Tag: 2020 MLB Carribean Series Puerto Rico

2020 Caribbean Series Puerto Rico: Quiala gets quality start in seven innings for Mexico in 6-1 win

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

February 3, 2020

By Lewis Rubman

Panama (1-2) 1 4 2

Mexico (2-1) 6 11 1

HATO REY, PUERTO RICO–After losing its Caribbean Series opener to Venezuela to the Dominican Republic on Saturday afternoon, Mexico, represented by the Tomateros (Tomato Growers) of Culiacán, bounced back by defeating Puerto Rico yesterday afternoon and trouncing Panama’s entry, Chiquirí Astronautas, 6-1, in this morning’s contest.

Mexico’s right handed starter, Yoanys Quiala was sharp through all seven innings he pitched, shutting out the Astros over four and two-third innings. When he left the game, Quiala had faced 81 batters and surrendered just three hits and struck out four without a walk.

The one run he allowed was earned, coming on a ground out by Edgardo Thomas that followed singles by Edgar Muñoz and Rodrigo Orozco. Zach Dotson and Aldo Montes, each of whom pitched a scoreless inning. Dotson gave up a hit; Montes didn’t. Thanks to the Tomateros’ potent offense, there was no save.

That offense struck early. Joey Meneses led off the second with a double to left. Dariel Alvarez promptly drove him home with a single to center. After a pausing while Alan Sánchez flew out to center, the Mexican offensive resumed its work of destruction and José Guadalupe Chávez drove in both runners, in spite of the intervening strike out of Ricardo Valenzuela.

Culiacán tacked on a couple of runs in the fifth, thanks to a double by Ramiro Peña, who advanced to third when Panama’s second baseman, Geral Chin, bobbled Antony Giansanti’s grounder. Peña scored on Meneses’s single to right center, which allowed Giansanti to get all the way around to third. He crossed the plate on a sacrifice liner to center by Alvarez.

Panama got its face saving run in the top of the sixth on singles by Muñoz and Orozco, followed by Eduardo Thomas’s slow grounder to second, which allowed Muñoz to dash across the plate.

An error by Astrós third sacker, Isaías Velásquez, put Ramiro Ríos on first. Ricardo Valenzuela’s single sent him to third. Chávez´s sac fly drove him home with the final tally.

The loss went to José Mesa, who faced 23 batters over 4-2/3 innings in which he allowed five runs (four earned) on eight hits. Luis Ramos allowed a run on two hits in his inning of work, and Wilfredo Pereira held Mexico to a single hit in his two and third frames.

From the sound of things, the game between the Dominican Republic and Colombia is starting now.

Caribbean Series: Venezuela edges Puerto Rico 3-2

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

photo from blogspot.com: Venezuela gets a win over Puerto Rico to improve to 3-0 in the Caribbean Series on Tuesday

February 4, 2020

By Lewis Rubman

Puerto Rico (1-2) 2 8 3

Venezuela (3-0) 3 3 0  ten innings

HATO REY, PUERTO RICO–The game that began last night at 8:06 Atlantic Time may well go down in history as one of the best ever played in the Caribbean Series. It also might be among the most controversial. The two, of course, are not mutually exclusive.

Going into the ninth inning, Adalberto Flores, Bradin Hagens, and NIcholas Padilla had limited Venezuela to one hit. But Venezuela had parlayed that fourth inning double by Alí Castillo into a run, and the resulting 1-0 lead had held up until the eighth, when Angelo Palumbo, their starting pitcher, walked Jan Hérnandez, who was sacrificed over to second by Roberto Peña, scored on Henry Ramos’s automatic double.

It wasn’t as though the team representing the island nation lacked scoring opportunities. They hit into inning ending double plays in the second, third, and fifth frames. In one of them the bases had been loaded, and in another there had been runners on first and second.

Most double plays come on well hit balls, but the one that had stymied Puerto Rico’s effort in the fifth was particularly ironic; it came on a hard line drive to second that didn’t give the runner a chance to return to the bag.

Both teams remained scoreless until the tenth, which was under the new rule that mandates that extra innings begin with a runner on second. Puerto Rico’s runner was Rey Fuentes, Carlos Beltrán’s cousin and also a journeyman who has seen big league action with San Diego, Kansas City, and Arizona.

