Postseason: The Classic of these times
We expected a marathon day of four playoff games, but Game 2 between Pinar del Río and Sancti Spíritus was suspended due to rain. Either way, there were three more challenges.
Let's go to baseball!
Matanzas 7, Granma 1
Yes, this series promises to bring a great rivalry: Los Alazanes de Granma have won the national title in their last four playoff series. In each of them they eliminated the Matanzas Crocodiles:
2017: Semifinal (7 Games) 4—3: GRA-MTZ
2018: Semifinal (5 Games) 4—1: GRA-MTZ
2021: Final (6 Games) 4—2: GRA-MTZ
2022: Final (7 Games) 4—3: GRA-MTZ
The only time Matanzas opened by winning Game 1 was in 2018, when left-hander Yoanis Yera led a 7-1 victory.
It's not a mistake: The Crocodiles won this Friday 7-1 with Yera on the mound pitching a quality six-inning outing where he allowed just five hits, struck out six opponents and walked only two. So, a similar story to that of 2018 was repeated, although this time at the Mártires de Barbados stadium.
Now the big question here is whether for the first time in history the Crocodiles will be able to take a 2-0 lead against the Alazanes in a playoff series. From Game 3 onwards, Granma is 11-6 in the playoffs against Matanzas, so we'll see if that story can change.
For the moment, the Crocodiles looked dominant against Granma's sluggish offense. The Alazanes hit only seven singles, four combined by Osvaldo Abreu (2-for-3) and Raico Santos (2-for-4). Alfredo Despaigne went 1 for 3 (the single went through the infield) with two strikeouts, and Guillermo Avilés went 0 for 4, delivering a ground ball into a double play.
The Alazanes' power has vanished for the moment, and I wonder if they will be playing this postseason with the same Teammate ball from the regular season. No, it's probably just a game lost, and a small sample of balls put into play. Maybe it's just getting back into the swing of things, but the truth is that the Alazanes offense has been making headlines this entire season.
With the return of manager Ángel Ortega, Granma became the eighth team in history with a batting average of .330. However, they still have another challenge to overcome: the Villa Clara team that averaged .337 in the regular season (1994-1995) of the 34 National Series has been the only one that later managed to be crowned national champion.
Getting back to the topic of ball bounce, here's what the numbers say so far:
Home run frequency per plate appearance in the regular season: 57.1
Home run frequency per plate appearance in these playoffs: 67.5
The difference seems significant, although this is just the beginning. Let's wait until we have a larger sample and analyze which impact makes more sense: if the influence of the first starters in the rotations in these playoffs, or if it is actually an effect provided by a lower bounce of the ball.
When Yera finished his six-inning start he had a 3-1 lead, but the Alazanes could offer no resistance and Matanzas decided the game with a three-run rally in the top of the sixth.
For the Alazanes, right-hander César García supported five runs in six innings. Garcia isn't really known for impressing opponents with a towering fastball, but striking out just one batter (Yoisnel Camejo) was fatal while 10 of his 27 opponents reached base.
Ariel Sánchez led the Crocodiles' offense with three RBIs, and veteran right-hander Noelvis Entenza covered the last three innings without allowing runs. Without having to use more than one reliever from his bullpen, Matanzas cruised to a comfortable victory in Game 1. Will this dominance be repeated in Game 2? Will there not be another pitcher who can dominate the Alazanes like Yoennis Yera did? Those are two good questions to see what happens this Saturday at the Mártires de Barbados stadium.
Las Tunas 2, Ciego de Ávila 1
My suspicions about the poor bounce of the ball in this postseason continued after watching the afternoon game between Matanzas and Granma. I think, first, we should highlight the performances of the Tigers' veteran right-hander, Dachel Duquesne, and the Leñadores' young left-hander, Eliander Bravo.
Duquesne and Bravo extended a pitching duel for six scoreless innings until Rodolfo Díaz relieved Bravo to start the seventh. In those first six innings, Duquesne struck out only two opponents (Denis Peña leading off the second inning, and Jeans Lucas Baldoquín leading off the fifth). Bravo recorded only one, to Liosvany Pérez, as the Tigers put runners on third and second with two outs.
