The Cuban team was eliminated this Monday from the super round of the VII WBSC Under-15 Baseball World Cup, taking place in Mérida, Mexico, after losing 3-2 to Germany in seven innings at the Kukulkán Álamo Park.
With that result, Cuba concluded the group stage with a record of one win and three losses, which is insufficient to advance to the next round where medals are awarded. The team led by Alexander Urquiola will have to settle for the consolation round, which determines places seven to twelve.
The match against the Germans was unfavorable for the Cubans from the start. The starter Alexandro Martínez gave up four hits and two runs in the first inning, putting the Europeans in charge early on.
In the third episode, a simple tugboat from Keylen Fernández extended the German lead to 3-1 and took the Cuban pitcher off the mound. Cuba scored one in the fifth thanks to a hit from Braon Ariel González that brought a teammate home, but the Antillean artillery could not produce enough to make a comeback.
The victory went to the records of Jon Paul Düsing, who after starting with three walks settled down and completed four innings allowing two hits and only one run. Samuel Schäfer closed the game with a save of six outs, the last one with the bases loaded.
Among the few positive notes for Cuba were batters Javier Roque and Braon González, who both hit base hits. The pitcher Yoenys Puerta also caught attention, as he worked the final inning with speeds between 88 and 89 miles per hour, a remarkable figure for the Under-15 category.
The road to failure began on Friday with a knockout loss to the Dominican Republic (4-14). The only joy came the following day with a crushing victory against South Africa at 16-0. Then came another knockout loss against Japan (1-11), leading up to the final blow against the Germans.
The result is particularly symbolic: Cuba fell to a European team that had also not won any matches prior to the encounter. The performance in the tournament, marked by offensive difficulties and defensive errors, reflects the structural problems of Cuban youth baseball.
In May, the National Baseball Commission suspended the national youth championships for U-12, U-15, and U-18, citing the energy crisis, although it clarified that this measure did not mean Cuba was withdrawing from international events.
This is compounded by the constant drain of young prospects leaving the island to try to sign with Major League organizations, which weakens the available talent pool for national teams.
Cuba will face the host team, Mexico, this Tuesday. Mexico, along with Japan, remains undefeated in the tournament with three victories. The match will not affect the standings, but it will certainly impact the pride of a generation that, according to its own analysts, is "still in the early stages of athletic growth."
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