Final result
Venezuela won this game 6–5. It was the first of two one-run defeats that ended Cuba’s hopes of reaching Tokyo.
This post was published live, before the game was played. The video feed it carried is no longer available; the original text is kept below.
Tune in live for America’s Olympic Qualifier Cuba vs Venezuela Live 05/31/2021 1pm. This is game one of Pool B as 8 squads attempt to qualify for Tokyo and the Olympics.
What happened
Cuba opened the WBSC Baseball Americas Olympic Qualifier against Venezuela in West Palm Beach on 31 May 2021 and lost 6–5. The following night, at Clover Park in Port St. Lucie, they lost by the same score to Canada, coming back from four down to bring the tying run to the plate in the ninth before John Axford struck out the last batter.
Cuba beat Colombia 16–3 on 2 June, but 1–2 in Group B was not enough. They finished the opening round eliminated — the first time Cuba had failed to qualify for an Olympic baseball tournament they entered, having taken gold in 1992, 1996 and 2004 and silver in 2000 and 2008.
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