February 9-11
PUERTO RICO WINS SERIE DEL CARIBE 2018
A crowd of 15,551 sat through a half-hour rain delay at the start of the game, but were then treated to an exciting and emotional finale on Thursday night.
Criollos de Caguas staged another dramatic comeback and successfully defended their Serie del Caribe crown. Too many walks and a few Puerto Rico errors allowed the Dominican nine to post an early 3-0 lead. Forty-year-old Dominican starter Raul Valdez pitched well through six innings. However he was lifted with one out in the bottom of the seventh as Puerto Rico put their first two batters on base. Ruben Gotay then slammed a two-RBI double and later in the inning catcher Jonathan Morales hit a three run homer to put Criollos up 6-4. The Puerto Ricans added three more in the 8th and shut down the Dominican offense to take the game, series, and become bicampeones (two consecutive Series titles).
Final score — Puerto Rico 9 – Dominicana 4
Puerto Rican OF/DH Anthony Garcia was named Serie del Caribe 2018 MVP.
Some observations and more news:
The competition was balanced and most games were hotly contested. The Mexican squad was eliminated from semifinal play, and my amigos were critical of the manager’s moves as well as the quality of play on the field. Excepting the Mexican team, the overall record of the four semi-finalists I think displayed this balance:
Puerto Rico 4 wins – 2 losses
Cuba 3 wins – 2 losses
Dominicana 3 wins – 3 losses
Venezuela 2 wins – 3 losses
The sale of two tickets per day, rather than a double-header format, made for an extremely long day. We generally left for the ballpark at 1pm and did not return to the hotel until 1am.
The locations for upcoming Series del Caribe was announced as: 2019 – Barquisimeto, Venezuela; 2020 – Puerto Rico; 2021 – Mexico (probably Mazatlán). There was lots of discussion regarding the possibility of returning to Mexico again next year should Venezuela not prove feasible. There was also discussion about Cuba hosting a future Serie del Caribe. In an interview, the head of the governing body – the Caribbean Confederation – indicated his desire to return to Havana as it was the site of the initial Serie del Caribe in 1949. However, he indicated it would be dependent on political issues being solved, such as lifting of the U.S. embargo.
As always, a big part of Serie del Caribe for this author is renewing friendships with my friends south-of-the-border as well as with SABR colleagues. My thanks to amigos Ignacio Romero and Juan Antonio Diaz for their friendship and help. Likewise, many thanks to travel empresaria Thelma Acosta for making my arrangements. I got to spend time with SABR member and well-known Mexican broadcaster and sportswriter Eddie Almada. Good friends Lewis Rubman and his wife Gail were at the games (see picture below), with Lewis reporting for a Bay Area sports service.
Finally – as always – Saludos a mi buen amigo Juan Antonio Jasso who was not able to attend this year. We have been good friends for over seven years and I hope to see him again soon.
Thanks for reading!
February 8
PUERTO RICO WILL DEFEND SERIE DEL CARIBE CROWN VS. DOMINICANA
Puerto Rico 6 – Venezuela 5
Criollos de Caguas staged a dramatic comeback to defeat Caribes and advance to the Serie del Caribe 2018 final game. Venezuela starter Daryl Thompson was cruising into the 6th inning with a 2-hitter in hand and his club leading 4-0. But then two singles and a walk loaded the bases. Thompson was relieved by Nestor Molina, who then faced Puerto Rican slugger Anthony Garcia. Garcia promptly hit a blast over the wall for a game tying grand slam. Venezuela took the lead again in the bottom of the seventh, only to be overcome by a 2-run Puerto Rican 8th inning. The defending champs held on for an emotional 6-5 victory and a boleto to the finals.
Dominicana 7 – Cuba 4
Cuba took an early 3-0 lead as Freddy Cepeda drove in the first run with a 2nd inning triple, and then scored on a Dominican throwing error. The Dominicans put up two runs in the top of the 6th on a homer by Ronny Rodriguez. A succession of Cuban relievers could not shut the door as Aguilas Cibaenas scored three more in the 7th and two more in the 8th. Despite committing four errors, and a Freddy Cepeda solo homer in the 8th, the Dominicans prevailed and advance to the finals on Thursday night.
Game attendance was announced as 14,050 – a great turnout considering the Mexican home team has been eliminated.
