Luis Robert, one of the Cuban baseball players who agreed to play with the national team in the upcoming World Baseball Classic.

BASEBALL

Before it begins, the V Clásico is already a defeat for the regime and the state Cuban Baseball Federation

The regime has only summoned Cuban players without ties to the FCB after the results of the national teams plummeted.

YUSIMI RODRIGUEZ LOPEZ

Madrid 25 Nov 2022 - 14:15 CET

Andy Ibáñez (Texas Rangers), Yoan López (New York Mets), Elián Leyva (Hermosillo Naranjeros), Yoan Moncada (Chicago White Sox), Yoenis Céspedes (Águilas Cibaeñas), Onelkis García (Águilas Cibaeñas), Luis Robert (Chicago White Sox) and Roenis Elías (Águilas Cibaeñas) are the Cuban baseball players hired abroad —some within the Major League system— who make up the island's national preselection for the V World Baseball Classic .

The names were announced with joy by the state Cuban Baseball Federation ( FCB ) in recent days and the reactions have been diverse. Many celebrate this fact, undoubtedly historical, while others criticize the players. However, what we are really witnessing is a defeat for the state entity and the ball that Fidel Castro called "free" .

The first thing we must ask ourselves is who has been forced to give in: the players, who managed to prove themselves in the best baseball in the world or obtain contracts in foreign professional leagues without the mediation of the FCB and today can once again wear the colors of Cuba? in an international tournament and bring joy to the fans? Or have they been the FCB and the regime, which for decades denied players based abroad the right to represent the country, and with this, denied Cubans the possibility of seeing their national team uniform in action ? best ballplayers ?

Let us remember that the Cuban government did not begin to pay stipends to Olympic, world and Pan-American medalists, nor did it raise the salaries of the players who participated in the National Series, nor did it authorize the hiring of athletes abroad until it was overwhelmed by the flight of athletes. We know that none of these measures has been enough to stop the exodus.

The regime never takes any step in the right direction unless under pressure. In the same way that he only authorized contracts abroad when he saw no other choice, he has also summoned Cuban players without ties to the FCB after the results of the national teams plummeted.

The interest of emigrated players —by any means— in integrating national teams is not new. Inside Cuba, without internet, it was known that Orlando "El Duque" Hernández wanted to pitch again for his country.

The authorities had the luxury of doing without those players while the island's low-paid professionals, with the label of amateurs, defeated the true amateur athletes from other countries, and later, when the level of the teams they faced increased , but the Cubans continued to live up to it.

In the first World Baseball Classic , held in 2006, the Cuban team placed second. Yulieski Gurriel was key in his performance. Ten years later, he escaped from a hotel in the Dominican Republic, once the Caribbean Series had finished and after giving the best 15 years of his sports career to baseball in his country of birth, which the regime now prevents him from entering.

It took 16 years to pass and baseball in Cuba had to hit bottom for the authorities to be forced to resort to those hired outside without ties to the FCB.

Of course, the authorities have established as a requirement that the players have not abandoned any national team abroad, not to mention the obstacles that have historically placed the legal departures of athletes or Decree 306 of 2012. This rule establishes that the High-performance athletes need "to be authorized, after analyzing each case, to travel abroad for private business ."

Precisely, one of the shortlisted, Yoan Moncada, requested his discharge to leave Cuba in 2013 and the authorities detained him for more than eight months before letting him leave.

But there is no doubt that, although it has not extended the call to those considered "traitors", the FCB is desperate to have Cuban baseball players who reside abroad and are contracted without its mediation. In desperation, the entity came to kick for alleged campaigns of misinformation, pressure and intimidation to prevent players hired abroad from joining the national team.

The FCB even shortlisted Ibañez, one of the players who supported the call of the Association of Cuban Professional Baseball Players at the beginning of 2022 , which proposed creating an independent team to represent the Island in the tournament.

The state entity has also yielded in terms of the requirements for players to join the national teams. In November 2021, the president of the FCB and baseball commissioner, Juan Reinaldo Pérez Pardo, declared to the state portal Cubadebate that, in order to be included in the national teams, players living abroad had to "be Cuban nationals", although in reality, that nationality is not lost.

Last April, Ramiro Domínguez, legal director of the Cuban Institute of Sports, Physical Education and Recreation (INDER), ratified that, to integrate the Cuban teams, the players hired abroad had to repatriate on their own .

Already at the end of September, Pérez Pardo reported that the FCB was studying the elimination of the repatriation requirement for players who wish to defend the colors of their province or country.

Despite the announcement, it was stated that the players had to be "positive with our baseball, our flag and the nation", words whose meaning would not be understood by a citizen of any democratic country, where it would be inconceivable that an athlete could not be part of a national team. national for criticizing the government of the day.

The inclusion of these eight players in the Cuban preselection for the Classic comes in the midst of a stampede of increasingly young talent who decide to leave the country in search of Major League contracts .

This inclusion is a warning that in the future the FCB will try to take advantage of Cubans who have improved as athletes abroad and prospered economically —everything they cannot achieve on the Island— so that they take the national pastime back to the stellar planes.

