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(Story by Marco Stoovelaar; Photo by Henk Seppen)
     Cuban champion opens Serie del Caribe with shutout-win
Nederlands
 CULIACÁN, Sinaloa (México) -
Cuban champion Alazanes de Granma opened the Serie del Caribe on Wednesday with a 4-0 shutout-victory against Tigres del Licey, the champion of the Dominican Republic.
The other participants in the annual tournament are Águilas de Mexicali, Criollos de Caguas and Águilas del Zulia, the professional champions of respectively México, Puerto Rico and Venezuela.
After the Opening Ceremony on Wednesday-evening, the Méxican and Puerto Rican champions faced each other.
The game remained scoreless for six innings, then Criollos opened the score in the top of the seventh with one run.
Mexicali answered with three runs and went on to win 4-2.
The 59th edition is being held in Culiacán, the largest city and capital of the State of Sinaloa in northwestern México.
The city was founded in 1531 by the Spanish captain Nuño Beltrán de Guzmán and was then named San Miguel de Culiacán.
The games are played at Estadio BBVA Bancomer, the new home of Tomateros de Culiacán, which plays in the Liga Mexicana del Pacifico.
The stadium, with a capacity of 20,000, officially opened on October 9, 2015 and replaces Estadio General Ángel Flores.
This was the home of Tomateros in 1965-2015.
The new stadium has the largest video display in Latin America.
It is 36 feet (11 m) b 108 feet (33 m) wide.
The first Serie del Caribe was organized in 1949 in Cuban capital Havana.
After twelve editions, no tournament was held in 1961-1969, but the event returned in 1970.
It has been held annually ever since, except for 1981 when the tournament was cancelled due to a players' strike.
In 1949, Cuba was the first-ever winner, but the most titles belong to the Dominican Republic.
The champions of that country captured 19 titles, the first in 1971, the last in 2012.
Last year, the event was won by Venados de Mazatlán, the champion of México.
(February 1)
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Game 1 - Dominican Republic vs. Cuba
The opening game on Wednesday-afternoon was played between the champions of Cuba and the Dominican Republic, respectively Alazanes de Granma and Tigres del Licey.
Ivan Pineyro started for the Dominicans, who last season pitched at three levels in the organization of the Arizona Diamondbacks, being Rookie League, Double-A and Triple-A.
He quickly gave up the first run of the tournament in the top of the first inning.
Roel Santos led off with a triple, who went on to score on a passed ball with one out.
Licey got its first baserunner on the bottom of the second inning off of starter Lazaro Blanco.
Zoilo Almonte led off with a single.
However, with one out, the inning ended inning when he was caught stealing in a double play when Donovan Solano struckout.
The Dominicans got its lead-off hitter on base again in the third at bat.
Diory Hernández led off with a single, but he also was eliminated in a double play.
Next batter Engel Beltre flied out to rightfielder Yoelkis Cespedes, who then doubled off Hernández at first base.
The Dominican Manager asked for a challenge, as it appeared that Cespedes might have dropped the ball.
But the call was upheld and so, the Cuban defense made a double play.
Hereafter, Webster Rivas doubled, but he was left behind.
After giving up the lead-off triple in the first inning, Dominican starter Ivan Pineyro retired ten consecutive batters.
With one out in the fourth, the righthander gave up a single to Alexander Ayala, but he stranded when next batters Alfredo Despaigne and William Saavedra both lined out, the first to rightfield, the second to short.
...Alexander Ayala hit 2 of the 7 Cuban basehits...
...On the photo, Ayala plays for the Cuban...
...Team during the 2010 Haarlem Baseball...
...Week in Haarlem (Netherlands)...
(© Photo: Henk Seppen) |
Granma got into scoring position for the second time in the top of the fifth inning and then struck with three runs.
With one out, the bases got loaded when Carlos Benítez walked and both Frank Morejon and Yoelkis Cespedes singled.
This led to a pitching change, as Edgar García took over.
He began with a wild pitch, resulting in the second Cuban run.
Morejon and Cespedes also advanced and both scored when Roel Santos connected for a double on the next pitch by García.
And that lifted the lead to 4-0.
After having left a runner on first base in the fourth inning and being retired in the fifth, Licey got its next runner into scoring position in the bottom of the sixth.
Webster Rivas led off with a single, then Sergio Alcantara walked.
Hereafter, Cuban pitcher Lazaro Blanco recovered and struckout the next three batters!
All were called out on strikes by Home Plate Umpire Jair Fernandez, who is veteran professional umpire from México.
