The Vegueros de Pinar del Río will try to find their winning path today as visitors at the Julio Antonio Mella stadium, against the Leñadores de Las Tunas in the final playoff of the LXIII National Baseball Series.
The yellow-green team suffered two consecutive defeats at the Capitán San Luis stadium and now they will have to build a giant bonfire in the «enchanted forest» to incinerate their opponents and regain the faith of their fans.
The favourites’ poster with which the Pinar del Río team started this duel for the national crown faded in these two games due to the low offensive production and a pitching that could not stop the thrust of the reigning national champions.
After a dream regular season, where they reached 50 hits in 74 games, defeated all their rivals in the individual contests, did not lose on Sundays and set a record for this structure by hitting 87 home runs, they have collapsed.
In the first two meetings, they have averaged just 185 average offensively and their pitchers have allowed 23 hits and 15 runs in 19 innings of work.
Of course, being a team with a record of 10 national titles and a vast history in our domestic tournaments, they will never take the white flag and a reaction could come at any moment.
For today’s game, scheduled for 6.30 p.m., helmsman Alexander Urquiola announced veteran Bladimir Baños, who has a pair of losses this postseason, to take the mound.
The 41-year-old right-hander, with 147 career wins in his 22-season career, didn’t get the offensive support he needed in his three starts, where he allowed six hits in 15.1 innings, struck out 13 batters and gave up an ERA of just 1.03.
Abeisy Pantoja, the Tuneros’ manager, named fellow right-hander Alejandro Meneses, a pitcher who has done little work this year due to injury but who enjoys his full confidence.
After a forgettable regular season in which he scored 15 clean runs in 16.2 episodes, the 30-year-old Meneses, who has 11 National Series appearances, has been finding his way.
In his last outing against the fearsome Alazanes de Granma, he walked a five-pitch route with just four hits and only one run allowed to earn the win that gave his team a ticket to the final.