The fact that so many players can legally leave and obtain contracts, in addition to demonstrating once again that the existence of an agreement between the MLB and the FCB is not necessary, allows the latter to summon them without renouncing its discriminatory policy against who took the opportunity of an international competition outside of Cuba to achieve their dreams.

On the other hand, the FCB hopes that, having the opportunity to emigrate legally, get hired, prosper and then even play for Cuba , young people think about it before leaving a national team, something that makes the regime look so bad.

But, although many active baseball players aspire to represent the Island and other retirees regret not having been able to do it again, the recent escapes of Cuban athletes , including 18-year-old Miguel Flores , show that being a member of a national team It is no longer the maximum aspiration of the youngest talents.

11/27/22

Jose Tena (Estrellas – Game 1, SS): 1-4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 K – Tena doubled and later scored in the bottom of the second in his third-straight one-hit game, sixth of his current seven-game hitting streak, and twelfth of his last eighteen played.

Johnathan Rodriguez (Carolina, LF): 0-4, 3 K – J-Rod posted a hat trick in his first game action in four days. For any hockey or soccer fans who found this article, a hat trick in baseball is NOT a good thing.

Gabriel Arias (Santurce, 3B): 2-4, 1 2B, 1 K – Another day, another extra-base hit. Still no visa to enter Venezuela.

11/28/22

Jose Tena (Estrellas, SS): 0-2, BB – No 1-for performance in this one for Tena as he was dropped once again to sixth in the order for his club, but he did work a rare walk.

11/29/22

Gabriel Arias (Santurce, 3B): 0-4, 2 K – The Arias XBH train was halted on Tuesday night. Hopefully, it gets back up to speed soon.

Jonathan Rodriguez (Carolina, LF): 2-4, 1 K – J-Rod improved greatly from his previous outing, posing one of the three two-hit performances that accounted for all six Gigante hits in last night’s shutout loss.

Jose Tena (Estrellas, SS): 1-3, 1 R, 2 K, 1 HBP, 1 CS – Tena, who extended his on-base streak to nine-games with yet another one-hit night (He also has a productive plate appearance eleven straight.), has scored a (single, unsurprisingly) run in three of his last four games and five of his last eight played.

Dahan Batista (Barranquilla, RP): L (2-1), 0.1 IP, 2 H 3 R (all earned), 1 BB – Batista’s disastrous start to the seventh starting the spiral of the game out of the Caimanes’ grasp. Hopefully, he can put this game in his rearview mirror quickly and get back to his solid early-season form.

11/30/22

Johnathan Rodriguez (Carolina, LF): 3-4, 2 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 BB – J-Rod’s big night at the plate, which was highlighted by a three-run blast to left-center in the sixth for his first homer of the season, was a welcome respite from a winter largely bereft of such performances from Guardians prospects.


PR: Hernández's home run prompted Giants' victory

the Gigantes de Carolina defeated the Cangrejeros de Santurce by a final score of 8-4

In the fourth inning, a forceout by Roy Morales and a three-run shot by Michael Pérez gave the crustaceans a 4-0 lead in front of their fans. This was the first home run for Perez of the winter season.

Carolina entered the inning by tying the contest at four runs apiece when Jonathan Rodríguez hit a three-run home run and, with two retired, consecutive hits by Osvaldo 'Ozzie' Martínez and Gabriel Cancel caused Adalberto Flores to be relieved by Juan Echevarría , who was greeted by Alexis Pantoja 's rbi hit that brought the fourth run on the legs of Martínez.

The visitors brought out their artillery in the top of the ninth when they produced the four more runs that gave them the victory. Jonathan Rodríguez led the way for Carolina with a three run homer, double, walk, and three rbi.


Gabriel Arias (Santurce, 3B): 1-4, 1 R, 1 K – While not as impressive as Rodriguez, Arias also got a hit and scored a run as the only other Cleveland farmhand in action last night.

12/1/22

Johnathan Rodriguez (LF, Carolina): 1-for-4, R – Rodriguez was 1-for-4 on Thursday with a single to right field in the bottom of the fourth inning. He sent a ground ball into right for a base hit and advanced a runner to second with nobody out. Later in the frame, he came around to score on a bases loaded walk to take a 2-0 lead.

Gabriel Arias (LF, Santurce): 0-for-4 – It was uncharted territory for Arias as he took left field for Santurce for the first time this season. Primarily, he had been a staple at 3B or in the DH spot. His struggles at the dish continued, however, in a hitless effort in four plate appearances.

Jose Tena (SS, Estrelles): 1-for-4, RBI – It wasn’t a flashy night offensively for Estrelles, but when the lights shined brightest, Tena was there. The leadoff man drove in the game’s tying run in the eighth inning of the 2-1 win with a bases loaded single to left, one of three team hits in the game. The opponents were able to cut down the go-ahead run at the plate, but in the ninth, the team got in the run column once more to secure the victory. Tena was the catalyst of a double play on the defensive side of the ball.

