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Members of the Osaka Toin High School baseball team celebrate their victory in the 90th National High School Baseball Invitational Tournament at Hanshin Koshien Stadium in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, on March 31, 2022 (Mainichi)

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Osaka Toin Senior High School baseball club players celebrate after beating Shiga Prefecture's Ohmi Senior High School 18-1 in the final of the 94th spring invitational high school championship on March 31, 2022, at Koshien Stadium in Nishinomiya, western Japan. (Kyodo)

Baseball: Osaka Toin High School wins 4th spring championship

March 31, 2022 (Mainichi Japan)

NISHINOMIYA, Japan (Kyodo) --

Osaka Toin High School, a powerhouse known for producing numerous pro baseball stars, on Thursday captured Japan's spring invitational championship for the fourth time.

Osaka Toin beat Shiga Prefecture's Omi High School 18-1 in the final of the 94th edition of the spring invitational at Koshien Stadium, winning the nationally televised tournament for the first time in four years.

The school has won five summer national championships, also played at the historic ballpark outside Osaka in neighboring Hyogo Prefecture. Its nine combined titles are the second-most in Japan.

Omi, attempting to become the first school from Shiga to win either a spring or summer title, was a late addition to the tournament, taking the place of another school that was excluded due to coronavirus infections.

Up to 20,000 fans per game were allowed into the ballpark this year, while schools' brass bands were allowed to perform for the first time in three years. In 2020, both the invitational and the summer national champions were canceled over coronavirus concerns. [ crowds of up to 50,000 people watching the games in the stadium and millions more watching on national broadcaster NHK ]

Six-time Pacific League home run champion Takeya Nakamura, his Seibu Lions teammate and 2019 PL MVP Tomoya Mori, and six-time Best Nine Award winner Hideto Asamura of the Rakuten Eagles are among Osaka Toin's graduates.

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Yorelquis Hernández one of the last baseball prospects to leave Cuba. FRANCYS ROMERO/TWITTER

Two other baseball prospects leave Cuba and there are already four in March alone

With Danell Figueroa and Yorelquis Hernández, the number of Cuban prospects who have left the country in the first three months of 2022 would rise to ten.

CDD

Santo Domingo 31 Mar 2022 - 14:06 CEST

The Cuban baseball, declared a Cultural Heritage of the Nation in October 2021 , continues to lose prospects. Danell Figueroa and Yorelquis Hernández would be the new baseball prospects to leave the Island for the Dominican Republic to obtain contracts in the Major Leagues , according to what journalist Francys Romero publishes on his blog.

With almost no time difference between one publication and another, Romero reports the departures of these two prospects, 17 and 18 years old respectively, which have been confirmed by various sources.

Figueroa, the younger of the two players, was considered the most developed catcher in his category in the country, explains Romero .

The 6.3-foot, 197-pound man from Matanzas debuted in the current edition of the National Baseball Series with the Matanzas Crocodiles and showed strength by hitting a home run. He also had a chance to show his defensive skills in the nine games he played.

In the last Under-15 National Championship, his offensive line was .296/.474/.380, with six doubles and 13 RBIs, in 97 at-bats.

He also exhibited one of the disciplines in the batter's box, drawing 23 walks and striking out only twice.

In 2019, he was part of the Cuba team that attended the Pan American U-15 in Mexico. Romero points out that several players from that group have chosen to emigrate.

Figueroa was also part of the Cuban pre-selection for the U-18 World Cup , which will take place from September 9 to 18 in South Florida in which Cuba declined to participate . Their departure shows that the decision to sit out of international competition will not stem the exodus of young baseball talent.

On the other hand, Yorelquis Hernández, whom Romero ranked 15th out of the 25 best prospects under 18 in Cuban baseball in 2020 , is already in the Dominican Republic.

He is a right-handed pitcher who debuted with the Avispas from Santiago in the 60th National Series. This season he saw very little action. He showed his skills, both on the mound and in the batter's box.

He participated in the 2017 U-15 Pan American Championship in Cartagena, Colombia with the national team and pitched 11.1 innings, in which he struck out six batters and showed an ERA of 2.38. In the game he won against Panama he did not allow a run for six innings.

