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The Cuba team will face the host Puerto Rico this Monday in a crucial match of Group A of the 2026 World Baseball Classic, at the Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan.
The match comes with both teams unbeaten (2-0) and with qualification for the next round practically at stake, in what many consider the most important clash of the group’s initial phase.
What's at stake
Cuba arrives after defeating Panama and Colombia, results that allowed them to position themselves at the top of the table. A victory against the home team would enable them to maintain the group lead and move closer to qualifying.
Puerto Rico, for its part, also has two victories, having defeated Colombia and achieved a dramatic win over Panama, so a win against the Cubans would almost guarantee their advancement to the next round.
Pitching duel
The confrontation from the mound is scheduled between:
Julio Robaina (Cuba) – a 24-year-old left-handed pitcher with experience in the minor leagues of the Astros and in professional circuits in the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, and Mexico.
Elmer Rodríguez (Puerto Rico) – the right back who will start for the Puerto Rican team.
Historical rivalry
Cuba and Puerto Rico have faced each other twice in the history of the World Baseball Classic, both in the tournament's first edition in 2006.
Puerto Rico won 12-2 in the group stage.
Cuba sought revenge in the quarter-finals with a 4-3 victory.
Twenty years later, the third chapter of that rivalry arrives in a special setting: a packed Hiram Bithorn Stadium with Puerto Rico as the host.
With two undefeated teams and a stadium that promises a postseason atmosphere, the matchup between Cuba and Puerto Rico could be the most intense game of the group and one of the most appealing in the entire first round of the World Baseball Classic.
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