(Story by Marco Stoovelaar)
     Dominicans win Caribbean Series; Karim García and Álvaro Ley inducted into Hall of Fame
Nederlands
 MEXICALI, Baja California (Mexico) -
Leones del Escogido from the Dominican Republic niipped Charros de Jalisco from host Mexico 1-0 on Friday (February 7) in the Final to win the 67th edition of the Caribbean Series (Serie del Caribe).
For the Domincan team, it was the fifth time overall and first time since 2012 that it won the tournament, which was first organized in 1949.
Since then, the event was held annually, except in 1961-1969 and in 1981.
It was the 23rd time that a Dominican team won the event, which is the most all-time.
This year, the tournament (that began on Friday, January 31) was organized in Mexicali (Mexico), where the games were played in Estadio Nido de los Águilas, the home of Águilas de Mexicali.
Also during the tournament, two Mexicans were inducted into the Pabellón de la Fama de la Serie del Caribe, former player Karim García and former executive Álvaro Ley López.
The last time that a Dominican team won the tournament was two years ago when recordholder Tigres del Licey won its eleventh title in Caracas (Venezuela).
Last year, Tiburones de La Guaira (Venezuela) was the winner when the event took place in Miami, Florida (USA).
This year, five teams participated in the Caribbean Series, including the four full members of the Caribbean Professial Baseball Confederation (Confederación de Béisbol Profesional del Caribe).
These members are the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Venezuela, who were represented by the champions of their professional winter leagues of the 2024-2025 season.
This time, the winners respectively were Leones del Escogido (Liga de Béisbol Profesional de la República Dominicana), Charros de Jalisco (Liga Mexicana del Pacifico), Indios de Mayagüez (Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente, Puerto Rico) and Cardenales de Lara (Liga Venezolana de Béisbol Profesional).
For the first time, a team from Japan participated in the Caribbean event.
Japan Breeze was invited as special guest and was compiled from players from industrial and independent Minor Leagues from Japan.
Manager of this team was Alex Ramirez, who played in thirteen seasons (2001-2013) in Nippon Professional Baseball for Tokyo Yakult Swallows, Yomiuri Giants and Yokohama DeNA BayStars.
He was Manager of the last team in 2016-2020.
The Venezuelan also played in three Major League-seasons for Cleveland Indians (1998-2000) and Pittsburgh Pirates (2000).
While playing in Japan, Ramirez was named Most Valuable Player of the Central League twice, played in eight All-Star Games and won the Japan Series in 2001 (Swallows) and 2009 (Giants).
It marked the first time that a country from outside the Caribbean participated in the famous tournament.
Since the first edition in 1949, teams from Puerto Rico and Venezuela have participated.
The first Dominican team participated in 1970, the first from Mexico in 1971.
In earlier editions, teams from Cuba also took part between 1949 and 1960, in 2014-2019 and in 2023.
Teams from Colombia were part of the tournament in 2020-2023.
The champion from Panama also participated in the period from 1949 through 1960, then returned in 2019 until 2024.
Last year, the champion from Nicaragua participated.
And in 2023 and 2024, Curaçao was represented by its champion.
This year, the champions of these five countries participated in the inaugural Series de las Américas, which preceeded the Caribbean Series and was orgaized in Managua (Nicaragua).
They were joined by the champion of the professionl league of Argentina (Liga Argentina de Béisbol), which was established in 2017.
Águilas Metropolitanas from Panama became the first winner of the event, which ended on Thursday, January 30.
Recap Series de las Américas
In the Final, on Friday-evening, Leones del Escogido needed only one run to defeat Charros de Jalisco to win the Caribbean Series.
The lone Dominican run was scored in the top of the third inning on a double-play grounder.
In the at bat, Junior Lake led off with a walk, stole second base, then moved to third base on a wild pitch.
Hereafter, the bases got loaded when Sócrates Brito (who also stole second base) and Yamaico Navarro also walked.
With three runners on base, veteran Robinson Canó grounded into a double play, but that enabled Lake to score.
A grounder ended the at bat and the run would remain the lone one in the game, without recording a basehit.
Four Dominican pitchers gave up only one basehit, which was recorded in the fourth inning.
Starter Esmil Rogers threw six solid scoreless innings.
He walked five batters, but also struckout four and gave up the lone Mexican basehit.
Afterwards, Rogers was named Most Valuable Player of the tournament.
