(Story by Marco Stoovelaar; Photo by Probeis)
 Nacionales champion of professional league in Panamá
Nederlands
 PANAMÁ CITY (Panamá) -
Nacionales de Panamá has captured the Championship-title by winning the best-of-five Final of the Liga Profesional de Béisbol de Panamá.
On Friday (January 22), the Nacionales shutout Águilas Metropolitanas 7-0 to win the series, 3-1 after it had lost the opening game.
All games were played at Estadio Rod Carew, which is the home of both teams.
The stadium is named after Hall of Famer Rod Carew, who played in the Major League in 1967-1985 for Minnesota Twins and California Angels.
Carew has a Panamanian mother and was born in the Panama Canal Zone.
...Panamanian champion Nacionales de Panamá...
(© Photo: Probeis) |
As champion, Nacionales now will represent Panamá in the upcoming Serie Latinoamericana, which opens on Tuesday (January 26) in Nicaraguan capital Managua.
Also participating in that event are the champions of the professional winter leagues in Nicaragua, Colombia and Mexico.
During the series, the Most Valuable Player of the regular season was announced, as voted by members of the media, who covered the professional baseball-league in Panamá.
Eduardo Thomas of Águilas Metropolitanos won the award, receiving 60 points.
The infielder led the league in hitting with .426 (40-for-94) and also led in slugging average (.511) and on-base average (.477).
Thomas scored 15 runs and batted in 18.
Finishing in second place for the MVP Award was Andy Otero (Nacionales), who last season played in Single-A for the Atlanta Braves.
Brazilian Leonardo Reginatto (who played for defending champion Caballas de Coclé) finished in third place.
He played in Triple-A last year for the Tampa Bay Rays.
The professional baseball league in Panamá was founded in 1946 and operated until 1972 when it was stopped due to an economic crisis.
In later years, a new league was formed (Probeis) and started playing in the 2001-2002 season, but lasted only one season.
In 2010, another professional league also existed only one season.
In 2011, the current Liga Profesional de Béisbol de Panamá (Probeis) made its comeback.
(January 25)
Related Articles:
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De Caster and Gigantes win Nicaraguan title; Vásquez MVP! (January 20, 2016)
Former HCAW-pitcher active in professional Colombian league. (November 29, 2015)
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