THE heartbreaking playoffs of Cuba’s 52nd National Baseball Series are underway. Making the semifinals has been the goal of the country’s 16 teams since November, 2012, when the season began. Some were left by the roadside, along the way. Eight teams were eliminated during the hard-fought qualifying stage and now last year’s champs (Ciego de Avila) and the number two team (Industriales) are out. Two traditional contenders for the title, Santiago de Cuba and Pinar del Río didn’t make the cut either. It is no easy task.

Cienfuegos, Sancti Spíritus, Matanzas and Villa Clara are now the four semi-finalists, the teams which played the best and reached this level on their own merits. They will reward their fans, who will enjoy the moment and cheer every play, every hit.

The champion and runner-up of the 52nd National Series will be decided in the Cienfuegos-Villa Clara and Sancti Spíritus-Matanzas match-ups, games which millions of passionate fans will watch.

On the individual level, Granma’s Alfredo Despaigne won the batting title for the second year in a row, with a .382 average, beating out Matanzas power hitter José Miguel Fernández and Yordanis Samón, also from Granma, in second and third place respectively.. Despaigne also took the slugging title with 649.

Other leaders were Stayler Hernández (Industriales), 64 runs; Ariel Sánchez (Matanzas), 120 hits; Andy Ibáñez (Isla de la Juventud), 29 doubles; Lázaro Rodríguez (Cienfuegos), 6 triples and 18 stolen bases; Yosvani Peraza (Pinar del Río), 72 runs batted in, with 27 to take the lead or tie; José Dariel Abréu (Cienfuegos) and William Luis (Camagüey), 19 homeruns, the latter also the leader in bases per hit, 1.99.

Among pitchers, Noelvis Entenza (Cienfuegos) and Joel Suárez (Matanzas) took the honors for games won, 14, with Diosdani Castillo (Villa Clara) leader in average clean hits allowed (1.55), pitching in 45 games, all as a reliever.