Dánel Castro reached 2,500 home runs in national series

Supported by its best weapon, the long-range attack, the Matanzas team won the crucial fifth game against Las Tunas in the semifinals of the II Elite League of Cuban Baseball.

After a pair of defeats that evened the series, the leader in the preliminary phase avoided a sweep as a visitor that would have put it on the ropes against a team with experience in postseasons.

The devastating offense of 15 hits included nine extra-base hits, distributed in four doubles and five home runs, with which they scored ten runs to five for their rivals.

Such an offensive display was led by starter and fourth baseman Yordanis Samón, who hit a pair of homers and his 456th lifetime home run, one more than Fréderich Cepeda, his closest rival for first place in the Island’s baseball championship history.

Samón has four homers in the semifinals and leads the producers of four-corner hits in the postseason, seconded by Yurisbel Gracial, another who today put the ball on the other side of the fences and confirmed himself as the League’s top home run hitter with 11.

The rest of the Matanzas’ home runs came from the bats of José Amaury Noroña and Erisbel Arruebarrena, and Dennis Peña hit one for the Leñadores to add to the home run party in the crucial game.

The historic note was provided by 29-season national veteran Dánel Castro, who hit his 2,500th lifetime home run, the first to reach that mark in Cuba.

On Saturday, both teams will play their sixth game in Matanzas, where the hosts will try to finish off the series and ratify their condition of favorite to the throne of the winter championship. Most likely, the duel between César García (MTZ) and Yadián Martínez (LTU) will be repeated.