Puerto Rico pitcher Hector Santiago pitched five innings of work to shut down Panama in a one run win on Saturday. Photo from zimbio.com

By Lewis Rubman

Panama 3 8 2

Puerto Rico 4 9 3     10 innings

HATO REY, PUERTO RICO–Panama participated in the earliest years of the Caribbean Series was played, from its inception in 1949 through its twenty-one year suspension following the 1960 tournament. Indeed, with the victory of the Carta Negra Yankees in 1950, Panama won the Series title in the tournament’s second year. Carta Negra, by the way, was a brewery. It wasn’t until 2019, when the political situation kept Venezuela from hosting the games, which were moved to Panama City, That the isthmus nations returned to Series competition and the Toros de Herrera substituted for the Venezuelan entry. The newcomers surprised everybody by winning the Caribbean Crown. Panama is represented this year by the Astronautas from the the volcanic region of Chiquirí.

At 8:20 last night, Atlantic Time, the Astronautas went to bat against the Cangrejeros (Crabbers) of Santurce, Puerto Rico’s entry. Panama threatened their hosts in each of the first three innings, suffering The Curse of the Lead Off double in the opening frame, getting their first batter on base through a single and a walk in the second and third, respectively. But Héctor Santiago, Puerto Rico’s starter kept the Panamanians slammed the door to home closed on the Panamanians during all five of the innings he pitched.

They finally managed a tally in the top of the sixth, when Devin Raftery relieved Santiago when Jack López drove Jan Hernández home from second with a single to right.

Puerto Rico already had scored a run in the third on Vimael Machín’s sac fly, and they threatened to score again in the bottom of the fifth. But Andy Otero came in to strike out José Sermo with runners on first and second and two down. But one out walk to Jan Hernández, followed by another RBI single by López brought Carlos de Jesús Díaz into the fray in the very next inning. Díaz successfully closed out the frame but was not so successful in the seventh. Machín’s double, a walk, a sacrifice bunt that Díaz himself bobbled for an error, and a walk let in the tying run and left the bases loaded with Crabbers.

Puerto Rico seemed poised to break the game open. Diego Moreno put an end to that thought. Two hard hit balls, a line out to third and a 6-4-3 double play kept the game tied at three.

It stayed that way until the new extra inning, start with a runner on second rule came into play. Panama couldn’t take advantage of it, but Puerto Rico did. With Tyler Wilson toeing the rubber for the Astronautas and Henry Ramos having begun the inning at second, Jan Hernández bunted him over to third. A medium deep fly to left by Jonathan Morales was all that was needed to send the crowd home, or at least to the long lines that blocked the parking lot exits to the street.

Sunday´s games are scheduled to start at 11:00 (Colombia-Panama), 3:30 (Puerto Rico-Mexico), and 8:30 (Dominican-Venezuela).