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The Cuban pitcher Kendry Rojas joined a select group of pitchers born in Cuba with victories in the Major Leagues before the age of 24 in their first two outings, by leading the Minnesota Twins to a win over the local Cleveland Guardians with a score of 5-4 at Progressive Field.
According to journalist Francys Romero, Rojas, 23 years old and originally from Ciego de Ávila, served as a reliever and pitched 3.1 innings with five strikeouts, five hits allowed, one earned run, and three walks, enough to secure the victory and improve his record to 1-0.
His fastball ranged between 94 and 96 mph, while his slider approached 90 mph, figures that confirm the potential that led to his promotion to the Twins' Major League roster on April 19 of this year.
The sports journalist Francys Romero provided context for the historic achievement: "Rojas pitched 3.1 innings with 5 strikeouts to lead the Twins to victory in Cleveland. He was clocked at 94-96 mph with his fastball and touched 90 mph with his slider. The future is bright."
The list now featuring Rojas includes legendary names from Cuban baseball: Aroldis Chapman (who achieved his first victory on September 1, 2010, with the Cincinnati Reds at the age of 22), Luis Tiant (twice in 1964), Camilo Pascual (1954), Raúl Sánchez (1952), Mike Fornieles (1952), Carlos Pascual (1950), and René Monteagudo (1938), which demonstrates that this is a milestone encompassing nearly 90 years of Cuban baseball history in the Major Leagues.
The victory also had a direct impact on the standings of the American League Central Division, as the Twins won two of the three games in the series against Cleveland and closed the gap to 2.5 games behind the Guardians in the divisional lead.
It was also the first series won by Minnesota at Progressive Field since September 2023.
In the game, Kody Clemens contributed three hits, including a double that opened the scoring in the third inning, while in the decisive fourth inning, Royce Lewis hit a run-producing double, and Brooks Lee, Josh Bell, and Austin Martin added hits to bring the score to 5-1.
Cleveland tried to come back with singles from Ángel Martínez and Chase DeLauter that reduced the lead to 5-4, but it wasn't enough.
Rojas, considered the number 10 prospect of the Minnesota Twins, signed his first professional contract with the Toronto Blue Jays in October 2020 for $215,000 before moving to the Minnesota system, where he developed in the minor leagues, standing out for his control and ability to limit contact.
At just 23 years old and with two wins in his first two outings in Major League Baseball, Rojas is emerging as one of the most promising Cuban pitchers of the current generation.
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