In the 2020 youth campaign, Hernández started seven games and won four . His ERA was 2.21 and he had 32 strikeouts in 40 innings. Romero predicts that, with time and the physical development that he should achieve in the next few years, he could throw steadily over 90 miles.

On offense, the man from Santiago led his team with a .352 average in 123 at-bats. He produced 38 hits, including nine doubles.

With Figueroa and Hernández, there are four Cuban baseball prospects who have decided to emigrate in March . Previously, José Abilio Ferrer , 22, from Santiago, and Maykol Valdivia Brown , former captain of the U-15 national team, had done so. During this month Miguel Camacho from Mayabeque arrived in the United States , who left Cuba at the beginning of February.

So far this year, ten young prospects of the Cuban national sport have left the country , not counting players who do not classify in the category of prospects and have also decided to leave Cuba and try their luck in other professional leagues.

The Cuban authorities are aware that the best baseball players in the Greater Antilles are out or looking for a way to leave, and they will have to turn to them if they aspire to regain seats in the ranking of the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) . .

One of the evidences of the debacle of Cuban baseball in recent years was Cuba's exit from the top 10 of the WBSC in June of last year.

These outings are added to those of athletes from other disciplines such as boxing, sailing and athletics, which confirm an unquestionable truth: the link to state sports has less and less to offer the young talents of the Island.

The fact that these baseball players leave Cuba without leaving delegations during events abroad would allow the regime to call them up for the national teams in the future, while continuing to discriminate and deny entry to the country to those who have fled in international tournaments.

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Roosters and Lions roar in Cuban baseball

The Sancti Spiritus retains the top spot of the 61 National Baseball Series.

Taken from Latin Press

Wednesday, March 30, 2022 10:54 PM

Havana.-

Sancti Spíritus sang again against Villa Clara 10-7 while the Industriales shook Santiago 12-5.

Leading the standings, Sancti Spiritus won their sixth game in a row thanks to an offensive production of 14 hits and long relief of the right-hander Yanieski Duardo (4-1, 3.0, 4H, 2C, 3K, 2BB), winner of a decisive game in the last inning. Both teams were tied at seven runs in the ninth inning when manager Eriel Sánchez's team fired three rockets including a double, received a couple of walks and scored three of the runs necessary to defeat the hosts in front of their fans in the Augusto Cesar Sandino Stadium.

In Latinoamericano, in Havana, outfielder Yhosvani Peñalver hit his first two home runs of the season. The Industriales their 23rd win of the season, Their fourth in a row. Peñalver went 3-for-5 with a couple of RBIs and three runs scored, although the performances of catcher Oscar Valdés (4-3, 2RBI, 3R, 1HR) and third baseman Andrés Hernández (5 -1, 1RBI, 1R, 1HR) provided additional support. Thus, the Industrialist extended their winning streak against Santiago.

Granma, Holguín, Guantánamo, Camagüey, Las Tunas and Ciego de Ávila beat Pinar del Río 10-4, Artemisa 14-x8, Isla de la Juventud 2-x1, Mayabeque 7-6), Matanzas 8-3) and Cienfuegos 8-x4, respectively.

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The 50-year-old Tsuyoshi "Big Boss" Shinjo arrived on a hovercraft inside the Sapporo Dome for the team's home opener

Baseball: Showman Shinjo earns 1st win as Fighters skipper

March 31, 2022 (Mainichi Japan)

SAPPORO (Kyodo) --

Tsuyoshi Shinjo, whose managing tenure has been highlighted by attention-grabbing stunts, earned his first win Thursday in the Nippon Ham Fighters' 6-2 Pacific League victory over the Seibu Lions.

Shinjo, whose registered name with Nippon Professional Baseball this season is "BIGBOSS" and who made news outside Japan by entering Tuesday's Sapporo Dome home opener on a hover bike, started the season 0-5.

Fighters right-hander Kazuaki Tateno (1-0) allowed two runs over five innings to earn the win after Daiki Asama's home run gave the hosts a two-run second-inning lead.

