Despaigne Awakened: 4-3 with Halcones in Japanese baseball league

April 20, 2021

The Cuban Alfredo Despaigne went 4-3, with a double, two singles, one run scored and another driven in, to break out of the offensive slump that had been plaguing him and be key today in the 6-4 victory of the SoftBank Falcons over the Rakuten Eagles, in the Japanese baseball league.

At the Kitakyushu Civic Stadium, the slugger from Granma, who drove in his first run in six games, raised his average to .220 and his RBI total to six.

His teammate and compatriot, the Matanzas native Yurisbel Gracial, hit a double in four opportunities to lower his average to .304, while fellow Cuban Liván Moinelo struck out one of the three batters he faced in a perfect inning of relief. His ERA remained at 0.00.

Meanwhile, at Yokohama Stadium, the Villa Clara native Dayán Viciedo, one of those playing in Japan without sponsorship credit from the Cuban national commission, added a single in four plate appearances in the scoreless tie in nine innings between the Chunichi Dragons and the DeNA Stars. The powerful infielder, who had seen no action since April 7 due to injury, lowered his average to .302.

His teammate, the speedy right-handed pitcher from Pinar del Río Raidel Martínez, struck out two of the three batters he faced in an inning of relief to maintain his ERA at 0.00.

And the outfielder from Villa Clara Leonys Martín went 4-2, with two singles, one RBI, one strikeout, one walk and another stolen base, in the 8-4 victory of the Lotte Marines over the Nippon Ham Fighters at the ZOZO Marine Stadium in Chiba.

Leonys, who extended to nine his streak of consecutive games with a hit, raised his average to .275 and his RBI total to 19, a figure that keeps him among the top five in that category in the Pacific League.