Águilas lose to Estrellas 2-1 in close game

SANTIAGO.- Rainer Núñez hit a home run in the ninth inning that led the Estrellas Orientales to beat the Águilas Cibaeñas 2-1 last night at the Cibao Stadium, in the continuation of the Dominican professional baseball tournament.

The victory was the 17th for the Orientals with 22 losses, to remain in fourth position and it was only the second victory against the Aguilas, who have beaten them six times. Aguilas put their record at 16-4 at home, 12-8 on the road, for a record of 28-12, already qualified for the semifinals and 2.5 games ahead of Licey (24-13).

The Stars, who went scoreless into the eighth inning, evened the game at 1-1 in that inning on back-to-back walks to Elehuris Montero and Junior Lake, who advanced to third and second on a wild pitch. Shed Long, Jr. flied out to left, Sandber Pimentel was intentionally walked, and Jose Tena's rbi single to left tied the game.

The Aguilas offense was led by Luis Valenzuela with two singles; Gotta, a double; Difó, Aneury Tavarez, Frank Schwindel and Melky Cabrera, one hit each.

For the Stars, Núñez with the decisive home run and the other two hits went to José Tena, with a run scored; and Gustavo Nunez.

Andres Gimenez (SS, Cardinales): 0-for-3, RBI, SF – Cleveland’s all-star middle infielder was 0-for-3 in Venezuelan League action on Thursday, but drove in a run via a sacrifice fly. Down 1-0, he tied the game up with a deep flyball to left on a 1-2 count. Defensively, he triggered the team’s only double play.

The Barquisimeto offensive could only dispatch five hits, with Hernán Pérez being the only one able to double on this Thursday. The Villa de Cura native went 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored. Ildemaro Vargas extended to 14 games in a row hitting after going 1-for-4 with a single. Juniel Querecuto went 1-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Kennys Vargas went 2-1 with a hit and Andrés Giménez went 3-0 with a sacrifice fly.

Andrés Giménez (Photo: AP/File)

Andrés Giménez is ready for his debut

The big leaguer will debut tonight with Cardenales de Lara against Caribes de Anzoátegui

VICTOR BOCCONE

1 DECEMBER, 2022

The dayis finally here. Tonight at 7:00 pm, Cardenales de Lara will be able to present one of the top prospects in Major League Baseball in their lineup against Caribes de Anzoátegui, at Alfonso “Chico” Carrasquel in Puerto La Cruz.

We refer to the man from Barquisimeto, Andrés Giménez, who, after having a productive year with the Cleveland Guardians, came to the Cardenales to give greater depth to those led by manager Carlos Mendoza.

On February 11 of this year, a momentous change left Cardenales fans stunned. Oswald Peraza, also a MLB prospect with the New York Yankees, was traded to Leones del Caracas for Andrés Giménez; a 24-year-old young man who, from the first moment he learned of the trade to his childhood team, did not hesitate to put on uniform this season, in order to respond to the fans of Barquisimeto and, in the same way, to get in shape for the World Classic of Baseball to be held in March 2023.

"It doesn't come as a surprise to me, but it was something that I really wanted, for myself and for my family, to belong to Cardinals of Lara It's something quite special," Giménez said at the time to the team's press department.

The Cleveland second baseman and AL Gold Glove winner will join perhaps one of the most compact lineups in the LVBP today this year.

Well, together with Ildemaro Vargas, Odúbel Herrera, Hernán Pérez, Jermaine Palacios, Kennys Vargas, Gorkys Hernández among other members of the club, they will make up a lineup with notable experience in the Major Leagues for this last month of the campaign.

Giménez goes with everything

Andrés Giménez knows very well that this opportunity to play in Venezuela and in front of his family could be repeatable for many years and for this reason, this year, he will make the most of his stay with the red birds.

The Cleveland second baseman assured, by telephone, that he hopes to stay with the team throughout the month of December; as long as he sticks to the work plan that Cleveland has for him this winter.

After his MLB season in 2022, the Venezuelan will be one of the key figures in in Venezuela this season.

12/2/22

Johnathan Rodriguez (LF, Carolina): 0-4, K – An 0-for night for Rodriguez who has had a solid winter this far but contact continues to be an issue.

Jose Tena (SS, Estrellas): 1-3, E – Another one hit night for Tena who continues to be lower in his clubs lineup. He keeps collecting a hit each night, which is productive, but it’s not good for his development of OBP skills and he added his 14th error to his tally too. I wouldn’t worry too much about the errors just yet though.

Stars for five runs in the ninth and defeat the Toros

Santo Domingo . Rainer Núñez and Christian Bethancourt each drove in two runs in a five-run inning and the Estrellas Orientales defeated the Toros del Este 7-2 this Friday night at the Francisco Micheli Stadium in La Romana.

Five innings passed before the Stars scored and did so to tie the game 2-2 in the eighth, helped by a wild pitch and then José Tena's sacrifice fly to score Christian Bethancourt. who moved to third after the wild pitch.

12/3/22

Richie Palacios (RF, Mayaguez): 0-4, RBI – Richie Palacios made his Puerto Rican league debut and added a sac fly in the fourth inning of his team’s win. He curiously payed right field while his brother, Josh, played center.