"I'd been having one lame at-bat after another but I got some good advice from (Kensuke) Kondo and wanted to make use of that," Asama said.

Kondo and Go Matsumoto each drove in two runs for the Fighters, while both Lions runs scored on Brian O'Grady's fifth-inning double.

Elsewhere, the SoftBank Hawks improved to 6-0 for the season with a 3-1 win over the Lotte Marines, while the Rakuten Eagles beat the PL champion Orix Buffaloes 1-0.

In the Central League, the Hiroshima Carp came from behind in a 3-2 victory over the Hanshin Tigers, now Japan's only winless team. The Yomiuri Giants beat the CL champion Yakult Swallows 6-3, while the DeNA BayStars beat the Chunichi Dragons 1-0.

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Tomoyuki Sugano of the Yomiuri Giants throws a pitch against the Hanshin Tigers in a Central League baseball game at Tokyo Dome on April 1, 2022. (Kyodo)

Baseball: Giants beat struggling Tigers in throwback clash

April 1, 2022 (Mainichi Japan)

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Wearing uniforms from their early glory years did not help the Hanshin Tigers snap their season-opening losing streak as the Yomiuri Giants held off their Central League rivals 6-5 on Friday.

With both teams sporting throwback uniforms from 1936, when the Giants and Tigers were the biggest wheels in the first season of Japan's first professional league, Yomiuri ace Tomoyuki Sugano allowed three runs over seven innings to earn the win.

"The team's playing well, and I tried hard not to let everyone down," Sugano said. "(The uniforms) created a different kind of atmosphere, and I was so happy to be able to pitch in this kind of special game. And of course, I'm glad I won."

Sugano allowed seven hits while striking out nine without issuing a walk but was not overly impressed with his work.

"My luck today was probably a little better than the quality of my pitching, so I'll try to do better next time," he said.

Captain Hayato Sakamoto, new import Gregory Polanco and catcher Takumi Oshiro each hit solo homers. Yoshihiro Maru added a two-run single in the third, and a Sakamoto sac fly made it 6-0 in the fourth.

The Tigers fought back, but Yusuke Oyama's two-run ninth-inning homer could not prevent Giants rookie Taisei Ota from earning his fifth save.

Elsewhere, the Chunichi Dragons snapped the Hiroshima Carp's season-opening winning streak with a 3-2 win behind eight innings from ace lefty Yudai Ono (1-1), while the CL champion Yakult Swallows fell 6-1 to the DeNA BayStars.

In the Pacific League, Yuki Yanagita homered, ace Kodai Senga (1-0) went eight innings, and Yuito Mori notched his fifth save as the SoftBank Hawks improved to 7-0 this season with a 1-0 win over the Rakuten Eagles.

The PL champion Orix Buffaloes beat the Nippon Ham Fighters 2-0, while the Lotte Marines held off the Seibu Lions 2-1 in 10 innings.

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Baseball: Giants send Tigers to 8th straight defeat

April 2, 2022 (Mainichi Japan)

TOKYO (Kyodo) --

Rookie closer Taisei Ota's great escape earned him his sixth save as the Yomiuri Giants scraped out a 5-4 Central League win on Saturday that consigned the Hanshin Tigers to their eighth straight loss.

Ota, who surrendered two ninth-inning runs the night before at Tokyo Dome, walked the first two batters he faced on Saturday. A sacrifice and a single by 40-year-old Yoshio Itoi made it one-run game.

With runners on second and third giving the Tigers a chance to end the worst start in franchise history, slugger Teruaki Sato's little liner to short was caught and turned into a game-ending double play.

Rookie Giants right-hander Natsuki Toda (1-0) earned his first career win with 1-1/3 innings of scoreless relief.

The Tigers scored in the first on a two-run Yusuke Oyama bases-loaded single, but Giants rookie Iori Yamasaki escaped further damage and got a 4-2 lead on home runs by Hayato Sakamoto, Yoshihiro Maru and Gregory Polanco.

Tigers leadoff man Koji Chikamoto singled in a run in the fourth only for Hanshin to restore the Giants' lead in the fifth.

