Of the 50 Cuban reserve lists, 6 are Chunichi-affiliated players.
Chinese and Japanese fans are starting to get nervous about the Cuban national team candidate for the “World Baseball Classic (WBC)” to be held in March. The preliminary list published by the Cuban Baseball Association (FCB) on the 6th (7th Japan time) has five players from Chunichi. On SNS, voices also say, “The Cuban national team seems to have more players in China and Japan than the Japanese national team.”
Among the 50 announced finalists, there are many NPB assistants. In particular, players with ties to China and Japan, which have strong ties to Cuba, stood out. Rydell Martinez, who earned the most saves in the 2022 season, and pitcher Jariel Rodriguez, the best middle pitcher, are a big threat to Samurai Japan. Other players included pitcher Frank Alvarez, outfielder Guillermo Garcia and infielder Pedro Revira.
In addition, Nippon-Ham’s Ariel Martinez, who was at Chunichi until 2022, also joined as an outfielder. In the end, it was narrowed down to 30 players, but the fans were paying attention again, saying, “The Cuban national team includes a lot of Mr. Chunichi’s training, and the pipes here are too thick.” A practice match between Chunichi and Cuba will also be held at the Okinawa camp in February.
However, some voices are a bit complicated for Japan. Among the 12 members of Samurai Japan announced on the 6th Japan time, there are still zero Chunichi. Hiroto Takahashi was the only pitcher to join the team in the warm-up game held last November. At the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, ace pitcher Yudai Ohno contributed to the gold medal.
Depending on the finish line, Cuba may have more Chunichi players than Samurai Japan. On the other hand, he seems to be happy, but he also seems to have mixed feelings, and on Twitter, “Chunichi is so Chunichi that we can support Cuba if Samurai Japan does not appear from Chunichi”, ” WBC, as a Chunichi supporter, I might quietly support Cuba. There were comments like, “No.”
(Full Account editorial section)
