WBSC Premier12 | Cuba secures its first win thanks to Yadir Drake's crucial home run and strong performance from the bullpen

TAIPEI CITY, Taiwan - With the same score with which Cuba beat Australia in the quarterfinals of the 2023 World Baseball Classic, the Cubans once again defeated Australia, 4-3, in a hard-fought match that gave Cuba its first victory in Group B of the WBSC Premier12 presented by RAXUS, at Tianmu Stadium in Taipei City on Saturday afternoon.

Box score

Indeed, it was a match in which both teams had chances to secure the win, but it was the Cubans who emerged victorious due to capitalizing on an offensive opportunity in the third inning and the solid performance of their bullpen, ensuring they did not relinquish the victory.

Even though Cuba had fourteen runners on base and achieved 11 hits for the first time in the tournament, it was a single inning that determined the crucial victory needed to keep their hopes alive for advancing to the Super Round of the tournament.

During the third inning, with Cuba trailing 2-1, Australia's first reliever, left-hander Blake Townsend, entered the game. A strategic move by Cuban coach Armando Johnson saw third baseman and ninth batter Jean H. Walters reach first base on an error and advance to third on a bunt single by Roel Santos. The next batter, right fielder Yadir Drake, took advantage of a 2-0 count to hit a home run off Townsend's pitch, changing the score with a three-run hit. This pivotal moment secured a Cuba's lead for the second time in the tournament, this time with a score of 4-2.

"In that situation the most important thing was to try to hit a fly ball, if you make good contact what happened can happen," Drake told me about his home run during the press conference, adding "You have to mentally prepare yourself to bring it in - the run - no matter what."

From that point forward, a fierce competition ensued between the two teams: Cuba striving to maintain their two-runs advantage, while Australia aimed to narrow the deficit.

The game had started very badly for the Cubans. Australia put four runners on base in the first inning against 19-year-old starter Darío Sarduy. Aaron Whitefield, Robbie Glendinning, Rixon Wingrove and Darryl George recorded singles, the last two to drive in runs and give the Australians an early 2-0 lead.

Cuba responded with a run off veteran right-hander Tim Atherton in the bottom of the first inning, thanks to consecutive singles by Roel Santos, Yadir Drake and an RBI single by Yoelkis Guibert. The inning could have extended further, but Atherton managed to strike out Alfredo Despaigne and then got Ariel Martínez out with a double play to finish the inning.

During the second inning, the Australian team failed to extend their lead despite having the bases loaded against Cuba's first reliever, right-handed pitcher Andy Vargas. Vargas effectively kept the game close, giving his team opportunities to stage a comeback.

Andy Vargas delivered an impressive performance against Australia. (Photo by Yuhki Ohboshi)

Ultimately, Vargas completed 3 2/3 innings of relief, with his only blemish being a solo home run by Robbie Glendinning in the fifth inning. He recorded five strikeouts, one walk, and three hits allowed, securing his first victory with the Cuban national team.

Vargas teamed up with four other relievers, that keep the Australians from scoring for 4 2/3 innings.

In the seventh inning, Australia had a great chance to alter the score when the Cuban pitchers struggled. After one out, Frank. A. Alvarez, Geonel Gutierrez, and Leodan Reyes each walked a batter, loading the bases. Despite this, with two outs, Reyes successfully faced Alex Hall, who hit a hard ground ball that Yadil Mujica managed to reach just past second base, resulting in a crucial zero that was instrumental in securing the win.

"We had many opportunities, including the seventh inning when we loaded the bases, but we could not take advantage of it," said Australian manager David Nilsson after the game.

"I believe that was the moment that decisively shifted the game in Cuba's favor."

Australia actually had plenty of opportunities, but couldn't find the decisive hit that would define the win. They twice left the bases loaded and put a total of 12 runners on base.

The Cuban bullpen deserves credit for their outstanding performance alongside Vargas, as they limited Australia to only one hit and two walks for the remainder of the game, while also recording five strikeouts.

Ultimately, relief pitcher Raidel Martínez capitalized on the chance to help his team. Raidel smoothly handled the ninth inning, retiring all batters he faced and recording two strikeouts to secure the save.

Cuba's win has brought its tournament record to 1-2, matching Australia's. However, unlike their current rival, Cuba will now have to compete against the top-performing teams in the tournament: the undefeated Japan (3-0) and the host country, Chinese Taipei (2-1). Chinese Taipei lost their unbeaten record to Japan with a score of 3-1 on Saturday night.

In the other match of the day, South Korea (2-2) came from behind to beat the Dominican Republic (1-3) 9-6.

Following these results, Cuba's only remaining option in the tournament is to secure a victory and then rely on favorable outcomes during the tiebreaker process if a three-way tie for second place occurs.

At present, the Cuban manager stated that they will approach each game individually. This Sunday at 6:00 pm (local time), 5:00 am (Cuba and Eastern US time), the Cuban team will play against Japan at Tianmu Stadium. Right-hander Raymond Figueredo was announced to start.

Furthermore, it is anticipated that should Cuba manage to maintain a tight score or potentially even hold an advantage against the Japanese team, left-handed pitcher Liván Moinelo will be prepared to step in as a reliever.

RANKING (remaining games in parentheses)

1. Japan 3-0 (vs CUB, vs DOM)

2. Chinese Taipei 2-1 (vs AUS, vs CUB)

3. Australia 1-2 (vs TPE, vs KOR)

4. Cuba 1-2 (vs JPN, vs TPE)

5. Dominican Republic 1-3 (vs JPN)

6. South Korea 1-2 (vs AUS)