Pinar del Río, Cuba, June 25 (Prensa Latina) Pinar del Río and Sancti Spiritus are preparing today to face each other starting Thursday in the quarterfinals of the Cuban baseball championship, in a duel agreed to the best of seven games.
The Vegueros from the westernmost of the Cuban provinces finished in first position in the qualifying phase in a dream season where they recorded 50 wins in 74 outings and are the wide favorites to obtain a ticket to the semifinals.
Led by Alexander Urquiola, the green troop literally devastated their opponents by winning their 15 particular subseries, a record for championships of 75 games,
In all the fundamental departments of the game they were superior to their rivals from Sancti Spiritus, occupying the eighth place in the general order.
In addition to setting a record in home runs hit with 87, this team that has 10 National Series champion trophies, nine silver medals and three bronze medals in its cabinets, was second in offensive average with .329 and in effectiveness from the mound, at His pitchers accept 4.33 earned runs per nine innings.
Although they were not up to par in defense with 98 errors and an average of .965 (elevens), they also surpassed their Yayabo challengers, who placed last with a whopping 121 errors and a .957 fielding average.
There are several individuals with similar numbers but the trident of William Saavedra, Alexei Ramírez and Yaser Julio González was the inspiring spark plug that moved this machinery, which was inexplicably left out of last season.
Saavedra was the leader of hitters for the season with a .411 offensive average, hit 14 home runs (ninth) and ranked second in slugging (.680) and OPS (1.135).
Ramírez, who played nine years in the Major Leagues, also hit 14 homers, was second in runs batted in (70) and third in bases run (156), while González finished fifth in home runs (17), fourth in total bases (153 ) and second by promoting the tie or the advantage (21).
It would be a surprise if the Gallos de Sancti Spiritus managed to defeat that team, but in sport there is nothing written, much less in this one where the highest percentage of a victory depends on a single man: the pitcher.
The bad news for them is the departure in the coming days to the Canadian Intercounty League of rescuer Yankiel Mauris, who took the lead in games saved (12) and was eighth in strikeouts (55).
That team, which in its entire history has barely won a championship in the distant year of 1979, has players of the stature of Yunier Mendoza, fifth among hitters (.385 Ave) and Rodoleisis Moreno, leader in hits in the tournament (107). .
The legend called Frederich Cepeda has a separate chapter. This tough hitter, who once again had a good contest as he has done over 26 seasons, is a source of inspiration and can change the setting of a game in just a few seconds.
All-time leader in doubles (471), extra-base hits (896) and walks (2,197), he is second in hits (2,487) and RBIs (1,460), fourth in home runs (371) and eighth in batting average (.337).
In favor of the Roosters is the way they finished the series, winning 19 of their last 25 matches to achieve a seat in this instance when most of their partial teams had lost hope.
In the history of the playoffs, these two teams have met six times and the Pinar del Río team won four of them, with a balance in their favor of 20 wins and 14 losses.
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