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(Story by Marco Stoovelaar; Photo by Henk Seppen)
     Venezuela & Puerto Rico reach semi-finals Serie del Caribe
Nederlands
 SANTO DOMINGO DE GUZMÁN (Dominican Republic) -
On Thursday (February 4), Day 4 of the 58th edition of the annual Serie del Caribe (Caribbean Series), Tigres de Aragua, the champion of the Liga Venezolana de Béisbol Profesional (Venezuela), became the second team to secure itself of a spot in the semi-finals on Saturday.
At Estadio Quisqueya Juan Marichal in Dominican capital Santo Domingo, the Venezuelans won in the afternoon with a 3-1 score vs. Tigres de Ciego de Ávila, the champion of the 2014-2015 season of the Serie Nacional de Béisbol (Cuba).
For the Cubans, this was their third consecutive loss, but they have one chance remaining of reaching the semi-final.
On Friday-evening, they close the preliminary round against the Dominican squad.
The winner of that game will reach the semi-final.
In the evening, Leones del Escogido, the champion of the Liga de Béisbol Profesional de la República Dominicana (Dominican Republic), led 1-0 with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning vs. Cangrejeros de Santurce, the champion of the Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente (Puerto Rico).
But the game was then tied and Puerto Rico went on to win 2-1 in 14 innings!
With that Puerto Rico reached the semi-finals.
The Dominicans, who lost their third game, now get their final change to reach the semi-final on Friday against the Cubans.
Tournament-leader Venados de Mazatlán, the champion of the Liga Mexicana del Pacifico (México), which has won three games in a row, had the day off on Thursday.
(February 4-5)
Related Articles:
 3rd win México; Huge loss Cuba on Day 3 Serie del Caribe. (February 3)
Venezuela, México win again on Day 2 of Serie del Caribe. (February 2-3)
Venezuela, México open Serie del Caribe with small win. (February 1, 2016)
Serie del Caribe opens Monday in Dominican Republic. (January 31, 2016)
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Game 7 - Cuba vs. Venezuela
In the afternoon, Tigres de Aragua (Venezuela) won 3-1 vs. Tigres de Ciego de Ávila (Cuba).
With the win, Venezuela qualified for the semi-finals, while the Cubans suffered their third consecutive loss, but still have a chance of reaching the final four.
In today's game, Cuba's Manager Roger Machado had made some defensive changes.
He moved Yuliesky Gurriel from 2nd to 3rd base and Yorbis Borroto from short to 2nd base.
Yordan Manduley, who replaced Borroto at short in the fifth inning in Wednesday's game, today was the starting short stop.
As opposed to Wednesday's game, Yosvani Alarcón (catcher), Lourdes Gurriel (leftfield), Yoelvis Fiss (centerfield) and Yorelvis Charles (1st base) all didn't start today.
Initially, it appeared that Ciego de Ávila was to give up a quick run, as Juniel Querecuto led off for the Venezuelan squad with a single on the first pitch delivered by Cuban Vladimir Baños in the top of the first inning.
But hereafter, a double play followed.
Adonis García then walked, but the inning ended with a flyout.
Cuba also reached base quickly in its first at bat off starter Alexis Candelario.
Estayler Hernández led off with a walk and next batter Yorbis Borroto was hit by a pitch.
However, Yuliesky Gurriel then grounded into a double play.
With Hernández on third base, Alfredo Despaigne walked, but the Cubans stranded two runners.
Venezuela then opened the score in the top of the second inning when the Cuban defense committed two errors.
Lead-off hitter Dariel Álvarez reached second base on a throwing error.
He then tried to score when José Martínez also reached on an error.
However, Álvarez didn't ran well and was tagged out at the plate.
Moments later, Martínez advanced to third base on a single by Hernan Pérez and scored on a sacrifce fly by Sandy León.
...Estayler Hernández reached base four times for the Cubans...
...On the photo, he plays for the Cuban squad during the 2013...
...World Port Tournament in Rotterdam (Netherlands)...
(© Photo: Henk Seppen) |
In the bottom of the second inning, José Adolis García singled with one out for Cuba.
While next batter Osvaldo Vásquez struckout, García stole second base and moved to third on a throwing error by the catcher.
But he would strand there.
While being the runner on third base, he stood besides his brother Adonis García, who was the third baseman for the Venezuelan squad.
After having played seven seasons for Ciego de Ávila, Adonis had left Cuba five years ago (early 2011), hoping to play professionally in the USA.
