February 4

By Lewis Rubman

Mexico (3-1) 7 13 0

Venezuela (3-1) 6 10 2

HATO REY, PUERTO RICO–I never tire of quoting (although people who know must get tired of hearing) the saying the Cubans have about our shared national pastime, “La bola es redonda y viene en caja cuadrada,” “the ball is round and comes in a square box.” The Cubans didn’t make it to this year’s Caribbean Series, but their refrain sure did. Just look at the games Venezuela played last night and this afternoon.

Last night, the Lara Cardinals squeaked past Puerto Rico in a game that had been tied at one through nine innings and won in the tenth, aided by the offensive-friendly extra inning runner placement rule and a questionable call involving an arcane rule.

This afternoon, they were being blown out by Mexico’s Tomateros (Tomato Growers) of Culiacán until the Venezuelans provided some blow back of their own. After last night´s game, Venezuela’s manager, Luis Ugueto, told the press corps that his team’s poor offensive performance was due to the strong winds that keep the ball in the park. An intregral part of Venezuela’s comeback today was a wind blown three run homer by Carlos Rivero in the sixth inning.

Mexico, playing as the visitors, started the scoring early. It was their lead off hitter, Rico Noel, who scored the first run first run, driven in by Joey Meneses’s single. Their hits came off Mayckol Gauipe, the Cardinal starter, who lasted a mere three and a third innings and managed to give up six runs, all earned, on nine hits in that time. Rico and Meneses teamed up in the third to double Mexico’s lead. This time it was Meneses’s ground out that brought his teammate home.

The fourth, however, was when Mexico celebrated its version of the Book of Genesis. They scored a quartet of runs in the big inning. With one down, Alí Solís singled to right and reached third moments later when Juan Carlos Gamboa also singled, taking second on the throw.

Rico’s two bagger, another hit to right, doubled Mexico’s lead to four. Noel then lit out for third, which he stole, and kept on running when catcher Alixón Suárez threw the ball into left field, Mexico now was up 5-0 and showed no signs of stopping its advance.

Andrés Pérez relieved Guaipe after the latter walked Ramiro Peña, but that was the last run Mexico was to score this afternoon. It was the only one Pérez surrendered in his three and two-thirds innings on the mound, and Francisley Bueno shut the Tomateros out in the game’s two remaining frame

Singles by Alexis Amarista and René Reyes set the scene for Carlos Rivera. His hit, something between a fly and liner, kept carrying and carrying until it flew over the left field fence, putting Venezuela back in the game, 7-3. Although shaken, Mexico still was in charge.

Culiacán’s left handed starter and the eventual winner, Antony Vázquez, left after six innings. His successors, Gerardo Sánchez and Santiago Gutiérrez, each working an inning, held the Redbirds hitless and scoreless. But disaster struck for the Mexicans in the bottom of the ninth.

Mario Meza, who had been untouchable in his previous, two-out, relief appearance, came in to close out the game for Mexico. He disposed of Carlos Rivero, he of the three run homer in sixth. Adonis García and Angel Reyes laced a pair of singles, and things began to look dicey.

Still, Meza got pinch hitter Oscar Angulo to line out to left. After all, cardiac closers still are closer. But not this time. Ali Castillo pinch hit for Suárez and scored García with a single that moved Reyes up to second.

That was it for Meza. Six foot four inch, 250 pound Alberto Baldonado from Panama assumed pitching duties for the team from northern Mexico. He fulfilled them with more excitement than finesse. After yielding a two run double to César Valera that brought Venezuela within a tally of tying the game, Meza struck out Amarista, clinching a playoff berth for Mexico and clearing the way for the game between Colombia and Puerto Rico that should start in about fifteen minutes.