Worst news confirmed for star pitcher Moinelo in Japan

July 23, 2023

The Cuban Baseball Federation confirmed the bad news that arrived from Japan this past weekend: pitcher Liván Moinelo will miss the rest of the season in that Asian country's Professional League.

The Softbank Hawks announced that their star left-handed reliever will undergo surgery to correct a problem in the elbow of his throwing arm that recently took him off the field, according to a note released by Jit.

Recovery will take several months, so this process will not only prevent him from returning to the field in the current season, but will also affect his participation in the Cuba team that will attend the Pan American Games in Santiago de Chile, to be held between late October and early November.

At the time of the injury, Moinelo was among the best and most versatile relievers in the Japanese circuit this year. The 28-year-old pitcher posted an outstanding 0.98 ERA over 27.2 innings of work in 27 games, along with three wins, five saves, and 16 hold points.

However, this is not the first time the Pinar pitcher has had to miss an extended period due to injury, since in 2021 he suffered a similar setback.

In his already seven seasons in Japanese baseball, number 35 of the Fukuoka team has 19 wins and nine losses on his record, although most notably he has 300.1 innings pitched in 306 appearances, with 40 saves and 135 holds.

The left-hander from San Juan y Martínez arrived at the Softbank organization at a young age and has become a key piece of the bullpen in the team's recent successes, such as the consecutive four championships between 2017 and 2020.