Havana, Nov. 13 – Cuban pitcher Liván Moinelo, of the SoftBank Howks, won this Tuesday the first Gold Glove of his career in the Japanese Professional Baseball League, after being recognized as the best defender of his position in the Pacific area.
In the election carried out by Japanese sports journalists, the fast man from Pinar del Río obtained 76 votes. He surpassed Lotte Marines left-hander Kazuma Ojima and Nippon Ham Fighters right-hander Hiromi Ito by one point, who came third with 54.
Moinelo thus becomes the first Latin to earn such distinction in the difficult Pacific League. His compatriot from Villacazedo, Dayán Viciedo, has already obtained him as first base in the Central League, for the 2021 season.
Moinelo combines this defensive reward with his spectacular performance on the mound, as he was the most efficient on his circuit in the qualifying phase with an average of 1.88 pure runs per game.
Used during the first season as a starter for SoftBank, he finished fourth in wins (11) and empty matches (155 out of 163).
He is now part of the Cuban team that will start this Wednesday in Group B of the Premier 12 Tournament based in Taipei, and as decided by mentor Armando Johnson will open on Thursday against South Korea. (Text: Jose Luis López Sado) (Photo: Yuhki Ohboshi)
