Trea Turner of the United States hitting a home run with three on base during the eighth inning of the game against Venezuela.

Photo: AP.

In less than 24 hours, the novel that all sports events are always writing, and the V World Baseball Classic is no exception, will enter its penultimate chapter.

And as if he did not want to leave the resolution of all the plots for the closing of March 21, a desired candy rich in rivalry can be tasted this Sunday from 7 pm: Cuba vs.

USA.

Until well into the night of this Saturday we did not meet the adversary of our team, coming out of the quarterfinal match between Venezuela and the northerners, who decided in the eighth chapter for a Grand Slam by Trea Turner, which put the score 9-7 without being able to overcome the morochos.

That is the magic of the ball.

That no one is sure of victory until the last swing or pitch.

The Venezuelans played perhaps the best Clásico since 2006, undefeated in the initial round with an overwhelming demonstration, but it was not enough to win the good game.

And they left the soap opera most cherished by many open.

You don't have to look for statistics for the significance of this challenge.

They invented balls and strikes, the Guillot brothers did not bring them from there.

They have the best league in the world (Major League Baseball, we have our Nations Series, where some of our players are in that contest and are recognized for their talent and quality.

Since I was little I longed for these sports fights between Cuba and the United States.

I would sit in the living room of the house and my uncles would set up the hot corner.

Lourdes Gurriel's home run in Parma 1988, the division of honors with the Baltimore Orioles, the friendly matches with USA Baseball are memories that will come back to many now, hopeful that we can stand up and make LoanDepot Park explode with happiness. Miami and all of Cuba with a victory.

It is true that Armando Johnson's troops come out with the highest percentage of doubts to advance to the final, but they have to go out and eat "the lion" with the force that made them get up from the two initial setbacks.

Roenis Elías has been announced to go up to the box, at least up to 85 pitches, but then, if necessary, all of our bullpen will parade, rested and aware that in them and in the woods of Roel, Moncada, Luis Robert, Despaigne, Arruebaruena , Guibert, Dreke, Ariel and Mujica we can continue changing the forecasts.

It is no longer worth comparing one or more statistics, nor is it worth going back to the thesis of sports intelligence, much less referring to pressure (which there will be for both teams).

There will be 27 outs and nine innings to surrender without intimidation, bat with the same ease as their opponents and throw with the precision of a painter who ends his painting by writing: Cuba could, although the archipelago sank another centimeter, from jumping in unison! what they gave, we all gave!