With two outs and runners on second and third, the Tigers walked cleanup hitter Kazuma Okamoto, which backfired when Sho Nakata drew a bases-loaded walk.

In the Pacific League, the league champion Orix Buffaloes clobbered the Nippon Ham Fighters 7-0, while the Lotte Marines crushed the Seibu Lions 8-1.

The PL-leading SoftBank Hawks were unable to pursue their eighth straight victory to open the season after the Rakuten Eagles canceled baseball operations for the remainder of the weekend due to coronavirus infections within the club.

Seven players and a coach tested positive on Friday, causing the Eagles to scrap Saturday's and Sunday's games in Sendai. The two cancellations were the first in Japan's majors this season after nine last season and one in 2020.

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Pitcher Aroldis Chapman also joins the Cuba exile team

The pitcher asks for the support of Cuban residents inside and outside the Island for the independent team that could participate in the World Baseball Classic.

CDD

New York 02 Apr 2022 - 17:21 CEST

Cuban pitcher Aroldis Chapman showed his support for the project promoted by the Association of Professional Cuban Baseball Players ( ACPBP) with the aim of participating in the World Baseball Classic that will take place next year with a team of Cuban athletes residing outside the Island . as stated in a video posted by Swing Complete on their social networks.

"The Association of Professional Cuban Baseball Players is a great project for us, the Cubans who want to represent Cuba in the World Baseball Classic , we want to lead a great team and be able to represent our people and our flag ," said the Cuban athlete.

"To the Cubans who are in Cuba and those who are outside of Cuba, we only ask that you support us so that we can take a great team to the World Classic , which is one of the great dreams of Cubans who are inside and outside of Cuba" added the New York Yankees pitcher.

A day before, in statements to ESPN , the Cuban pitcher said that, in the event that it is not possible to carry out the project of the independent Cuba team, he would be willing to represent the United States in the contest , but not the Dominican Republic, since has a residence of that country.

Last week it was José Abreu who stated that he would agree to join the independent Cuban team, joining Major League stars such as Randy Arozarena, Guillermo Heredia, Yulieski Gurriel and Chapman himself.

The Association will seek to send a request to the Major Leagues to analyze the inclusion of a team of independent Cuban players in the next World Baseball Classic.

In recent days , a letter was also sent to both 40-year-old roster players and MLB stars , as well as Minor League prospects and other players from circuits in Asia, Mexico and the Winter Leagues, to extend the invitation to join the project.

The ACPBP is led by Cuban Mario Fernández , as well as former MLB players such as Luis Tiant, Edilberto Oropesa, René Arocha, Euclides Rojas, and Orlando "El Duque" Hernández, among others.

At the beginning of last January, "El Duque" Hernández also suggested the creation of an independent team to participate in the Clásico , given the Cuban government's reluctance to allow baseball players from the island who play in the Major Leagues to represent their country in the tournament.

" If (the Government of) Cuba does not want them to play with Cuba, that they have all the right in the world to play with Cuba , then they should make a team and play as independents. Why not?", he questioned.

According to data recently offered by the Cuban journalist Francys Romero, at this time there are more than 150 Cubans inserted in Major League organizations , so there are enough players from the Island to form an independent team.

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Ninth win for Hermes González from Cienfuegos in 61 SNB

Taken from ACN

Sunday, April 03, 2022 08:13 PM

Havana.-

The ninth win for Hermes González from Cienfuegos and the seventh consecutive win of Industriales made the day of the 61 National Baseball Series.

Everything seems to indicate that the southern right-hander, Hermes González, asked manager Alain Álvarez for the ball. He was not the one scheduled to start. It appears that González was in search of a revenge duel against Sancti Spíritus, the only team who had defeated him ithis season.

And now Hermes settled his revenge with a 13-3 knockout victory in seven innings , although in the six inning he worked he allowed five hits and three earned runs on home runs by Moisés Esquerres and Alberto Rodríguez.

González now has 9 of his team's 14 victories, occupying the last place in the standings.

Meanwhile, the capital's Industrialists knocked out Guantánamo for the second time (11-1) at the Estadio Latinoamericano, supported by the pitching work of Pavel Hernández, who in six innings allowed six hits and struck out three to achieve his fourth win of the season. Pavel had solid support from outfielder Ariel Echevarría, who went 3-4 with a double and six RBIs.

