Having played three games against Chinese Taipei and a selection of players from the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) – winning two of the three – Cuba continues its trip through Asia with a pair of games against Japan in Fukuoka and Sapporo on Friday and Sunday.
It will be two highly anticipated contests between two of the power houses of international baseball, being ranked first and third in IBAF’s Men’s Baseball World Rankings. Both teams also will square off in the first round of the 2013 World Baseball Classic next March at the same Fukuoka Dome, where they will meet on Friday evening.
While the two games will have implications for the World Rankings, managers Koji Yamamoto (Japan) and Victor Mesa (Cuba) confirmed during Thursday’s press conference that they will use the Samurai Japan-Cuba matches as preparation for next year’s tournament.
“I want each player to come out and show what they do best against some very tough competition,” said Yamamoto. “The team is coming together and they are in high spirits. Now it’s time to fight. This game is going to be important experience for all of them.”
“I left four of our top-class pitchers in Cuba, but 90 percent of the men here will be with us in March,” Mesa said. “We had tough games in Taiwan, and these games against a tough opponent can only help us make the adjustments we need if we are to win the World Baseball Classic. Obviously, we rate Japan very highly. They won the previous WBCs and beat us in the process. They have earned everyone’s respect.”
Japan will face Cuba on Friday evening at 7pm local time at the Yahoo Dome in Fukuoka. On Saturday the two teams will travel north to Sapporo to meet again on Sunday at 6.05pm. TV Asahi is going to televise both games live.
