photo from google.com: Former Boston Brave Buster Clarkson was a Caribbean player and played three months for the Braves from April to June 1952
By Lewis Rubman
Mexico 1 5 1
Dominican Republic 2 6 0
For all the patriotic passion the Caribbean Series arouses, the composition of the teams that participate in has been, and still is, surprisingly cosmopolitan. In first iteration of the Series, 1949-1960, African Americans from the high minor and Negro Leagues (often the same players) constituted a significant portion’ of their teams’ rosters.
Two of this year’s inductees to the Caribbean Baseball Hall of Fame, Buster Clarkson, one of the Negro Leagues’ greatest players, who, at the age of 37, finally got a cup of coffee from the Boston Braves just before they left for Milwaukee, and Bob Thurman, of the San Francisco Seals, Cincinnati Reds, and Santurce Crabbers, among other teams, are two examples of this.
The pitching rotation of the Toros del Este, the Dominican Republic’s representative in this year’s Series and the home team for this afternoon’s game, shows nationality still is not required to represent a country in the Caribbean Series.
Not a single Toros starter is Dominican. Paolo Espino is Panamanian. Carlos Hernández hails from Santa Clara. Jorge Martínez, Raúl Valdés, and this afternoon’s starter, Yunesky Maya, are Cubans.
Maya pitched efficiently in his five innings against Mexico’s Tomateros (Tomato Growers) de Culiacán, not yielding a run and allowing only two hits and one walk to go with his five strike outs.
The Cuban righty´s opposite number, Manny Bañuelos, didn’t fare as well before he was relieved after 3-2/3 innings of work, trailing 2-0 with a runner on second and two down. He did, however, strike out A’s prospect Jorge Mateo twice during his short stint on the mound.
Bañuelos’s replacement, Gerardo Sánchez, fared better, retiring the quartet of Tomateros he faced. Santiago Gutiérrez, Aldo Montes, and Edgar Torres also shut down the team from northern Mexico. Mateo singled off Gutiérrez and flew out center against Torres.
Culiacán almost tied it in the top of the ninth, but, after Dariel Alvarez blasted a lead off double down the left field line, all they could manage was a two-out run-scoring single by Alí Solís before Torres got the final out (and the save)
The loss went to Bañuelos; the win to Maya.
In the next hour or so, the host team, Puerto Rico, will take on the defending champs, Panama.
Stay tuned.
Sports Radio Service 