The Cuban baseball experienced its worst result in six decades this Friday: the national team went home without a medal in the XXV Central American and Caribbean Games in Santo Domingo after losing to Puerto Rico 9-1 in the bronze medal match, a defeat that placed them in fourth position in the tournament.
The last time Cuba left one of these events without stepping onto the podium was in San Juan 1966, exactly 60 years ago, a year in which they paradoxically took home the gold. Since then, the team has accumulated 15 golds, three silvers, and one bronze in Central Caribbean baseball, solidifying its status as the historical powerhouse of the tournament.
The path to that outcome was uneven. In the group stage, the team led by Germán Mesa advanced unbeaten, defeating Curacao (4-1), Puerto Rico (4-0), and the Dominican Republic (9-6). However, the super round marked the turning point: first, they lost to Panama (2-6) and then to Nicaragua (5-6), a result that knocked them out of the final and condemned them to fight for third place.
In that decisive match, Puerto Rico —which Cuba had shut out in the first phase— emerged decisively: 13 hits and nine runs against a pitching that could not withstand the pressure and a defense riddled with errors. The final podium was topped by Panama (gold), Nicaragua (silver), and Puerto Rico (bronze).
Before the press, Mesa did not make excuses. "The pitching did not fulfill its duty, neither the starter nor the reliever; if we add to that the defensive lapses, it is very difficult to win," the manager stated to JIT after the game.
When asked if the team had arrived unmotivated for the match, he dismissed it outright. "We had the motivation to fight for the bronze medal, to keep our baseball on the podium. What happened is what I said; if those two lines fail, there's no way to do anything," he replied.
Mesa also defended the roster he assembled for the tournament. "If I had to put together a team for these Games again today, I would select the same players," he stated, although he acknowledged that the group needs greater depth in the pitching staff.
The result is the most unfavorable for Cuba in this competition and reflects a sustained decline: the national team has not won gold since Veracruz 2014, when they defeated Nicaragua 9-3 in the final. In the following two editions, Barranquilla 2018 and San Salvador 2023, they secured silver. Additionally, in the last three occasions, Puerto Rico has defeated Cuba in defining matches.
This decline is set within a broader context: the massive emigration of Cuban players to foreign professional leagues has progressively depleted the talent available for the national team.
"There's always a first time, it was my turn, it could have been anyone else's. What I can say is that we never stopped aspiring for success," Mesa concluded, who was appointed manager of the team in June 2025 with a contract until 2028.
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