Manager of the Dominican squad was Albert Pujols , who played in 22 Major League-seasons (2001-2022) for St. Louis Cardinals (2001-2011), Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim/Los Angeles Angels (2012-2021), Los Angeles Dodgers (2021) and again St. Louis Cardinals (2022).
The former first baseman/DH was the National League Rookie of the Year in 2001, the NL MVP three times and played in eleven All-Star Games.
In the Preliminary Round of the Serie del Caribe, Mexican champion Charros de Jalisco had remained unbeaten, scoring 19 runs and giving up only four.
Cardenales de Lara (Venezuela), Leones del Escogido (Dominican Republic) and Indios de Mayagüez (Puerto Rico) all shared second place with a 2-2 record.
The final ranking was decided by the Team Quality Balance.
Japan Breeze lost all four games played, scoring five runs and giving up 32, and was eliminated for the Play-Off Round.
On Tuesday (February 4), the Preliminary Round ended with a No-Hitter when Cardenales de Lara shutout Japan Breeze 10-0 in an 8-inning, mercy-rule game.
Jesús Vargas went the distance for the Venezuelan champion and he struckout seven batters and walked three.
In the Semi-Finals on Wednesday (February 5), Charros de Jalisco won 3-1 agaist fourth-placed Indios de Mayagüez, while third-placed Leones del Escogido won 5-4 in eleven innings vs. second-placed Cardenales de Lara.
The two winners advanced to the Final, the losing teams played in the Bronze Medal-game.
On Friday, preceeding the Final, Indios de Mayagüez finished in third place by winning 7-4 vs. Cardenales de Lara.
...Karim Garcia...
...baseball-card 2003... |
On Thursday-morining (February 6), which was the day off of the tournament, the induction ceremony took place of the Pabellón de la Fama de la Serie del Caribe.
In the Mercado Cine Curto in Mexicali, former player Karim García and baseball-executive Álvaro Ley López officially became members of the Caribbean Series Hall of Fame.
As outffielder, García played in the Major League for Los Angeles Dodgers (1995-1997), Arizona Diamondbacks (1998), Detroit Tigers (1999-2000), Baltimore Orioles (2000), Cleveland Indians (2001), New York Yankees (2002), again Cleveland Indians (2002-2003), again New York Yankees (2003), New York Mets (2004) and again Baltimore Orioles (2004).
In ten Major League-seasons, García played in 488 games and collected 352 basehits, including 66 homeruns, and batted in 212 runs.
After his Major League-career, the Mexican outfielder played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) in Japan for Orix Buffaloes (2005-2006) and in the Korean Baseball Organization League in South Korea for Lotte Giants (2008-2010) and Hanwha Eagles (2011).
In 2007, García played in his home-country Mexico for Sultanes de Monterrey, for whom he also started the 2011 season, before he returned to South Korea, where he went on to play for Hanwha Eagles.
In 2012, the outffielder again played for Monterrey (in the Liga Mexicana de Béisbol) and also for Naranjeros de Hermosillo (in the Liga Mexicana del Pacifico).
...Álvaro Ley López...
(© Photo: Venados de Mazatlán) |
In 2007, García won the Bronze Medal with the National Team off Mexico in the Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil).
In 2006, 2009 and 2013, García participated with Mexico in the World Baseball Classic.
As player of Águilas de Mexicali, Tomateros de Culiacán, Naranjeros de Hermosillo and Yaquis de Ciuddad Obregón, García participated in several Caribbean Series.
With the latter team, he won the event in 2011 and 2013.
In 1999 and 2011, he was chosen in the tournament's All-Star Team.
Álvaro Ley López was President of Tomateros de Culiacán for many years.
During his long presidency, the club won six titles (1983, 1985, 1996, 1997, 2002, 2004) in the Mexican Paciffic League and als won two Caribbean Series (1996, 2002).
In 2017, his brother Juan Manuel Ley López (who passed away in 2016) was inducted posthumously into the Caribbean Hall of Fame.
They are the first brothers, who were elected into this Hall of Fame.
Álvaro Ley also has been Vice-President of the Confederación de Béisbol Profesional del Caribe.
As such, he took part in several negotiations with Major League Baseball.
The next Caribbean Series will be organized next year in Venezuelan capitol Caracas.
In the following years, Hermosillo (Mexico, 2027) and Miami (USA, 2028) will be the host-cities.
(February 7)
|