Johnathan Rodriguez (LF, Carolina): 2-5, 2B, R, K – Rodriguez still fanned twice but managed a pair of hits including his third double of the winter in this win.

11/4/22

Johnathan Rodriguez (Carolina – Game 1, LF): 1-3 – J-Rod made it two games in a row with a hit in the opener…

Johnathan Rodriguez (Carolina – Game 2, LF): 0-3, 1 K – …before regressing in the nightcap with an 0-fer and a strikeout.

Eric Rodriguez (Carolina – Game 2, starting C): 0-2, 1 R – E-Rod, who made a rare game appearance in yesterday’s nightcap, remains hitless on the season but scored his (x) run in the bottom of the second after reaching on a fielding error. On the defensive end of things, an area near and dear to the Guardians’ catcher evaluation model, Rodriguez threw out a runner in the top of said frame.

Richie Palacios (Mayaguez – Game 1, RF): 0-2, 2 BB – Palacios, who led off in Game 1, remained hitless through the doubleheader’s opener but did reach base for the first time this season via a pair of walks.

Gabriel Arias (Santurce – Game 1, 3B): 0-3 – Arias’ offensive struggles continued in the opener of yesterday’s doubleheader.

Gabriel Arias (Santurce – Game 2, 3B-1B): 1-3, 1 R – Arias led off the bottom of the 2nd with his lone hit of the day and scored the Cangrejeros’ regulation run later in that inning.

Andres Gimenez (Lara, SS): 1-4 – The only Guardian to play in the LVBP on Sunday picked up his first hit of the season in the fifth inning as he continues to knock off the rust (Yesterday was only his third game this winter.).

Dahan Batista (Barranquilla, RP): 1.1 IP, 1 H, 2 R (both earned), 1 BB – Batista was, unsurprisingly given the final score, not firing on all cylinders last night.

Meibrys Viloria (Cartagena, C): 1-2, 2 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 3 BB – Last but not least, the newest Guardians farmhand had a huge night at the plate including a two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth to tie the game at ten runs apiece.


Meibrys Viloria

A home run in the ninth inning by Diover Ávila defined an exciting game between Caimanes de Barranquilla and Tigres de Cartagena, by a score of 11-10 at the Once de Noviembre Abel Leal stadium.

Tigres continued with its offense. Left fielder Leandro Emiliani missed a fly ball connected by Meibrys Viloria. Deibinson Romero scored for 5-0 lead and with two outs the batter reached second safe. After an error by shortstop Fabián Pertuz on a ground ball by Ronaldo Hernández, Viloria scored for a 6-0 lead.

With one out and a runner on base, Meibrys Viloria, homered to right field to tie the game 10-10.

Finally, Diover Ávila hit a home run through left field to make the game 11-10.

12/5/22

Meibrys Viloria (Cartagena, 1B): 0-3, BB – Vilora, Cleveland’s only offseason signing so far (unless you include re-signing Anthony Gose) was the only winter league player in action on December 5. Instead of his usual catching duties, he was the first baseman, worked a walk and scored a run.

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Rocchio sent a reassuring message

The young infielder, 21, said he will return "as soon as possible"

Brayan Rocchio sent a reassuring message to the fans of the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League (LVBP), after being hit in the face during Tuesday's game against Águilas del Zulia in Maracaibo.

"Everything is good. Thanks to all the people for their good comments and support, we'll be back as soon as possible," Rocchio wrote on Twitter.

The infielder of Sharks of La Guaira was about to field a ground ball from Bryant Flete in the third inning, but a bad bounce ended up hitting him in the face.

The Venezuelan baseball player, a prospect for the Cleveland Guardians, left the game under his own power and received three stitches in his upper lip, the Sharks press team reported.

Rocchio will remain day by day after the incident suffered in Maracaibo, detailed the coastal team.

The young player, 21, is batting .179 after connecting five hits, three of them doubles, after 28 at-bats so far this season in the LVBP 2022-23.

[Brayan Rocchio will no longer participate with the Sharks this winter after his time he received from the Cleveland Indians in the league expired general manager César Collins reported . ]

11/6/22

Richie Palacios (Mayaguez, 2B): 2-3, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 1 CS – Palacios started the game with a single, setting the tone for a huge night which would see him tie the game on an eighth-inning solo shot, ultimately sending the game to extras, where he would drive in an insurance run in the top of the tenth but not receive an RBI since he did so by rounding into a 4-6-3 double play.

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Indians win at home and in extra innings in the Capital

Roberto Enriquez's double became the key hit to give the Indios de Mayagüez victory over RA12 in extra innings with the final result, 4-2.

In the first inning, Abdel Guadalupe drove in the first run for the locals with a single to right field, but in the fifth, Alan Marrero tied the game with a base hit to center scoring Anthony García from third base.

RA12 took a momentary lead, 2-1, in the seventh when Yadiel Rivera stole third base and scored on an error by Mayagüez shortstop's throw, but the visitors returned to tie the game on a homerun by second baseman Richie Palacios in the top of the eighth.