With this seventh consecutive win, the Lions, who left 13 runners on base, climbed to fifth place with a record of 26-21, 3.5 games behind first place.

Ciego de Ávila was left alone in second place after beating Villa Clara 8-2, with the sixth victory for right-hander Dachel Duquesne, who pitched seven innings with six hits and five strikeouts. For the Tigres, second baseman Jorge Luis Contreras stood out at bat, 4-2 with a double and four RBI's.

In the remaining results, Isla de la Juventud swept Santiago de Cuba (7-1).

Artemisa swept Granma (10-8).

Las Tunas swept Mayabeque (15-9).

In addition, Camagüey won 9-5 Matanzas and Pinar del Río 11-0 over Holguín.

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UNLIKELY: USA Today echoed Cuba Independiente

The newspaper with the largest circulation in the United States of America and the second largest in the English-speaking world "USA Today" has also dedicated a few lines to the subject of a possible participation of Cuban Major League players in the World Baseball Classic (WBC for its acronym in English).

The newspaper made reference, among other things, to what was expressed by Orlando "Duke" Hernández at the beginning of March at a press conference at the Versailles restaurant in Miami. When the former pitcher announced the creation of the Association of Professional Baseball Players of Cuba (ACPBP). The "Duke" on that occasion said that the objective of the group is to present a team made up of Cuban players who are active in MLB to participate in the WBC and other international tournaments.

However, as reflected by the renowned newspaper in its publication, the existing rules that govern the international game make it unlikely that the ACPBP will achieve its objective. Well, the World Baseball Classic is a joint venture between MLB and the players' union. This tournament is sanctioned by the World Baseball Softball Confederation, the international governing body that includes national federations from 140 countries and territories, including Cuba. In addition, they add that Article 19.2 of the WBSC Statutes establishes that the Full Members of the WBSC are the only authorities in each country to select their National Team and have the exclusive right to represent the name, flag and colors of the country or territory.

This gives the measure that the Cuban Baseball Federation is the only entity authorized to determine the list of the Cuban team. However, the ACPBP is trying to change the rules because it is the only possibility that Cuban Major League players have to represent their country in said event. Well, it is also true that the case of the island is atypical, being the only member of the WBSC that cannot count on its best players in these competitions.

Since 1962, the Cuban Baseball Federation (FCB) has not called any professional baseball player to represent them in international events. Hence the intention of the ACPBP to be able to field a more competitive Cuban team in said fairs that is not associated with the FCB. There are not a few Cuban professional players who have manifested themselves through different channels (especially social networks) expressing their support for the ACPBP and a possible participation in the WBC.
USA Today also indicated that a platform is being created for Cuban players without a contract to play in other international events. Exhibition games are already being played at the Miami Marlins' LoanDepot Park against teams from Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and others.

For now, it only remains to wait and although this information medium (USA Today) believes that it is very unlikely that the ACPBP will achieve its objective, they do not lose hope of being able to change the current rules. From what has been seen on the different social networks, the majority of Cuban fans and those from other latitudes agree that the players who play in MLB can wear the uniform with the four letters (Cuba).

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Baseball: Tanaka earns win as virus-hit Rakuten returns to action

April 5, 2022 (Mainichi Japan)

SENDAI (Kyodo) --

Masahiro Tanaka pitched the coronavirus-hit Rakuten Eagles to a 7-3 Pacific League win against the Seibu Lions on Tuesday, allowing two runs over seven innings as his team returned to action.

Rakuten had canceled its home games against the SoftBank Hawks over the weekend after reporting infections of eight players and a pitching coach in the past week. In its first game in four days, the team was quick in giving the former New York Yankee the lead.

Haruki Nishikawa led off with a single in the first inning, Seibu lefty Shunsuke Sato (1-1) loaded the bases with a hit batsman and a walk before Daichi Suzuki doubled to right to drive in two opening runs at Rakuten Seimei Park Miyagi.

