Pinar del Río will be the first team to win the semi-final ticket of this National Series in its 60th edition Photo: Boris Luis Cabrera
Los Vegueros de Pinar del Río overcame an unfavorable score twice, beating Gallos de Sancti Spíritus 9-8 in extrainnings to defeat them in three challenges to become the first team to reach the semi-final ticket of this National Series in their 60th edition .
With the spirit of the unforgettable Juan Castro in their hearts and his mythical number 13 on one of the sleeves of his green-and-yellow coat, most Westerners came to the neutral grounds on September 5 this Sunday to meet the ‘pianist’ on the 67th birthday. of their birth and they succeeded.
It was exactly a Sunday in June of the fateful last year when the most elegant receiver to endure the National Series and start in the national team for years left this world and moved into another dimension. Alexander Urquiola’s disciples knew it, and with that motivational force, a team that throughout history had always shown shame and courage on the field could not lose.
The Yayaberos won the fourth chapter with a score of 5-1 and had already blown the mound to starter Dariel Fernández, but there the hosts of Pinar del Río set fire to the field and scored a five-point bouquet, an advantage that seemed . enough for him. best body of serpentineros in the national territory.
A single by Pedro Luis Rodríguez on the left wing brought home the first of the pack, then the tubey from Reinaldo Lazaga arrived, dropped two and starter José Eduardo Santos jumped out of the box, and later two missiles from Lázaro Emilio Blanco and Pedro Luis Rodriguez – the last production closed for Pedro Álvarez -.
Two episodes later, a solo homer from Yaser Julio González extended the advantage and the shot sounded like a “coup de grace” to Spiritus fans who saw once again how the team of their dreams lacks the strength to reach the goal. to achieve. .
However, Eriel Sánchez’s troop left their mark, and when it came to picking up the bats, they rebelled against the charges of the stellar ‘samurai’ Raidel Martínez and hit by ‘Gallo Mayor’ Frederich Cepeda and the tubey from his cousin Geisel who brought two in front of the plate, they took charge to warm the atmosphere.
Again from below, the residents of Pinar del Rio came to level the moves with a double by Luis Pablo Acosta that sent the fiery Álvarez to the showers, but the arrival of the ace of his rotation Yuen Socarrás led the fight to an extra inning .
The supersonic Martinez asked to stay on the mound, ending the tenth inning with a few strikeouts to leave the table that served for his team to end a story that had to be lived on the field to capture the overflowing emotions lay. Blanco’s double, an intentional base for slugger González, a sacrifice bunt and a grounder that the third baseman couldn’t catch … and the ball game was over
Thousands of miles away, mentor Alfonso Urquiola, an icon of the Pinar del Río province, also took a victory led by Federal Chiriquí (Panama) against the Venezuelan favorites in his Caribbean Series debut in Mazatlán. ., Mexico.
Now the Vegueros de Pinar del Río would go into the semi-finals for a cross against Granma (if they beat Industriales). In case the capitalists come back, their rival would be Matanzas (if they beat Cienfuegos) and if the Yumurians lose too, it would be the duel with the winner between Santiago de Cuba and Las Tunas.