He stayed put on second when David Vidal flew out to right, but he stole third while Jack López was at bat and scored on López’s single to center. Henry Ramos bunted for a hit, and everything seemed seemed in place to seal a victory for the islanders. But Iván de Jesús ground into a 6-4 force out of López, and now it was Venezuela’s to use the extra inning-extra runner rule.

Their runner was René Reyes. He stopped at third after Adonis García lined a single to right. Gorkys Hernández received an intentional walk to load the bases and set up a force out at home.

Juan Apodaca hit a sharp grounder to Emmanuel Rivera at third, who threw home for the force on Reyes. Santurce’s strategy was working! But then catcher Jonathan Morales overthrew first, allowing García and Hernández to score.

Venezuela had snatched its irons from the fire. Puerto Rico’s manager, José Valentín left the dugout to ask for a review, but the umpiring crew walked off the field. Replays showed that Apodaca had run out of the base line to first.

The loss was disappointing for Puerto Rico, not just because of the emotional cost of this roller coaster ride of a game or the team’s won-lost record falling to 1-2 but because their first baseman José Sermo was injured while striking out in his last, ninth inning, at bat and isńt expected to recover before the end of the series. After the game, Valentín commented, “We’ll just have to accept defeat like the men we are.”

Venezuela leads the Series pack at 3-0. The Dominican Republic and Mexico are tied for second at 2-1, followed by Puerto Rico and Panama, whose 1-2 mark ties them for fourth. Colombia trails the pack at 0-3.

 

Caribbean Series: Venezuela contiunes to roll stay undefeated in 3-2 win over D.R.

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

photo from foxnews.com: San Francisco Giant and Venezuela player Pablo Sandoval (48) gets congratulations as Venezuela continues to roll in the Caribbean Series in Puerto Rico

February 3

By Lewis Rubman

Venezuela (2-0) 3 7 0

Dominican Republic (1-1) 2 7 0

HATO REY PUERTO RICO–When the Cardenales (Cardinals) of Lara and the Toros del Este (of the east) began play a minute or two before 9:00 o’clock last night, they knew that, when the game of over, one of them would be the only remaining undefeated team after two days of play in this year’s Caribbean Series. The other would join the pack of three teams with records of 1-1, one game ahead of the lagging Panamanians, who had lost both of their conferences.

The Cardenales, Venezuela’s entry, was the team that emerged unscathed.

They scored early, if not often. A line drive double to right by Juan Apodaca plated Adonis García and ex-Giant Gorkys Hernández to give the Redbirds a two run advantage after two innings of play. An inning later, René Reyes’s sacrifice fly to right brought in Alexi Amarista with the third Lara tally, which proved to be the winning run.

The Toros waited until the bottom of the sixth to make their charge. A single by Jordani Valdespín, a walk to Junior Lake, and another single, this one off the bat of Abraham Almonte, and the Dominicans had cut Venezuela’s lead to 3-1.

Things looked pretty grim for the team from La Romana when they came to bat in the bottom of the ninth, after midnight and with Venezuela still leading, 3-1. But Peter O’Brien dropped a single to left, and, after Almonte and Alen Hanson had made outs, Jimmy Paredes single to center, bringing O’Brien around to third.

Wilkin Castillo then hit a rule book double that bounced over the right field fence and scored O’Brien, reducing the deficit to a single run. But the same rule that granted Castillo his extra base hit required that Gustavo Nuñez, running for Paredes, stop at third. This brought the Jorge Mateo to the plate. I like to tell you that the Athletics’ prized prospect singled in the tying and winning runs, but he didn’t. He flew out to left to end the game.

The contest featured some pretty good pitching. Venezuela’s starter, Wilfredo Ledesma went five innings, giving up one run on three hits, although his four walks left much to be desired. He was the winning pitcher. José Ascancio, Francisley Bueno, Hassan Pena, and Pedro Rodríguez combined to shut out the Toros over three innings, with Bueno being the only member of the quartet to allow a hit.

Ricardo Gómez, who got his second save in as many games, gave up a run and three hits in his only inning of work. Such are the vagaries of baseball statistics.

Jorge Martínez pitched two innings for the Dominicans and earned the loss, surrendering three runs on as many hits during his brief stint. Jhan Martínez, Edgar García, Anthony Carter, and Warner Madrigal, collectively, were magnificent. The shut down the strong Lara offense, not allowing a run and surrendering just four hits over seven innings.