The outcome of this game was determined in the tenth inning, combining a double by Roberto Enriquez a Richie Palacios double play that scored the fourth run of the game.

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Gabriel Arias (Santurce, 3B): 2-4, 1 R – Arias also had a two-hit night in Puerto Rico, but his was not as spectacular and ended in him grounding out to the Ponce catcher to end the game.

Jonathan Rodriguez (Carolina, LF): 2-5, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 4 RBI – Both of them were overshadowed, however, by J-Rod, whose pair of extra-base hits accounted for half of the Gigantes’ runs in their blowout victory on Tuesday.

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Home runs by Brian Navarreto and Johnathan Rodríguez ensure the victory of the Gigantes de Carolina over the Criollos de Caguas

by LBPRC PressDecember 6, 2022

Caguas, Puerto Rico (Tuesday, December 6, 2022) – The Gigantes de Carolina took the first victory on Tuesday when they blanked the Criollos de Caguas 8-0.

The arms of the Giants silenced the Caguas offense led by José Fuentes who won the game with five innings pitched, while the defeat went to Derrick Adams.

The RBI formula for the Giants was the bats of Brian Navarreto and Johnathan Rodríguez.

In the fifth inning and with the bases loaded, Navarreto hit an RBI single to bring Jan Hernández to the plate, while on a fielder's choice in Rodríguez's at bat came home the second run on the legs of Aldemar Burgos.

The Carolinian catcher tied for the tournament home run lead with his fourth homer of the season in the seventh inning increasing the visitors' lead to 5-0. Navarreto went 5-4 with two runs scored and four RBIs.

Rodríguez followed in his teammate's footsteps by homering into left-center field to put the game in the safe, 8-0, in the top of the inning of picking up the bats.


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Andres Gimenez (Lara – Game 1, SS): 2-3, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 BB – Gimenez opened Tuesday’s twi-night doubleheader with his first multi-hot game and first extra-base hit of the season.

Andres Gimenez (Lara – Game 2, SS): 1-4, 1 SB – The nightcap was not as spectacular, but he continued his season-opening streak of five games with a productive plate appearance.

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LARA DIVIDES HONORS IN MARACAY

On offense, catcher Yojhan Quevedo stood out throughout the doubleheader after hitting a couple of home runs between the two games, his last home run being connected in the 2017-2018 season. In this way, in the first match, the maderos de Quevedo (3-1, HR, 3CI, CA), Andrés Giménez (3-2, 2B, R), Pedro Castellanos (4-1, 2CI) and Juniel Querecuto ( 3-2, AC). In the second, Ildemaro Vargas (3-1, HR, 2CI, CA), Quevedo (2-1, HR, 2CI, 2CA), Querecuto (2-1, CI) and Alí Sánchez (1-1, CI).

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Meibrys Viloria (Cartagena, 1B): 1-2, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 1 K – Viloria led off the bottom of the second with a home run to score the former of the Tigres’ two runs last night.

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Caimanes defeated Tigres in the duel for first place

by Manuel Ortega Ponce | Dec 6, 2022 |

Caimanes de Barranquilla defeated Tigres de Cartagena on Tuesday night at the Once de Noviembre Abel Leal stadium by a score of 10-2, thus retaking the solo leadership of the Colombian Professional Baseball League with 13-7 mark.

The Reptiles attacked early on, when in the second inning Mauricio Ramos homered over the center field wall.

The Caimanes tied the game in the lower part of the second inning, in the same way. Catcher and the left-handed batting, Meibrys Viloria, sent a huge homer to right to make it 1-1.

The game was won by relief pitcher Kevin Escorcia (2-0), while the defeat was charged by Cecilio Pimentel (1-3).

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Dahan Batista (Barranquilla, RP): 1 IP, 1 H – The only Guardians pitcher to take the mound last night closed out the game with a solid ninth.

12/7/22

Johnathan Rodriguez (LF, Carolina): 1-for-5, RBI – Rodriguez only had one hit on the day, but it came at a big time as he walked it off for Carolina 5-4 in the bottom of the ninth. With the winning run on third with one out, Rodriguez smoked a line drive to right to seal the victory. A run came across to score on his at-bat in the sixth – a 5-4 double play where he was not credited with an RBI.

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Hits by Roy Morales and Johnathan Rodríguez define the victories via 'walkoffs' for the Cangrejeros de Santurce and Gigantes de Carolina

by LBPRC PressDecember 8, 2022

San Juan, Puerto Rico (Wednesday, December 7, 2022) – On an unpredictable night, the winning trio of the day were the Cangrejeros de Santurce, Gigantes de Carolina and Indios de Mayagüez.

Brian Navarreto and Johnathan Rodríguez once again guided the Giants' triumph

Brian Navarreto and Johnathan Rodríguez have become the spark plug of victories for the Carolina Giants.

Tonight, Johnathan Rodríguez's walk off base hit in the ninth inning gave the locals the victory by a score of 5-4 over the RA12 team.

