The Puerto Rico U-18 National Team’s fifth-place finish at the 2025 U-18 World Baseball Cup in Okinawa, Japan matched the 2023 team’s performance at the same tournament.
The Puerto Rico U-18 National Team finished in fifth place at the 2025 U-18 World Baseball Cup, losing 7-0 to the United States on Saturday at Okinawa Cellular Stadium in Japan.
“Our hopes for a medal were dashed when we lost to Taiwan [on Friday],” Team Puerto Rico manager Eddie González said in a written statement. “In the game against the United States, we came to finish what we came to do, and the boys finished well. I believe we had a great tournament.”
“The offense didn’t flow as we expected, but I take my hat off to the pitching. They did an exceptional job,” he added. “Now it’s time to evaluate what went wrong and what was done well, so we can start planning for the next event.”
With the result, Puerto Rico matched its finish at the 2023 World Cup. The 2025 team closed the tournament with an overall record of 4-4.
Against the United States, the Puerto Rican bats managed just two hits off pitchers Matthew Sharman and Cole Koeniger, who combined to post seven scoreless innings.
Team Puerto Rico racked up 16 consecutive scoreless innings in its final two games in the tournament’s super round.
The United States took control from the first inning, with a single by Andrew Costello that drove in Aiden Ruiz. In the second inning, a single by Coleman Birthwick brought in the second run, and in the fifth, a five-run rally completed the scoring.
Starting pitcher Joniel Cuadrado took the loss after allowing the first two runs in three innings.
On Friday, Puerto Rico lost 1-0 to Taiwan in a game controlled from the mound.
Seven innings weren’t enough to decide the game, which extended into the ninth, when Kai-Qi Li singled to center field to drive in Shu-Cheng Hsu.
Puerto Rico got brilliant pitching from Richard de Jesús and Joniel Miranda. De Jesús pitched seven innings, allowing just one hit — in the sixth inning — striking out four and issuing just one walk. Miranda completed the relief appearance, and the only run he allowed was unearned, due to the tiebreaker rule.
For Taiwan, pitchers Shih-Chan Chen and Chien-Fan Lai combined to silence the Puerto Rican offense, striking out eight and allowing just two hits, by Javeth Carrión and Emanuel Hernández.
For the tournament, Puerto Rico posted wins against Italy, South Africa, Cuba and Panama, and suffered losses to Korea, Japan, Taiwan and the United States.
AloJapan.com