When you read these lines you will already know if Cuba has passed with its Team Asere, for the second time in the history of the classic world, to the big four phase. However, what he has done in this fifth edition is already immense.
Due to the history of his team, which saw how the contribution of victory came from the light of different stars, everything aligned in the Cuban group galaxy, which demonstrated its undoubted quality in this version of the World Cup.
When they arrived in this city, the players only checked into the hotel and immediately after the session did the royal Tokyo Dome. Despite the cold, many Japanese fans came to that venue, asking for autographs and pictures with the Cuban players.
The history of Australia and the Greater Antilles in these tournaments has two chapters. The first, in 2009 in Mexico, in the second edition with Yosvani Pedraza from Pinar del Río decided with a spectacular home run to left field.
The last Cuban-Australia scene was in 2017, and it turns out that we saw the same scene today. Then Alfredo Despaigne homered with the bases loaded to tie the game and advance to the second round of that game.
All the man from Granma, the teacher of this team, in a press conference, before the terrible meeting with Australia, he stated that “we are all very affected, happy when our group first went around and in to do. We need to move on to the following.”
He added that “go out to have fun, which is the key to success”, who said that he was satisfied with the common response to the two setbacks that threatened the fate of the team.
Cuba had a best offense rating of 319 in the previous match, much higher than Australia’s 276; while Cuban pitchers struggled to an ERA of 3.25 earned runs per game. Today, five rivals passed.
In this stage of the quarters, which lasted only one match, a novelty was introduced by the organizers, the Cuban family came with two absences.
An injury to the fourth finger of his left hand, during the preparation game, prevented Andy Ibáñez from aligning with his team, and as you could see, he could not do it today. The second baseman for the Detroit Tigers, in the Major Leagues, was called by that organization to evaluate his status for the upcoming American baseball season.
Ibáñez wanted to join the semifinals if his teammates were victorious against Australia.
“That’s what I want most, I hope that I can advance to return in the semifinals,” he said, adding that he lived the tournament intensely. “I couldn’t be in the game, I couldn’t stop supporting him from the bench, cheering them on. That’s what I did.”
Jit, who had approached him last time, asked him if he would make the step again. He replied: “I think so… I’m Cuban.”
From the previous scene, it was known that Yoenis Céspedes had asked the group to leave, to resolve urgent personal issues.
This was reported to the Cuban Federation, which considered it appropriate to define that “our conversation with the athlete made it clear that the need to respond personally to the administration in question was not part of his plans, when he answered affirmatively; call, ” for this event.
Céspedes also intends to return to Team Asere once his condition is resolved if he enters the semifinals.
