Right-handed Carlos Juan Viera and left-handed Yoenni Yera will be the starters, on Saturday, of the first Las Tunas-Matanzas duel in one of the semifinal playoffs of the 59th Cuban National Baseball Series, first step of the Leñadores (Lumberjacks) in defense of the Cuban title.
Las Tunas, Cuba.- From 1:00 in the afternoon, the Julio Antonio Mella Park will host the clash between the current champions, guided by Pablo Alberto Civil to their third consecutive semifinal, and the most winning team of the last decade in the Cuban baseball, rescued by mentor Armando Ferrer from the last seat in the previous season.
Both squads concluded with an identical balance of 52-38 during the regular schedule, the visitors with an advantage of 7-5 in the particular series, although the vagaries of the calendar forced the Lumberjacks to play nine of 12 games as visitors in the Victoria de Girón Stadium.
Left-handed Yera will be a big challenge for the currents champions, which will also come with a certain emotional coating, after the leader of the Crocodiles pitching staff helped them to conquer the crown of the 58th Series.
However, back to the opposite hill, Yera has been an enigma for the hitters from Las Tunas, a little less than an impassable obstacle: two games and an equal number of smiles, 12.0 innings worked with an earned run, nine strikeouts and effectiveness of 0.75.
Viera was not so lucky in facing the Crocodiles. The leader of the championship in ERA (2.27) and strikeouts (98) will go out looking for retaliation after living in Matanzas his worst game of the season. On December 24, Viera could only pitch 3.2 episodes, in which admitted tree earned runs that were very close to costing him the effectiveness leadership. Before, he accumulated a couple of good performances, resulted in a victory and a defeat. In total, 18.2 innings, 25 hits, eight earned runs, 14 strikeouts and an ERA of 3.95.
The Julio Antonio Mella Stadium will host on Sunday of the second game before the actions are transferred to the “Athens of Cuba,” where if necessary the three remaining semifinal matches will be held.
The other semifinal, between Industriales and Camagüey, begins tonight at the Latinoamericano Stadium.