Tanaka (2-0) survived a no-out, two-on scare in the top of the third, while Sato gave up three more runs in the home half. With two on and one out, Suzuki singled in another run and Jose Marmolejos followed suit before a Seibu wild throw presented Rakuten's fifth run.

Sato was chased after the inning, allowing five runs, all earned, on six hits, two walks and a hit batsman. Tanaka gave up a two-run shot to Shohei Suzuki in the fifth, but no more.

"It's really been a long time," said Tanaka after winning at home for the first time since May 1 last year. "I have the motivation to lead from the front. It's important to keep my head up, talk to players and get us to play in a good atmosphere, especially at a tough time like this."

The right-hander was not at his dominant best but scattered eight hits and a walk in his 99-pitch effort, leaving the mound before Hideto Asamura's double and a pinch-hit Ginji Akaminai sacrifice fly scored two more Eagles runs in the seventh.

Wu Nien-ting had a pinch-hit solo shot in the ninth but the Lions lost their fifth straight game.

SoftBank won the eight opening games after beating the Orix Buffaloes 6-3 using seven relievers, while Enny Romero (1-0) threw six shutout innings as the Lotte Marines won their fourth straight, beating the Nippon Ham Fighters 2-0.

The Hanshin Tigers finally snapped their Central League's worst record of nine straight defeats to start a season, winning 4-0 against the DeNA BayStars with Yuki Nishi (1-0) throwing a seven-hit shutout.

Takaya Ishikawa hit a decisive eighth-inning solo shot, his first as a pro, as the Chunichi Dragons edged the Yakult Swallows 7-6 for their fourth straight win, and the Hiroshima Carp beat the Yomiuri Giants 3-1.

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Baseball: Buffaloes end Hawks' unbeaten start to season

April 6, 2022 (Mainichi Japan)

FUKUOKA (Kyodo) --

Shunta Goto's two-out pinch-hit triple broke a 10th-inning tie as the defending Pacific League champion Orix Buffaloes snapped the SoftBank Hawks' season-opening win streak at eight Wednesday with a 3-1 win.

The Buffaloes took a 1-0 fourth-inning lead in a southpaw pitchers' duel between SoftBank's Tsuyoshi Wada and Orix's Daiki Tajima. New Buffaloes import Breyvic Valera drew a leadoff walk and scored when Hawks center fielder Yusuke Masago dropped the ball at the warning track on a Masataka Yoshida double.

The Buffaloes came within one strike of ending it in the ninth when closer Yoshihisa Hirano hung a fat pitch that pinch-hitter Seiji Uebayashi hit for a game-tying single. But the defending champs bounced back in the 10th against Hawks closer Yuito Mori (0-1).

With two outs and the go-ahead runner on second, Goto tripled in the run and scored an insurance run on a Sho Gibo single.

The Hawks were Nippon Professional Baseball's last unbeaten team this season.

Elsewhere in the PL, Takayuki Kishi (1-0) allowed two runs over seven innings against his former team as the Rakuten Eagles beat the Seibu Lions 7-2, while the Nippon Ham Fighters improved to 2-9 under new manager Tsuyoshi Shinjo with a 3-2 walk-off win against the Lotte Marines.

In the Central League, the defending champion Yakult Swallows beat the Chunichi Dragons 2-1, while rookie closer Taisei Ota saved his seventh game as the Yomiuri Giants came from behind to beat the Hiroshima Carp 2-1.

The DeNA BayStars broke up Masashi Ito's shutout bid with two-strikes and two outs in the ninth inning, tying it 1-1 before scoring five runs in the 12th to beat the Hanshin Tigers 6-1.

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Industrials take off, Santiago collapses

And the Gallos de Sancti Spíritus dominate the standings.


JIT Drafting

Tuesday, April 05, 2022 10:23 PM

Havana.-

Industrialist today added its eighth consecutive victory in the 61 National Baseball Series and is fully involved in the challenge for the top spot in the standings held by Sancti Spíritus occupy.

