Villa Clara Champion of 52nd Cuban Baseball Season

The team from the Cuban central province added this triumph to the ones obtained in 1983, 1993, 1994 and 1995.

As an irony of life,  grand slam by catcher Ariel Pestano gave Villa Clara the victory 8×5 over Victor Mesa’s Matanzas as well as the 5th title of the Orangemen in Cuban Baseball Championships.

Pestano, unproductive till that moment, hunted a throw by reliever Maykel Martinez and brought over homeplate 4 decisive runs for his team at the bottom of the 6th.

Just moments before, the designated hitter Danel Castro had broken the tie to 2 runs with single to the left field.

Matanzas fought till the very end and scored three times in the 8th before Jonder Martinez but Villa Clara’s manager trusted him to end the game.

Leopards’ second baseman was also key in the result as he shot a solo homer in the 8th and brought in other two runs in the 2nd.

With the title of the Cuban central province ends the 52 Baseball National Season, in which Matanzas is runner up and Cienfuegos bronze.