It was an electric atmosphere in Taichung’s Intercontinental Baseball Stadium on Wednesday night, as a sellout crowd arrived to see their home team Chinese Taipei take on Panama. From start to finish the stadium was alive with cheers and enthusiasm from the stands, creating an unforgettable matchday experience for anyone watching in the stadium. The noise was incredible; cheerleaders danced on all the dugouts, thundersticks banged away, and countless call-and-response chants echoed throughout all 15,540 seats in the venue. Listening to it all made one thing clear – Chinese Taipei’s baseball culture is nothing short of spectacular!
The sound was nothing short of deafening. Chinese Taipei had the crowd on their side, screaming and cheering behind home plate. But Panama brought the momentum in with them ready to defeat the hosts. Manager Luis Ortiz’ experienced squad showed remarkable defense, refusing to let Chinese Taipei’s electric atmosphere pull them off focus and snatch away their victory. And they did it in style: putting up 12 points to Chinese Taipei’s 5. When asked how Panama handled such a daunting task, Ortiz said “block the outside noise by putting points on the board.” Clearly, it worked as despite the tension-filled environment, Panama left victorious.
It was a legendary night for Panama and their hometown hero Jahdiel Santamaria at the recent international game. The Panamanians did most of their damage in an impressive five-run fourth inning and six-run sixth that left the opponents behind, thanks in part to the amazing performance of Santamaria, their first baseman and No. 9 hitter. Not only did he contribute two doubles and two runs batted in, but he also scored one run. Who could believe such an outstanding game would come from this 35 year-old, who although having been part of numerous international contests for his home country, also has a remarkable record playing A-ball with both the Yankees and Braves during 2006 to 2010? This truly was a night to go down in history for Panama and Santamaria alike.
Panama had a historic night in the Little League Classic on Sunday, as non-roster invitee Jonathan Araúz stepped up to plate two runs on a bases-loaded single in the sixth and eventually achieve a 10-run victory over Chinese Taipei. After an RBI single by Rubén Tejada, Erasmo Caballero helped to extend Panama’s lead with a two-run single. Despite Taiwanese efforts to bridge the gap with a run in the bottom of the inning, their total score remained at one. Araúz was able to push this even further when he doubled in another run during the seventh. This emphatic triumph is sure to have bolstered national pride in Panama and gained attention for both Araúz and Caballero.
The Chinese Taipei team put up a fight against Panama, in spite of the eventual loss. Nien-Ting Wu’s booming home run kept them from succumbing to a 10-run mercy rule in the seventh inning and provided a breath of relief for the raucous crowd – but unfortunately it was their saving grace that night. Despite losing 13-1, Panama coach Ortiz noted the game wasn’t without its merits for the Chinese Taipei team: “They played well, starting the game,” said Ortiz. “They can play defense. They are aggressive. They make contact.” Ultimately though, in spite of a valiant effort, they fell short against Panama – as Ortiz astutely pointed out; “head to head, we beat them. That’s the bottom line.”
Panama’s pitching was truly sensational, but it was what their defense did that made the biggest impression. Omar Tejada put on a show at shortstop, Jose Caballero pulled off an impressive fence-hugging save down the left field line, and Luis Castillo may have produced the play of the tournament with a spectacular catch in right-center. It takes a watch or two to take in just how remarkable this catch was, as Castillo collided with his teammate while still managing to snag the ball out of midair! Panama’s defense was definitely one of their best assets, and they put their strengths front and center.
Big Papi had just seen a highlight reel catch, and was evidently impressed. It seemed that he had quite a bit of insider knowledge about the player, having scouted them previously. Not only was he presumably familiar with the players skills on the playing field, but it seems he also knew their past positions, too – in this case from centerfield to a corner outfield spot. There’s no doubt that Ortiz had confidence in his team’s abilities across the board, from both pitching and defensively – and after such a great play as seen today, there’s every reason for such confidence as well.
Panama and the Netherlands kick off Pool A competition here on Thursday, with each of the teams in this pool also playing Chinese Taipei, Italy, and Cuba. This first stage of the tournament is a flurry of activity when it comes to international matches. Every team will face up against the other four in this group, with only one tournament winner advancing from the intense round-robin play of Pool A. As for who will take home bragging rights and make it to Tokyo for the quarterfinals, there is no way of knowing now but all eyes are on these five teams to see who will come out on top.
