The middle of January is the most exciting part of the Caribbean Winter Baseball League schedule because the leagues are in the thick of the playoffs. Sensational baseball is currently being played in the only League to have started the Finals, the Puerto Rico League. In Puerto Rico, the Finals feature Indios de Mayaguez, the 19–time league champions and 2–time Caribbean Series Champions, against Senadores de San Juan, a team with a pedigree of its own with eight league titles and a legendary run in 1995 Caribbean Series who returned to action this past year. Indios defeated the defending champions Criollos de Caguas, who put in a valiant offensive effort but were defeated in six games despite it. Criollos’ MLB Veteran, Nelson Velazquez, put in a show during the Semifinals, hitting 6 HR and driving in ten runs in the series. Despite this offensive output by Criollos, Indios emerged victorious with great clutch and pitching performances in the last two games of the season. A masterful pitching performance by Ronnie Williams in game six capped the series. He pitched six innings, allowing only two hits to a Criollos offense that had thrived. In the other series, San Juan dominated their city rivals, Cangrejeros de Santurce, as they made quick work of the crabs in five games. Senadores depended on their staff’s great combined pitching effort, anchored by six strong innings from Julian Garcia. During the first game of the Finals between Indios and Senadores, Indios dominated the first game by slugging 13 hits, led by Isan Diaz and Tanner Murray offensively. Diaz was 3-3 with two doubles and three driven in. The Finals continue tonight.
The Serie de Mexico has already as Charros de Jalisco and Tomateros de Culiacan will decide the league’s champion and Caribbean Series host nation’s representative. Charros de Jalisco dominated the defending champions Naranjeros de Hermosillo in five games during the semifinals. In the last game of that series, Charros pummeled the defending champions with a 14-run offensive performance led by Billy Hamilton, who went 3-6 with an RBI and two runs scored. Mateo Gil and Donovan Casey also added multi-hit performances in game five. All that offense was enough for Manny Bañuelos to win the game by going six innings, allowing only one run and three hits. Charros will now face Tomateros de Culiacan, who had a more dramatic and competitive series against Cañeros de Mochis. Ultimately, Tomateros showed why they had the best record in the regular season by defeating Los Mochis in six games, capped by Manny Barreda’s game-five performance in a key win. Barreda went 7.33 innings, striking out 14 Cañeros hitters and allowing only three hits. Serie de Mexico begins on Saturday.
Venezuela’s finals have been set for a few days as Cardenales de Lara and Bravos de Margarita set themselves apart from all other teams during the Round Robin with an identical record of 11-5. The Finals in Venezuela will begin in Barquismento, as Cardenales de Lara reached their 11th win in the 15th game of the season, as Bravos did in the 16th—that assured Cardenales home field advantage. Cardenales will depend on offense from the likes of Harold Castro, Ildemaro Vargas, and Jose Rondon, who, during the Round Robin, hit .386, .367, and .356, respectively. Bravos, on the other hand, dominated the pitching in the Round Robin, with performances from Claudio Custodio, who pitched 13.3 innings of 2.03 ERA in the Round Robin. The Finals will be a mesmerizing display of two teams dominating offense and pitching during the Round Robin.
Tigres del Licey in the Dominican Republic is the only 2024 Caribbean Winter League Champion that remains playing in hopes of repeating a championship. Tigres dominated the Round Robin in the Dominican Republic through excellent collective pitching. Their staff limited opponents to a league-leading 3.16 ERA and 1.22 WHIP, and their bullpen was solid with six saves. Tigres are already classified for the Copa Banreservas Finals in the Dominican Republic. They will have a chance to achieve a three-peat in the Dominican Republic. They also look to be the only returning participants to the 2025 Caribbean Series from last year. Their opponent is yet to be determined, but it seems like it will be Leones del Escogido, who have a 9-5 record. Although still mathematically alive, their closest opponent, Estrellas Orientales, has a record of 5-9 and does not seem to be trending in the right direction. Leones del Escogido has continued to dominate the offense of the Round Robin, leading the league in hitting with a .287 average, an OBP of .359, and a slugging of .444, all of which led the league. The Finals promise to be intense between the country’s most storied franchises.
The Caribbean Series will feature the winners of the Caribbean Winter Leagues and will be played in Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico, from January 31 through February 7. We are assured a new Caribbean Champion as TIburones de la Guaira were eliminated earlier. It will also feature the Japan Breeze Baseball team. This will be a team that was conferred and will be managed by Alex Ramirez. Ramirez enjoyed a lengthy career in Nippon Professional Baseball and is the only Latino inducted into the NPB Hall of Fame. According to a team’s press announcement, the team will feature players from Independent Leagues and corporate baseball teams affiliated with the All-Japan Baseball Federation. The debut of the Japan Breeze will be against the Dominican League Champion on February 1st in the Caribbean Series.
