Cuba vs Korea
Havana, Nov 2 (PL) Cuba today defined the 28 players who will attend the Premier 12 tournament, after losing for the second consecutive day against South Korea, this time with a score of 13-3 on the grass of the Sky Dome in Seoul.
After going down 0-2 in the first game, the team led by Armando Johnson moved the pitching staff better on Saturday at the Sky Dome in Seoul by hitting a dozen hits, including a home run by Yoelquis Guibert, but their pitchers could not stop the opponent's offense.
A total of 14 hits by the Asians sent off the Antilleans, who will now leave for Taiwan, the venue of their qualifying group in the tournament that will host the 12 best-ranked countries in the world ranking.
The management of the Cuban team, faced with the loss of the pitchers Ronald Bolaños and Yoan Lopez, decided to replace them with catcher Rafael Viñales, one of the best offensive players in South Korea, and with the Cuban pitcher Pavel Hernandez.
Thus, the team was formed by catchers Andrys Pérez, Andy Cosme and Rafael Viñales; infielders Ariel Martínez, Erisbel Arruebarruena, Christian Rodríguez, Yoan Moncada, Roberto Baldoquín, Yadil Orestes Mujica, and Jean Harvi Walters and outfielders Yoelkis Guibert, Lázaro Armenteros, Alfredo Despaigne, Roel Santos, and Yadir Drake.
On the mound will be Liván Moinelo, Raidel Martínez, Leodán Reyes, Yoennis Yera, Geonel Gutiérrez, Yankiel Mauris, Frank Abel Álvarez, Raymond Figueredo, Andy Vargas, Frank Luis Medina, Darío Sarduy, Yusniel Padrón, and Pavel Hernández.
The team from the largest Caribbean island has scheduled some preparation matches in Taipei before the start of the event on the 13th, where it will compete for one of the two tickets available for the final round with the teams representing the Dominican Republic, Australia, South Korea, Japan, and the Taiwanese hosts.
Four days earlier, the A key will kick off in Mexico, where, in addition to the local teams, the United States, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Panama, and the Netherlands will battle it out.