The Serie del Caribe final will be Thursday night, February 8, at 8pm (U.S. central time). Stay tuned …
February 7
The final standings of the round robin phase of Serie del Caribe are —
Cuba 3-1
Venezuela 2-2
Puerto Rico 2-2
Dominicana 2-2
Mexico 1-3
The semi-final games today are —
Puerto Rico vs. Venezuela 2pm
Dominicana vs. Cuba 8pm (games are central time)
February 6
The day opened with the annual induction of new members to the Serie del Caribe Hall of Fame. Darryl Brinkley, Jaime Orozco and Cornelio Garcia were inducted into the Salon de Fama.
Quick game results are —
Cuba 6 – Puerto Rico 3
This ensures that Cuba wins the round robin phase of the tournament.
Mexico 8 – Dominicana 1
Mexico avoided being swept at home, but still will not advance to the semifinals.
Prior to the second game, the three new Hall-of-Famers threw out a first pitch. They were joined by Yasiel Puig of the Dodgers.
February 5
“Jose Cuervo, he was a friend of mine …” and even more so as our group took a trip out to Tequila, Jalisco and toured the Jose Cuervo plant.
Game results are —
Puerto Rico 12 – Venezuela 7
Dominicana 7 – Cuba 1
The Dominican victory ensures that Mexico will not qualify for the semi-finals even if they win their last game.
February 4
Dominicana 6 – Puerto Rico 3
What a difference a day makes for the Dominicans. They put up five runs through the second inning and held on to beat the defending champs. Lots of singles in this game as there was a total of 26 hits between the two teams.
Venezuela 6 – Mexico 4
Solo homers by Rafael Ortega and Williams Astudil contributed to a 6-2 Venezuela lead going into the bottom of the ninth. Long time LMP and LMB star Chris Roberson entered the game to pinch hit for Mexico in the bottom of the ninth and blasted a two run homer to narrow the Venezuelan lead, but los Caribes held on for the win. The host team is now 0-3 and facing elimination.
Observations on Estadio Panamericano – also known as Estadio Charros de Jalisco, this stadium was built in 2011 to host the Pan American Games. In 2014 the LMP franchise from Guasave moved to Guadalajara and play here. The stadium originally seated 8,000 but was upgraded to 11,500 to host baseball. It has since been expanded to 13,000. The outfield dimensions are 330 ft. down both lines and 415 ft. to center. It has a reputation as a hitters ballpark and we have seen numerous homers down the lines and to the alleys. It has artificial turf and that has been a factor as some batted balls take very high bounces, as well as the infield playing fast.
February 3
Venezuela 15 – Dominicana 4
Los Caribes de Anzoategui tallied 20 hits to even their record at 1-1. Venezuelan slugger Balbino Fuenmayor blasted two homers and a double to tally five RBI. The Dominicans committed two key errors to contribute to the beating.
Cuba 5 – Mexico 4
Alazanes de Granma again played error-free ball and scored two in the seventh and one in the eighth to post a come-from-behind win. Cuba is now 2-0 and Mexico 0-2 through two days of play. The big home crowd was not happy with the results so far.
February 2
Let the games begin! Here are the opening day results:
Cuba 6 – Venezuela 4
The Cuban team played error-free ball and escaped a ninth inning jam to take Game One. Venezuela had the bases loaded with DH Balbino Fuenmayor at the plate but los cubanos escaped to take the opener.
Opening Ceremonies – this was a pleasant spectacle of fireworks, dancing, singing and the playing of all the clubs´ national anthems. An unexpected highlight (at least to the Americans at the game) was an appearance by former president Bill Clinton. He gave a brief, friendly welcoming speech. In a nice touch, he spent a considerable amount of time at the Puerto Rican dugout shaking hands and inquiring about players´ families.
Puerto Rico 7 – Mexico 4
In a repeat of last year`s final, the Puerto Rican team mounted a 15-hit attack to open the defense of their Caribbean Series title. A highlight of the game was an attempted straight steal of home in the top of the third inning. The Puerto Rican runner was called out at the plate, the play was appealed, and the call was upheld to the (temporary) delight of the big Mexican crowd.
February 1 – reporting en vivo desde Guadalajara.
Finally the field is set for Serie del Caribe 2018. Last night in Santo Domingo, Aguilas de Cibaeñas defeated Tigres del Licey 11-5. This was the 21st LiDOM title for Aguilas (Licey leads with 22). Fortunately for the winners, they have a bye on Day 1 (tomorrow) of Serie del Caribe.
