Wild Horse

I was pleasantly moved by the first day of the Caribbean Baseball Series in Miami, especially by the impressive presence of the Cuban players, even though the Cuban team is not competing in this 66th edition of the Caribbean classic.

The duel between Miguel Romero for Venezuela, and the 46-year-old veteran, Raúl Valdés, for the Dominican Republic, generated tension until the fifth inning. Romero went through the strong lineup of the Tigres del Licey without many setbacks, throwing his best pitch—the one he has needed most on his tireless path to MLB—, you know?: The strike. He threw 41 strikes out of 60 pitches, posting a staggering 68% rate. Something I loved about Romero and Valdés was how they placed their changeups at key moments. My favorite changeup that Valdés threw was when he struck out Luis Torrens to end the first inning.

Torrens had chased a curveball to center on a 0-2 count, before seeing two fastballs. Then, perhaps he thought Valdés would try a surprise pitch with an elusive fastball, but no, the next offer was the changeup. Torrens swayed and looked ridiculous. That's what usually happens when hitters can't figure out Valdés' mix.

Romero's unmissable changeup was a dose that he threw to Emilio Bonifácio on a 1-2 count to close the third inning. That pitch seemed to have all the ingredients of a treat, but he sank at the plate before “El Boni” could reach him with his bat. It was the typical lights-out pitch that no one can hit.

And then, at the top of the eighth, Yasiel Puig offered a preview of the final score: he hit a bomb deep in left field to set off the emotions of the Venezuelan fans at loanDepot Park.*

*The other Cuban in action was outfielder Yadiel Hernández, who went 0-for-4.

I took a break this week, after covering the II Cuban Elite Baseball League, but I will be back this weekend. It's impossible not to be romantic about baseball!