Las Tunas, Cuba, Nov 4 - After several days on pause due to Hurricane Melissa, the 64th National Series of Baseball returns today to the field, and it does so with a luxurious match: Leñadores against Cocodrilos at the Julio Antonio Mella Stadium.
The stadium is dressed to impress to welcome the current leaders of the tournament, the Yumurinos from Matanzas, who arrive with 26 victories and aim to maintain their top position. But facing them are the sharp Leñadores, currently third in the standings, ready to strike hard and close the gap in front of their home crowd.
The National Commission decided to resume the season after assessing the damage caused by the storm in the eastern region of the country.
Starting today, in addition to the main match in Las Tunas, clashes between Industriales-Camagüey, Villa Clara-Pinar del Río, Ciego de Ávila-La Isla, and Cienfuegos-Guantánamo will also be reactivated.
Teams from the most affected provinces—Holguín, Granma, and Santiago de Cuba—will return to action tomorrow, facing Artemisa, Mayabeque, and Sancti Spíritus, respectively. This will be their way of showing that, despite the winds and rains, baseball is still alive.
In terms of numbers, the competition is heating up. Behind the Cocodrilos are Holguín (25-14), Las Tunas (22-13), and Industriales (23-14), all breathing closely behind the leaders. Further back are Artemisa (22-15), Santiago (21-16), Mayabeque (21-18), and Sancti Spíritus (21-19), completing the playoff pack.
Among the standout names in the championship is Santiago player Yoel Yanqui, who left for the Nicaraguan League leaving a mark with his offensive triple crown (.466, 14 home runs, and 50 RBIs).
On the mound, Dariel Góngora leads with a microscopic 0.60 ERA, Michel Cabrera with six wins, Alberto Pablo Civil with eight saves, and Pavel Hernández with 61 strikeouts.
After the silence brought by the hurricane, the entire country turns its gaze back to the stadiums. Cuban baseball—that old love that never rusts—returns to ignite passions, raise dust, and remind us that no matter what happens, baseball never stops.
