HAVANA, Cuba, Jan 19 (ACN) The unpredictable game of baseball has three lines of play: offense, defense and pitching; but the strategy of seeking their necessary combination for a team to perform as clockwork and prevail in any tournament is in the lap of the manager.
Cuba’s upcoming 56th National Baseball Series, which will start on the 23rd with a duel between the reigning champion Granma and last year’s runner-up Matanzas, will have only rookie manager: former catcher Lázaro Arturo Castro, from the province of Pinar del Río, who will now lead province Artemisa’s team.
Of the 16 managers who will be in charge of the Cuban classic, the most veteran is Carlos Martí, who has led team Granma (the Alazanes) 33 times and has a record of three titles—including last season’s—and a third place. In addition, another three experienced ones will return to the national game: Héctor “Tico” Hernández (Holguín), with 20 leaderships to his credit; former shortstop and three-time winning manager Pedro Jova (Villa Clara) and Armando Jhonson (Isle of Youth), who has helped his team qualify for the semifinals on seven occasions.
Of the 16 managers who will now seek to guide their respective teams along the path of victory, Jova is the top award-winner with three trophies and a second place, followed by Carlos Martí and Pablo Civil (Las Tunas province’s Leñadores).
Another four of this year’s managers will have that capacity for the second time.