To recap, the contestants for Serie del Caribe 2018 are:
MEXICO (hosting) – Tomateros de Culiacan
CUBA – Alazanes de Granma
DOMINICANA – Aguilas de Cibaeñas
PUERTO RICO – Criollos de Caguas (defending champs)
VENEZUELA – Caribes de Anzoategui
I feel that this is a very balanced group of teams and should result in a great series. Vamos a ver … stay tuned.
January 30 – there will be a decisive Game Seven in the Dominican winter league finals! In the doubleheader played today at Estadio Cibao, Aguilas and Licey split – with the home team taking the opener 5-2 and los Tigres winning the nightcap 4-3. Game 7 will be played at Estadio Quisqueya Juan Marichal in Santo Domingo on Wednesday evening.
January 29 – in the remaining final series in the Dominican Republic, Licey bested Aguilas 10-1 in a Game Four marred by five ejections. The two clubs are even at 2-2 in the best-of-seven series and play returns to Estadio Cibao Tuesday for a double-header. Stay tuned …
January 28 – we have two more league winners and another rain-out in Dominicana:
MEXICO
Tomateros de Culiacán tied the game with a run in the top of the ninth and scored the decisive runs in the 12th inning to defeat host Mayos de Navajoa 6-4 in an exciting Game Seven of the LMP Finals. They will make the short trip to Jalisco state to represent the hosts in Serie del Caribe 2018.
CUBA
Alazanes de Granma are bicampeones after defeating Las Tunas 3-2 in Game Seven before more than 20,000 disappointed Leñadores fans. Granma successfully defended their Serie Nacional title and will represent the Pearl of the Antilles in Serie del Caribe 2018.
DOMINICANA – ¡ Más lluvia ! For the third time in the final series a game was rained out. Game 4 will be moved to Santo Domingo for Monday night’s game, and a double-header will be played back at Estadio Cibao Tuesday (if both games are needed). If the series goes to seven games, that will be held back in Santo Domingo on Wednesday.
January 27 – We have some league winners!
PUERTO RICO
Los Criollos de Caguas swept the LBPRC best-of-five final series 3-0 against Santurce and become bicampeones of the Enchanted Island. They will defend their Serie del Caribe crown in Guadalajara.
VENEZUELA
Los Caribes de Anzoátegui took the LVBP title four games to two against Cardenales de Lara.
… we also have two finals going to an exciting Game Seven on Sunday …
MEXICO – Mayos de Navajoa tied up the LMP final series at home against los Tomateros de Culiacan. Los Mayos staged a dramatic two run rally in the bottom of the ninth to take Game Six 4-3. Game Seven will be 5pm local time Sunday at Estadio Manuel “Ciclon” Echeverria in Navajoa, Sonora.
CUBA – Las Tunas forced the SN57 final series to Game Seven by winning 6-2 at home against defending champs Granma. Game Seven will be 2pm local time Sunday at Estadio Julio A. Mella in Las Tunas.
DOMINICANA – more rain delays as Saturday’s game was washed out. The final series resumes Sunday afternoon at Estadio Cibao with Aguilas (Santiago) leading Licey (Santo Domingo) 2-1.
January 26 – la Serie del Caribe is fast-approaching, with play set to begin in Guadalajara, Mexico on Friday, February 2. As of play ending Friday night, January 26, none of the league champions have yet to be determined. However that will surely change over the weekend.
Here’s the latest:
MEXICO – the results so far for the LMP final series are:
Thurs. Jan. 25 – Tomateros 5 – Mayos 3
Wed. Jan. 24 – Mayos 5 – Tomateros 3
Tues. Jan. 23 – Mayos 4 – Tomateros 2
Sun. Jan. 21 – Tomateros 4 – Mayos 0
Sat. Jan. 20 – Tomateros 4 – Mayos 0
Culiacan leads the final series three games to two. Game Six will be Saturday evening in Navajoa.
VENEZUELA – after five games Caribes de Anzoátegui lead the best-of-seven final series three games to two. Game Six will be Saturday evening in Barquisimeto.
Thurs. Jan. 25 – Caribes 5 – Cardenales 2
Wed. Jan. 24 – Caribes 3 – Cardenales 2
Tues. Jan. 23 – Cardenales 8 – Caribes 3
Sun. Jan. 21 – Cardenales 4 – Caribes 0
Sat. Jan. 20 – Caribes 4 – Cardenales 2
CUBA:
Thurs. Jan. 25 – Granma 11 – Las Tunas 5
Wed. Jan. 24 – Granma 4 – Las Tunas 2
Tues. Jan. 23 – Granma 10 – Las Tunas 6
Sun. Jan. 21 – Las Tunas 11 – Granma 4
Sat. Jan. 20 – Las Tunas 6 – Granma 5
After falling behind 2-0, the defending champs Alazanes de Granma have gone ahead in the final series three games to two. Game Six will be Saturday afternoon back in Las Tunas.
