The Cuban baseball team successfully concluded its preparation stage for its debut in the Premier 12 tournament on Monday, defeating the Wei Chuan Dragons 2-0 in Taipei, China. They are now focused on their upcoming match against the Dominican Republic on November 13.
The victory, highlighted by the outstanding performance of pitcher Frank Luis Medina and three other pitchers, served as the final preparation for the event in which the island is placed in Group B, alongside the aforementioned Dominican team, the host Taipei, Australia, Japan, and South Korea.
The game against the Taiwanese team showcased the strength of the pitching. Pinar del Río's Medina was outstanding, delivering four solid innings, allowing only two hits and recording three strikeouts.
After his departure, Andy Vargas pitched two innings, giving up two hits and recording one strikeout. Yankiel Mauris handled one inning, achieving a strikeout in his favor, while Raymond Figueredo finished the game with another strikeout.
Cuba's first run came in the third inning when Yadir Drake hit a double off Jing-Yu Chang, the starter for the Wei Chuan Dragons. The island's second and final run was driven in the eighth inning by a single from Lázaro Armenteros.
The winners' attack was complemented by significant contributions from players such as Ariel Martínez, Alfredo Despaigne, Christian Rodríguez, and Yadil Mujica.
"We are already on the brink of the competition, and we have made the necessary adjustments to face it," Frank Luis Medina stated to JIT after the game.
The pitcher also highlighted the importance of having faced Asian teams, which has allowed the team to refine details in its preparation.
For his part, Humberto Guevara, the team's technical chief, emphasized that beyond the positive record of seven wins and four losses, the preparation phase met its intended objectives and highlighted the cohesion and motivation within the group.
The competition has already started in the Americas, with the matches of the teams in Group A: the United States, Puerto Rico, Panama, Venezuela, the Netherlands, and the host country, Mexico, taking place in the cities of Tepic and Guadalajara.
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