While the history of postseason encounters shows parity in terms of second duels in play-offs, with two victories apiece, Cocodrilos de Matanzas and Leñadores de Las Tunas today face different realities in the continuation of the final of the 64th National Baseball Series, given the first blow struck by the saurians which exposed the deficiencies of the red-and-greens during their start in defence of the title at the Latinoamericano Stadium.

The Matanzas victory, eight runs to three, marked the first time in five post-season matchups between these teams that the westerners have won; they receive the backing of statistics, given that on 25 occasions out of 33 finals contests, those who smile in the opening challenge end up with the trophy.

With the most homegrown squad of recent competitions, the team led by Armando Ferrer aspires to maintain good offensive performance to emulate what was achieved in 2020 and add a new accolade to the trophy cabinet.

For their part, the nine from the Balcony of the East need to turn the page immediately in order to rediscover productivity at the plate and make the champion’s game count, aware of the limitations in the starting rotation, which forces them to rely on a bullpen of guarantees, but one worn down in the previous semi-final and quarter-final duels against the Cazadores de Artemisa and the Azucareros de Villa Clara, in that order.

In a press conference during the previous day, Ferrer indicated Shaiel Cruz as the trump card for the second chapter of this adventure for glory in Cuban baseball; meanwhile, Pantoja opted to analyse with his technical team the available players with a view to providing greater recovery to the Ace of the rotation, Yosmel Garcés, who received a blow to his left shoulder and still experiences discomfort.