During the first of action for the Premier12, Puerto Rico and the United States faced off at Coloso Del Pacifico in Tepic, Mexico. The matchup of starting pitchers featured Rich Hill for the US and Jonathan Bermudez for Puerto Rico. Both teams had yet to play a game in this year’s Premier12 tournament.
Preparado el lanzador Jonathan Bermúdez para abrir el primer juego de #LosNuestros en el @Premier12, presentado por RAXUS
Mañana sábado 7:00 pm (hora de Puerto Rico) en Tepic.
EN VIVO: https://t.co/9PxZh2BmKp pic.twitter.com/TwqiRMePXN
— Federación de Béisbol 🇵🇷 (@BeisbolPR) November 9, 2024
The key for Puerto Rico was 29 year old left handed starter Jonathan Bermudez. Bermudez ended up having a brilliant start on the mound for the Puerto Ricans against a very talented United States team. He threw four innings and struck out six American hitters. All the while, he gave up no runs, only two hits, and only walked one batter.
The 44 year old Rich Hill held his own with three innings of shutout baseball, but the United States offense was not able to get on the board against Bermudez and the Puerto Rican bullpen. Sam Benschoter of the United States allowed the games only run in the top of the sixth inning to a Sabin Ceballos solo home run that would prove to be the deciding run.
His efforts were enough to help Puerto Rico win their first game of the event as they defeated the United States 1-0. This win is the first for Puerto Rico at the Premier12 tournament since the event’s debut in 2015 as Puerto Rico went 0-3 in the 2019 edition of the Premier12. Team P.R. hopes to continue winning behind their pitching staff to make it to the Super Round like they did in 2015 and possibly even surpass that finish.
Bermudez was a draft pick of the Houston Astros in the 23rd round of the 2018 draft and made his MLB debut with the Miami Marlins this past season. He pitched 6.2 total innings in three games against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Philadelphia Phillies, and Colorado Rockies, starting one contest. Before making his debut in the MLB with Miami, the 29-year-old native from Coamo, Puerto Rico, spent five seasons in the minor-league system.
The next game for Puerto Rico will be against Mexico at 8:00 p.m. EST on Nov.10. The Untied States will take on the Netherlands to continue the Opening Round on Nov. 10 at 5:00 p.m. EST.
All Premier12 games can be streamed with a subscription to DAZN.
Premier12 – 12 Teams in 12 Days: Puerto Rico
Premier12 – 12 Teams in 12 Days: United States
