The Island’s team barely managed two hits, its worst offensive performance in the entire tournament.
14ymedio, Havana, March 10, 2026 – Cuba’s national team was exposed this Monday by Puerto Rico in its third game of the World Baseball Classic, losing 4–1. The defeat at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan puts Team Asere’s qualification for the final round in doubt, as it will now have to defeat Canada this Wednesday afternoon to advance to the next stage.
From the second inning, the Puerto Ricans pulled ahead. Catcher Martín Maldonado hit a double that drove in three runs against starting pitcher Julio Robaina. In the fifth inning the fourth run came on a sacrifice fly by Carlos Cortés against pitches from Havana reliever Josimar Cousín, who recorded eight outs, four of them by strikeout.
For Cuba, the only run came in the sixth inning thanks to a double by Alfredo Despaigne off Yacksel Ríos, combined with an error by the Puerto Rican defense. With that hit, the Cuban player reached 29 hits and moved into third place in the history of the World Baseball Classic, behind Frederich Cepeda from Sancti Spíritus (32) and Puerto Rican Carlos Beltrán (30).
After that brief attempt at offense, Team Asere could no longer generate any threat. Puerto Rico’s pitching staff shut down the Cuban offense, which had hit four home runs in its first two games against Panama and Colombia. Puerto Rico’s pitchers, with starter Elmer Rodríguez (three innings) and relievers Jovani Morán (two), Yacksel Ríos (two), Fernando Cruz (one) and Edwin Díaz (one), allowed only two hits, marking Cuba’s worst offensive performance of the entire tournament. “That makes it very difficult to salvage a smile in such a demanding competition,” the newspaper Jit concluded this Tuesday.
“That makes it very difficult to salvage a smile in such a demanding competition.”
With the loss, Cuba sits in second place in Group A with a record of two wins and one loss. To advance, it must defeat Canada, which arrives with the same chances as the Island, turning the game into an early final for both teams. For that game, the pitcher for Germán Mesa’s team will be Liván Moinelo, who defeated Panama in the opening game. Meanwhile, Puerto Rico has already secured its place in the final round with a 3–0 record at the top of the group.
This was the third time the two teams have faced each other in a World Baseball Classic. In the 2006 edition they met twice, with one win for each side, although the most important victory went to Cuba, then managed by Higinio Vélez, which secured its place in the semifinals of that tournament.
Besides the remaining spot sought by Cuba and Canada, another place remains to be decided in Group B, where last night the United States (3–0) secured its advancement by defeating Mexico 5–3. Japan (3–0) and South Korea (2–2) have also secured their participation in the quarterfinals from Group C, along with Venezuela and the Dominican Republic, both with 3–0 in Group D.
Japan (3–0) and South Korea (2–2) have also secured their participation in the quarterfinals from Group C.
Unlike Cuba’s first two games in this tournament, the match against Puerto Rico did not feature any type of protest against the Island’s government, at least not any that were captured by the international broadcast.
The most notable case occurred in the opening game against Panama. Behind home plate, where the television camera focuses for much of the game, a fan displayed a banner reading “Down with the dictatorship! Díaz-Canel’s days are numbered.” The message, captured by the Fox television network and repeated by several media outlets, went around the world, although manager Germán Mesa said he did not see it.
Also during the game against Colombia, cameras focused on two fans wearing black T-shirts with the phrase “Díaz-Canel bastard,” an anti-government protest message that can carry long prison sentences if displayed in Cuba,.
Translated by Regina Anavy
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