Havana, February 15 (RHC) – Cocodrilos de Matanzas were crowned Cuban baseball champions after defeating Leñadores de las Tunas for the fourth consecutive day with a resounding 11-0 victory (knockout) at Havana’s Latinoamericano Stadium.
More than 100 kilometers from their home stadium, on the grass of the Coloso del Cerro (Cerro Stadium), Armando Ferrer’s team asserted its dominance from the very first inning, stringing together eight consecutive hits and crossing home plate seven times against starting pitcher Eliander Bravo and first reliever Andier Reyes.
The Cocodrilos continued their scoring spree in the bottom of the second inning with three more runs against third reliever Anier Pérez, thanks to a solo home run by Ariel Martínez and another four-run double by Eduardo Blanco, Andrys Pérez, José A. Noroña, and Aníbal Medina, effectively sealing the win in that early inning.
From the mound for the Cocodrilos, left-hander Yamichel Pérez, known to fans as “The Talisman,” scattered four hits over seven innings to secure the decisive victory. This win earned the second championship for teams bearing the Matanzas name and the seventh for teams from the western province in the history of the national pastime.
On their way to the 64th National Series title, the Matanzas team defeated Gallos de Sancti Spíritus in four games in the quarterfinals and then triumphed over Leones de Industriales in six games (4-2) in the semifinals. The latter game was decided by a spectacular comeback at the Latinoamericano Stadium, capped by a walk-off home run from José Amaury Noroña that will long be etched in the collective memory.
