World Baseball Challenge, World Port Tournament, World Baseball Classic - it doesn't seem to matter to Vladimir Garcia.
He finds ways to win international ball games.
The 25-year-old Cuban ace for the Ciego de Avila Tigres was brilliant from the getgo Wednesday at Citizen Field, pitching a complete game 4-2 win over the JX-Eneos of Japan. Owner of a 94-mile-per-hour fastball, Garcia gave up just six hits to the champions of the Japanese Intercity League to lock up Cuba's victory in the first game for both teams at the five-team tournament with 981 in attendance.
Through four innings Garcia had allowed just two hits and his Japanese counterpart Tomoya Mikami had given up just one. Designated hitter Isac Martinez got Cuba started in the top half of the fifth with a sharp grounder into centre field and advanced to second on a sacrifice from Humberto Morales.
The next batter, Oswaldo Vasquez, connected on Tomoya Mikami's low pitch and drove Martinez in from second with a single to centre field.
The Cuban fireworks continued in the sixth inning. Mario J. Vega singled up the gut and Raul Gonzalez followed up with a double into the left field gap that left runners at second and third. Yoelvis Fiss dug in at the plate and whacked a two-run double off the wall to give Cuba a 3-0 lead.
That was it for Mikami, replaced by lefthander Isao Numao, who got Addel Civil to strike out to end the inning.
Japan finally got to Garcia in the bottom of the sixth. Kazuaki Hidaka walked, Masataka Iryo doubled into left field and with Hidaka at third he scored on a wild pitch into the dirt. Kentaro Miyazawa then delivered Iryo home with a sacrifice fly that made it 3-2.
Japan threatened again in the seventh after consecutive hits from Ren Yamasaki and Yohei Saiga, which left runners on first and second with one out. But Garcia, who helped Cuba claim gold at the World Port tournament in June in Rotterdam, got out of the inning unscathed by forcing Daisuke Ishii to hit into a double play.
Garcia is not afraid to show his emotions and let his teammates know he was sorry for failing to field a ball hit back to him in the eight inning by Masaki Maeda, which resulted in an error charged to Garcia. But he answered three straight strikeouts, using his slider to get Miyazawa swinging at air.
Vasquez gave Cuba some insurance in the ninth with a two-out monster shot that cleared the scoreboard in centre field.
Cuba plays its second game of the tournament today at 3 p.m. against Chinese Taipei, 9-7 winners over Team USA on Wednesday.
In the late game today at 7 p.m., Japan takes on the host Team Canada, still looking for its first win after losing the opener
Tuesday 13-6 to USA.
