Vegueros of Pinar del Río breathe, some vital signs still answer. Its hard-fought victory against the Cangrejeros de Santurce (Puerto Rico) returned its soul to the body. It was enough for them with their own hands, a couple of pats on the face and shake off a little terror that oppresses them. It is not easy to see death coming, front, quiet, tending its hand and whispering: ” two shots, just two, you take it or you know”.
Alfonso Urquiola´s team has looked at the sky and has sighed. The first win in the Caribbean Series comes at the right time, when the water touched the ceiling and threatened to end the hopes, with the dream of returning to be protagonists in a respectable event.
It was an exciting night full of excitement, of refereeing errors, rain, controversial decisions of managers, small game, again rain and stiffness, especially that.
The boiling of Hiram Birthorn lasted until the board indicated that it was an extra-inning game, the bottom of the tenth inning opened, both campuses were tied at two runs at this stage of the game and if Pinar del Río score just once, Cangrejeros would be walked-off in front of its own audience and the Cubans would go to sleep with a triumph.
But let´s do recounting what had happened before. In the initial inning, locals opened fire; Well, they took advantage of the lack of control of Yosvani Torres from the mound and three walks and a lone hit, broke the cellophane. Vegueros countered. A double to the right field by Luis Yander la O and an RBI single to the center by Yulieski Gourriel combined to tie the game.
After the impasse of rain, Eduardo Pérez tpook out Puerto Rican starter Ivan Maldonado to bring Andrew Santiago from the bullpen that allowed Cubans to go ahead on the scoreboard after a hard drive line to left by Saavedra. Andrew was relieved by Mario Santiago, main responsible of Cuba’s not scoring until late in the game.
The right-handed handcuffed the Antillean lineup mercilessly, based on speed and slider which saw the swings going far away. He pitched five scoreless innings where there was only room for strikeouts and gentle groundouts into the hands of the defense. Meanwhile, Puerto Rican batters hit Cuban starter Yosvani Torres out to the showers and tied the game. In his rescue Erlis Casanova came, who pitched very little but with great quality.
Behind it was the turn for closer Mendoza, who this time had to come from an early seventh innings. He lived up to the circumstances; the context asked for phlegm, and he had it, the scenario demanded him to lift the chest, and he did, with his fastball, his moderation perhaps we have to thank the Japanese.
From then on everything went threats that ended in zeros, innings extended by the influx of runners on but ended up dead on the bases. Then came the tenth inning, one where the Birthorn Hiram went from roaring to silence, from boiling to shock. Frank Morejon hit a grounder that left her clinging to the sidelines bordering the third base, connection picked by the third baseman with his gloved hand, he released the Rawlings, but over first baseman. The Cuban catcher anchored in second base and led to the swift legs of Yosvani Alarcón to kill the Puerto Ricans. Now it was the turn of Roel Santos. Sacrifice bunt? Pinch-hitter?
None of that. Fernando Cabrera looked at Alarcón from the mound, took him closer to second base with the sight, the glove to his chest to start the wind up, he threw the ball toward the center of the mitt of his catcher but the ball never got there. It went flying after hitting the swing of Santo Roel and passed over the shortstop and fell between the right and center. Cuba walks off. There is life in San Juan.
