Win over Cuba proved that it only takes one inning
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Mexico fans cheered and shouted for joy while Cuba fans stood jaw-dropped. Even the players stood still in astonishment. Many Cuba players dropped to their knees dismayed by the unthinkable they just witnessed. Mexico--who was down four runs for the first four innings and trailed by three runs heading to the bottom of the sixth inning--saved its fireworks for the end.
Mexico shortstop and relief pitcher Antonio Guerrero blasted a three-run home run off of the first pitch he saw, tying the game at four runs apiece. After Mexico centerfielder Raul Hernandez Jr. was hit by a pitch, Ulises Ortiz came in and did the honors. Mexico's catcher slammed a two-run shot to give Mexico a comeback win in walk-off fashion.
The Matamoros Little League team, who was in a sudden death, win-or-go-home scenario with Cuba, proved a lot to be true in less than one inning.
Mexico allowed its defense to work the entire game without getting rattled as Cuba continued chipping away.
And as down as Mexico could have been, it showed that a three-run deficit, or any-run deficit, is never too much to come back from. It truly only takes one. One player, one hit, one home run, to spark any sort of energy despite the waves, the ebbs-and-flows, of how a game may be going.
These two just happened to be two of the most pivotal in the shortest time span.
"We knew before the inning started that we wanted to win. This is an emotion that I can't explain," Guerrero said in the press conference room.
Guerrero and Mexico cannot explain Matamoro's magic because the team's natural instinct was to fight. With its backs against the wall, Mexico had one decision: put bats-on-balls to garner hits and runs or fold like a pancake and pack their bags.
Guerrero's homer wasn't the first note letting his team know he wasn't going down without a fight. His three strikeouts in four batters that he saw in one of Mexico's quickest top-half innings of the game is what got him fired up. Then once two players reached base--Ricardo Cavazos walked and Carlos Salazar hit a single- it was all Guerrero from there.
"We worked with the managers to keep the kids' fighting and to never quit," Mexico's coach said.
DEFENSIVE STATE OF MIND
In the top of the second inning, when Mexico trailed just 2-0 but failed to get any momentum going, Guerrero made a huge play to get the second out of the inning. The shortstop at the time grabbed a ball that bounced into the grass and hit the turf. Guerrero back-handed it to his glove and fired it over to first baseman Dominic Balderas for Mexico's second out of the game.
Matamoros followed up that marvelous play with a dangerous catch in right centerfield by Raul Hernandez Jr, who collided with right fielder Santiago Sotelo when attempting to get the third out.
Should the two have called out which player was catching the ball? Absolutely. But for a Little League squad trying to get out of a second-inning jam to get its bats going, Mexico and its fans celebrated that the play was made. It was more about the catch and defensive work over two innings with constantly leaving batters on base that Mexico was truly worried about.
That is the tenacity and mindset that got Mexico to the World Series, the defensive state of mind it's played with throughout the tournament.
"The work they do all year and the scouting they have for all the teams," Mexico's coach said after the game via a translator when asked about Mexico's defensive mindset and intensity. "It all helps them keep playing defense well."
BUILDING UP BUT FALLING SHORT
Everything was going right for Cuba in the opening four innings, and it just needed to scrape by with two more innings. Much like Mexico's game plan of using its defense all Series long, Cuba used that to its advantage. And it was scoring runs.
But inevitably, it didn't pull away when it could have. The two runs in the first two innings--one apiece in the first and second--got Santa Clara started with something to build on. And holding Mexico scoreless through four innings was impressive, given it had scored 12 runs over the course of two games.
Santa Clara pitcher Deivy Hernandez would indeed be deemed the MVP if Cuba came out winners. He pitched a complete game and he and his defense almost got away with what would have been a stunner for Mexico being held to just one run.
Cuba didn't give up, necessarily. It just let loose at the wrong time when Mexico found its swings. Cuba paid the price and saw a couple of cannons fly past it in the chilly, unseasonal August temperatures at Volunteer Stadium.
The Santa Clara Little League squad, along with Matamoros, both faced elimination in a game that was one-sided favoring Cuba up until that sixth inning. Santa Clara qualified for this tournament in March. It had the opportunity to make history with a win over Mexico: win its second game of the Series ever. But it fell short.