By Jesús Pérez Vichot (Chuchi)
Jander Santamaría of the team of Isla de la Juventud has four pinch-hit home runs this season. In the history of the Cuban Baseball National Series such a thing had never happened before, and the number can grow as the season goes on. Santamaría came as a pinch hitter against Las Tunas and hit the ball out of the park.
Before that game, he had 42 at bats. He now has five homers, four of them as a pinch hitter.
Javier holds the record for pinch hit round-trippers in a single season, as he was tied with Víctor Muñoz Martínez (Sancti Spíritus) and Norberto Concepción (Camagüey) with three apiece.
This is his sixth season. In the previous four he had hit four homeruns, the same amount he has hit as a pinch hitter this campaign alone. He has five this season, one more than he had hit his entire career coming into this tournament.
By the way, Jander has not always been a pinch hitter. He has also been a regular in his team. Before this National Series, he had a .259 batting average, with four homers and 50 runs batted in in 494 at bats and 243 games played. He is having the best year of his career by far.
