the first Australian to achieve this. Bazzana made his debut in High Class A in July, hitting his first professional home run, a Grand Slam, on July 31st.
Robbie Perkins, a seasoned player at 30 years old, has been a standout performer for Australia in this tournament, driving in four runs, all of which came during Australia's 5-0 victory against the Dominican Republic. Perkins also participated in the previous edition of the Premier12 in 2019.
Starting for Cuba in the Premier12 tournament is the promising young left-handed talent Darío Sarduy from Villa Clara. At only 19 years old, Sarduy, the youngest player in the competition, recently celebrated his birthday on November 12. Affiliated with the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) team Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, Sarduy is part of the player development program and is set to make his debut on the international stage with the Cuban national team.
Cuba's struggle in the Premier12 can be attributed mainly to their weak offense. They failed to capitalize on scoring opportunities, going 0-for-12 with runners in scoring position against the Dominican Republic and 1-for-10 in the same scenario versus South Korea.
After two games, the team's offensive line stands at .212/.333/.303, with just one significant alteration in the lineup: Yadil Mujica's replacement by Jean H. Walters, which did not yield significant outcomes. Cuban manager Armando Johnson has opted to implement significant changes to the lineup for today's game.
This time, Erisbel Arruebarrena's poor performance - 9-0 with 4 strikeouts - as the third hitter has led to him being moved down to the sixth spot in the lineup. Meanwhile, Rafael Viñales, one of the players who hit a home run against South Korea, has been included in the starting lineup. Yoán Moncada, who is expected to miss the remainder of the tournament, has been replaced by Walters at third base and as the ninth batter. Mujica is back in the starting lineup at second base, Yadir Drake has been promoted to second, and Yoelkis Guibert will now hit third.
Should Cuba lose to Australia, they will be knocked out of the running to advance to the Super Round as one of the top four teams in the tournament. However, if they emerge victorious, their slim chances will be revived, setting them up to face the top two teams in the world, Japan (2-0) and Chinese Taipei (2-0), who are both undefeated leading Group B and are scheduled to play against each other tonight at the Taipei Dome.
Cuba and Australia last played in the quarterfinals of the 2023 World Baseball Classic. In that match, Cuba narrowly won 4-3 and advanced to the semifinals of the tournament. Its best finish in that event since 2006.
Australia's last international win against Cuba was a 3-0 victory in the Super Round of the 2017 U-18 Baseball World Cup.
