Dozen of New Individual Records Highlight Historic 2008 Cuban Season
The just-completed 47th Cuban National Series was definitely "one for the record books" which saw better than 125 new individual and team records set. These included marks for both regular-season and playoff action, and also featured some of the most noteworthy achievements in Cuban baseball annals. Heading the list of new standards were the individual home run and RBI records set by National Series MVP Alexei Bell (pictured) of league champion Santiago. Also of top significance were the career mark for pitching victories established by Pinar's Pedro Lazo, and the career playoff victories record rung up by Santiago's Norge Vera. A summary of some of the top marks established in the various major record book categories are as follows:
National Series (Regular Season) Single Season Records:
Home Runs: Alexei Bell (Santiago de Cuba) 31
RBI: Alexei Bell (Santiago de Cuba) 111
Consecutive Pitching Victories: Yulieski Gonzalez (Habana) 15 (15-0)
National Series Lifetime Records:
Career Batting Average: Osmani Urrutia (Las Tunas) .368
Career Pitching Wins: Pedro Luis Lazo (Pinar del Rio) 237
Career Pitching Losses: Carlos Yanes (Isla de la Juventud) 223
Playoffs Lifetime Records:
Games Played: Rolando Merino (Santiago de Cuba) 146
Career Wins: Norge Vera (Santiago de Cuba) 31
Career Games Started: Ormari Romero (Santiago de Cuba) 44
Career Games Pitched: Pedro Luis Lazo (Pinar del Rio) 68
Playoff One-Season Records:
RBIs: Rolando Merino (Santiago de Cuba) 24
Hits: Rolando Merino (Santiago de Cuba) 28
Runs: Hector Olivera (Santiago de Cuba) 22
Special Career Records:
Most Seasons Managed: Carlos Marti (Granma) 25
Most Seasons Played: Carlos Yanes (Isla de la Juventud) 25
Most Hits in a Single Inning: Alexei Bell (Santiago) 3 (versus Villa Clara)
This listing of records was compiled by webmaster/columnist Yasel Porto at Havana's Radio COCO baseball website. A complete listing of the 100-plus records set this season can be found on the Radio COCO site at http://www.radiococo.cu/cocobeisbol/serie%20nacional/coment-not/records-47series.htm.
For more on Faustino Corrales you will have to wait for my publication of Who's Who in Cuban Baseball, 1962-2008 (due out from McFarland sometime next spring).

In one of the wildest semifinal series of recent memory, Pinar del Rio was twice able to climb out of deep holes on the road in Sancti Spiritus this weekend. With their tandem comeback miracles the Group A champs were thus able to salvage a berth in the Cuban League championship series that opens Wednesday night in Santiago's Guillermon Moncada Stadium. Needing back-to-back road wins to survive elimination, Pinar took advantage of crucial home club errors on two successive days and twice came from behind in late innings to somehow snatch victory from the apparent jaws of defeat. On Saturday night, trailing 3-2 in the seventh, Pinar railed when the door was opened by shortstop Raikel Morales's second bobble of the night. The fatal boot put Rafael

The two semifinal series appeared to be equally one-sided affairs in the early going. Both Santiago and western sector leader Sancti Spiritus sweeping opening two-games sets on home turf in their respective showdowns with Villa Clara and Pinar del Rio. But Villa Clara surprisingly bounced back in the Oriente by taking two straight (by scores of 7-3 and 6-3) when the eastern series shifted to Santa Clara Province. And Pinar del Rio did the same once the Occidental matches moved on to Pinar's Capitan San Luis Stadium. Sancti Spiritus -- a surprise opening-round winner over Group B champ Habana Province -- got off to a fast start thanks to some fine starting pitching in the pair of lid-lifters at Jose Huelga Stadium. In the western opener Angel Pena (with late-inning relief help from Yasnier Sosa) shut down the reputed Tsunami Verde (Green Tidal Wave) offense of Pinar on only three hits and bested career victories leader Pedro Laso in the process by a surprising 5-0 count. Game two found Ismel Jimenez going the route (and scattering seven hits) in a tight 2-1 win over the still-silent Pinar attack. But the Group A champs (inconsistent all season with a 45-45 break-even record) bounced back at home to earn 6-4 and 6-3 series-knotting victories, the second coming on a complete-game effort by the veteran Pinar ace Pedro Lazo. But then in game five Juan Castro's gritty Sancti Spiritus Gallos (Roosters) came from behind to seize the advantage with a crucial 10-6 road victory that put them only one win away from only their third trip ever to the championship round. The vital (and potentially series-turning win) was keyed by a brilliant six-inning relief effort from veteran Noelvis Hernandez (pictured here) -- the game three starter who had lasted less than two frames in his earlier failed outing.



