Cuba Makes Successful Debut in the Under-23 Baseball Pan American Championship

The Cuban Under-23 national team made a successful debut in the Pan American Championship that began this Sunday in Panama, after defeating the U.S. Virgin Islands 8-2 at the Justino Salinas Stadium in La Chorrera.

The Caribbean squad, led by Danny Miranda—an Olympic starter in his playing days and champion with Ciego de Ávila in the past Elite League—aims to secure one of the three tickets offered by the event for the World Cup, which will be held next year in Nicaragua.

In this opening game, the team from the largest Caribbean island relied on the power of the Santiago players Harold Vázquez, "who connected three home runs," and Raider Sánchez, "who hit one."

The Cubans will play tomorrow against Aruba, another member of their Group B, which also includes Puerto Rico and Bahamas; they will face these teams on October 1 and 2, respectively, in their quest to advance to the tournament's semifinals.

In the other group, Mexico defeated Guatemala 5-0. The other group members, Costa Rica and Honduras, will make their debut tomorrow.