Spain defeated Italy this Saturday by 5-2 at the Camp Municipal de Béisbol Carlos Pérez de Rozas in Barcelona and secured its ticket to the Premier 12 2027, with a decisive performance from several players of Cuban origin on the Spanish roster.
Félix Stevens Cañizares was the most productive batter of the game, driving in three of the five Spanish runs, while brothers Frank and Omar Hernández had multi-hit games. On the mound, Royd Hernández and Carlos Sierra each pitched one inning to maintain the lead.
The victory came during the European Qualifier for Premier 12 2027, held from Friday to this Sunday in Barcelona, where Spain, Italy, Germany, and Colombia competed in a round-robin format. The top two teams earned a ticket to the competition.
Spain entered the tournament as the lowest-ranked team in the group, sitting at 26th in the WBSC rankings, behind Colombia (13th), Italy (14th), and Germany (17th). Despite this unfavorable prediction, the Spaniards finished the qualifier with a record of 2-0 after also defeating Germany 3-2 on Friday, securing the top spot in the group.
Specialized journalist Francys Romero highlighted on his social media that it was a "great triumph for Spain after coming so close to qualifying for the World Baseball Classic and not achieving it in February 2025."
The key to Spanish performance lies in its commitment to the talent that has emigrated from the island. The Spanish federation called up nine Cuban players for the qualifier, the largest concentration of players from that background on a Spanish national team to date, surpassing the six spots they occupied in the qualifier for the VI World Baseball Classic in 2025.
In addition to those already mentioned, the roster included pitchers Elián Leyva, Pablo Luis Guillén, Rubén Menes, and Dayán González, as well as coach Néstor Pérez.
Omar Hernández, the team captain, was born in Havana in 2001. He arrived in Spain with his twin brother Frank in 2013, and in 2018 he became the first player from Club Béisbol Viladecans to sign with a Major League franchise, agreeing to terms with the Kansas City Royals.
This strategy had already borne fruit at the 2023 European Championship in the Czech Republic, where Spain claimed its first continental title in 68 years with stellar performances from Cuban players such as Pablo Luis Guillén, Carlos Sierra, and Omar Hernández himself, who led the tournament in home runs and runs scored with an OPS of 1.397.
Italy also secured its qualification by defeating Germany 5-0 this Sunday, returning to the Premier 12 for the first time since 2015.
The Premier 12 2027 will be the first expanded edition featuring 16 teams and will have direct Olympic relevance: it will grant a spot for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games to the best team from Europe or Oceania participating.
Cuba, having gained direct access to that competition due to its ranking in the WBSC, could face several of its former players now wearing the Spanish jersey in that stage.
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