Ariel Martínez hit a double and 3 singles in five at-bats, scored twice and drove in two runs to contribute to the Nippon Ham Fighters 9-0 shutout of the Orix Buffaloes at Es Con Field in Hokkaido.
The first baseman from Matanzas,Cuba who has now 4 games with at least two hits on the season and raised his average to .253, while his RBI total is 11. After a slow start the 2023 All-Star’s bat has started to wakeup.
At the Pay Pay Dome in Fukuoka, Cuban Liván Moinelo also had no decision after allowing one run, 3 hits and fanning five in seven complete innings in SoftBank’s 2-1 victory over the Seibu Lions. His ERA improved to 1.64. It is now safe to say that the switch over to starter from reliever is no longer an experiment and a success.
Así fueron los 4 imparables y las 2 empujadas de 🇨🇺Ariel Martínez de hoy (27/04/2024) en la #npb https://t.co/oDUAQR61NF
— Béisbol Japonés.com (@beisboljapones) April 27, 2024
Cuban action on the day:
NPB:
Ariel Martínez (NH) 5-4,2B,2RBI,2R
Liván Moinelo (SB) 7.0IP,3H,ER
Carlos Moiner (CD) 0-0,BB**
Christian Rodríguez (CD) 4-1**
Dayán Viciedo (CD) 2-1,2BB**
KBO:
Guillermo Heredia (SSG) 4-0
CPBL:
No Cuban action on the day
** Minor leagues