It will be Panama against Mexico, Dominican Republic against Colombia, and Puerto Rico against Venezuela this morning, afternoon, and night.

Panama edges out Colombia 1-0

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

By Lewis Rubman

Colombia (0-2) 0 2 2
Panama (1-1) 1 5 2

HATO REY, PUERTO RICO–This morning’s contest between Colombia’s Vaqueros (Cowboys) of Montería and Panama’s Chiquirí Astronautas was, as the score indicates, a close one, a pitchers´duel that wasn’t decided until the last out. It came, appropriately enough, on a strike that was in between a checked swing and a swing and miss. (The home plate ruled it was the later). The tying run was in scoring position.

Panama scored the first, only, and winning run in the bottom of the fourth. After Jhonny Santos flew out to Robinson Cabrera at the foot of the left field fence-the hardest hit ball of the game-a two base error by Mauricio Ramos, the Cowboys´third baseman, set up Isaías Velásquez´s run scoring single to center.

Colombia came close to tying the Panamanians in the top of the eighth in an at bat that showed that this game was not just a pitchers’ duel but a managers’ duel as well. With two outs and a man on second, Vaqueros skipper Ozney Guillén called on left handed batting José Brizuela to hit for the right handed Brallan Pérez.

What made this interesting is that the pitcher was a lefty, Davis Romero. The Astronautas´ manager. Julio Alberto Mosquera, and his pitching coach, Gerardo Casadiego, countered this move by calling on right handed reliever Diego Moreno.

With both sides having gone against the conventional wisdom concerning handedness, the Panamanian brain trust turned out to have made the wiser decision. Brizuela took a called third strike on a three and two pitch.

It was pinch hitter Isranel Wilson who wasn’t able to check his swing in time to prolong the game.

The pitching statistics are worth noting.

Colombia
PItcher IP H R ER BB K PC
Echemendia 4-2/3 3 1 0 1 1 55
Herrera 2-1/3 2 0 0 0 3 25
Almarante 0 0 0 0 1 0 7 (one HBP)
Acevedo 1 0 0 0 1 0 11

Panama
Romero 7-2/3 1 0 0 2 2 80
Moreno 1-1/3 1 9 9 2 4 22

As you would expect, Pedro Echemendia was the losing pitcher, and the win and the save went to Davis Romero and Diego Moreno, respectivey.

Panama, at 1-1, is now a half a game behind yesterday’s winners, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and Venezuela, and it leads Mexlco by the same margin. Colombia is now two games behind the pace setters.

Puerto Rico, playing as the visitors, takes on Mexico in an hour or so, and the Dominicans will play Venezuela at 8:30.

Caribbean Series Puerto Rico: Puerto Rico edges Panama 4-3; Santiago shuts down Panama in five innings of work

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

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).

Venezuela takes first game of 2020 Caribbean Series; Gorkys belts single with bags loaded in 6-4 win

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

latinobaseball.com photo: 2020 Caribbean Series schedule

By Lewis Rubman

Colombia 4 6 6

Venezuela 6 6 1

HATO REY, PUERTO RICO–The sixty-second Caribbean Series began this on this morning clear and breezy tropical morning at the Estadio Hiram Bithorn, home of Puerto Rico’s Cangejeros (Crabbers) of Santurce. The stadium has a local angle for Bay Area fans. Bithorn, the first Puerto Rican to play in the major leagues, had pitched for the Oakland Oaks in 1939 before making what many PCL loyalists consider a lateral move to the Chicago Cubs in 1943.

Cuba originally had been scheduled to face Venezuela in the opening game of this year’s Series. But a month before the first pitch was thrown, Cuba announced that visa problems had prevented its team from participating. The announcement resulted in the Cuban Baseball Federation and the Carribean Professional Baseball Federation hurling accusations against each other, the US State Department, and Major League Baseball. The Vaqueros (Cowboys) of Montería, a city in the north of Colombia, replaced the Cubans. It was the first appearance of a Colombian team in the Caribbean Series.

Venezuela, represented this year by the Cardenales (Cardinals) of Lara, has a respectable record in the winter classic, having won it seven times, most recently in 2009.

The 2019 tournament had been scheduled to be played in the Venezuelan city of Barquisimeto, but political tensions dashed those hopes, Panama was invited to play as a guest replacement for Venezuela, and the games were played in Panama City.