Industrialist beat Camagüey 12-8 at the Cándido González stadium, despite nine as opposed to their rivals' 14. Andrés Hernández went 2-for-5, both home runs, and drove in a total of five runs. Blues outfielder Ariel Echevarría also homered and drove in four runs. Despite the offense of Camagüey, the Industrialist used three pitchers and the victory went to reliever Elder Nodal, now with a record of 3-0. The Camagüeyans tried to win the game to get closer to the elimination point for the classification zone, but their pitching did not match the offense and they came out crestfallen.

The Avispas de Santiago de Cuba, who have six losses in a row and are in a three way tie for seventh place, are heading in the opposite direction than the Industrialist.

This Tuesday Santiago de Cuba lost 17-13 to Matanzas in a game of 36 hits, 18 per side.

Sancti Spiritus defeated the Artemisa hunters 6-3 and remain at the top of the standings with a 31-18 record, two games ahead of Ciego de Ávila.

Pinar del Río beat Ciego 17-4.

Las Tunas 7-4 over Isla de la Juventud.

Holguín 5-2 over Villa Clara.

Granma 14-6 over Cienfuegos.

Guantánamo 5-4 over Mayabeque.

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Baseball: Rea returns to duty as Hawks resume winning ways

April 7, 2022 (Mainichi Japan)

FUKUOKA (Kyodo) --

Nearly a year after leaving Japan to see after his family in the States, Colin Rea took the mound Thursday, earning the win as the SoftBank Hawks shook off their first loss of the season in a 7-3 Pacific League win over the Orix Buffaloes.

Unbeaten through their first eight games, the Hawks bounced back from Wednesday's 3-1 extra-inning loss at PayPay Dome as Rea (1-0) allowed three runs over 6-2/3 innings to earn the win in his season debut.

Rea left Japan last summer, was released and pitched in one game for the Milwaukee Brewers in America's majors but re-signed this season with the Hawks.

He took a 1-0 lead into the sixth inning but surrendered that on a two-run home run, the first in Japan by new Buffaloes import Breyvic Valera. The Hawks, however, decided the game in the home half.

After a bases-loaded walk tied it 2-2, Hawks veteran Nobuhiro Matsuda blasted a three-run triple to gap to make it 5-2.

"I had a lot of fun tonight," Rea said. "In the middle innings, the defense really picked me up, and Machi (Matsuda) got the big hit."

Rea had a scary moment in the top of the fourth when Orix batting star Masataka Yoshida lined a ball off his right arm. Rea rushed to cover first to take the throw from Matsuda, who alertly pounced on the ball. Rea was then cleared to continue pitching and went on to earn the win.

"I feel fine. I'm just glad Machi made the play, and we got the out," Rea said.

In the Central League, there were only two games after the DeNA BayStars were forced to call off their series finale against the Hanshin Tigers after a rash of coronavirus infections.

Elsewhere, the Hiroshima Carp won 9-2 in a game marred by defensive slip-ups by the Yomiuri Giants, while the Chunichi Dragons belted four home runs in an 11-3 whipping of the defending CL champion Yakult Swallows.

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Sancti Spiritus Roosters bite again in Cuban baseball

They defeated the Hunters of Artemis today and reached 32 victories. Industriales winning streak ends and the losing streak of Santiago de Cuba is broken.

Taken from Latin Press

Wednesday, April 06, 2022 09:38 PM

Havana.-

Los Los Gallos de Sancti Spíritus stung once again today in the 61st National Baseball Series , coming back and beating the Cazadores de Artemisa 8-6 and remains firmly at the top of the standings. The team from Sancti Spiritus, led by former catcher Eriel Sánchez, produced five runs in the eighth inning to take control of the game and reached 32 wins against 18 losses.

The Sancti Spiritus team had 13 hits, including a double by first baseman Yunier Mendoza and a triple by third baseman Rodoleisi Moreno, to support the work of five pitchers. Mendoza led the Roosters' offense by batting 4-4, with a double and an RBI, followed by Moreno 3-4 with a triple, three runs scored and the same number of RBIs. The Hunters had seven hits, including three doubles and a home run by shortstop Dainiel López.

