Preview: Mexico, Panama hoping to keep Momentum going at WBSC Premier12 2024

On Monday evening at 8pm local time World No. 2 Mexico will take on No. 10 Panama on day three of the opening round in Group A at the WBSC Premier12 2024 presented by RAXUS at Estadio Panamericano Charros de Jalisco in Guadalajara, Mexico.

It has been an eventful start for both teams into the competition. Host Mexico lost its opening game on Saturday following the dazzling opening ceremony 4-8 to Venezuela but rebounded with a 7-5 victory over Puerto Rico on Sunday. Panama blew a 7-2 lead in a heartbreaking 8-9 loss to the Netherlands on the first day, but then held off Venezuela 4-2 to celebrate their first ever win in their WBSC Premier12 debut.

Panama isbatting .254/.307/.552 through the first two games and already has hit fourhome runs in the competition. Edgard Munoz, Carlos Quiros and Jhonny Santoslead the way with three hits apiece. Mexico has a batting line of.257/.350/.414 so far through the small sample size of two games. Alonso Gaitanhas six of the 18 Mexican hits so far.

Teddy
Stankiewicz is taking the mound as starting pitcher for Mexico on Monday. The30-year-old right-hander also was on the roster for Mexico in the baseballtournament of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Between stints in the organisations ofthe Boston Red Sox and Cincinnati Reds, where he each reached Triple-A in theminor leagues, he also played three years in the CPBL in Taiwan, winning thenational championship there in 2020. This season he suited up with the Toros deTijuana in the Mexican League, going 4-2 with an ERA of 3.53 in 11 games (10starts). He struck out 29 and walked 7 in 51 innings pitched.

25-year-oldright-hander Wilfredo Pereira is the starting pitcher for Panama in theirmatchup with Mexico. Signed as an international amateur free agent in 2016 heis currently playing in the farm system of the St. Louis Cardinals. In 2024 hesplit time between High-A and Double-A, going a combined 6-2 with an ERA of5.40 in 30 games (eight starts). He struck out 84 batters and walked 42 in 881/3 innings. In 2014 he played for Panama in the WBSC U-15 Baseball World Cup.

Mexico hassix wins opposed to four losses in the ten games against Panama in WBSCbaseball competitions since 2011. Last year at the Pan American Games Panamawon the game against Mexico 8-2 in the Opening Round, but in the Bronze MedalGame Mexico then prevailed 10-2. For Panama it’s the first ever participationin the WBSC Premier12, while Mexico finished fourth in 2015 and third in 2019.