In preparation for the Premier12 tournament in just a couple of weeks, Cuba’s team headed to South Korea to play in some scrimmages against teams part of the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO). On October 22, Cuba prepared for the tournament as they faced the NC Dinos.
The NC Dinos would go on to win the contest, and the final score wasn’t even close, as Cuba would lose to the Dinos 13-1. Yusniel Padron was tabbed as the starting pitcher for Cuba. Padron threw in two innings, allowing three runs while striking out three batters. He was relieved by Raymond Figueredo, who threw an inning and a third, allowing seven runs on four hits, failing to record a strikeout.
After that inning, Figueredo was relieved by Geonel Gutierrez. Gutierrez was able to limit the damage slightly, striking out three batters in one and two-thirds innings, but allowed five hits and gave up a home run to catcher Seok Shin Yong. Leodán Reyes finished Gutierrez’s work, tossing an inning and a third, striking out two batters. The game was finished by Frank Medina, who struck out two batters in an inning and a third of work.
Cuba was only able to pick up six hits while scoring one run in this game. First-baseman Guillermo Aviles had the only RBI for Cuba, hitting a sacrifice fly to score Christian Rodriguez.
Although they lost, they will have another place to play more games before the start of the Premier12 tournament. The next game Cuba’s team will get to participate in will be on Friday, October 25, where they will be hosts to Jiangsu, members of the China Baseball Association. The next game Cuba will partake in will be against the LG Twins on October 26, with that game being played in Ulsan.
Ronald Bolaños will not be participating with Cuba at the Premier12 this November, as reported by Cuban media outlet baseballdecuba.com. He is unable to participate due to personal commitments.
Cuba will also have two exhibition matches against South Korea’s national team that will be held from November 1 and 2 at Seoul Gochon Skydome. Their quest in the Premier12 tournament will begin on November 13, when Cuba will serve as host to the Dominican Republic. The game will be at Taipei Tianmu Baseball Stadium in Taipei City, Taiwan. First pitch is scheduled for 5:30 AM EST.
Photo Credit: Manager Armando Johnson #6 of Team Cuba looks on during pregame ceremonies before the 2023 World Baseball Classic Semifinal game between Team Cuba and Team USA at loanDepot Park on Sunday, March 19, 2023 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/WBCI/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
