After a day of travel and rest, the 64th National Baseball Series resumes its calendar today with new subseries that could redefine the fierce battle for the top spots and for a place in the postseason.
The struggle at the summit burns with the intensity of a chivalrous duel. To be first or second is worth gold: it allows for a more benign crossover in the quarter-finals and, above all, secures direct passage to the next Elite League.
But while at the top the giants dispute the throne tooth and nail, in the middle band of the table other teams fight each chapter as if it were the last, aware that there is barely space to survive.
In Las Tunas, the leaders Leñadores will host some Gallos espirituanos who arrive with three consecutive victories and a seventh place that smells of ambition, while in Matanzas, the Cocodrilos – second by winning percentage – will challenge some Santiago Avispas cornered by the clock and determined to recover their place among the chosen.
For their part, at the Calixto García, Cachorros de Holguín and Industriales will star in another of the series that could tilt the order of the baseball universe. Two beasts in full contention, sharing third place and stalking the summit just one game away.
The surprising Elefantes de Cienfuegos (fifth) will visit some Alazanes de Granma who still dream of crossing the red line of qualification. Further west, the Huracanes de Mayabeque – sixth – host the Indios de Guantánamo, a duel favourable for entrenching themselves in privileged territory.
Cazadores de Artemisa, eighth and last of those who today breathe postseason air, will clash in Camagüey with some Toros practically without options; in Pinar del Río, the Vegueros will continue clinging to hope against the Tigres de Ciego de Ávila, while Villa Clara will seek light at home against the Piratas de La Isla.
With only three subseries officially remaining – plus many games pending due to rain – the standings are an incandescent forge. The summit has been a banner in perpetual rotation: Las Tunas, Matanzas and Holguín have contested it like warriors who never allow the flag to touch the ground. Holguín, which reigned for days, now suffers a fall to fourth place after an outbreak of illnesses that left its offensive heart diminished.
The statistics of the contest feed the epic. The collective batting average marks a generous .287, with Camagüey (.326) as the unexpected king of contact, followed by Holguín (.316) and Las Tunas (.315). Santiago, on the other hand, lives in tropical storm mode and has 88 home runs in a calendar of 75 games, an unprecedented figure.
The pitching, often battered, averages 5.02 earned runs per nine innings, but Mayabeque (3.74) and Industriales (3.93) resist like fortresses in the midst of the gale. The Blues also strike out 7.45 opponents per nine innings and hold their opponents to a poor .253 average.
The Tuneros’ pitchers own the best control (3.36 walks per game), while Matanzas governs defence with a firm hand: a .980 fielding average and only 44 errors in 60 games.
Individually, Yordanys Alarcón (.417) leads the Leñadores with a bat that seems like a compass; Yasiel González (16 home runs) and Lázaro Cedeño (64 RBIs) keep Holguín in the conversation; and from the mound stand out César García (1.52 ERA), Silvio Iturralde (nine victories), Yosney García (nine saves) and the strikeout king, Leodán Reyes (70).
The Series ignites once more today and every game, every swing, every pitch, could write the destiny of a season that already beats like an anticipated final. (Written by: Boris Luis Cabrera)
