What's left to see?

Ariel Hechevarría did not seem surprised, and ran out of the Industriales dugout.

As he usually does in his hitting routine, he did not take gloves. Quickly, he adjusted his blue and white helmet. He raised the bat, and stretched both hands above his head as he quickened his pace to approach the batter's box. After being sent in as a pinch-hitter by manager Guillermo Carmona, Hechevarría once again displayed his usual aggressiveness at the plate, crunching an 84 mph fastball on the first pitch from Artemisa Hunters right-hander Arian Abreu.

The ball landed in the hallway of the first section of concrete stands in the left field of the majestic Latinoamericano stadium in Havana.

Hechevarría's solo home run tied the score at six runs at the end of the eighth inning, giving the Industriales oxygen after allowing a four-run rally at the start of the seventh.

Still, the Hunters came back on the attack and scored a run in the top of the ninth when rookie left-hander Andy Lee Plumas walked Henry Llorente with the bases loaded. But the story of overcoming the deficit did not end there. Industriales combined a single and three walks in the bottom of the ninth. The scenario once again favored the Blues of the Capital. And, with the bases loaded, Dayron Miranda won the rookie duel against Yaciel Albejales by hitting a walk off single that finally gave Industriales success 8-7.

At 5:35 in the afternoon this Tuesday at the Latinoamericano stadium, the joy could be seen among the Industriales players, who had recorded their 21st victory of this season. However, the bad news arrived again, with another serious inaccuracy by a team in this 63rd Cuban National Series. What had happened? Industriales used an “ineligible” player.

It was the emerging Ariel Hechevarría, who had been released from the team on April 17. Although the Capital Blues won 8-7, they were credited with the lost game due to “confiscation,” according to the league's official regulations.*

*“The team that, violating the instructions set forth in this section (article 1.6), allows the unauthorized athlete to play, will have all the matches in which the athlete participated.”

On the left, the manager of Industriales, Guillermo Carmona. And, to the right, the manager of the Cazadores, Yulieski González, discussing the rules of the field with the main umpire, Omar Peralta. Photo: Inside BaseballdeCuba.

The game decision also explained part of the movements of Artemisa manager Yulieski González, who did not use his main relievers after his team took the lead in the ninth inning. It was reasonable. Any “apparent” defeat on the scoreboard would have resulted in a victory by forfeiture.

So, it seemed like Yulieski González was making the right moves, although I think he took a risk by not using a pinch runner when Dayán García led off the top of the ninth with a single. After reaching third on José Antonio Jiménez's double — in other physical conditions he would have scored — Dayán García felt physical discomfort and was replaced by a pinch-runner. Let's hope the consequences don't affect the Hunters' main hitter, who came off the injured list and returned to the lineup in Tuesday's game.

Today's baseball: Unpleasant news is magnified

With one more loss, the Industriales now have a record of 20-18. They have lost six of their last 10 games, and were pushed to eighth place in the standings. On the other hand, Artemisa (20-18) rose to seventh place, after obtaining its third consecutive victory. The fact that they did not use their main relievers during Tuesday afternoon provides a better scenario for the rotation in next Thursday's game.

For Industriales, this situation of losing due to For Feit (confiscation of the game) has history. In 2006, they lost two games under manager Rey Vicente Anglada: on January 25 against Santiago de Cuba at the Latinoamericano stadium, due to the bad behavior of a group of fans that prevented the continuation of the game. That night, the Santiago de Cuba Wasps scored a six-run rally to take an 8-6 lead at the start of the seventh. Three months and 13 days later, Industriales lost by confiscation against Pinar del Río, who won 12-7 at the Capitán San Luis stadium.

The other two For Feit in which the Industriales team had been involved ended up giving them victories:

46 National Series: On March 3, 2007 against Cienfuegos at the Municipal stadium, Abreus, when they were going to defend the 4-3 lead at the end of the eleventh inning. The public attacked the Industriales players, throwing objects onto the field of play, and it was impossible for the umpires to control the situation.*

*I remember listening to the end of that game on the Radio COCO station while I was traveling back home, after covering a series of the 2007 National Youth Championship. Rayko Olivares, in his rookie season, was the key hitter for Industriales that afternoon: hit 2-for-4 with two extra bases (double and triple). Cienfuegos left-hander Norberto González, who was supposed to be the next day's starter, was called upon to pitch in the top of the sixth and pitched six innings of relief. The Industriales had gone 1-for-18 against him, until Rayko Olivares hit an RBI triple that gave Industriales a 4-3 lead at the start of the eleventh inning.

The fourth victory of the Blues by For Feit was in another game that remained to be remembered, on December 10, 2014 at the Latinoamericano stadium. In his second season playing for Industriales, Yulieski Gurriel hit a solo home run that tied the score 3-3 against Pinar del Río in the bottom of the eighth inning. The manager of the Vegueros, Alfonso Urquiola, challenged the decision of the third-string umpire, Fenicio Fernández. But, after reviewing the video, the umpires found that the home run was valid. Urquiola could not contain himself. After protesting, he ordered his players to enter the dugout. They did not continue playing. Five minutes later, the chief umpire, Lorien Lobaina, declared For Feit for Pinar del Río.

After this Tuesday's defeat, Industriales becomes only the third team to be involved in at least five For Feit decisions during the last 32 years in the Cuban National Series. The other teams have been Granma (4-2) on six occasions, and Guantánamo (1-4) on five.

This was not exactly a legitimate story from our almost usual “The never seen” column, but it joins the unfortunate events that have marked this 63rd National Series of Cuban baseball.

Yes, the question remains: What's left to see?