Livan Moinelo will be taking the mound for Team Cuba as they lock horns with Team Canada in the World Baseball Classic on Wednesday.

Both teams are in Pool A, along with Puerto Rico, Colombia and Panama, and will be playing the first phase of the competition in the Puerto Rican capital, San Juan.

The hosts have already secured qualification to the next round of the tournament, having won three and lost one. Both Cuba and Canada have identical records at the tournament so far, with two wins and one loss.

As a result, Wednesday’s fixture between the two teams becomes pretty much a knockout tie, with the winner clinching the pool’s second qualification spot.

The responsibility of helping Cuba qualify for the next round of the tournament rests on their ace, Livan Moinelo’s shoulders.

Moinelo first moved out of Cuba to play baseball in Japan in 2017, with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks signing him as a developmental player. He was handed his NPB debut later the same year.

In the years since, Moinelo has enjoyed tremendous success, earning himself two NPB All-Star awards, and a Pacific League MVP award, among several other notable individual honors. The southpaw has also won the Japan Series five times.

Livan Moinelo entered the World Baseball Classic off a superb 2025 NPB season

Since he made his NPB debut, Livan Moinelo’s reputation as a pithcer has steadily been growing. The Cuban ace lived up to his credentials in 2025, leading the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks to a Japan Series championship.

Moinelo was at his dominant best, posting a 12-3 record, with a 1.46 ERA in 24 starts. For his troubles, he was named the MVP of the Pacific League.

Cuban fans will be hoping Moinelo brings his stellar NPB form into Wednesday’s all-important game for his country.