Elian Leyva started for los Leones del Escogido on the LIDOM’s Opening Day on last Wednesday versus the Tigres del Licey and tossed four scoreless innings during the team’s 3-2 walk-off win. The pitcher, who comes over from the Liga ARCO Mexicana de Béisbol has the most games won in that circuit from 2018 to the present day with 29. Leyva was pitcher of the year in Mexico in 2018 when he won the triple crown in that league.
The Cuban also won the LAMP pitcher of the year in 2021, while becoming the first pitcher to win that award and pitch an immaculate inning in the same campaign. The hurler pitched in the LIDOM as a reinforcement for the Gigantes del Cibao in 2022. This summer Leyva pitched in the Liga Mexicana de Béisbol with the Leones de Yucatán going 6-2 with a 3.86 ERA.
The righty pitched in the CPBL during the 2023 season with the Rakuten Monkeys posting a record of 4-3, a 3.88 ERA and 56 strikeouts in 67 ⅓ innings pitched in route to an All-Star selection in the Asian circuit. Leyva looks to exhibit his talents for another league in the the Far East this winter.
The right-hander who was a member of the Cuban National Team in the World Baseball Classic in 2023 also served as a pitching coach for México in the 2024 Serie del Caribe this February in Miami due to an injury. In total 15 Cubans and one Cuban-American will grace the field this year in the LIDOM. Leyva will share the rotation with his countrymen, lefty Ariel Miranda.
Below is an interview between the player and Dominican journalists Alejandra Díaz-Bonilla.
Elián , you’ve returned Dominican winter ball. How do you describe that first outing with the Escogido baseball club?
Well, the truth is that it was quite exciting. Coming to a team with so much history in LIDOM, being managed by a person like Albert Pujols and on top of that telling me that he was going to pitch on Opening Day, that is one of the most beautiful things that one can experience in this sport. That’s what we prepared for and I think the most important thing was that we won the game that day.
You talk about Albert Pujols, a legend not only from the Dominican Republic, but also Latin America and a future member of the Hall of Fame. What does it mean to you not only to have him as a manager, but also to be given advice by him on the field?
It is incredible to have a leader like Albert Pujols and all the experience he has by my side. I think that is a positive, just learning from what he can tell us and contribute with his experience. We have to help a great group in general: the bullpen and also the defense, which we are working on and I think it is something that is going to lead us to our first objective, which is to qualify for the Round Robin.
Cubans have established themselves here in Dominican winter ball, they have been batting champions, also leaders in home runs, etc. So, when we talk about Elian Leyva, what is the goal this season here at LIDOM?
Well, the first thing is to stay healthy. I think that’s the most important thing, and from there I will try to contribute the best I can every time I get on the mound every 4-5 days and give my team the opportunity to win. I always think about that, having a good plan and I know that the team we have will always be ready so that if one as a pitcher gives the opportunity to win, I think we have a good chance of doing so.
Do you have a message for the Escogido fans who hope that this will be the red year? They have now gone more than five seasons without winning and this is one of the tournaments in which their team has started the best in recent times.
Yes, it is clear that the work the front office has done has been very good, incorporating a lot of good players with so much experience. That’s a positive, starting with manager Pujols as we talked about earlier. Tell them to come support us. Even if things go wrong, don’t stop supporting us because in the end we work for the public, for those fans who come to support us. We are going to give everything to qualify and in the end try to obtain a championship, which is what the fans and we want.