MAYAGÜEZ – The Caguas Criollos are the representatives of Puerto Rico in the Caribbean Series.
Ninth Cagüeña dramatically defeated the Indians 7-6 on Sunday to score a sweep in the final series and their 19th championship in the Roberto Clemente Professional League (Lbprc) in a game held at the Isidoro “Cholo” stadium. Garcia de Mayagüez.
Caguas didn’t have it easy and had to come from behind to overcome the disadvantage of a race in the ninth inning in a performance that seemed impossible against an inspired Mayagüez ninth.
Not only does the title of the Criollos sever ties with the Indians as the teams with the most national championships, but it is historic because it takes place in the midst of a pandemic that forced them to play the entire tournament without fans in the stands.
Now, led by Ramón Vázquez, the group will travel to the Caribbean Series, which will be held from January 31 to February 6 in the city of Mazatlán, Mexico.
“All this work that has been done for three months is reflected in this moment. He took my hat off to the players and the coaching staff. Excellent work, the team deserves it, ”said an emotional manager Ramón Vázquez after the conquest.
The dramatic comeback began when Víctor Caratini singled to lead Jarren Duran and level the scoreboard with six runs per side. Then, a single by Vimael Machín put Kevin Santa on a fierce run to the starting line to seal the victory at someone else’s home.
The ninth Cagüeña then took to the field – in a desert and quiet stadium – to celebrate his first title since the shortened 2018 season after Hurricane María.
However, it is not the first time that Caguas beats Mayagüez in a final.
The Criollos dominated the Mayagüez ninth in the battle for the scepter in 1948, 1954, 1979, 1981, 2000-2001, 2009-2010 and 2012-2013.
The Indians, on the other hand, dominated the last series of 2013-2014.
Caguas appeared early to seal his victory by extending his lead dangerously to 5-1 with a homerun by José Miranda – who appeared to be a foul over the rightfield barrier – to beat Jay González and Yadier Molina in the fifth inning float. .
However, Mayagüez reacted with a dramatic four-run run in only the seventh inning.
The Indians’ comeback started with a double merit hit-and-run to the right field from Xavier Fernández that brought Cristian Colón to the starting point and gave Mayagüez the opportunity to narrow the deficit to 5-3.
Then, a single to the right by Henry Ramos strengthened Jeremy Rivera and Vicente Conde from second and third base, respectively, to tie the game with five runs each.
Ramos then took advantage of a deep hit to left field by Jack Lopez to start an aggressive run from second base and give the Indians 6-5 dominance.
It was the first time in the entire game that Mayagüez took control, but it turned out to be fleeting after two innings.
The Caribbean Series opens next Sunday in Mazatlán, Mexico.