By Jose Alejandro Rodriguez Zas
Next Sunday, January 23, the 61st edition of the National Baseball Series will start, with the inaugural duel between the Alazanes de Granma, current champions of Cuba, and the Cocodrilos de Matanzas, second place in the last tournament, a game that will take place at the Martyrs of Barbados Stadium in Bayamo, home of the Orientals.
Right from the beginning, the Alazanes will launch their candidacy to fight for their fourth crown in domestic classics, after winning three times in the last five seasons (Series 56, 57 and 60), always under the command of experienced manager Carlos Martí.
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However, the people from Granma, wide favorites to qualify for the Series 61 postseason, will not have an easy task to meet the objective, taking into account some important absences on their payroll for different reasons. In the first place, Martí and his crew will not be able to count on the services of the ace of their pitching staff during the last decade, the experienced White Lazarus, who escaped from the Cuba team that participated in the Americas Pre-Olympic based in Florida, United States, in mid-2021.
Likewise, for reasons related to contracts abroad, managed by the Cuban Baseball Federation (FCB), the Alazanes will feel the absence of outfielders Roel Santos and Raico Santos, first baseman Guillermo García and designated hitter Alfredo Despaigne. In fact, the new regulations approved by the Technical Congress for Series 61 make it very difficult for any of them to even participate in the playoffs, which reduces the chances of the team in order to repeat the title.
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However, there was still the possibility that these internationals could start the 61 Series with Carlos Martí’s troops, taking into account that their respective tournaments have not yet started. This hypothesis was ruled out by the team’s helmsman in a recent interview given journalist Guillermo Rodríguez for Radio Rebelde.
“Officially Despaigne will not be able to be there, in Guillermo’s case we will use him above all in the outfield until he comes out to fulfill his contract,” Martí pointed out during the recent visit of the Granma team to the Latinoamericano, for a preseason duel against Industriales, at the which came out winners with a wide slate of 11-3.
“Even now it is said that Roel and Raico have contracts in Mexico in the month of March. We have no other than to have those who come behind us ready and that is the mentality with which we left training, “added the experienced manager from Granma.
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In this way, the presence of the team’s best hitter in the 61 Series, Despaigne, who will have to fulfill his commitments with the SoftBank Falcons in the Japanese professional circuit, is totally ruled out, while his Most Valuable Player (MVP) of Last final, Guillermo, as well as his two best gardeners, will be able to contribute very little in the campaign that is about to begin, all of them are very sensitive to the Alazanes’ aspirations, leaving men like Iván Prieto, Guillermo Avilés, Osvaldo Abreu, Lázaro Cedeño and Carlos Benítez, the responsibility of guiding the team’s offense and having the greatest offensive weight on their wrists.
About Benítez, team captain, Carlos Martí specified: «He will have responsibility not only on offense, but also on defense. He is fine, he has lost a few pounds, he knows the role he has within the group.
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Despite the aforementioned situations, in the same interview, Martí highlighted the excellent preparation of the team in the preseason, although it was reduced to eight weeks instead of the planned 12, while reiterating the commitment to go for the crown .
«We are aware that we are the champions and we cannot aspire to anything other than being in the medals again. The first objective is to qualify, then go step by step, I think we are in a position to fight for the fourth title.
In general, Granma will be based on the same team that was champion of the 60 Series, mainly from the box, because despite the absence of Blanco, the rest of the pitchers are ready to play their role. Therefore, we expect a good result for the Alazanes in the 61 Series and, why not, another title for their showcases, which would be their fourth in six seasons. Will they be able to do it?
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