DOMINICANA – Aguilas lead the final series 2-1:
Thurs. Jan. 25 – Licey 4 – Aguilas 3 (10 innings)
Wed. Jan. 24 – Aguilas 8 – Licey 4
Tues. Jan. 23 – Aguilas 8 – Licey 1
Previously … after tying for second place in the round-robin “semi-finals” series, Aguilas hosted Escogido at Estadio Cibao on Sunday, Jan. 21. Aguilas registered a convincing 7-0 victory to advance to the finals to meet Licey. Los Tigres will host the first game at Estadio Quisqueya Juan Marichal on Tuesday evening.
PUERTO RICO – Defending LBPRC and Serie del Caribe champs Criollos de Caguas lead Santurce 2-0 in the best-of-five final series:
Fri. Jan. 26 – Caguas 6 – Santurce 1
Thurs. Jan. 25 – Caguas 2 – Santurce 1
Previously – in the sudden-death wild card game, Santurce prevailed over Mayaguez 2-1. The Cangrejeros therefore advance to the five-game final series against defending LBPRC and Serie del Caribe champs Criollos de Caguas.
At the completion of the 18-game regular season, the standings were:
Caguas 11-7 – clinched first place
Mayaguez and Santurce tied at 9-9
Carolina is 7-11 and eliminated.
Los Indios and Cangrejeros will meet in a sudden-death game on Wednesday, January 24 to determine who will advance to the final series against the defending champions Criollos.
January 20 – the Caribbean Series opens in just 12 days, and the league finals are in-progress or are just about to start. Here’s the latest:
MEXICO – in the semi-finals of the LMP, Tomateros de Culiacan swept Mexicali four games to none and Mayos de Navajoa defeated Charros de Jalisco 4-2. This sets up the league finals with Navajoa hosting Culiacan for game one of the best-of-seven choque.
Game One update – Tomateros defeated Mayos 4-0 behind a complete game, one hitter by Culiacan starter Anthony Vasquez.
VENEZUELA – Cardenales de Lara swept Magallanes 4-0 to take their semi-final series. The Cardenales have been playing well all season. Caribes de Anzoátegui prevailed over Caracas 4-1. Therefore, Cardenales will have home-field advantage for the best-of-seven finals. Los finales open in Barquisimeto tonight.
Game One update – Caribes defeated Cardenales 4-2, disappointing the 18,107 Lara aficianados.
CUBA
¡Al combate, corred, Bayameses! Granma fans storm the field in Bayamo as los Alazanes clinch their semi-final series. The defending champs were underdogs vs. Matanzas, but they prevailed four games to one.
In the other semi-final series, Las Tunas and Industriales went to a decisive seventh game with Las Tunas winning 10-0. Las Tunas will therefore open at home in the final series.
Game One update – Las Tunas won at home 6-5 over Granma.
DOMINICANA – the “semi-final” round-robin results are as follows:
| Team | W | L | GB |
| Licey | 11 | 7 | — |
| Escogido | 9 | 9 | 2 |
| Águilas | 9 | 9 | 2 |
| Gigantes | 7 | 11 | 4 |
Licey therefore qualifies for the best-of-seven final series and will open at home. Escogido and Águilas Cibaenas will play a one-game tie-breaker at Estadio Cibao Sunday to decide who will join Licey in the finals.
PUERTO RICO – the 18-game hurricane shortened season continues on the Enchanted Island with the current standings at:
| Team | W | L | GB |
| Caguas | 10 | 5 | — |
| Santurce | 8 | 7 | 2 |
| Mayaguez | 7 | 8 | 3 |
| Carolina | 5 | 10 | 5 |
At this point, Caguas is assured of advancing to at least the “wild card” (2nd vs. 3rd place) game. Everything else depends on the remaining three games.
