The Matanzas-Industriales clash at the Coloso del Cerro will fulfill from today onwards the highest expectations in the 61st National Baseball Series, which will begin its ninth particular sub-series.
Havana, February 22 (RHC)-- The Matanzas-Industriales clash at the Coloso del Cerro will fulfill from today onwards the highest expectations in the 61st National Baseball Series, which will begin its ninth particular sub-series.
The Cocodrilos of mentor Armando Ferrer, national runners-up and current leaders, have a record of 14 wins and five losses, while the Leones of Guillermo Carmona (11-8) are in fourth place.
The Yumurino team, which occupies the place of honor in batting average (323), with 18 home runs, and in pitching (2.44), the only staff to give up less than three clean runs per game, is in the lead.
Meanwhile, the Blue Jays are fifth in both batting (302), with 11 home runs, and fielding (4.40).
But Carmona has in the fourth shift of its lineup the first in the list of hitters, Andres Hernandez (404, 52-21), who also ranks second in towers this season with 23 RBI, one less than the leader Rafael Viñales (LTU), who at the same time leads in home runs connected (8).
For today's game, Noelvis Entenza will pitch for the Saurios, while the restless Pedro Álvarez will pitch for the Leones.
Meanwhile, the runner-up Santiago de Cuba (14-6, half a game behind the Cocodrilos), went to the José Antonio Huelga stadium to face Sancti Spíritus (10-9), occupying the sixth position.
According to the numbers of both teams, this could be a batting versus pitching duel. The Gallos are second in the tournament with 314 at bat (314), and the Avispas, surprisingly, are in second place in pitching (3.52).
José Eduardo Santos will take the mound today for the Gallos, while the Santiago team will depend on experienced right-hander Alberto Bisset, who shares the lead in wins with three other pitchers, all with four.
And the combative Mayabeque team (13-6), which has just swept the Leones and is alone in third place, took a sea voyage to Nueva Gerona to face Isla de la Juventud at the Cristóbal Labra stadium. José Ignacio Bermúdez will pitch for the Huracanes and veteran left-hander Wilber Pérez will pitch for the Pirates.
In the remaining games, two historic teams will compete: Pinar del Río-Villa Clara (Yayfredo Domínguez-Javier Mirabal), Artemisa-Cienfuegos (Yunieski García- Yasmani Insua) and Ciego de Ávila- Guantánamo (Yander Guevara-Enyer Fernández).
These ninth subseries will be completed with the Camagüey-Granma (Frank Madam-César García) and Las Tunas-Holguín (Carlos Juan Viera-José Sánchez) duels, always at the former's grounds.
