Is it just the beginning?
The Tigers have their best start in the last 16 years
After the 4-3 victory last Thursday against the Cocodrilos de Matanzas, the Tigres de Ciego de Ávila equaled the team's all-time record with a 9-1 mark during the first 10 games in this 63rd National Series.
With six consecutive successes, this time under the command of debutant manager Danny Miranda, the Tigres have started at this pace for the third time in the National Series. The first series was guided by manager Onecio de León in the 46th National Series. And, two seasons later, the feat was repeated again in the 48th National Series. Led by Roger Machado on that occasion, the Tigres lost 8-2 against Metropolitanos on Opening Day, but then won 11 games in a row. All the games were as a home club, playing at the José Ramón Cepero stadium.
The streak ended when reliever Ismael González lost the first game of the series against Santiago de Cuba, 4-3, on a visit by the Tigres to the Guillermón Moncada stadium. Of course, it happened to me too: I wondered what it really means to start 9-1 in a 75-game season. Could that influence anything? Or does it just feel like an encouraging start for the team to start gaining momentum? Well, we can answer that, and I think this might be the best way: I looked up how many times a team has started with at least nine wins in its first 10 games in the National Series.
The additional point here is that I preferred to segment this search into the National Series where at least 16 teams participated. I think it sounds better, right? When there are fewer teams, we run the risk of confrontations being repeated more frequently. These were the results: there have been eight teams that, on 13 occasions, have started with a 9-1 record:*
Ciego de Ávila — 46 CNS 2006-2007, manager: Onecio de León
Ciego de Ávila — 48 CNS 2008-2009, manager: Roger Machado
Henequeneros — 27 CNS 1987-1988, manager: Orlando Quirantes
Henequeneros — 29 CNS 1989-1990, manager: Gerardo “Sile” Junco
Industriales — 32 CNS 1992-1993, manager: Jorge Trigoura
Matanzas — 56 CNS 2016-2017, manager: Víctor Mesa
Pinar del Río — 40 CNS 2000-2001, manager: Jorge Fuentes
Pinar del Río — 57 CNS 2017-2018, manager: Pedro Luis Lazo
Santiago de Cuba - 29 CNS 1989-1990, manager: Higinio Vélez
Santiago de Cuba — 39 CNS 1999-2000, manager: Higinio Vélez
Santiago de Cuba — 47 CNS 2007-2008, manager: Antonio Pacheco
Villa Clara — 45 CNS 2005-2006, manager: Víctor Mesa
Vegueros — 29 CNS 1989-1990, manager: Jorge Fuentes
*By the way, and we can't let this go: there are two teams in history that won their first 10 games! Yes, the incredible Vegueros, led by Jorge Fuentes in 1996, and the Villa Clara team, under the command of Eduardo Martín in 2008. Curiously, both teams scored 58 runs, but the Vegueros allowed 17, which gave them the advantage to Villa Clara in run differential with +41.
With this year's streak, the Ciego de Ávila teams equaled those of Santiago de Cuba with a 9-1 record in three starts of the season, leaving behind Henequeneros (1987 and 1989) and Pinar del Río (2000 and 2017) , who had achieved the feat twice. And when it comes to destiny, there's definitely good news for teams that are off to a 9-1 start: Of the 13, nine made the postseason, and eight placed in the top three. Henequeneros in 1990, and Santiago de Cuba in 2000 and 2008, have been the only teams that managed to win the title at the end of the road.
