Siempre que segu\u00c3\u00ada los torneos de b\u00c3\u00a9isbol amateur a comienzos de los a\u00c3\u00b1os setenta terminaba con el mismo sabor c\u00c3\u00a1ustico en la boca, la representaci\u00c3\u00b3n cubana se llevaba todos los honores, por lo general derrotando a la novena venezolana en las instancias culminantes. Mientras me preguntaba si alguna vez Venezuela hab\u00c3\u00ada vencido a Cuba adem\u00c3\u00a1s de los famosos campeonatos mundiales de los a\u00c3\u00b1os cuarenta, se me acerc\u00c3\u00b3 El\u00c3\u00adas a un lado de las brasas de la parrilla que ten\u00c3\u00adamos en la playa. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Venezuela le gan\u00c3\u00b3 a Cuba un Campeonato Mundial Juvenil que se realiz\u00c3\u00b3 en Caracas en 1960. Por cierto un pitcher cuman\u00c3\u00a9s llamado Nicol\u00c3\u00a1s Jaimes blanque\u00c3\u00b3 a los cubanos en un juego\u00e2\u20ac\u009d.<\/p>\n
\u00c2\u00a0Hasta que Venezuela venci\u00c3\u00b3 a Cuba en el Campeonato Mundial Juvenil de 1977 en Argentina, aquel cuento de El\u00c3\u00adas me pareci\u00c3\u00b3 una f\u00c3\u00a1bula. A partir de ese momento empec\u00c3\u00a9 a buscar informaci\u00c3\u00b3n del suceso hasta que lo ubiqu\u00c3\u00a9 en los microfilms de la Hemeroteca Nacional. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Nicol\u00c3\u00a1s Jaimes record\u00c3\u00b3 la haza\u00c3\u00b1a del 41 al blanquear ayer 2-0 a Cuba\u00e2\u20ac\u009d, era el encabezado de la rese\u00c3\u00b1a de El Nacional el 01 de agosto de 1960.\u00c2\u00a0 En el primer episodio, Renold Garc\u00c3\u00ada se ponch\u00c3\u00b3 con tres lanzamientos enrevesados de Jaimes. Valdes se embas\u00c3\u00b3 por error del inicialista \u00c3\u0081ngel Rosillo. Arcia se aprovech\u00c3\u00b3 de otro pecado del torpedero Rigoberto Mora. Entonces Jaimes dio muestras de entereza al ponchar al cuarto bate \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Tamak\u00c3\u00ban\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Mart\u00c3\u00adnez y a \u00c3\u0081ngel Su\u00c3\u00a1rez-<\/p>\n
\u00c2\u00a0En el cierre del primer inning Rigoberto Mora se embas\u00c3\u00b3 por error del camarero Casares. Pedro Ferino ponch\u00c3\u00b3 a Orlando Herrera. Rosillo tambi\u00c3\u00a9n se embas\u00c3\u00b3 por otro error del antesalista Mart\u00c3\u00adnez. Debido a que Mora hab\u00c3\u00ada estafado la intermedia, lleg\u00c3\u00b3 a la antesala con esta jugada. Desde all\u00c3\u00ad anot\u00c3\u00b3 con elevado de sacrificio de Jes\u00c3\u00bas Quilarque.<\/p>\n
\u00c2\u00a0Jaimes concedi\u00c3\u00b3 boletos a Rangel y Fern\u00c3\u00a1ndez para iniciar el segundo episodio. Davis la rod\u00c3\u00b3 cerca del box y el catcher Romero hizo el out en tercera. Ferino sorbi\u00c3\u00b3 ponche y Renold Garc\u00c3\u00ada forz\u00c3\u00b3 a Davis en segunda con rodado a las paradas cortas.<\/p>\n
\u00c2\u00a0Aquella capacidad de concentraci\u00c3\u00b3n para solventar situaciones dif\u00c3\u00adciles hac\u00c3\u00ada dudar a los aficionados sobre si Jaimes ser\u00c3\u00ada capaz de mantener a raya a los cubanos hasta el final del juego. M\u00c3\u00a1s que todo porque era un juvenil y quiz\u00c3\u00a1s le faltaba demostrar que pod\u00c3\u00ada mantener ese nivel de juego.<\/p>\n
\u00c2\u00a0La segunda carrera venezolana lleg\u00c3\u00b3 en el quinto inning. Pablo Lunar conect\u00c3\u00b3 sencillo a la derecha. Jaimes solt\u00c3\u00b3 otro imparable por la misma banda. Lunar lleg\u00c3\u00b3 a la antesala. Orlando Herrera lo remolc\u00c3\u00b3 con metrallazo al centro.<\/p>\n
\u00c2\u00a0Desde el tercer episodio Jaimes apret\u00c3\u00b3 el brazo hasta el octavo, cuando hubo algunas fallas defensiva pero finalmente el cuadro interior logr\u00c3\u00b3 respaldar a pitcher para completar otro cero.<\/p>\n
\u00c2\u00a0 El noveno episodio lo abri\u00c3\u00b3 \u00c3\u0081ngel Suarez con imparable. Rangel bate\u00c3\u00b3 un roletazo cargado hacia la segunda base que filde\u00c3\u00b3 en gran forma el camarero suplente Remigio Hermoso para iniciar un impresionante doble play.<\/p>\n
\u00c2\u00a0Jaimes permiti\u00c3\u00b3 el primer hit en el quinto episodio ante Renold Garc\u00c3\u00ada. El segundo se lo dio Rolando Amaro, en el octavo, emergiendo por el lanzador Pedro Ferino. Y Su\u00c3\u00a1rez conect\u00c3\u00b3 el otro en el noveno. Ponch\u00c3\u00b3 10 contrarios incluidos 3 al cuarto bate Tamak\u00c3\u00ban Mart\u00c3\u00adnez.<\/p>\n
\u00c2\u00a0La magia del momento fue alterada por el empleado de la Hemeroteca que me indic\u00c3\u00b3 que en cinco minutos iban a cerrar. Me apresur\u00c3\u00a9 a sacar copia de la rese\u00c3\u00b1a. Cuando la m\u00c3\u00a1quinas dispensaba las p\u00c3\u00a1ginas con la tinta reci\u00c3\u00a9n impresa, la sonrisa de El\u00c3\u00adas creci\u00c3\u00b3 en mi recuerdo. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Fue un tremendo trabajo de pitcheo que se mand\u00c3\u00b3 Nicol\u00c3\u00a1s Jaimes ese d\u00c3\u00ada\u00e2\u20ac\u009d.<\/p>\n
English translation<\/p>\n
