Havana, March 8 (RHC) – After two losses in as many outings, one against Cuba (1-3) and another against Puerto Rico (3-4), Panama will go out today for its third meeting against Canada in the World Baseball Classic.
At Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, José Mayorga’s team will try to salvage some pride against another favorite, clinging to the adage that “third time’s the charm.”
Canada, managed for the sixth time by Ernie Whitt, arrives with a squad featuring 21 Major League Baseball players or players with Major League experience, and 14 who played in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.
Some of the standouts include Josh Naylor of the Seattle Mariners; Tyler O’Neill of the Baltimore Orioles; two-time Gold Glove winner Michael Soroka of the Arizona Diamondbacks; and Jameson Taillon of the Chicago Cubs.
The Canadian roster, however, will be without star first baseman Freddie Freeman of the Los Angeles Dodgers, a significant loss for his team.
Panama, in turn, will rely on players like José ‘Chema’ Caballero and Edmundo Sosa, who play infield for the New York Yankees and the Philadelphia Phillies, respectively.
The Panamanians also suffered two significant losses: St. Louis Cardinals catcher Iván Herrera, who in 2015 hit 19 home runs, drove in 66 runs, and posted a .284 batting average; and pitcher Justin Lawrence of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The day before, the Panamanians fell 4-3 to Puerto Rico in their second game.
A pitching duel unfolded in the early innings, with Ariel Jurado for Panama and Puerto Rico’s Eduardo Rivera both shining on the mound.
But a solo home run by Darell Hernaiz in the tenth inning propelled the hosts to a dramatic 4-3 victory.
With the win, the home team improved their record to 2-0 in Group A, while Panama let slip a historic victory that seemed within their grasp.