Four years ago, he was one of the umpires at the World Baseball Classic.
In the seventh inning, Blanco began with another strikeout, but the righthander then got two more baserunners.
Donovan Solano singled and Diory Hernández walked and this time, it led to a pitching change.
Livan Moinelo took over and began with a strikeout.
A flyout ended the at bat and so, the Dominicans stranded two more runners.
In the eighth inning, it was Cuba that left a runner behind in scoring position.
Facing new pitcher Ramon E. Ramírez, Alexander Ayala led off with an infield-hit and when a throwing error followed, he was able to advance to second base.
Ayala then stranded on second base when a grounder and two strikeouts followed.
Licey again left two runners behind in the bottom of the eighth, then was retired in order in the ninth.
And so, the opening game ended in a 4-0 win for the Cuban champion.
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Game 2 - México vs.Puerto Rico
In the evening, Mexican champion Águilas de Mexicali won 4-2 against Criollos de Aguas from Puerto Rico.
The game remained scoreless in the first six innings.
Criollos then opened the score with one run in the top of the seventh, but Águilas answered with three runs in its seventh at bat.
Both teams then scored a run in the eighth inning.
After both teams were retired in order in the first inning, they stranded two runners in the next at bat.
With one out in the top of the second, Ruben Gotay and David Vidal both walked for the Puerto Rican squad.
They stranded when a pop-up and strikeout followed.
In the bottom of the second, C.J. Retherford led off for the Mexicans with a single off of starter Orlando Roman, then advanced on an one-out single by Ronnier Mustelier.
They were able to move a base on a grounder, but a flyout then ended the at bat.
In the third inning, México ran itself out of the inning.
With one out, Chris Roberson singled, but he was then eliminated at third base trying to advance an additional base on a following single by Jason Bourgeois.
The latter advanced on the throw, but then was left behind.
In 2008-2015, Bourgeois played in 317 Major League-games for six different clubs.
Mexican starter Daniel Rodriguez had a strong outing.
After walking the two batters in the second inning, the 32-year old lefthander retired 10 batters in a row.
With two outs in the top of the fifth, he gave up a single to Iván DeJesús, Jr., which would be the lone basehit he would allow.
With DeJesus on first base, Rodriguez closed the at bat with a strikeout.
Rodriguez retired the side again in the sixth and then was relieved in the seventh.
In the bottom of the fith, México left another runner in scoring position.
Agustin Murillo led off with a single, advanced on a sacrifice bunt and a wild pitch, but then was left behind.
Derrick Loop took over for Mexican starter Rodriguez in the top of the seventh inning.
He began with a strikeout, then a flyout followed.
But hereafter, David Vidal homered to put Puerto Rico ahead.
The lead was shortlived, as México answered with three runs.
Ronnier Mustelier led off with a single off of Fernando Cabrera, the third Puerto Rican pitcher.
Mustelier advanced on a sacrifice bunt, then moved to third base when Xorge Carrillo singled.
That was for both teams the moment for some changes.
J. Romero took over the pitching, Isaac Rodriguez Salazar replaced Carrillo as pinch-runner and Jesus Castillo was inserted as pinch-hitter.
The latter grounded to second base, resulting in a force out, but it also led to the tying run.
Moments later, American Chris Roberson homered to give the Mexican squad a 3-1 lead.
In the top of the eighth inning, Sergio Romo took the mound for México.
He was greeted with a lead-off homerun by Iván DeJesús, Jr., but followed with a strikeout.
DeJesús made his Major League-debut in 2011 and added some games in 2012.
In 2015 and 2016, he played in 180 games for Cincinnati Reds.
In November last year, DeJesús became a free agent, then signed a minor league-contract with Milwaukee Brewers in December.
After the strikeout, Romo gave up two basehits.
But with runners on first and second base and leading only 3-2, he avoided giving up more runs when he was supported with an inning-ending double play.
Since 2008, Romo is a reliever, frequently used as a closer, for San Francisco Giants, with whom he won three World Series.
In his nine Major League-seasons, Romo is 32-26 with 84 saves.
In the bottom of the eighth, Méxicali added an insurance run when Yuniesky Betancourt led off with a homerun to make it a 4-2 score.
The Cuban played in the Major League in 2005-2013 for three teams, including five seasons with Seattle Mariners.
Betancourt, who turned 35 on Tuesday, played in 1156 games and hit 80 homeruns at the big league-level.
Later in the inning, two more batters reached base on errors, but they were left behind on first and third base.
Jake Sanchez pitched the ninth inning for México and retired the side to secure the lead and earn a save.
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