With the game tied at 1-1, Roberto Alomar's team retook the lead in the fifth when Jan Mercado's solo home run and Abdel Guadalupe's double combined to put the game up 3-1.

Carolina came within a run in the bottom half of the inning on a double play during Johnathan Rodríguez's turn at bat that allowed Bryan Torres to score.

Bladimir Restituyo drove in the visitors' fourth run in the sixth with a double batting in Bryan Miranda.

Brian Navarreto's blast into left-center tied the game at four runs.

In the ninth inning and with Bryan Torres on third base, Johnathan Rodríguez singled to right field to give the team led by Edwards Guzmán the 5-4 win and the third win in a row.

Today's results keep Caguas with a 19-11 (.633) record, Carolina rises to second place with 17-13 (.567), Ponce falls to third place with 15-13 (.536), while Mayagüez occupies the fourth place with 16-14 (.533), Santurce is fifth with 16-15 (.516) and RA12 plays for 6-23 (.207).

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Gabriel Arias (3B, Santurce): 2-for-5 – Arias had two singles in five plate appearances in Wednesday’s 10-inning game for Santurce. He singled the other way to right in the fourth and got all the way to third base, but was left stranded along with two other runners. Arias also contributed a two-out ground ball base hit to left with two away in the eighth, but was once again left on.

Richie Palacios (RF, Mayaguez): 1-for-4, R, BB – Palacios reached base twice and scored end the game-winning run in the 11th inning. He drew a walk as the leadoff hitter in the 11th and was brought home by a two-out single on the infield. The base hit by Palacios came with two outs in the top of the sixth when he hit a groundball back to the pitcher that he was able to beat out for a single.

Andres Gimenez (SS, Cardenales): 0-for-2, R, BB, HBP, 4 DPs – At the plate, Gimenez reached twice via a walk and hit by pitch and came around to score on a two-run single in the first inning. Defensively, he was a part of all four double plays turned by Cardenales in the game, including the game-clinching outs in the ninth.

Oscar Gonzalez (LF, Estrellas): 0-for-4 – A hitless game for Gonzalez out in left with a popout, groundout, flyout and strikeout.

12/8/22

Johnathan Rodriguez (Carolina, starting LF): 2-4, 2 R, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 2 K – J-Rod kicked off the Gigantes scoring with a three-run homer in the first and the Carolina nine never looked back.

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The Carolina Giants get their fourth win in a row with an offensive festival

by LBPRC PressDecember 8, 2022

San Juan, Puerto Rico (Thursday, December 8, 2022) – The Gigantes de Carolina, Indios de Mayagüez and Criollos de Caguas were the winners in Thursday's action of the winter tournament.

Carolina had an offensive festival beating the Leones de Ponce with a 13-6 final, the tribe defeated the Cangrejeros de Santurce with a minimum advantage 2-1, while the mare got its 20th win of the tournament over RA12 with a 9-4 score.

These results keep Caguas in the lead playing for 20-11 (.645), Carolina clings to second place with 18-13 (.581), Mayagüez climbs to third place with 17-14 (.548), Ponce drops to fourth with a 15-14 (.517) record, Santurce has a 16-16 (.500) record and RA12 has six wins in 30 games (.200).

The Giants arrived with good wood

Johnathan Rodríguez's 3-run blast opened the scoring in favor of the visitors in the top of the first inning to make it a 3-0 ball game. .

Ponce got one back in the bottom of the opening inning with a sacrifice fly from Iván De Jesús Jr.

A nine run rally in the second inning of this game seemed to have no end. A bases-loaded walk to Brian Navarreto brought in the fourth run for the Giants.

Import Tsung-Che Cheng was hit by a pitch from Joel Huertas with the bases still loaded followed by three straight singles off the bats of Johnathan Rodríguez, José Sermo and Ozzie Martínez that made it 9-1.

Ponce tried to get close in the fourth inning when Gabriel Garcia hit his first homer of the season with bases loaded to add four runs to the home team's tally.

The last run for the Giants team came on a triple by shortstop Cheng in the seventh inning.

Wendell Marrero scored for Ponce in the ninth, but it was not enough to reverse the score.

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Eric Rodriguez (Carolina, PH-backup C): 1-1, 1 R, 1 BB – The Gigantes’ blowout victory provided a rare opportunity for E-Rod to get playing time, which he took full advantage of by getting his first hit of the Clemente League campaign.

Gabriel Arias (Santurce, 3B): 0-4, 2 K – Arias, like many hitters in last night’s pitchers’ duel, struggled at the plate.

Richie Palacios (Mayaguez, DH): Palacios, who has made himself a fixture atop the Indios’ lineup, fared better only by way of a seventh-inning intentional walk…oh, and the whole “being on the winning team” thing.

Andres Gimenez (Lara, SS): 1-3, 2 R, 1 BB – The lone Guardian player to play in Venezuela last night acquitted himself well in a performance that extended his on-base streak to five games.

12/9/22

Richie Palacios (RF, Mayaguez): 2-4, 2B, 4 RBI, CS – Palacios had a huge night for his club leading off again and playing right field.Two of his four RBI were with two outs.

