Preview: Japan to stay undefeated, last chance for Cuba
World No. 1 Japan, the only undefeated team in the WBSC Premier12 2024 presented by RAXUS, will take on No. 9 Cuba at Taipei Tianmu Stadium on Sunday, November 17.
Japan picked Takahisa Hayakawa as their starting pitcher. Born in 1998, Hayakawa is a left-hander who plays for the Rakuten Golden Eagles of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He debuted for the Eagles in 2021, and 2024 was his best season. Hayakawa started 25 games and posted an 11-6 record. He pitched 170.1 innings, striking out 160 and allowing 35 walks and 156 hits. He had a respectable 2.54 earned run average (ERA).
Cuba will hand the ball to Raymond Figueredo. The 26-year-old right-hander has played in Cuba's Serie Nacional since the 2017-18 season. He has always been a starter for the Havana Industriales. He split the 2024 Summer between Cuba and the Italian Baseball League, where he helped Parma win the pennant, posting a 6-2 record over 9 starts and a 2.80 earned run average.
Japan and Cuba are mighty international baseball powerhouses but have never played against each other in the WBSC Premier12.
Japan defeated Cuba in the inaugural World Baseball Classic final in 2006. Cuba beat Japan, 6-3, in the 2013 World Baseball Classic Opening Round, but Japan won in the World Baseball Classic 2017 both in the Opening Round (11-6) and in the second round (8-5).
Cuba won the most recent clash between the two programmes, 7-0, at the U-15 Baseball World Cup 2022.