The Cuban baseball team suffered its first defeat on Tuesday at the Central American and Caribbean Games Santo Domingo 2026, falling 2-6 to Panama at the Quisqueya Juan Marichal Stadium, according to reported by the Cuban News Agency.
The team led by Germán Mesa entered the super round unbeaten, having swept the group stage with victories against Curacao, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic. With this setback, Cuba holds a record of 2-1 in this phase, while Panama solidifies its status as the best team in the tournament with a perfect record of 3-0.
The game was decided in the first inning when the Panamanians scored the six runs that would prove decisive. The Cuban starter Fher Cejas was removed from the mound without facing a single batter, after giving up a grand slam to Erasmo Caballero with the bases loaded in what was his debut with the national team.
The reliever Andy Vargas also couldn't stop the damage in that same inning: he allowed a double and singles by Abraham Rodríguez and Héctor Rayo, which completed the six-run tally for Panama.
Vargas regained his composure starting in the second inning, and alongside Geonel Gutiérrez—who pitched two and two-thirds innings without allowing any hits—and Yunier Batista, they shut down the opposing team's offense for the remainder of the game. However, Cuba was unable to overcome the score and left several runners on base throughout the match.
The only Cuban runs came through different means: a run due to a balk with the bases loaded committed by the Panamanian Davis Romero, and a home run by Yulieski Remón while picking up the bats. For Panama, Harold Araúz pitched four innings, and Romero earned the victory.
The standout with the bat on the Cuban side was second baseman Luis Vicente Mateo, who recorded four hits—including a double—in the same number of at-bats.
The defeat complicates Cuba's aspirations to end a 12-year drought without gold in baseball at these games, a streak that began in Veracruz 2014. In the following two editions, Barranquilla 2018 and San Salvador 2023, Cuba had to settle for silver.
The super round table at the close of this Tuesday places Panama at the top with a record of 3-0, followed by Cuba and Puerto Rico with 2-1, Nicaragua with 1-1, the Dominican Republic with 0-2, and Colombia with 0-3. The next opponent of the Cuban baseball team will be precisely Colombia, this Wednesday, August 5, in a match that Cuba cannot afford to lose if it wants to keep its gold medal hopes alive.
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