Since then, the two brothers had seen each other only two times.
30-year old Adonis initially went on to play in the Venezuelan Winter League (where he still plays), then signed a contract with the New York Yankees in 2012.
There, he played in the minors league, but was released in April 2015, but a week later was signed by the Atlanta Braves.
There, he made his Major League-debut, playing in 58 games for the Braves last year, hitting .277 with ten homeruns and 26 runs batted in.
23-year old José Adolis plays for Ciego de Ávila since 2011 and currently is labeled as one of the best talents in Cuba.
Eduardo Pérez, who is the Bullpen Coach for the Braves, is the Manager of the Venezuelan squad during the Serie del Caribe.
Venezuela added two runs in the top of the third inning.
Juniel Querecuto led off with a single, then scored all the way from first base on a deep double by Alex Romero.
With one out and after an intentional walk for Félix Pérez, Romero moved on a flyout, then scored on a single by José Martínez, which made it 3-0 and led to a pitching change.
Did Cuba avoid giving up runs in the first inning, it gave up three in the next two at bats and appeared to ran into more problems in the fourth.
Sandy León and Teodoro Martínez began with walks, then Juniel Querecuto singled to load the bases.
Liván Moinelo then became the new pitcher for Cuba and began with a strikeout.
Hereafter, Adonis García flied out to his brother José Adolis García.
León took off to score from third base, while Martínez tried to advanced to third base, but was tagged out in a double play on the throw from centerfield.
Dominican Home Plate Umpire Verman Mejia signaled that León's didn't count, as the third out was recorded in time at third base and with that, the score remained 3-0.
In the meantime, Cuba didn't get much chances to do some scoring of their own.
In the second at bat, the team left a runner on third base.
In the third, Yorbis Borroto was on first base, but then was ruled out at second base on a force play, while it appeared that the short stop was not in touch with the base when he received the ball.
In the fifth, Osvaldi Vásquez led off with a walk, but a double play followed.
In the sixth, with one out, Yuliesky Gurriel singled and Alfred Despaigne reached on an error.
Hereafter, Lourdes Gurriel, who had come into the game in the fifth, struckout and pinch-hitter Yorelvis Charles popped out to end the inning.
Cuba was finally to do something back in the bottom of the seventh when José Adolis García led off with a triple and scored on a grounder by Yordan Manduley.
Venezuela was unable to take more distance and stranded two runners in scoring position in the sixth, then was retired in order in the seventh and eighth at bat.
Cuba got another scoring opportunity in the eighth.
Yuliesky Gurriel led off with a single and his brother Lourdes Gurriel singled with one out.
But then pinch-hitter Yorelvis Charles lined out and a grounder ended the at bat.
In the ninth, both teams got into scoring position again.
With one out for Venezuela, Juniel Querecuto hit the ball into leftfield.
There, Lourdes Gurriel lost the ball in the light and Querecuto reached second base with a double.
However, he overran the base and was tagged out.
Alex Romero followed with another double, but was left behind.
For Cuba, pinch-hitter Yurisbel Gracial led off with a single, then moved on a grounder and an error, which enabled Estayler Hernández to reach first base.
And so, with runners on first and third base and only one out, Cuba still had a chance to turn the game its way.
That didn't happen, as a strikeout and force out ended the game.
And with that, Venezuela became the second team to secure itself of a spot in the semi-finals, which will be played on Saturday.
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Game 8 - Puerto Rico vs. Dominican Republic
In the first three innings, for the two teams combined, there were four basehits, three doubles plays, but no runners in scoring position.
Moisés Sierra singled with one out for the Dominicans in the first inning, but a double play followed.
In the second, Alex Valdez singled with one out, but stranded.
And in the third, Pedro López also singled with one out, but then Puerto Rico turned its second double play.
Dominican starter Césat Valdez retired the first seven Puerto Rican batters in a row.
With one out in the third, he gave up a single to René García, but then the Dominican defense also turned a double play.
This continued in the fourth inning.
In the top of the fourth, Zoilo Almonte became the fourth Dominican batter to hit a single with one out, but he also stranded.
And in the bottom of the fourth, Valdez retired three more batters.
And what about the fifth inning?
For the fifth consecutive time, a Dominican batter hit a basehit with one out off of starter Mario Santiago.
But this one was different, as Jimmy Paredes drove the ball into deep rightfield for a homerun!
Paredes plays in the Major League since 2011.
He first played for Houston Astros, then for Kansas City Royals, followed by Baltimore Orioles.
