Germán Mesa, mentor of the Cuban baseball team, described the first two games of the friendly series against Nicaragua as attractive for the public and very useful, as part of the preparation of both selections for the VI World Classic.

At the end of the second match, held this Sunday with victory for the islanders by 3-1 at the Rigoberto López Pérez stadium in the city of León, Mesa highlighted to the Nicaraguan press the ability of his boys to score more runs, despite batting less than their rivals.

Cuba barely managed four hits, among them a home run by Ariel Martínez, compared to a dozen by those led by one of the most excellent managers in the US Major Leagues in recent times, Dusty Baker.

The Cuban strategist praised pitching and defence as keys to winning games. «We are working on the runs, but we need them to be defended afterwards on the field,» he commented.

Regarding the batting order used, he explained that it was structured so that several players called to occupy starting positions in the Classic accumulate at-bats and arrive in the best conditions to the premier event for baseball selections.

Germán praised the growth of the host players and praised the pitchers.

The first challenge of this friendly series ended with a two-run hug.

Both teams will hold the third of the four scheduled matches next Wednesday, which serve to make adjustments before the March incorporation of players from the Major League circuit.

Cuba, fourth place in the previous edition of the Classic, is located in group A, based in Puerto Rico, where Panama, Colombia and Canada will also compete.

The Nicaragua team appears in group D, based in Miami, alongside Israel, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela and the Netherlands.