Yurisbel Gracial

Yurisbel Gracial Garcia (born 14 October 1985) is a Cuban baseball player. He plays for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Gracial and the second or maternal family name is Garcia.
Yurisbel Gracial
Gracial with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks
Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks – No. 27
Third baseman
Born: (1985-10-14) 14 October 1985
Guantánamo, Cuba
Bats: Right Throws: Right
NPB debut
April 19, 2018, for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks
CNS statistics
(through 2018 season)
Batting average.310
Home runs82
RBI404
Hits688
Stolen base110
NPB statistics
(through 2020 season)
Batting average.300
Home runs47
RBI133
Hits244
Stolen base7
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Career

Matanzas

Gracial served in the Cuban military before playing for Matanzas in the Cuban National Series.[1] In 2016, Gracial played for the Québec Capitales of the Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball.[2] He signed back with the club in 2017, and was released prior to the 2018 season.

Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks

In 2018, Gracial signed with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of Nippon Professional Baseball's Pacific League.[3] In 2018 season, he finished the regular season in 54 games with a batting average of .292, a 9 home runs, and a RBI of 30. And he participated in the 2018 Japan Series.

Gracial re-signed with the Hawks for the 2019 season.[4] He batted 6-for-16 (.375) with three home runs and six RBIs in the 2019 Japan Series and won the Japan Series Most Valuable Player Award.[5] Gracial finished the regular season in 103 games with a batting average of .319, a 28 home runs, and a RBI of 68.

On January 22, 2020, Gracial signed a new two-year contract with Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks.[6] However, due to the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic, he was unable to leave Cuba and was able to come to Japan on July 19.[7] In 2020 season, Gracial finished the regular season in 69 games with a batting average of .277, 10 home runs and a RBI of 35. In the 2020 Japan Series against the Yomiuri Giants, Gracial contributed to the team's fourth consecutive Japan Series champion with two hits in Game 1, a home run in Game 2, and an RBI hit in Game 3.[8][9]

International career

In 2017, Gracial was elected to the Cuba national baseball team at the 2017 World Baseball Classic.[10]

In 2019, Gracial was elected to the Cuba national baseball team at the 2019 WBSC Premier12.[11]

References
  1. por Jorge Ebro jebro@elnuevoherald.com. "Cubano Yurisbel Gracial: de las fuerzas armadas a la pelota profesional". El Nuevo Herald. Retrieved May 29, 2018.
  2. Le trio cubain des Capitales enfin dévoilé | Carl Tardif | Capitales
  3. "Halcones de Softbank pagarán 511 mil dólares por un año a Yurisbel Gracial" (in Spanish). Martinoticias.com. Retrieved May 29, 2018.
  4. "Yurisbel Gracial y Ariel Martínez regresan a la liga profesional japonesa tras renovar contratos" (in Spanish). cubadebate.cu. January 18, 2019. Retrieved January 18, 2019.
  5. Coskrey, Jason. "Hawks sweep Giants to win third straight Japan Series". The Japan Times. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
  6. "Nikkan Sports baseball news (Japanese) ソフトバンクがデスパイネとグラシアルと契約更新". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). January 23, 2020. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
  7. "full-count.jp Baseball news (Japanese) 鷹、デスパイネとグラシアルの来日を発表　出入国時のPCR検査は共に陰性". full-count.jp (in Japanese). July 20, 2020. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
  8. "Nikkan Sports baseball news (Japanese) 「日本シリーズ男」ソフトバンク・グラシアルが1号". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). November 22, 2020. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
  9. "Nikkan Sports baseball news (Japanese) グラシアルが引導渡す適時打「とても大きい追加点」". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). November 24, 2020. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
  10. "Puerto Rico wins clash with Dominicans at World Baseball Classic". USA Today. March 15, 2017. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
  11. "full-count.jp baseball news (Japanese) 【プレミア12】キューバ初戦スタメン発表　グラシアル、デスパイネ、セペダのクリーンアップ". full-count.jp (in Japanese). November 6, 2019. Retrieved December 14, 2020.


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