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Five in a row for the Carolina Giants

The Gigantes de Carolina continue in the winning lane, beating the Criollos de Caguas with a 6-1 score.

Carolina began scoring from the first inning on a single by José Sermo,.

Bryan Torres replicated in the second inning to make the score 2-0.

Caguas came within a run with a solo home run by Matthew Lugo in the fourth.

Johnathan Rodríguez continued to be productive at bat for the Carolinian team when he doubled home a pair of runs that gave them a 4-1 lead.

Caguas threatened in the inning to pick up the bats with bases loaded with no outs, but reliever José Espada got the zero with three consecutive strikeouts.

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Oscar Gonzalez (LF, Estrellas): 1-4 – It’s been a slow start for Gonzalez in winter league ball and he grabbed a hit in this contest.

Enyel De Los Santos (RP, Licey): IP, BB, K – One of the Guardians most unheralded, solid relievers in 2022 makes his winter league debut.

Mayagüez will receive the LBPRC Stars this Sunday

by LBPRC PressDecember 8, 2022

Mayaguez.

The best players of the Roberto Clemente Professional Baseball League will meet this Sunday, December 11, starting at 4:10 in the afternoon at the Isidoro García de Mayagüez stadium, for the traditional All-Star Game of the Association of Professional Baseball Players of Puerto Rico, presented by Toyota.

This edition will feature the Isla and Metro teams, led by Henry Ramos and Adalberto Flores, respectively.

The teams from Mayagüez, Caguas and Ponce will wear the Isla uniform and will be led by Luis Matos. Meanwhile, the teams from Santurce, Carolina and RA12 will be under the command of Edwards Guzmán.

The event will be free for all fans who come to the Mayagüez venue and will have activities for the whole family to enjoy, starting at 11:00 am, with DJ music, integrations and games by Toyota Puerto Rico.

In addition, the first 500 fans to arrive at the stadium will receive a commemorative 11×17 poster.

At 12:30 pm the first activity of the day will be with the friendly game between the Little Leagues of Mayagüez and the Payateros team of Puerto Rico.

Meanwhile, at 2:00 pm, there will be the traditional home run competition where Daniel Ortiz, Vimael Machín, Luis Curbelo, José Sermo, Jonathan Rodríguez and Kennen Irizarry will compete for the title.

The game that will be dedicated to an important figure for the Indios de Mayagüez, the former player and former coach Luis Quiñones, will begin as soon as the protocol acts that will begin at 3:30 pm.

The meeting will have national coverage on television through WAPA Deportes 4.2, on radio through the stations WIAC 740AM San Juan, WYAC 930AM Mayagüez, WRSS 1410 San Sebastián, VID 90.3 FM Mayagüez, WISA 1390AM Isabela and online at http://www.radiotropicalpr .net , with the narration of Arturo Soto and the comments of Pachy Rodríguez.

It was anticipated that the Metro team will have catchers Brian Navarreto, Michael Pérez and Roy Morales. The infielders will be Bryan Torres, Jack López, Ozzie Martínez, Adeiny Hechavarria, Kennen Irizarry, José Sermo.

Outfielders Rusney Castillo, Jonathan Rodríguez, Aldemar Burgos, Jadiel Sánchez and Bladimir Restituyo.

Meanwhile, the pitching staff will be made up of Adalberto Flores, Luis Cruz, Alex Sanabia, Andrés Machado, Juan Echevarría, Matt Tenuta, José Espada, José Cruz, Jeriel Rivera, Rubén Ramírez, Roy Geigel and Jeffry Passantino.

While the Isla team will present its catchers Alan Marrero, Ramon Rodríguez, JC Escarra. The infield will be made up of Vimael Machín, Jancarlos Cintrón, Trei Cruz, Juan De Jesús, Jesmuel Valentín, Emmanuel Rivera and Luis Curbelo.

In the outfield will be Henry Ramos, Danny Ortiz, Brian Rey, Kevin Santa and Johneswhy Fargas.

The pitchers will be Braden Webb, James Jones, Andrew Gross, Miguel Martínez, Carlos Francisco, Miguel Ausua, Julio Torres, Fernando Cabrera, Andrew Marrero, Jake Newberry, Christian Torres, Aneudy Rosario and Ricardo Gómez.

Valdez pitches big and Hernández hits a grand slam in victory for Licey

December 10, 2022

SANTO DOMINGO.- Right-hander César Valdez pitched brilliantly in six innings of just one run and Ramón Hernández backed him up with a long home run with the bases loaded to lead the Tigres del Licey to a 4-1 victory over the Estrellas Orientales.

It is the sixth consecutive victory for Licey to put its record at 29-13, good for first place of the winter tournament. While Estrellas put their record at 19-23.

Valdez (5-0) allowed just one run, got six hits, walked one and struck out six All-Stars. Yensy Díaz (1-2) lost by giving up three runs to the beat of two hits and three walks in 2.1 episodes.

Jairo Asencio pitched the scoreless ninth to earn his 12th save of the season.

