When Cuba needed them the most, Yoán Moncada and Luis Robert Jr. stepped up to help save their country that was on the brink of elimination playing in their third game of pool play in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

The scene inside the Cuban dugout was eerily similar to the 2022 White Sox, as Panama erased a 2-0 deficit and took a 4-2 lead in the second inning after a Moncada throwing error sparked a four-run rally. Cuba was making atrocious base-running mistakes that also included Moncada being tagged out between home and third base, when he was stuck in between on a ground ball hit to third baseman.

Cuba entered its game against Panama having already lost to the Netherlands and Italy. Only the top two teams in each group advance to the next round of the World Baseball Classic and a loss against Panama would have put Cuba on the brink of elimination, making it nearly impossible to advance at 0-3 heading into the last game in pool play.

But the two MLB stars coming from the White Sox stepped up for Cuba and it really did seem like all the pressure building on Robert, Moncada and the entire Cuban team disappeared during a four-run, sixth inning that put Cuba ahead of Panama 6-4.

Moncada came up to the plate with two outs and runners at the corners with the game tied at four. He delivered the go-ahead hit, ripping a single to right field that put Cuba up 5-4.

Robert followed up with an RBI-single of his own, his second hit of the game, that extended Cuba’s lead to 6-4 and they never looked back, Cuba beat Panama 13-4, after scoring five runs total in the first two games combined.

Moncada was hitless against the Netherlands and Italy, but he was Cuba’s top performer against Panama. He added a two-run single in the seventh and drew a bases-loaded walk in the eighth. The White Sox third baseman finished the game 3-for-5, with a double, a walk and four RBI. Robert went 2-for-6, with two runs batted in.

That was huge for obviously Cuba to keep its hopes alive in the tournament, but also for Moncada and Robert. I can’t even imagine how much pressure they were feeling in the first couple of games. This is the first time Cuba has allowed MLB players who defected to come back and represent them in international competitions.

Moncada and Robert were at the center of the heaviest criticism for Cuba after their first two losses.

Here are the current standings in Pool A of the World Baseball Classic.

Cuba’s final game in pool play will come against Chinese Taipei that will begin at 10 p.m. CST on Saturday.

We talked about the World Baseball Classic, how much fans should worry or not worry about guys looking bad in March and other spring training storylines in this week’s Pinwheels And Ivy Podcast.

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