December 30 – “regular season” play in the Winter Leagues has wrapped up and the winter “post-season” is getting underway (Puerto Rico is an exception – see below). Here’s the status of the various leagues, and which clubs are still playing in January:
DOMINICANA – the final standings for the rol regular , the regular season which completed play on December 21, were:
| Team | W | L | GB | Qual? |
| Gigantes | 29 | 21 | — | Y |
| Aguilas | 27 | 23 | 2 | Y |
| Escogido | 27 | 23 | 2 | Y |
| Licey | 25 | 25 | 4 | Y |
| Estrellas | 23 | 27 | 6 | N |
| Toros | 19 | 31 | 10 | N |
The top four clubs advance to an 18-game round-robin “semifinals” which will complete on Jan. 18. The top two teams from the round-robin phase will then play for the league championship.
In the early going of the todos-contra-todos (round robin), Licey is in the lead at 3-0.
Escogido outfielder Franchy Cordero has been named both the regular season league MVP and the Rookie of the Year. The 23-year-old debuted with the San Diego Padres this year after posting a .972 OPS with El Paso of the AAA PCL.
CUBA – the second half of Serie Nacional 57 was completed on Dec. 25 with the standings as follows:
| Team | W | L | GB | Qual? |
| Matanzas | 61 | 29 | — | Y |
| Las Tunas | 59 | 31 | 2 | Y |
| Industriales | 51 | 39 | 10 | Y |
| Granma | 49 | 39 | 11 | Y |
| Artemisa | 42 | 46 | 18 | N |
| Pinar del Rio | 41 | 49 | 20 | N |
Los Cocodrilos de Matanzas won 9 of their last 1o to overtake Las Tunas for 1st place. The semi-final best-of-seven series open January 4 with Matanzas hosting defending champion Granma, and Las Tunas hosting Industriales (Havana).
Alfredo Despaigne was named Cuban player-of-the-year for 2017 based upon his outstanding season in Japan with the Softbank Falcons and his SN56 post-season play with the defending champion Granma Alazanes.
MEXICO – the LMP regular season wrapped up on December 29. Counting points earned for both the first- and second-half seasons, here are the final consolidated standings:
The top six teams now advance to the “quarter-finals”. Tomateros de Culiacan will open the best-of-seven series at home against Charros de Jalisco. Likewise, Aguilas de Mexicali will host Venados de Mazatlán and Mayos de Navojoa will host Naranjeros de Hermosillo. You might ask how this can be the “quarter-finals” when there are only three match-ups? Not only will the three winners advance, but the losing team with the best playoff record will also advance.
VENEZUELA – likewise, the LVBP finished their rol regular on December 29. The top six clubs will advance to the post-season in a playoff format similar to Mexico’s. Final standings are:
| Team | W | L | GB | Qual? |
| Cardenales | 38 | 25 | — | Y |
| Navegantes | 35 | 28 | 3 | Y |
| Leones | 35 | 28 | 3 | Y |
| Tigres | 32 | 31 | 6 | Y |
| Caribes | 32 | 31 | 6 | Y |
| Aguilas | 31 | 32 | 7 | Y |
| Bravos | 25 | 38 | 13 | N |
| Tiburones | 24 | 39 | 14 | N |
PUERTO RICO – due to the extensive damage from Hurricane Maria, the winter league in Puerto Rico will play an abbreviated schedule beginning on Three Kings Day – January 5. Four teams – Santurce, Carolina, Caguas, and Mayaguez/Aguadilla – will play an 18-game schedule due to complete January 23.
After this shortened rol regular, the 2nd and 3rd place finishers will play a single wild-card game, with the winner advancing to a best-of-five final series vs. the 1st place finisher. The winner then advances to defend Puerto Rico’s 2017 Serie del Caribe championship.
November 26 – play continues south of the border as the Latin American winter leagues enter their final month of “regular season” action. Here’s the latest:
MEXICO – first-half play in the LMP (Liga Mexicana del Pacifico) concluded on Sunday, November 19. First-half results were:
Naranjeros de Hermosillo were awarded first place, and the eight points that go along with it, by virtue of their winning the first-half series against both Tomateros de Culiacan and Venados de Mazatlán.
Second-half play is now only a week old, with Aguilas de Mexicali and Venados tied for the lead at 4-1.
Sebastian Elizalde of the Tomateros leads LMP hitters with a .383 batting average. He is a Reds farmhand who had a solid summer season at Louisville of the International League, recording a .707 OPS in 134 games played.
CUBA – second-half action continues with the current standings at:
| Team | W | L | GB |
| Las Tunas | 44 | 21 | |
| Matanzas | 43 | 23 | 1.5 |
| Industriales | 40 | 26 | 4.5 |
| Granma | 38 | 28 | 6.5 |
| Artemisa | 35 | 33 | 10.5 |
| Pinar del Rio | 34 | 33 | 11.0 |
Las Tunas and Matanzas have played well in the second half and seem to be consolidating their positions as 1-2. Artemisa and Pinar will both have to rally to make the playoffs (the top four clubs advance to the semi-finals in January). There are four weeks remaining in the SN57 regular season.
