Photo credit: @PostSumo15
Sports Radio Service is the Only Bay Area Outlet covering the Caribbean Series.
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: 4 | 7 | 0
PUERTO RICO: 9 | 9 | 2
By Lewis Rubman
February 9, 2018
Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico — History repeated itself Thursday night in Charros Stadium. Puerto Rico’s Criollos de Caguas won their second consecutive Caribbean Series championship, and they managed to pull if off by overcoming a seemingly insurmountable deficit in the seventh inning for the second time in two days.
The Dominican Republic’s representative, the Aguilas Cibaeñas, were’t the only obstacle to Puerto Rico’s stunning victory. A strong rain began to pelt the ballpark in Zapopan about two hours before the scheduled game time of 8:00 pm, causing fear that the contest might be cancelled, but resulting in a only a half an hour’s delay before the first pitch was thrown.
That pitch was thrown by Criollos right hander, Adalberto Flores, Puerto Rico’s starting pitcher in their victory over Mexico on the Series opening night of February 2. That pitch resulted in a third to first ground out by the Dominicans’ second baseman, Abiatal Avelino. Flores then got two quick strikes on second baseman Gustavo Núñez’s, and that’s when things started to go south on the Criollos. Flores walked Núñez, who stole second, and Junior Lake. A strike out of Edwin Espinal almost got Flores out of the jam, but DH Juan Carlos Pérez smacked a double to right center field that put the team from the Cibao up by two before the Puerto Ricans had had a chance at bat. When Lake doubled Núñez home from first in two innings later, the score stood at 3-0.
Rusney Castillo’s round tripper to left center with two outs in bottom of the third cut the Dominican lead to two runs.
Joe Colón replaced a clearly under performing Flores at the beginning of the fourth. At first, he looked effective, but his own lack of control and the poor play of his infield made a bad situation worse. After Ronny Rodríguez grounded out, Carlos Paulino walked and advanced to second on a wild pitch. The usually sure handed Irving Falú bobbled Héctor Gómez’s grounder to second, and Yefri Pérez, up next, benefited from third baseman David Vidal´s inability to handle his hard hit bouncing ball, reaching first on an error that brought Paulino in with the Aguilas’ fourth run.
Meanwhile, the Cibaeño starter, lefty Raúl Valdés kept mowing down the Puerto Rican batters, allowing them only two hits over six innings of play. The Dominicans’ 4-1 lead going into the seventh seemed just as safe as Cuba’s 4-0 seventh inning lead of the previous afternoon. It turned out to be exactly as save as that lead had been. Valdés walked Anthony García on a 3-1 pitch. Johnny Morrel’s fly ball out to left was deep enough to allow García to tag up and move to second. Valdés walked Vidal and then was removed by manager Lino Rivera,who replaced him on the mound with Ramón Ramírez.
This was not a successful move. A wild pitch to Gotay sent Vidal to second, and then Gotay’s single to right brought in García and Videl, putting Puerto Rico just a run behind the heretofore coasting team from Quisqueya. Dayron Varona’s single to right moved Gotay to second and Ramírez to the showers. In came Wilfrin Obispo, whose third pitch to Jonathan Morales ended up in the left center field bleachers. Puerto Rico finished the seventh inning on top of the Dominican Republic, 6-4.
Andrés Santiago, who relieved Colón at the start of the sixth was the winning pitcher, with Mejía getting the save, his second of the Caribbean Series.
The next game will probably take place on Feburary 2, 2019.
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