As is easy to see, there were outs with balls in play, popouts, line drives that faded, and inconsequential fly balls. The first run of the game was produced by a single by Osmani Linares at the beginning of the seventh inning. One inning later, Yosvany Alarcón brought the Leñadores fans to their feet with a solo home run that tied the score 1-1.
After Duquesne left, Kevin Soto could not maintain the minimum lead by allowing Alarcón's home run. Soto, who has been one of the team's main starters, was replaced by another member of the rotation, Luis Alberto Marrero. Three starters used in less than nine innings? Yes, Tigers manager Dany Miranda was looking for a Game 1 win either way. The reason for such urgency? Las Tunas had won eight of its last nine playoff games against Ciego de Ávila. The Leñadores also had an active five-game winning streak.
Marrero struck out Yudier Rondón (there were two runners in scoring position) to close the ninth and maintain the 1-1 tie, but the Tigers were unable to score a run at the start of the tenth. Gustavo Brito and Osvaldo Vázquez struck out with bases loaded, and the Leñadores decided the game in the bottom of the tenth inning with a walk-off single by Yosvany Alarcón.
Santiago de Cuba 8, Industriales 6
I think that, for those of us who enjoyed the best times of the Classic between Industriales vs Santiago de Cuba in the National Series, the comparisons with these times are indescribable. We know that the players of both teams give their all and the rivalry remains on the field, but the level of the league today is experiencing its worst moments.
This Friday was one of the most critical days: nine errors were made between the two teams, SEVEN by Industriales, equaling the record for a playoff game, which was by the Alazanes de Granma. But that was not the worst news for the Lions, who wasted Rafael Orlando Perdomo's commendable six-inning performance. After the 8-6 defeat, the Blues of the Capital fell early behind 0-2 against the Avispas.
With just seven singles, Santiago de Cuba scored eight runs against the Industriales pitchers. Perdomo left the game with a 5-4 lead after pitching six innings where he allowed four runs and struck out six opponents. His last pitch of the game (number 101) cost him two decisive runs. On a 1-2 count, Perdomo threw a curveball to the center of the strike zone, and Alexander Llanes hit a two-run single with bases loaded.
In a game where Industriales' errors cost them four of the eight runs Santiago de Cuba scored, a run lead didn't seem like enough without their main relievers available in the bullpen. Errors by right fielder Roque Tomás (he missed a fly ball) and reliever José Ernesto Pérez (he couldn't catch a soft ground ball in front of the mound) turned into runs for Santiago de Cuba during the bottom of the seventh inning. And, one inning later, two more errors by shortstop Ángel Alfredo Hechevarría were key in a final two-run rally by the Avispas.
Once again, Industriales' offense petered out late in the game. Veteran Alberto Bisset was in charge of getting the last four outs with a key relief, striking out Roberto Álvarez to close the eighth.
After the three-run rally at the beginning of the fifth, Industriales managed only one run in the rest of the game (Alberto Calderón on a wild pitch with two outs at the beginning of the eighth). When you check the Box Score, it seems like a lot of numbers are off: Industriales recorded more errors (7) than runs (6), had 13 hits (10 against starter Yosiel Serrano) and left 14 runners on base.
In two games, the 6-7-8 hitters in the lineup, Ariel Hechevarría, Alfredo Rodríguez and Roberto Álvarez have gone 0-for-15 with runners in scoring position. It may surprise you, but the main percentage of probability of lost runs has been in the opportunities of that group of batters. Álvarez has gone 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position. And, although it may surprise you, he has recorded more plate appearances with runners in scoring position than those combined by Yasiel Santoya (2-0), Yasmany Tomás (2-0) and Oscar Valdés (2-0), who have occupied the 3-4-5 shifts in the lineup.
After two decent starts from Andy Vargas and Rafael Orlando Perdomo, who pitched six innings, the bullpen has allowed seven runs in 4 ⅓ innings. Without enough clutch hitting to support the pitching staff, coupled with defensive chaos, Industriales will return home.
Santiago de Cuba is already guaranteed half the way to the Semifinal, but will still have to demonstrate its dominance in the Classic of these times.
