The Yucatan Lions breathe; they get out of the hole and win

The Yucatán Lions' pre-formatted chip tells them to "win today." What others do must be followed, of course, but if they don't succeed, it's of little use.

And in the first of a series that could define their future, last night against the Águila de Veracruz, they came out swinging. Did they struggle? Oh, they did. But they won 3-2 in a rain-soaked duel with solid pitching at Kukulcán Park.

César Valdez pitched five innings, allowing three hits and one run. It was thought he might last longer, as he only threw 67 pitches, but rookie manager Eliézer Alfonzo pulled him.

The relief sent everyone into a tizzy, and after miraculously escaping a packed bases in the seventh and another threat in the eighth, Jake Sánchez made his debut as a lion and, with a runner on second, ended the game, also with a Jesus in his mouth.

Yucatán hit poorly against a solid pitching like the one presented by the Águila. But at least they scored the necessary runs to win. One was scored on an error by Norberto Obeso in the first inning; another on an RBI single by Yangervis Solarte; and the final difference-maker was Yadir Drake, considered the "MVP" of the season, with his 20th home run of the year, leaving the score at 3-1. Solarte's energy, and especially that of the "Black Panther," should be crucial for the remaining eight games, especially when batting is not at the right time, as it was yesterday.

The rest was just praying and praying. And after winning, thinking about how they need another win on Wednesday and in the nights that follow. There's no other option.