The Cuban pitchers Andy Vargas and Pavel Hernández made their debut this Sunday in Chinese professional baseball, contributing to the 7-3 victory of the Xiamen Dolphins over the Changsha WantWant in the 2026 summer season of the Chinese Professional Baseball (CPB).
According to Pelota Cubana, Vargas was the first to take the mound. The right-hander came in as a reliever in the fourth inning and worked two-thirds of an inning: he allowed two hits and issued one walk, but left without giving up any runs.
Pavel Hernández took over in the seventh inning and delivered a dominant performance: a complete inning without hits, no runs, and one strikeout.
With the victory, the Dolphins improved their record to 2-0 at the start of the championship, while Changsha WantWant has a record of 0-1.
Two other players from the Island also made an impact in the game. José Amaury Noroña, batting first and playing center field, went 5-for-2 with a double, one run scored, and two RBIs. Yasiel González, batting fourth and playing right field, did not get a hit in three at-bats, although he reached base by a walk and being hit by a pitch.
The four are part of a historic contingent of nine Cuban baseball players in the CPB 2026, distributed among the Xiamen Dolphins and the Beijing Loongs, which include Frank Herrera, Fher Cejas, Yankiel Mauris, Andy Cosmes, and Alfredo Despaigne.
Vargas arrives in China as one of the most outstanding pitchers in recent Cuban baseball. In the 2024 Premier 12, he recorded 10 strikeouts in 5.2 innings pitched, marking one of Cuba's most impressive performances in that tournament. Hernández, born in Ciego de Ávila, achieved his second no-hitter in the National Series on October 14, 2025, when Pavel Hernández nearly achieved perfection against Artemisa with seven innings, one walk, and seven strikeouts.
González, for his part, arrived in Xiamen as the MVP of the 2025-2026 National Series with Holguín, a season in which he batted .409 with 16 home runs.
The 2026 CPB Summer Season kicked off on August 13 at the Xuhui West Bund Baseball Field in Shanghai with six teams. The format includes 45 regular season games, with the top four teams advancing to the playoffs and a final series played in a best-of-three format starting September 26.
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