Each time I followed the amateur baseball championships at the beginning of the seventies I finished with the same bitter taste in my tongue. The cuban team took the title almost always. In many final games Cuba defeated Venezuela. While I asked myself if Venezuela had beat Cuba besides the famous World Championships of the forties, uncle El\u00c3\u00adas approached me around a barbecue at the beach. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Venezuela defeated Cuban in a Juvenile Championship that took place at Caracas in 1960. By the way, a pitcher from Cuman\u00c3\u00a1, called Nicol\u00c3\u00a1s Jaimes shutout the Cubans in a game\u00e2\u20ac\u009d.<\/p>\n
\u00c2\u00a0Until Venezuela defeated Cuba in the World Juvenile Championship of 1977 in Argentina, that tale of El\u00c3\u00adas seemed me like a fable. From that moment I started a research on that game until I found it in the microfilm of the National Library. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Nicol\u00c3\u00a1s Jaimes recalled the great victory of 1941 by hurling a 2-0 shutout yesterday before Cuba.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d. It was the outline of the sports section of El Nacional on August 1st, 1960. <\/p>\n
\u00c2\u00a0In the first frame Renold Garc\u00c3\u00ada got struckout with only threes deliveries of Jaimes. Vald\u00c3\u00a9s arrived to first base because of a \u00c3\u0081ngel Rosillo\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s error. Arcia also got on base due to another error of the short stop Rigoberto Mora. Then Jaimes struckout the cleanup hitter \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Tamak\u00c3\u00ban\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Mart\u00c3\u00adnez and \u00c3\u0081ngel Su\u00c3\u00a1rez.<\/p>\n
\u00c2\u00a0In the bottom of the first frame, Rigoberto Mora got on base due to an error of the second baseman Casares. Pedro Ferino struckout Orlando Herrera. Rosillo also arrived to first base because of another error of the third baseman Mart\u00c3\u00adnez. Mora had stolen second base in a previous play. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s why he arrived to third base with Rosillo\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s grounder. Mora score on Jes\u00c3\u00bas Quilarque\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s sacrifice fly.<\/p>\n
\u00c2\u00a0Jaimes walked Rangel and Fernandez to start the second inning. Davis hit a grounder in front of the mound and the catcher Romero gunned Rangel out at third base. Ferino got struckout and Renold Garc\u00c3\u00ada forced Davis out at second base with a grounder to short stop.<\/p>\n
\u00c2\u00a0That ability of isolation to solve difficult situations made hesitate the fans about if Jaimes could be able to dominate the cubans until the end of the game. Most of all because Jaimes was a young pitcher and maybe he had still to show he could keep that kind of performance.<\/p>\n
\u00c2\u00a0The venezuelan team scored again in the fifth inning. Pablo Lunar batted a base hit to right field. Jaimes hit another single to the same place. Lunar arrived to third base from where he scored with Orlando Herrera\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s single to center field. <\/p>\n
\u00c2\u00a0Jaimes copped the scene from the third until the eighth inning, when some defensive failures gave him some trouble but at the end the infielders supported him to complete another scoreless frame.<\/p>\n
\u00c2\u00a0\u00c3\u0081ngel Su\u00c3\u00a1rez led off the ninth inning with a single. Rangel hit a grounder close to the second base sack that Remigio Hermoso caught to start an impressing doubleplay.<\/p>\n
\u00c2\u00a0Jaimes allowed the first hit against Renold Garc\u00c3\u00ada in the fifth inning. The second one was hit by Rolando Amaro in the eighth, pinch hitting for Pedro Ferino. And Su\u00c3\u00a1rez hit the last one in the ninth. Jaimes struckout 10 batters including three times to the cleanup hitter \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Tamak\u00c3\u00ban\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Mart\u00c3\u00adnez.<\/p>\n
The library employee told me it was 5 minutes to close, so that was it for such special moment. I hurried to ask for a copy of the article. When I had the copy in my hands with the ink still fresh on the paper, El\u00c3\u00adas\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 smile got bigger in my mind. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153It was a great job that Nicol\u00c3\u00a1s Jaimes performed that day.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
\u00c2\u00a0Alfonso L. Tusa C.<\/p>\n
Alfonso is a writer whose work has been featured in Venezuela\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s daily newspaper, El Nacional and in the magazine Gente en Ambiente, and he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s collaborated on several articles for newspapers, including the daily paper Tal Cual. He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s also written three books and biographies for SABR\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s BioProject.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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