Veteran Las Tunas DH/OF Danel Castro logged his 2000th hit in Serie Nacional play earlier this month. He is only the 21st player to achieve that mark in 57 years of SN play.
DOMINICANA
Tigres del Licey are celebrating the club’s 110th anniversary this season. They have achieved 22 LiDOM league titles and won 10 Series del Caribe in their long, successful history.
Current standings in the Dominican Republic are:
| Team | W | L | GB |
| Aguilas | 18 | 12 | |
| Gigantes | 18 | 13 | 0.5 |
| Estrellas | 16 | 13 | 1.5 |
| Licey | 15 | 17 | 4.0 |
| Escogido | 14 | 17 | 4.5 |
| Toros | 11 | 20 | 7.5 |
VENEZUELA – Leones de Caracas have won 15 of 20 games since last report and have surged into first place in the Liga Venezolana de Beisbol Profesional (LVBP). Current standings are:
| Team | W | L | GB |
| Caracas | 25 | 15 | |
| Aragua | 22 | 16 | 2.0 |
| Magallanes | 22 | 18 | 3.0 |
| Zulia | 19 | 19 | 5.0 |
| Lara | 18 | 19 | 5.5 |
| Caribes | 18 | 22 | 7.0 |
| La Guaira | 16 | 22 | 8.0 |
| Margarita | 15 | 24 | 9.0 |
Magallanes OF/DH Jesus Valdez, a veteran Dominican who has played in the minors with the Cubs and Nats, leads the LVBP in HR (13), RBI (46) and Runs Scored (34).
PUERTO RICO – as the Enchanted Island continues to recover from Hurricane Maria, planning continues for a short 21-game “regular season” to begin January 6.
In the meantime, Puerto Ricans can celebrate the naming of Dave Martinez as manager of the Washington Nationals. A New Yorker of Puerto Rican heritage, he joins Alex Cora as current dirigentes puertorriqueños en Grandes Ligas.
November 3 – there’s no need for “baseball withdrawal” after an exciting World Series in the U.S. — there’s plenty of baseball action south of the border. Here are some highlights:
CUBA – Serie Nacional 57 second-half action is underway. Defending champs Granma, along with Artemisa, won their wild-card rounds and join Industriales, Las Tunas, Matanzas, and Pinar del Rio in second-half action. Each of the advancing six teams selected five refuerzos (reinforcements) from the rosters of the teams that were eliminated. Slugging DH/1B Frederich Cepeda was drafted by Pinar del Rio.
Current SN57 standings for the second half are as follows (remember that first-half W/L results carry over to the second half):
| Team | W | L | GB |
| Industriales | 34 | 16 | — |
| Las Tunas | 33 | 16 | 0.5 |
| Granma | 32 | 19 | 2.5 |
| Matanzas | 31 | 19 | 3.0 |
| Pinar del Rio | 29 | 22 | 5.5 |
| Artemisa | 27 | 24 | 7.5 |
Granma is riding a 12-game winning streak that has jumped them up to third place currently. Pinar del Rio has won only three of their last ten.
VENEZUELA – Navegantes de Magallanes are celebrating their 100th anniversary this season. Venezuelans around the baseball world are reveling in the success of countryman Jose Altuve (el Astroboy) in the World Series.
