As part of their preparation for the Premier 12 baseball tournament, the Cuba team suffered a resounding defeat on Wednesday, losing 1-13 against the NC Dinos of the Professional League of South Korea, in a match held in the city of Ulsan.
In front of their audience, the South Koreans were solidly anchored at home plate, connecting 16 hits against the Caribbean pitchers, who only celebrated six hits throughout the game.
From the first inning, the home team took the lead with three runs from singles, an error, and a walk against the pitches of Yusniel Padrón.
Later, the reliever Raymond Figueredo gave up a three-run homer to Kim Se Hoon, and Geonel Gutiérrez and Leodán Reyes were also penalized on the mound.
The Cuban team, which struck out 10 times, scored its only run in the eighth inning thanks to a hit by pitch on Cristian Rodríguez, followed by a hit from Alfredo Despaigne and a sacrifice fly from Guillermo Avilés.
In statements to JIT, Armando Johnson, the manager of the Cuban team, expressed that he is not worried, as the team is still adjusting to the time change and remains in the preparation stage.
He also said he trusts that the players, especially the more experienced ones, will recover. However, he acknowledged the need to work more on the tactical thinking of the pitchers.
In the coming days, Cuba will face more South Korean teams before debuting on November 13 in the Premier 12, where it will share Group B with the Dominican Republic, Australia, Japan, and Chinese Taipei, aiming to advance to the Super Round of the event.
The key A, meanwhile, is made up of the United States, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Panama, the Netherlands, and Mexico, who will compete in the cities of Guadalajara and Tepic.
What do you think?
COMMENTFiled under: