Panama puts on a pitching clinic as team throws no-no
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From a defensive standpoint, Panama could not have kicked off the 2023 Little League World Series on a stronger note.
Ace starting pitcher Omar Vargas put on a strikeout clinic through the first four innings of Panama's opening game against Czech Republic, giving his team more than enough of a spark to lead them to victory. He finished the game not surrendering a single hit and when he was subbed out, his relievers carried that no-hit run through to the end.
"With Omar (Vargas) and with the other two pitchers (Ruben Canto and Allan Rodriguez), there was a little bit of nervousness during the first innings," said Panama manager Oliver Arcia through a translator. "But after that, they settled down and went all the way through to get the no hitter."
From the jump, Vargas was on another level. He struck out the first seven batters he faced and didn't pitch more than one ball against a batter until the third inning.
He eventually allowed a walk to Czech Republic third baseman Vaclav Menaík but would not allow another batter to get on base for the rest of the game.
"I was doing good, went out there and wanted to win the game," said Vargas through a translator, referring to how he felt heading into the game. "We got the win and I felt good."
He finished the game with 12 strikeouts against 13 batters faced, throwing 39 strikes on 53 pitches. And though his time on the mound would end on the last strike of the top of the fourth inning, his impact wouldn't conclude there.
With the score still knotted up at 0-0, Panama finally got into a great position in the bottom of the fourth, loading the bases before Vargas stepped up to bat. He had already contributed one of the team's three hits up to that point, so he wasn't lacking confidence on that side of the field either.
"In my mind at that moment, I just wanted to get ahead for a sacrifice fly just to get the runs in," said Vargas through a translator.
He would put up more than a sacrifice fly, nailing one over the centerfield fence to obtain a grand slam to give his team a four-run cushion heading into the last two innings.
From there, Panama continued putting work in from the mound, with Rubén Canto and Allan Rodriguez each pitching an inning, where they would post six strikeouts and would not allow a single hit.
Although it's exciting to win in such a fashion, the decision to leave Vargas in for four innings did come at a cost. He ultimately pitched the ball over fifty times, which means he won't be able to play on Friday. The coaching staff didn't see that as too much of a problem, however.
"We have two other pitchers that can start against any team in the tournament," said Arcia through a translator. "We're going to have a staff meeting when we get back to find out who will be the starting pitchers for the next game."
Pitching goes a long way in baseball and often plays a role in the best team's championship runs. If Panama continues to dominate from the mound like it did against Czech Republic, it's going to be a very dangerous team in this tournament and one worth keeping an eye on.