Cuba to face Australia in the quarterfinals of the 5th World Baseball Classic

HAVANA, Cuba, Mar 13 (ACN) The Australian team defeated the Czech Republic 8-3 today to finish second in Group B and face Cuba in the quarterfinals of the 5th World Baseball Classic, to be held at the Tokyo Dome in Japan.

This crucial sudden-death duel -the loser says goodbye- will be played next Wednesday. Pitching for the Cubans will be right-hander Yariel Rodriguez, current member of the Chunichi Dragons club, who has been issued 98-mile deliveries.

It will be the third time that both teams will face each other in the history of baseball's top national team tournament. Cuba has won the previous two, but always by a slim one-run advantage.

On the first occasion (Mexico 2009), the Caribbeans prevailed 5-4 with home runs by Yoenis Cespedes and Yosvani Peraza. And in the 2017 edition, Cuba's success was 4-3, with a timely home run by Alfredo Despaigne, the current team's captain.