Cuba preps for Classic semis after long journey from Asia
MIAMI — For weeks, Team Cuba ready for World Baseball Classic pool play in Taichung, Taiwan. It was a 12-hour time zone distinction from Miami, the place the single-elimination match they have been pursuing was scheduled to be performed.
“In my experience, you need at least one week to get used to the new time,” outfielder Alfredo Despaigne stated Saturday. “But we are warriors. We’re going to go out and fight.”
Cuba overcame an 0-2 begin in Pool A to emerge from a five-way tiebreaker. They edged out Australia, 4-3, within the quarterfinals on Wednesday to maneuver on to the semifinal spherical in Miami (Sunday at 7 p.m. ET on FS1).
“These days off shouldn’t affect us,” stated Despaigne. “… We are trying to make some adjustments. We’re trying to be awake during the day to be a hundred percent tomorrow [for] the game. Yes, we needed some rest. We trained yesterday, by the way, and today, as well. Yesterday, training was optional, but some players said, ‘No, we have to make our adjustment,’ and we went to practice.”
Veteran left-hander Roenis Elías will get the beginning for Cuba. The opposing beginning pitcher can be decided after the USA-Venezuela matchup. While Cuba doesn’t but know who they’ll face, the group is anticipating a special type on the mound than it had seen in earlier Classic motion.
“The pitching over there was not the same as here,” Despaigne stated. “There are more high-speed pitchers here. They use more breaking balls over there. We are now in America, we are no longer in Asia. We have to change the mindset. I will have to make some adjustments to the speed of the pitchers — and we are doing that. I hope we have as good [success] batting as we had in Asia.”
Cuba is coming off a seven-hit efficiency towards Australia whereby its runs have been pushed in by a collaborative effort of three completely different gamers (Despaigne, Yoelkis Guibert and Luis Robert Jr.).
“I think that they have learned with each other,” supervisor Armando Johnson stated. “They have great skills and I think that we have a good engagement to face the pitching. It’s difficult for the hitters, of course, but we have high quality players and I believe that they can make those adjustments to face the pitching here in Miami.”
Sunday’s semifinal contest is the farthest Cuba has superior within the WBC since ending because the runner-up in 2006. Cuba was sixth in ‘09, fifth in ‘13 and seventh in ‘17.
“We believe we have that dream of raising the trophy,” stated Johnson. “We recognize, however, the quality of the teams we have to play. But one game or two games, anyone could win.”
