Havana, February 8 (RHC) – A grand slam by José A. Noroña in the 10th inning sealed the victory for Cocodrilos de Matanzas (15-11) in a heartbreaking game against Leones de Industriales, which also gave the Reds a ticket to the grand final of Cuban baseball.
In a pitching-dominated contest in the first third of the game, runs came in bursts for both sides at Havana’s Estadio Latinoamericano. While the stadium drew a smaller crowd than in previous games, the usual pressure from the home fans was still present.
The Cocodrilos were once again the first to score, with Yurisbel Gracial getting a walk, Ariel Martínez hitting a home run, Eduardo Blanco doubling, and Andrys Pérez singling to put the first three runs (3-0) in the bottom of the fourth inning. This also forced the removal of starting pitcher Remberto Barreto.
However, the home team wasn’t intimidated and tied the game in the top of the fifth, thanks to consecutive home runs by Ariel Hechavarría and Jorge E. Alomá, the first with a runner on base. In the seventh, they took the lead (4-3) with another home run, this time by Roberto Álvarez, a player originally from Matanzas province who now plays for Industriales.
The apparent windfall for Guillermo Carmona’s team came in the top of the eighth, when Dayron Miranda’s single into the loaded bases and Pedro Roque’s sacrifice fly off pitches from Yosney García and Silvio Iturralde, respectively, gave them a three-run lead (7-3).
In the ninth inning, Roque Tomás hit a home run to extend the lead (9-3) and set the stage for right-hander Rafael Perdomo, in another long relief appearance, to secure his fourth postseason win. But the Dinosaurs had other plans, and they never gave up.
With the conviction that “a game isn’t over until it’s over,” Armando Ferrer’s squad capitalized on Perdomo’s only lapse and a poor save by closer Juan Xavier Peñalver to tie the game (9-9) and force extra innings, aided by timely hits from bench players like Esteban Terry and catcher Andrys Pérez.
In the tenth inning, and with the help of the tiebreaker rule, the home team once again took the lead thanks to a double by Álvarez (11-9), who proved the adage that there’s no worse wedge than one from the same block. However, Matanzas responded first with a tying single by Ariel Martínez and a grand slam by José A. Noroña, a shot straight out of a sports movie.
With the victory, Cocodrilos became the first team to qualify for the grand final of the 64th National Baseball Series.
