Venezuela shuts out Dominican Republic for eighth Caribbean Series title — and first by Tiburones

BY JORDAN MCPHERSON FEBRUARY 09, 2024 11:03 PM

It had been nearly four decades since Tiburones de la Guaira represented Venezuela in the Caribbean Series. You have to go back to 1986 since the last time before this year that they won the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League and even then, Tiburones had never won the Serie del Caribe, the international tournament that features the winners of the Caribbean and South America’s winter ball leagues, in any of its first four attempts.

That finally changed on Friday.

Tiburones won its first Serie del Caribe title — and the eighth overall for Venezuela — with a 3-0 win over the Dominican Republic’s Tigres del Licey in front of a sold-out crowd of 36,677 at Miami’s loanDepot park.

It was the largest crowd ever for a Caribbean Series game, topping the crowd of 35,972 for the Dominican Republic-Puerto Rico game during the round-robin portion of the tournament on Saturday, and was a higher attendance than the 2023 World Baseball Classic championship game (36,098), which was also held at loanDepot park.

The victory marked the first time since 2009 that Venezuela won the Serie del Caribe in 66 editions of the tournament that began in 1949 (the tournament was not held from 1961-69 as well as 1981). The others titles claimed by Venezuela: 2006, 1989, 1984, 1982, 1979 and 1970.

On Friday, Tiburones sealed the tournament win with another stellar pitching effort and executing on a a couple of prime scoring opportunities.




Five pitchers combined to limit the Tigres to just six hits.

Ricardo Pinto struck out six over 5 2/3 innings before leaving with the bases loaded and two outs in the sixth after giving up a single to Emilio Bonifacio, walking Robinson Cano and hitting Dawel Lugo. Jorgan Cavaniero entered and eliminated the threat by getting Yadiel Hernandez to ground out to shortstop.

Silvino Bracho, Anthony Vizcaya and Arnaldo Hernandez pitched the final three innings, with Hernandez earning the save and sealing the championship win.




After each team was held scoreless over the first three innings, Tiburones finally struck in the fourth. Yasiel Puig, who appeared to experience hamstring discomfort in the first inning, led off with a single before being removed for pinch-runner Odubel Herrera. Ramon Flores followed with a single of his own before Luis Torrens moved both runners over with a sacrifice bunt. The Tigres then intentionally walked Leonardo Reginatto to load the bases with one out, and nine-hole hitter Alcides Escobar responded with a sacrifice fly to right field to score Herrera.

Tiburones then scored two more runs in the fifth on a Wilfredo Tovar RBI triple and Herrera RBI groundout.

4th Escobar hit sacrifice fly to right, Herrera scored, Flores to third. 0 1

5th H. Pérez tripled to right, Tovar scored. 0 2

5th Herrera grounded out to second, H. Pérez scored. 0 3

VENEZUELA’S DOMINANT TOURNAMENT

Tiburones, managed by one-time Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen, was arguably the most dominant team of the seven-country tournament that also featured representation from the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Panama, Curacao and Nicaragua.

The Venezuelan team went 5-1 in the round-robin portion of the tournament, capped by Angel Padron throwing the second no-hitter in Caribbean Series history in its 9-0 win over Nicaragua on Wednesday. The team’s only loss was a 6-2 defeat to Puerto Rico.




VENEZUELA CARIBBEAN SERIES CHAMPIONS BY SHUTTING OUT DOMINICAN REPUBLIC



COMPLETE GAME HIGHLIIGHTS

https://youtu.be/9ZDrTbiyZlY

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Yomiuri Giants Lose to Yokohama DeNA Baystars in Climax Series; Baystars to Face Fukuoka Softbank Hawks in Japan Series

The Yokohama DeNA Baystars beat the Central League champion Yomiuri Giants 3-2 in the final game of the Climax Series at Tokyo Dome on Monday, booking a ticket to their first Japan Series in seven years.

In the top of the 5th inning, Keito Mori hit an RBI triple and pinch hitter Mike Ford’s RBI single brought the game to a tie. The Baystars went to their bullpen in the middle of the 4th inning, keeping the Giants scoreless.

The Giants took a 2-run lead into the 4th on a Baystars’ error and a suicide squeeze.

However, the Giants’ Tomoyuki Sugano allowed the go-ahead RBI to Shugo Maki in the top of the 9th.

The Baystars will face off against the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks in the Japan Series, which starts on Saturday at Yokohama Stadium.

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Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks Kohei Arihara Shines in Hawks’ Victory in Japan Series Opener

 October 27, 2024

YOKOHAMA — Fukuoka Daiei Hawks manager Hiroki Kokubo had no doubts about who was going to get the ball to start Game 1 of the Japan Series.

“Through what he did during the season, he was the ace acknowledged by the fans,” Kokubo said of right-hander Kohei Arihara. “For this team at this time, that is the position he fills.”

Until a wild ninth inning after Arihara had left the game added some late drama, the veteran had lived up to the expectations and kept the opener against the Yokohama BayStars under complete control with a masterful performance.

Arihara allowed four hits over seven scoreless innings and, making a rare plate appearance, delivered a two-run single as the Hawks held on for a 5-3 victory at Yokohama Stadium on Saturday night.

“From the first pitch, I want to be able to throw my pitches,” said Arihara, the Pacific League-leader this season with 14 wins.

He gave up a hit and a walk in the first inning, but worked out of the jam by getting Toshiro Miyazaki to ground out to second. From there he found his rhythm, mixing up his cut fastball and slider.

“I had good control of my breaking pitches,” said Arihara, who particularly made things difficult for left-handed hitters by cutting the inside corner of the plate.

The hits that he allowed from the second inning on were harmless flies on jammed pitches or ground balls, and he continued to pile up the outs.

He struck out four and walked two, but his exploits were not limited to the mound. With the designated hitter not being used, he had to take his cuts at the plate. And for the Hawks, it was a good thing that he did.

The Hawks had runners on second and third with two outs in the second inning when the BayStars opted to give Takuya Kai an intentional walk to pitch to Arihara — who lashed a 150-kph fastball from Yokohama starter Andre Jackson to right field to drive in two runs.

“I just swung trying to get the bat on the ball,” Arihara said. “It was a miracle.”

Darwinzon Hernandez relieved Arihara in the eighth, giving up one hit in a scoreless inning.

The Hawks padded their lead with three runs in the top of the ninth, only to see the BayStars strike back before the home crowd of 33,147 with a rally against Roberto Osuna, who managed to limit the damage to three runs before finishing up the win.

The Hawks are aiming for the franchise’s 12th title and first since they won four straight from 2017-2020. The BayStars, who finished third in the Central League but worked their way through the Climax Series, are looking for their third title and first since 1998.

The 32-year-old Arihara spent six seasons with the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters, who made him their No. 1 draft pick out of Waseda University in 2014. He then made the jump to the major leagues, where he played two less-than-spectacular seasons with the Texas Rangers before returning to Japan by signing with the Hawks in 2023.

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