Ariel Martínez swatted two hits in four at-bats, scored twice and drove in a run to contribute to the Nippon Ham Fighters 6-1 win over the SoftBank Falcons. The native of Matanzas, Cuba knocked in his third run in three games and his average to .260 , while also augmenting his total RBIs to 62 on the season.
Dayán Viciedo went hitless in three trips to the plate and drew a walk to decrease his average to .246 on the campaign in the Chunichi Dragons’ 3-0 loss to the Hiroshima Carps. The slugger from Villa Clara, Cuba had been hot as of late after his most disappointing start to a season during his time in the NPB.
Resumen del juego SoftBank vs Nippon Ham de hoy (17/09/2023) en la #npb. Incluye:
– Sencillo, empujada y 2 anotadas de 🇨🇺Ariel Martínez
👇👇👇👇👇https://t.co/MCal2nkJsN— Béisbol Japonés.com (@beisboljapones) September 17, 2023
In what might be Viciedo’s last season with Chunichi does not mean the squad will have a lack of Cuban talent in its farm system for next season. The Dragons still have premier closer Raidel Martínez with the big club, while Pedro Revilla, Guillermo García and Frank Abel Álvarez are in the team’s farm system. Joining them next year could be Carlos Monier and Christian Leandro Rodríguez who were recently inked by the club.
In Korea Guillermo Heredia went 1-for-9 in with a run scored in SSG’s 8-3,9-5 doubleheader loss to the LG Twins. The outfielder saw his average fall to .329 on the season leaving fourth in the KBO in that statistical category. The versatile Heredia is also slashing .387/.473/.860 to go along with 11 homers, 68 runs batted in and 10 stolen bases on the campaign.