Last year, he played in 104 games for the Orioles.
Oh, César Valdez retired the side again in the bottom of the fifth, striking out two batters.
The righthander appeared to also retire the side in the bottom of the sixth, as he got two quick outs.
But then José Lozada hit a hard grounder towards short stop Pedro López, who tried to field the ball barehanded.
The ball went past him into leftfield and was ruled a basehit.
Moments later, Lozada was caught stealing, meaning Valdez still had faced the minimum total of batters through six innings.
In the bottom of the seventh, Rubén Sosa led off for Puerto Rico and grounded towards the rightside of the infield, but that led to a miscommunication in the Dominican defense.
Second baseman Leury García fielded the ball, while first baseman Alex Valdez went out of his way and went back to first base.
Pitcher César Valdez came off the mound to take over first base, but must have thought that the first baseman would be there in time.
But he must have thought the same of the pitcher with the same name.
García threw the ball towards the base, where pitcher Valdez caught it, but was not near the base and so, Sosa reached on an infield-hit.
Next batter Osvaldo Martínez then popped the ball up into short rightfield and that almost led to a collission between García and rightfielder Moisés Sierra.
At the last moment, García went out of Sierra, who then caught the ball for the first out.
Herafter, Neftalí Soto struckout and a pick-off at first base by the catcher followed.
Sosa dove back and a close play followed, but Cuban 1B Umpire Blas Guillén made the correct call to rule him safe.
And then, for the first time tonight, a fourth Puerto Rican batter stepped up to the plate, which was Kenny Vargas.
With him in the batter's box, 1B Umpire Guillén again had to make a decision on a close play.
Valdez picked off Sosa at first base, who then got into a rundown, but dove back in time to first base and Guillén again made the correct safe-call.
Moments later, it was 3B Umpire Ernesto Del Risco, also from Cuba, had to make a decision.
He had to rule whether or not Vargas had swung on a check-swing on the third strike.
He did, Del Risco made the call and the inning ended with a strikeout.
The Dominicans were retired in order in the sixth and seventh inning by reliever Joseph Colón, but reached base again in the top of the eighth.
With one out, new pitcher Alex Claudio gave up a single to Wilkin Castillo, but he was picked off, then eliminated in a rundown.
In the bottom of the eighth, Joel Peralta took over for César Valdez, who had thrown strongly.
He gave up a 2-out single to Danny Ortíz, but he stranded on first base.
In the top of the ninth inning, for the first time in the game, there was more than one runner on base.
Off of new pitcher Ricardo Gómez, Leury García led off with a single and stole second base.
With one out, the bases got loaded when Zoilo Almonte was walked intentionally and Diory Hernández singled.
Gómez followed with a strikeout.
The inning then ended, and three runners were left behind, when Junior Lake lined out into leftfield.
Rafael Soriano was sent to the mound in the bottom of the ninth to close the game for the Dominicans.
The righthander gave up a 2-out double to pinch-hitter Juan Silva, which was followed by a triple by Neftalí Soto that tied the score!
An intentional walk for Kennys Vargas followed to create a force play.
A pop-fly ended the inning and so, the game went into extra innings!
The game almost ended in the bottom of the eleventh inning.
With two outs and Neftalí Soto (single) in first base, Kennys Vargas drove the ball into deep leftfield.
Vargas already thought that he had hit a walk-off homerun and threw his bat away, but then saw how the ball was caught just in front of the wall by leftfielder Zoilo Almonte.
In the top of the 12th, the Dominicans got a scoring opportunity.
With one out, Junior Lake doubled.
It was then planned to walk next batter Jimmy Paredes intentionally.
While catcher René García stood in the catcher's box with his left hand stretched for the first pitch, Lake took off from second base.
García signaled to reliever José De La Torre to step off and he picked off Lake at second base.
Lake played in 201 Major League-games in 2013-2015, but this was not his best baserunning moment.
The inning ended when Paredes lined out.
The game ended in the bottom of the 14th inning!
Wirfín Obispo became the fifth pitcher for the Dominicans and his second pitch to Neftalí Soto ended over the fence in left-centerfield for a walk-off homerun!
With that, the game ended after midnight, after four hours and 13 minutes, Puerto Rico won 2-1 and became the third team to qualify for the semi-finals.
The Dominicans now face Cuba on Friday-evening.
The winner of that game becomes the fourth team to play in the semi-finals on Saturday.
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Copyright © 1997-2016 Marco Stoovelaar / Grand Slam * Stats & News.
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