The Criollos wiped out the Indians and go to the Caribbean Series

A single by Vimael Machín with men in the corners and two outs in the top of the ninth gave the Criollos de Caguas a 7-6 lead and the Professional Baseball League championship Roberto Clemente (Lbprc) by beating the Mayagüez Indians and beating the final series in four games.

The new Puerto Rican winterball champions thus won the right to represent Puerto Rico in the Mazatlán Caribbean Series 2021, which will be played from January 31 to February 6.

Los Criollos returns to the Caribbean classic for the first time since the 2017-18 season. These were awarded in the 2016-17 and 2017-18 campaigns, and on both occasions they were named Caribbean champions.

Additionally, the championship is No. 19 for Yegüita, breaking a tie with 18 that existed between Caguas and the Mayagüez Indians for the largest number of championships in Puerto Rican winter ball history.

The Criollos hit their last chance of attack with a 6-5 deficit, the first to see in this final series. Veteran Major League-reliever Yacksel Ríos came in to pitch and started the shootout by hitting imported Jarren Durán with no outs. After Jay Gonzalez was eliminated in a series for a third that could have been a double play, Durán moved to second and star Yadier Molina got his third pitch of the game.

Molina was relieved by running back Kevin Santa, and after a strikeout on José Miranda, Víctor Caratini hit a strong ball through the middle that hit the pitcher and went to short stop, enabling Durán to score from center and bring Santa to third place.

The one with the advantage and the win was produced by Vimael Machín, who then fired a hit to the center that sent Santa to the score and left the scoreboard 7-6.

Certainly of a 3-0 lead in the series, the Criollos were the first to score. The first batter of the game, Jarren Duran, passed the ball from the right to Indian starter Nick Travieso and immediately gave Caguas a 1-0 lead.

Two innings later, in the third, Duran led off the shootout with a walk and the next batter, Jay Gonzalez, fired a double to the right that left men at the corners without outs. Yadier Molina, who was the designated hitter, was hit by a pitch that blocked traffic.

After Travieso struckout José Miranda, Víctor Caratini walked, which prompted Duran to score the second round for the Criollos from third base and leave the score 2-0.

The Tribe reacted in the bottom of the inning with an opening hit by Jeremy Rivera. Xavier Fernández placed a sacrifice bunt that led Rivera to the second bag. While Henry Ramos struckout, Jack Lopez singled to the center to force Rivera in and make it 2-1.

But the Criollos came out for more in the fifth, opening with a Gonzalez hit in the middle before lighting up the second bag. With no outs scored, Molina received another pitch that put Creoles on first and second base.

Then, the Rookie of the Year of the season, José Miranda, hit a homerun off the third base band that took the Cagueños 5-1.

Mayagüez scored one in the bottom of the fifth when Christian Colón walked, Jeremy Rivera fired a double to the right that brought Colón to third base. He scored the next inning with a sacrifice fly that brought them close to 5-2.

But the Indians had more left.

In the home of the seventh, when Alexis Díaz came to pitch for the visitors, Mayagüez saw Iván de Jesús strike out before Colón walked again. Jeremy Rivera followed with a hit in the center that left the indigenous population in first and second place.

Immediately after, Fernández doubled down the frontline, scoring Colón from second place to get closer to 5-3. With Rivera on third base, Fernandez was replaced by pinch runner Vince Conde on second base.

Díaz was relieved by Zack Muckenhirn, who gave him a single into the middle that entered Rivera and Conde to make it 5-5 with only one out. With Ramos in the second bag, López hit a deep strike to the left that caught González, but González made a mistake by returning the ball to the penalty area that allowed Ramos to reach third base, and with the Creole defense apparently asleep, Ramos ventured to sleep it to keep running. to still slide on the plate and put the Indians in charge.