Baseball, Liberatore, a killer home run in the 9th minute gives the 1-0 to Bologna

The baseball championship finals in the best of 7 games open under the banner of Ernesto Liberatore, the Bologna catcher who has been waiting for the tricolor moment for 3 years. Lele Frignani’s team reverses the fate of the match from 1-2 in the 7th to 3-2 in the 9th inning, the second overtime, against the outgoing two-champions of San Marino after a well-conducted match on the mound (5-3 hits in favor of the Bolognese), a bit closed but with 2 home runs, intense, interesting and uncertain in the different situations as a game that has the title up for grabs should be.

Continuous chills

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Doriano Bindi’s San Marino recriminates with itself, Bologna needed to start off with the right attitude and win game-1 of the series which, in the event of a play-off, will be able to play at home against the most powerful team in the championship. San Marino unlocks the result immediately: it’s the long single hit in the center by first baseman Dudley Leonora that produces the 1-0 by De Jesus. But in the 2nd inning, on a wild pitch to cause the run of Sanuele Gamberini. On the 3rd he hits the first home run of the series: it is scored on the left by the right fielder Nathanael Batista, already author of a double, for the encore advantage of the outgoing tricolors. There is work for pitchers with two already hot line ups. In the fourth inning, manager Doriano Bindi sends starter Dimitrios Kourtis off the mound (2 hits, 4 bases and 5 strikeouts in his roster) and Nelson Hernandez Silva takes his place, managing the bases loaded with one out. Bologna presses but misses a great opportunity. Not even San Marino finds other opportunities to increase thanks to the excellent work of Christopher Molina. It’s a quick match, which Rivero closes on the mountain without damage for Bologna, who need a jolt in the last round. Agretti wins a free base, Liberatore’s bunt advances him to second base, Bertossi also goes on base but with 2 outs, the rebounder in center of second base Paolini is worth the 2-2 by pinch-runner Dreni while the runner reaches the edge and the var confirms the action, until the end of the inning for Helder’s fly.

In the queue

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The match in the eighth. The defending champions waste the full bases on the excellent work of the defense and the experienced Rivero. The balance continues also in the ninth. Until Ernesto Liberatore’s walk-off home run, which sends the Baez curve to the left. “I didn’t think about anything, I had faith, and I said this is my chance.” It is the 3-2 that is worth the 1-0 in the tricolor series. Monday evening we start again at 20.30 always at the Falchi.

50th anniversary of the Italian victory over the USA

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The 50th anniversary of Italy’s victory over the United States of America was celebrated in Parma: it was 5 September 1973 – The protagonists of that first time were there: Vic Luciani, Giorgio Costantini, Alberto “Toro” Rinaldi, Sal Varriale, Dario Bazzarini, Paolo Re, Angelo Argentieri, Claudio Cattani, Luigi Ugolotti, Claudio Di Raffaele. Organized by “Il Bar del Baseball” of Nettuno and the “Figurine Forever” Association of Bologna, it was the occasion for an amarcord between emotions and memories, testimonials and photos projected on the screen. Massimo Fochi, player and manager of Parma, recalled how, thanks to the feats of those champions, his love for baseball was born and how he tried to emulate the gestures of those great champions. Enzo Di Gesù, author of the “Enciclopedia del Baseball”, summed up the initiative as follows: “After the Museum, a nice party to remember and reward the protagonists of the first Italian victory. An initiative that President Beneck would certainly have liked. Thank you for continuing to preserve the wonderful heritage represented by the players who have written our diamond history. Our champions. An otherwise neglected and neglected resource”. The very young boys present had the players who won that match sign the baseballs. Surprise guest Alex Liddi who attended the ceremony and intervened to remember that, thanks to those champions, the love for baseball was born in Italy and still exists today.