Current LVBP standings are:
| Team | W | L | GB |
| Tigres de Aragua | 16 | 4 | — |
| Aguilas del Zulia | 10 | 9 | 5.5 |
| Leones de Caracas | 10 | 10 | 6.0 |
| Navegantes | 10 | 10 | 6.0 |
| Bravos de Margarita | 9 | 11 | 7.0 |
| Cardenales de Lara | 9 | 11 | 7.0 |
| Tiburones de La Guaira | 8 | 12 | 8.0 |
| Caribes de Anzoátegui | 8 | 13 | 8.5 |
MEXICO – the LMP is in its fourth week of play and the standings are crowded; only 2 games separate the top five clubs:
| Team | W | L | GB |
| Culiacan | 12 | 8 | — |
| Jalisco | 12 | 8 | — |
| Hermosillo | 11 | 9 | 1.0 |
| Mazatlán | 11 | 9 | 1.0 |
| Mexicali | 10 | 10 | 2.0 |
| Los Mochis | 9 | 11 | 3.0 |
| Navojoa | 8 | 12 | 4.0 |
| Cd. de Obregon | 7 | 13 | 5.0 |
DOMINICANA – Estrellas (San Pedro) have taken a one-game lead in the LiDOM standings through three weeks of play:
| Team | W | L | GB |
| Estrellas | 10 | 4 | — |
| Gigantes | 9 | 5 | 1.0 |
| Escogido | 8 | 6 | 2.0 |
| Aguilas | 7 | 7 | 3.0 |
| Licey | 4 | 10 | 6.0 |
| Toros | 4 | 10 | 6.0 |
PUERTO RICO – native son Alex Cora is having a great baseball year. The native of Caguas has played, managed, and been the GM of hometown Criollos de Caguas and they won la Serie del Caribe in February. He was GM of the Puerto Rican team in the World Baseball Classic, and they had a great run finishing second in March. He has just won a World Series as bench coach for the Astros. And to top it off, he has signed a multi-year deal to become manager of the Boston Red Sox.
October 17 – the Cuban Serie Nacional has reached the half-way mark and the winter leagues are now underway in Mexico, Dominicana, and Venzuela. Here’s the latest:
CUBA – SN57 has completed the first half of its season. The top-four teams in the standings advance to the second half. They are:
1-Industriales, 2-Las Tunas, 3-Matanzas, 4-Pinar del Rio
The teams in positions 5-8 advance to best-of-three wildcard series, as follows:
5-Granma (the defending SN champion) plays 8-Villa Clara; and 6-Artemisa plays 7-Ciego de Avila. The two winners will also advance to the second half of the season.
MEXICO – the Liga Mexicana del Pacifico has completed its first week of play. Culiacan and Jalisco are in the early lead with perfect 5-0 records.
DOMINICANA – likewise, the LiDOM is also under way. Escogido, Estrellas and Gigantes are all 2-0.
VENEZUELA – Tigres de Aragua and Aguilas de Zulia are 4-1, with Leones de Caracas at 5-2.
October 7 – the weather made big news for baseball in Latin America. Mother Nature and her offspring Irma, Maria, and the Terremoto twins caused havoc in Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Mexico.
CUBA – Hurricane Irma forced the postponement of two series (six games) of Serie Nacional 57. These games are being made up now in order to complete the first half of the season and determine which six of the sixteen clubs will advance to the second half of the SN57 season.
Riding a 5-game winning streak Las Tunas has pulled to within a half-game of first-place Industriales (Havana) and both clubs have passed Pinar del Rio – who now sit in third place after going 3-7 in their last 10 games. First-half games are due to complete October 9.
Your author had the unique experience of attending Cubaball 2017 in late September. Our weeklong trip to see Cuban baseball is the creation of SABR member Kit Krieger, and was hosted this year by his brother Bob, travel empresario Clem Paredes Rodriguez, and Cuban baseball expert and writer Peter Bjarkman. We visited ballparks in Havana, Cienfuegos, Santa Clara, Artemisa, and Pinar del Rio. The interaction with Cuban ballplayers – past and present – as well as the Cuban people was memorable. I would recommend this trip to any aficionado of beisbol latinoamericano.
A typical SN stadium, Estadio 5 de Septiembre in Cienfuegos (top). Cubaball travelers at grave site of El Inmortal Martin Dihigo in Cruces (bottom). Martin Dihigo Jr. is second from left and your author is kneeling on the right. Photos courtesy of Joel Greene with additional thanks to Ted Leavengood and Elena North.
PUERTO RICO – Hurricane Maria caused tremendous damage to the island and has forced a major postponement of the winter season. At a press conference held Thursday (October 5), it was announced that a much-shortened season would begin January 6, 2018. The “regular season” will consist of 21 games, played during the day and including Saturday and Sunday doubleheaders. Admission will be free. A short playoff series will be held in late January to determine which team will advance to the Caribbean Series. Puerto Rico is the defending Serie del Caribe champion.
MEXICO – a two-game All Star Series was held jointly by the summer (LMB) and winter (LMP) leagues as a demonstration of cooperation and solidarity in support of earthquake victims. The teams were integrated across the two leagues and the games were held in Culiacan (home of the LMP Tomateros) and Monterrey (home of the LMB Sultanes) on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1.
The winter regular season will commence next week in MEXICO (Oct. 10), VENEZUELA (Oct. 10), and DOMINICANA (Oct. 13).
