Cubans at the top; a real feat!

BY SIGFREDO BARROS AND RICARDO LOPEZ HEVIA (PHOTO)
—Granma daily special correspondents

SAN DIEGO—Japan brought out its best pitching, accompanied by timely offense play, to beat Cuba’s team 10-6 and carry off the championship title of the 1st World Baseball Classic.

Cuba had scored within one run of tying in the eighth inning thanks to a homerun by Frederich Cepeda – who has had hits in all of the team’s games – but the Japanese widened the gap in the final inning, backed by two power hits at the right time, from Ichiro Suzuki (against Palma, who had taken out 11 rivals in line) and Kosuke Fukudome, a single that pulled in two runs, and a sacrifice fly.

For the closing, team manager Sadaharu Oh appealed to the team’s second Major League player present in the final, right-hander Akinori Otsuka (Texas Rangers), who pitched the two outs for the eighth and then, after allowing one hit, successively struck out Michel and Yulieski, outs 26 and 27.

In spite of this loss to Japan’s best team ever, what our players achieved could be described as a real feat: making it to the finals of an elite tournament in with more than 160 players from the Major Leagues, defeating powerful teams from Venezuela, Dominicana and Puerto Rico, the last two being the top favorites among many experts.

Higinio kept what had been his regular line-up against right-handed pitchers, with Ariel Borrero and Cepeda, one after the other. Sadaharu Oh kept his as well, with just one exception: he put star player Ichiro Suzuki in third place, after he scored three hits against South Korea’s pitchers in the semi-final game.

Cuba won the coin toss to be home team; curiously, our five victories were in games where we were the visitors.

Japan opened aggressively and, without hitting the ball past infield, scored two runs against Ormary, thanks to a pair of infield hits toward the shortstop, a stolen base, and a perfect pitch to Tamura provided by Odelín, who was the victim of a power hit by eighth-at-bat Toshiaki down centerfield, bringing in two more runs.

The advantage loomed large, and even more so against a pitcher like Daisuke Matsuzaka, with his 96-mph fastball, combined well with an 82-mph curveball that knocked his rivals off balance. In the end, that four-run difference was decisive.

In the eighth inning, Cepeda connected and sent the ball toward the left-field grandstands, a hit that had everybody on their feet, because it got Cuba close, losing by just one run (5-6). Unfortunately, the closers were not effective like Japan’s Otsuka, and the possibility of tying and/or victory went out the window.

THREE CUBAS AMONG THE ALL STARS

Shortstop Yulieski Gourriel, designated hitter Yoandy Garlobo and right-handed pitcher Yadel Martí were selected to be part of the All-Stars Team, while Japanese pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka was Most Valuable Player.