Havana, September 3 (RHC) – Cuban Raidel Martínez earned his thirty-seventh save of the season on Wednesday, in the Yomiuri Giants’ 5-3 victory over the Yakult Swallows in the 2025 Japanese Professional Baseball League.
At the Kyocera Dome in Osaka, the speedy right-hander from Pinar del Río pitched a solid ninth inning, striking out two of the three batters he faced.
With this performance, Raidel earned his seventh save in seven consecutive outings, improved his ERA to 1.36 ERA, and remained just one save behind the Central League’s ERA leader: Shinya Matsuyama of the Chunichi Dragons.
The lanky right-hander is getting closer to his record for saves in Cuban baseball (43), achieved last season when he was the closer for the Chunichi Dragons.
In other appearances by Cuban players on the day, Nippon Ham’s Matanzas first baseman, Ariel Martínez, failed in four attempts to reduce his average to .185 in his team’s 2-1 loss to the Lotte Mariners.
Additionally, Villa Clara first baseman Dayán Viciedo, who plays in the NPB without the sponsorship of the Cuban federation, added a single in a pinch-hit appearance in the DeNA Stars’ 2-1 loss to the Hiroshima Carps. His average rose to .273.