The third reliever from Sancti Spiritus Yoanni Hernández achieved the win by throwing three innings and did not give any runs. Yanieski Duardo closed out the ninth inning perfectly to save his seventh game. Closer José Ángel García was charged with the loss, allowing two earned runs and four hits, and a walk in two-thirds of an inning .

The Tigres de Ciego de Ávila continued to be two games behind the Gallos, by beating the Vegueros de Pinar del Río 17-2. Yairon Martínez was a winner and the loss went to Leodán Manuel Reyes.

The Hurricanes of Mayabeque, third in the standings, three games behind the leaders, defeated the Indios de Guantánamo 15-6.

Industriales, sixth in the standings, broke their winning streak of eight straight victories, losing 2-5 against the Toros de Camagüey.

The Avispas de Santiago de Cuba ended their six game losing streak by beating the Crocodiles of Matanzas 9-4 to retake seventh place.

In the other games of the day, Isla de la Juventud lost 4-7 to Las Tunas, Holguín defeated Villa Clara 8-3 and Cienfuegos lost 7-17 to Granma.

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Difference between the Caribbean Baseball Confederation and Colombia

Taken from Diario Libre (DL)

Wednesday, April 06, 2022 10:42 PM

The entry of Colombia as a full member of the Caribbean Professional Baseball Confederation (CBPC) will have to wait.

The evaluation carried out by the body that leads the Caribbean Baseball Series found points that hinder its entry. This is revealed in a letter sent by commissioner Juan Francisco Puello Herrera to the president of the Colombian Professional Baseball League.

Among the "questions" found by the special committee are the situation of government affiliation and dependency, which is "contrary to the provisions of the CBPC statutes for its full members."

The Confederation also found "lack of financial information" and "conflicts within professional winter baseball in Colombia that must be resolved before considering any incorporation."

On January 3, the assembly of presidents of the leagues of Mexico, Venezuela, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic approved the creation of a special committee to evaluate the incorporations of Colombia and Panama.

The report determined that the cases should be heard separately and that the petitions continue to be reviewed. Full members can vote to elect the board and can host the event on a regular basis.

Colombia entered as a guest country in the Caribbean Series in 2020, as a replacement for Cuba in the Puerto Rico edition. Since then they have participated and in the 2022 version they were crowned champion at the Quisqueya Juan Marichal stadium.

Panama, a founding member that played the first stage (1949-1960), returned to the series in 2019 due to the loss of Venezuela and has remained among the hosts of the contest.

ANNOYING COLOMBIAN LEAGUE

The Colombian League has returned with the same speed the pitching launched from the Caribbean Baseball Confederation, which raised doubts about the viability of incorporating Columbia as a member with full rights.

Pedro Salzedo Salom, president of the Professional Baseball League of Colombia and Dipro beisbol, responded to a letter signed by the CBPC commissioner, Dominican Juan Francisco Puello Herrera, in which several organizational aspects of Colombian baseball are questioned, as published by DL in its Monday edition.

Controversies around the name (LCBP or LPB), affiliation and government dependency, lack of financial information and conflicts within baseball are the points that concern Puello and the members of the Confederation.

It was put on the table after Édinson Rentería (brother of former baseball player Édgar) sent a letter to the organization stating that the LCBP, which he chaired at some point, was the only legally constituted and authorized league.

Salom described as strange and inconsiderate the letter in which Puello questions both the form and substance of the LPB.

« The Colombian Professional Baseball League (LPB) has no economic problems of any kind, nor accounts payable with private or official entities, maintaining total financial stability and enjoying a highly recognized prestige thanks to the hard work that has been carried out through the organization and implementation of a serious tournament that has begun to show its fruits with the results obtained in the tournaments in which they have participated » , says the letter to which DL had access.

The holder of the LPB guarantees that he will provide the necessary documentation to clear up any doubts about the operations. He explained that the circuit enjoys the recognition of the Colombian Baseball Federation and that the origin of the resources it captures come from the private and public sectors.

« You will be the spokesperson before the Assembly of Presidents of the CBPC that as soon as possible we will be sending you all the corporate documentation that accredits our league as the Colombian Professional Baseball League (LPB), as well as the financial documentation that supports our solvency and that guarantees the continuity of our operations » , he says.

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