In the case of the Ciego de Ávila teams, let's analyze more details:
46 CNS: 53 runs scored, 24 runs allowed, +29 differential
48 CNS: 75 runs scored, 25 runs allowed, +50 differential
63 CNS: 75 runs scored, 33 runs allowed, +42 differential
As you can see, the special thing about that streak of victories in December 2008 was that the Tigers set a record of +50 in run differential, surpassing the streak from the 2006-2007 season, where they recorded +29. The team of this 63rd National Series has accumulated a solid +42, tying the reigning mark of 75 runs scored. Obviously, the difference between that 2008 team and this year's is considerable at all levels. In the 48th National Series, the Tigers ended up winning 64 of 90 games, with an offense that posted impressive numbers:
-They combined six hitters with at least 100 hits: Yorelvis Charles (115), Adonis García (107)—older brother of Texas Rangers star Adolis García—, Mario Jorge Vega (101), Isaac Martínez (102), Yoelvis Fis (117) and Yordanis Pérez (126).
-Five batters hit 10 or more home runs: Yorelvis Charles (14), Adonis García (16), Yoelvis Fis (16), Isaac Martínez (10) and Yordanis Pérez (12).
-Four pitchers won eight games or more: left-handers Maikel Folch (11-4) and Alfredo Unzue (8-3), and right-handers Valery García (11-1) and Alien Mora (9-3).
-They had the most dominant reliever in the league: Vladimir García, who saved 25 of the 35 games relieved of him, posting a 1.63 ERA with 71 strikeouts in 72 innings.
-They made less than one error per game: The Tigers led the league, fielding at a .977 average, with 83 errors in 90 games. That year, Ciego de Ávila's defense began a dynasty where they led the defense nationally in five of the next seven campaigns: 2008-2009, 2010-2011, 2011-2012, 2013-2014, and 2014-2015.
After that dream regular season, that Ciego de Ávila team was eliminated by Villa Clara in the Semifinals, and finished in third place in the 48th National Series. In this campaign, 16 years later, the reality is that this start for the Tigers has been somewhat surprising. The reasons are obvious: last year, Ciego de Ávila's starters ended up allowing the third worst ERA in the league (5.76), and the bullpen the second most critical (5.64).
Within the chaos of pitching, the offense became the team's main driving force. The Tigers were fifth in OPS (.778), runs scored (406), home run rate (1.7%) and extra base hits (6.4%) with runners on base during the regular season. The defensive work was also accomplished and, although the team fielded for an average of .973, it was the second with the fewest incidences of dirty runs in the entire league with just 11.6%.
For this year, pitching is once again a challenge, even though the Tigers have started with a 3.18 ERA, 2.58 fewer earned runs allowed per game than last season. Much of the work is due to the dominance of veteran right-hander Dachel Duquesne, back in the rotation, who has won in all three of his appearances (two starts and one relief). Duquesne, 36, has a 2.25 ERA, with 15 strikeouts in 20 innings. How many batters has he walked? To one. Yes, only one: it was against Edilse Silva, Holguín's fourth hitter, last Thursday, March 14, during the fifth inning. Duquesne loaded the bases after walking Silva with two outs, but then struck out rookie Juan Christian Onofre.
For the Tigers, Duquesne's impact as a top-of-the-rotation pitcher will be key, especially if he extends his usual durability into every start. Along with Duquesne (3-0), right-handers Kevin Soto (1-0) and Luis Alberto Marrero (2-0) have combined for six of the team's nine wins, performances that are preventing bullpen wear. In general, I think that one of the most significant initial numbers of Ciego de Ávila's pitching is the 5.5 K/9 rate, which has resulted in 1.1 K/9 above last year's average. Without a doubt, there are still many innings left where each pitcher will have to assume responsibilities under pressure, but this initial winning streak could become a positive turning point for the Tigers' pitching.
With more contact ability than power, the Tigers are finding their way to the plate. Liosvany Pérez (leads the team with 1,238 OPS, 11 RBIs, 16 hits and 15 runs scored!), Alexander Jiménez, Michel Arteaga and Héctor Labrada have provided dynamism, but this lineup will need the impact of Osvaldo Vázquez, Rubén Valdés, Jonathan Bridón and Raúl González.
The challenge is posed. And obviously, opening 9-1 doesn't guarantee the Tigers can lead the league or get back to the playoffs. But even with 65 games left, being on top definitely feels a lot better.