It was only a matter of time
As expected, we already have the first finalist of this II Elite Cuban Baseball League!: It will be the Artemisa Hunters, who finally beat the Industriales 4-0 on Friday night in Game 5. Yes, the Lions could not roar beyond avoiding the sweep in the Semifinal. The Artemisa Hunters were superior, and now they wait for their next rival to compete for the national title. The Matanzas Crocodiles and the Las Tunas Lumberjacks will meet tonight in Game 6. We'll see what happens. Let's get to our regular playoff column!
Artemisa 4, Industriales 0
Everything seemed like a matter of time. So it was. The Industriales offensive never reacted. The starting pitchers did not meet expectations, and the bullpen could not contain the Artemisa Hunters in several of the key moments of this postseason. Game 5 was no different story. The Hunters' pitching completely nullified the Lions' lineup: they extended a combined no-hitter until the start of the ninth inning. Right-handed starter Yunieski García put out his first eight opponents, but he exited the game after spraining his ankle in the bottom of the third inning.
In an admirable display of love for his team, García walked to the Hunters' dugout with tears in his eyes. After García's practically immaculate dominance, his departure due to his injury generated an unexpected situation for the Hunters, who did not have any pitcher preparing in the bullpen. However, talented 20-year-old right-hander José Ignacio Bermúdez quickly went into the bullpen to warm up his arm. In 2022, Bermúdez was the leader of pitchers with a 1.02 ERA in the I Liga Elite, but then his performance dropped to 3-5 and a 5.20 ERA in 11 starts during the last 62 Cuban National Baseball Series.