The superstar of the Japanese Professional Baseball League (NPB) and former player of the Premier12 WBSC, Livan Moinelo, visited its Cuban national compatriots before the Thursday match of the U-18 WBSC 2025 Baseball World Cup.
“It is not very common to see young Cuban players competing in Japan,” said Moinelo. “So I simply wanted to come and support them with all my heart.”
Moinelo, who represented Cuba in the first Premier12 WBSC, the 2015 Pan American Games and the 2017 World Baseball Classic donated equipment and material to the U-18 Cuban national team.
“The situation in Cuba is difficult, and it is not just the baseball team,” he said. “Many things are missing. I wanted to help in everything I could.”
“I asked my Fukuoka Softbank Hawks to their cooperation, I gathered the equipment and sent it,” he added. “I am also grateful to my teammates who donated the team.”
Born in 1995, Moinelo is in his ninth season with the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks. It has helped them get four consecutive titles of the Japan series (2017-2020). He has won a prize for the best relay pitcher of the Pacific League, a gold glove and participated in the 2022 star game.
The left -hander has launched from the Bullpen from 2017 to 2023, accumulating 135 withholdings and 40 rescues in 306 games. It has consolidated as a starter in 2024, with a record of 11-5 and an effectiveness of 1.88, the best of the Pacific League.
He has launched in 22 games during the 2025 season, with a record of 10-3 and three complete games. It has allowed 106 hits and 40 bases per ball in 155 inputs, with 162 strikeouts.
