Ariel Martinez led Cuba with two hits, going 2-for-4 with a pair of singles. Starting pitcher Livan Moinelo earned the win after tossing 3.2 shutout innings, giving up just two hits and two walks with four strikeouts.
Panama's bullpen would combine for six no-hit innings with six strikeouts and only one walk, but it wasn't enough as the bats couldn't rally.
Cuba's next game will be against Colombia on March 8th at 12:00 p.m. Eastern time. Meanwhile, Panama will be facing Canada later on the same day at 7:00 p.m. Eastern time.
Recap with highlights
After a scoreless first inning from both teams, Yoelkis Guilbert got things started with Cuba's first home run of the 2026 WBC to put his squad up 1-0 in the second.
Guilbert would finish the game going 1-for-3 at the plate with home run, one RBI, and one run.
Cuba's Yoan Moncada showed out in the team's first game of the tournament. His first highlight came from a fantastic player on a blooper down the third baseline. He launched one over to get Leonardo Bernal out at first.
Moncada is one of the bigger names on the Cuba roster and will be entering his 11th MLB season this year as a member of the Los Angeles Angels (his second year with the team).
But Moncada wasn't done with the highlights...
Then, just an inning later, Cuba would extend their lead to 3-0 when Moncada launched the game's second home run off Panama pitcher L.T. Allen.
It was Moncada's first home run off a left-handed pitcher since 2023. He finished the game going 1-for-3 at the plate with one home run, two RBI, one run, one walk, and one strikeout.
After the fourth inning, Panama wouldn't see their first base runner until Bernal go on with a single. He accounted for two of the team's five total hits throughout the entire game. Had it not been for Moncada throwing him out at first on a great play, Bernal would've been the only player from both teams to record three hits.
He reached second on a passed ball with no outs then advanced to third on groundout from Leo Jimenez.
Panama would finally get on the board after Johan Camarngo drove home Bernal with an RBI single to left field. But it wouldn't matter in the end, despite Panama retiring Cuba's final 13 batters of the game.
Cuba comes away 1-0, Panama 0-1, after both team's first game of the 2026 World Baseball Classic.