After Valdez finished his work, Enyel de los Santos 1 inn, 0h, 0er, 1bb, 1so, 0hr, 0.00 era came in to pitch in the seventh, followed by Hansel Robles in the eighth.

Japanese home run champ Munetaka Murakami signs three-year NPB deal, will be posted for MLB teams after 2025

Murakami will spend another three years with the Yakult Swallows before coming to MLB

By Mike Axisa Dec 9, 2022 at

Munetaka Murakami, the record-setting third baseman for the Yakult Swallows in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball, has signed a three-year contract extension and will be posted for MLB teams after the 2025 season, reports the Kyodo News. The new contract is worth roughly $4.4 million per year.

"I'm just grateful to have signed a deal like this," Murakami told the Kyodo News. "I'll need to work even harder ... I think I've produced results that deserve this. I'd be surprised if I got ($4.4 million) yen without doing anything, but I worked hard."

Murakami, 22, is the best hitter in the world not employed by an MLB team. He slashed .318/.458/.711 with 56 home runs this past season, breaking Sadaharu Oh's longstanding single-season home run record by a Japanese-born player. Murakami also posts elite exit velocities and is regarded as a solid defensive third baseman.

"It would be a huge blow to our club," Swallows president Tsuyoshi Kinugasa told the Kyodo News about losing Murakami in three years. "But he is a treasure in the baseball world. I'm sure baseball fans in Japan want to see him play in the majors."

Last month, Murakami said he wants to play in MLB, "the sooner the better." The three-year term of his new contract is notable. It means Murakami will be posted when he is 25 and no longer subject to MLB's international bonus pools. He will be able to sign a contract of any size at that time. Given the money thrown around this offseason, Murakami might be a $300 million player.

The international bonus pools ranged from $4.6 million to $6.3 million in 2022 and they are a hard cap, and they apply to players under the age of 25. Had Murakami been posted this offseason, his earning potential would have been severely restricted. Shohei Ohtani came over under those turns in 2018 -- he received only a $2.315 million bonus -- but he is an exception, not the rule.

To be clear, Murakami will still have to go through the posting system in three years. He won't be a true free agent. Murakami will have a 45-day negotiating window and the MLB team that signs him will have to pay the Swallows a posting fee, based on the size of the player's contract. Here's the posting fee structure:

Contract worth less than $25 million: 20 percent of contract value

Contract worth $25 million to $50 million: $5 million plus 17.5 percent of amount over $25 million

Contract worth more than $50 million: $9.275 million plus 15 percent of amount over $50 million

A hypothetical $300 million contract would come with a $46.775 million posting fee, so it would be $346.755 million all-in. Even a $150 million contract would come with a $24.275 million posting fee. The posting fee is a potentially significant secondary expense.

While setting a new home run record every year is unreasonable, three more seasons similar to 2022 would set Murakami up for a massive payday after 2025. It's impossible to know which teams will need what in three years, but it would be safe to assume MLB's big market teams (Cubs, Dodgers, Giants, Mets, Yankees, etc.) will all have interest in Murakami when the time comes.

The $4.4 million salary makes Murakami one of the highest paid players in Japan. Former Yankees ace Masahiro Tanaka was NPB's highest paid player this past season with a salary believed to be in the $8 million range.

12/10/22

Oscar Gonzalez (LF, Estrellas): 1-4 – Another one hit performance with a K for Gonzalez as he gets settled in.

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LVBP: Cardinals get the last laugh in Maracaibo

Stefano Malavé 12/11/2022 12:04 am

One of the best teams in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League this season are the Cardenales de Lara , who are a 1/2 game behind the Leones del Caracas in the battle for the leadership of the standings.

The team led by Carlos Mendoza defeated the Águilas del Zulia this Saturday with a close result of eight runs to six at the Luis Aparicio "El Grande" Stadium in the city of Maracaibo. This victory was obtained in the ninth inning.

With a forced out by Carlos Herrera, a single by Bryant Flete and another by Ali Castillo, Zulia would take the lead in the second inning with a four-run rally.

However, the Cardenales immediately turned things around with a single by Odubel Herrera, another by Andrés Giménez, a forced out by Juniel Querecuto and a hit by Javier Sanoja.

Lara would tie the game at 6 runs each in the seventh inning with a single by Niko Hulsizer.

The game would be determined in the top of the ninth inning, when Giménez was walked. He advanced to second thanks to a sacrifice bunt by Juniel Querecuto. Javier Sanoja would hit a double and the Cardenales would go up before making it 8-6 with a sacrifice fly by Jecksson Flores.

Finally, despite having men on first and third, Vicente Campos would manage to save the victory of the Lara.

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All Star Game in Puerto Rico today.

Meanwhile, at 2:00 pm, there will be the traditional home run competition where Daniel Ortiz, Vimael Machín, Luis Curbelo, José Sermo, Jonathan Rodríguez and Kennen Irizarry will compete for the title.

Outfielders Rusney Castillo, Jonathan Rodríguez, Aldemar Burgos, Jadiel Sánchez and Bladimir Restituyo.