September 3 – the Caribbean Confederation, the ruling body of Latin American winter leagues, held its Assembly of Presidents in Jalisco, Mexico and confirmed details of the upcoming Serie del Caribe 2018 to be held in Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico. Items of note are:
Schedule – the Series will open Friday February 2 and conclude on Thursday February 8. The complete schedule is posted above.
Format of competition – the five-team format used since Cuba re-entered competition in 2014 will be continued. The five clubs (the champions of the Cuban, Mexican, Dominican, Puerto Rican, and Venezuelan winter leagues) will play an initial four game round-robin. When the round-robin phase is concluded, the bottom team in the standings will be eliminated and the top four teams will enter a knock-out semi-final round. The two semi-final winners will then play one game for the championship.
Estadio Charros expansion – the host ballpark will be expanded from 12,000 to 16,000 seats, using private investment committed for the project.
Cuban participation – the commissioner of the Caribbean Confederation, Juan Francisco Puello, was asked about the current and future status of Cuban participation in the Series. He commented that the Cubans are again participating as invitees in 2018, but that he was confident that they would eventually rejoin the Caribbean Confederation. When asked a follow-up as to when that might occur, he responded “That depends on the politics.”
In other winter leagues news:
CUBA – SN 57 is well underway, and the current standings follow. Remember that the Cubans play a split season, and after the initial 45 games only the top six teams advance.
| Team | Wins | Losses |
| Pinar del Rio | 16 | 3 |
| Las Tunas | 14 | 6 |
| Industriales (Havana) | 13 | 7 |
| Santiago de Cuba | 12 | 7 |
| Ciego de Ávila | 13 | 8 |
| Matanzas | 12 | 9 |
| Artemisa | 12 | 9 |
| Villa Clara | 10 | 11 |
| Sancti Spíritus | 10 | 11 |
| Holguín | 10 | 11 |
| Granma | 10 | 11 |
| Camagüey | 8 | 13 |
| Isla de la Juventud | 8 | 13 |
| Mayabeque | 8 | 13 |
| Cienfuegos | 6 | 15 |
| Guantánamo | 3 | 18 |
VENEZUELA – the LVBP announced that it will proceed with its 2017-18 schedule after the government committed $10M USD from its foreign exchange reserves to help the league buy equipment and pay for the contracts of imported players.
PUERTO RICO – the LBPRC announced approval for a new ownership group for the Santurce franchise. Also announced were cost-control measures for the upcoming 2017-18 season, including playing more doubleheaders.
MEXICO -the LMP has changed their roster rules to increase the number of foreign-born players allowed per active club roster to eight (8). This is viewed as a necessary hedge should the Mexican summer league (LMB) follow through with its plans to play an elongated split-season schedule in summer-fall 2018. Should the LMB extend its schedule into November 2018, this will impact the number of Mexican players that would be available to the LMP for the first month of the Mexican winter league schedule.
August 4 – the start of the Winter Leagues is upon us! Serie Nacional 57 opens play in Cuba on August 5 with defending champs Granma hosting Villa Clara. Here are a few news items from the “off season”:
CHANGE IN LOCATION FOR SERIE DEL CARIBE 2018 – The host location for the upcoming Caribbean Series had been announced as Barquisimeto, Lara, Venezuela. However, due to the ongoing social and political unrest in Venezuela, the Caribbean Confederation voted on June 14 to move the Series to Mexico. The Liga Mexicana del Pacifico (LMP) then promptly voted to host Serie del Caribe 2018 in Guadalajara, Jaliso.
The location for the upcoming Series will be Estadio Charros in Zapopan, Jalisco State, a suburb of Guadalajara. This is the same stadium that hosted second-round play in the World Baseball Classic 2017, and is the home field of the Charros de Jalisco club of the LMP.
OPENING WINTER LEAGUE DATES:
| SN 57 | Cuba | August 5 |
| LVBP | Venezuela | October 10 |
| LMP | Mexico | October 10 |
| LiDOM | Dominicana | October 13 |
| LBPRC | Puerto Rico | November 9 |
INTER-LEAGUE CONTROVERSY IN MEXICO – the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol (LMB), the Mexican summer league, has announced plans to operate a split-season in 2018 that will extend that league’s schedule into November. This will overlap with the beginning of the winter league schedule of the LMP, as well as cause conflicts among those players that currently play in both the LMB and LMP.
More to come on this hot topic.
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