The Panamanians had not participated in the Caribbean Series since 1960, and their only championship had been the triumph of the Carta Negra Yankees in 1950. But last year, the Toros de Herrera, representing the isthmus nation, were the surprise champions, winning four of their five contests.

The bulk of the rosters of the teams contesting the Caribbean Series consists of players from the champions of the participating leagues. The Dominican, Puerto Rican, Venezuelan, and Mexican Pacific Leagues comprise the Caribbean Baseball Federation, which has invited the Cuban National Series (that island nation’s top league) to participate in every Caribbean Series since 2014. Panama, as I mentioned was invited last year, and Colombia was expected to receive an invitation in the near future. The remainder of the squads are re-enforcements, culled from teams that had been eliminated before the league championships had been decided.

For a while it looked like the Colombians would pull off one an upset. Behind. Edgar de la Rosa’s one-hit pitching, the Cowboys held a 2-0 lead when the righty left the game after pitching five complete innings. One of those runs was the stuff that underdog dreams are made of. Robinson Cabrera led off the third with an infield single up the middle. He advanced to second on Arvicent Pérez’s grounder for the second out and then scored from second on Francisco Acuña’s grounder out to third.

But Colombia’s hope for an upset fell apart when Ray Marimon came in to pitch for against the Cardinals. Two walks and a single by the first three batters he faced loaded the bases for Gorkys Hernández, another Bay Area local angle. His single drove in Venezuela’s first two tallies. Colombia’s wheels fell off, and when the dust had settled, Venezuela was ahead, 6-2. Colombia picked up one run in the top of the ninth to make it 6-4, but that one six-run seventh inning was all that Venezuela needed to win the first game of this year’s Series.

Marimon was tagged with the loss. Juan Sandoval got the win in relief, and Ricardo Gomez was credited with the save.

Each of the six participating teams will play a daily morning-afternoon, single admission double header and a stand-alone night game for the first five days of the tournament. This three a day schedule was another first, along with Colombia’s participation. After those fifteen games have been completed, the team with the worst record will be eliminated, and the four survivers will play a semi-final round on the sixth, one game in the afternoon and one at night. The winners of the semi-finals will face each other on the night of the seventh for the championship.

Today’s other games will feature the Mexican Pacific League’s Tomateros (Tomato Growers) against the Dominican champs, the Toros del Este at 2:30 this afternoon, local time. That’s 10:30 this morning, Pacific time. That game will be followed one between the Astronautas de Chiquiri, Panama’s entry and the Hiram Bithorn’s old team, the Santurce Crabbers. Its scheduled to begin at 8:00, but the first night game of these series usually don’t start when expected.

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: 2020 Caribbean Series Cuba Out,Colombia In

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

photo from septimaentrada.com: Logo for 2020 Caribbean Series in Puerto Rico

2020 Caribbean Series: Cuba Out,Colombia In

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

Amaury Pi-González

Because of visa problems the Cuban National Baseball Champions will not be able to travel to Puerto Rico next month to participate in the 2020 Caribbean Series.As confirmed by the CPBC (Caribbean Professional Baseball Confederation) on Sunday.and officially announced by Dominican, Juan Francisco Puello,Commissioner of the CPBC.

The 62nd edition of this tournament is scheduled to begin on February 1,with the representative of champions from the following countries:Colombia, México, Panamá, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic and Venezuela. Panamá is the defending champion.

They will play three games daily at the Hiram Bithorn stadium in San Juan,Puerto Rico. For the first time in history,forcing three games per day during the first round, because for the second time there are only 6 participants.The first four days will consist of three matches daily. On opening day,Colombia will play Venezuela,México vs Dominican Republic and Panamá vs Puerto Rico.

2019 Caribbean Series took place in Panamá,although originally scheduled for Venezuela,for the second consecutive year had to be moved to an alternative location because of the political crisis that continues to this day in that country.

The reigning champions Toros de Herrera (Panamá) became the first team from Panamá to win since the Carta Vieja Yankees in 1950 and it was the first appearance by Panamá in a Caribbean Series since 1960.

There will be coverage of this popular tournament on this site. Also you are welcome to visit the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Hall of Fame Museum,new site at: https://www.hhbmhof.com/ with information in English and Spanish.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the vice president of the Major League Baseball Hispanic Museum join Amaury at http://www.sportsradioservice.com