The Industriales Lions defeated the Santiago de Cuba Wasps 4-2 on Saturday night at Guillermón Moncada Stadium to qualify for the baseball championship semifinals on the island, thanks to a historic and unprecedented comeback in the playoff stage.
After losing the first three games in the so-called "national classic", the capital team achieved a feat never before accomplished in the country: winning four consecutive duels in the postseason after being down 0-3. A result that has caused a lot of commotion on social media.
In the pending lawsuit, with the score tied at one run, Santiago's starting pitcher Wilber Reina had to leave in the fifth inning after being hit in the face by a hit.
Shortly after, Roberto Acevedo hit a triple against relief pitcher Yoendris Montero, giving Industriales a lead they would never lose. In the following inning, rookie Dairon Miranda hit another triple to bring two runners home and increase the lead to 4-1.
Pitcher Maikel Taylor, who had delivered 10 masterful innings in his previous outing, took the win after allowing just a couple of runs in seven and two-thirds innings, with six strikeouts and one walk.
In the ninth chapter, the story passed into the hands of José Ernesto Pérez, who closed the match without allowing any runs by getting the last three outs and completing a feat that only the Boston Red Sox had achieved against the New York Yankees in 2004.
However, despite the rivalry seen on the field, the current quality of baseball played in the Antillean territory is once again a trend. And the well-known journalist Julia Osendi shared her opinion on Facebook.
Happy about the historic comeback of the blue team but let there be no doubt: this ball belongs to the jungle! There may be more than one Victor Mesa in terms of love for baseball but... without talent! Anyway. Industriales in the semifinals, I refuse to say "among the top four," Osendi wrote.
The semifinal round will begin next Wednesday and the pairings will be defined after the result of the match between Matanzas and Granma, scheduled for this Sunday at the Mártires de Barbados field. Pinar del Río and Las Tunas are also on the verge of the grand final.
What do you think?
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