Caguas Vs. Mayagüez: the supremacy of the sceptres in the history of winter baseball in play

It was a matter of time before the final series clash between Indios de Mayagüez and Criollos de Caguas could materialize in this unique winter season of the Professional Baseball League Roberto Clemente.

And starting today, this confrontation will have an additional ingredient of importance: to define the most winning team in the history of the league.

The two most successful winter baseball franchises – with 18 championships each – will face today at the beginning of the final series a maximum of seven games in a series in which Criollos will use the Hiram Bithorn stadium and not Pedro Montañez de Cayey.

They will meet for the thirteenth time in the final series. The first time was in the 1947-48 season and the last in 2013-2014. Caguas won seven of the 12 matches.

The first challenge will take place in Bithorn with a decision taken yesterday by the Criollos leadership, which 80 years ago won their first league championship, said historian Jorge Colón Delgado.

Left José de León, who is 4-1 so far this season – including the semifinals – will be the starter of the first match for the new Turabo. The Indians had yet to comment on the starting pitcher at the time of pressing. The series will be played without rest days and all games will start at 18:00

“We are ready. Let’s hope we can have a good show and that baseball can be played, “Jesús ‘Motorita’ Feliciano, general manager of Criollos, told The new day.

“Everyone was waiting for this series. Regardless of the team, we all had a long wait to meet the Puerto Rican champion. The important thing is that there is baseball and that our league has managed to solve all the situations of the last weeks “, said Feliciano, referring to the delay in the semifinal series of Indios and Manatí due to the COVID-19 cases.

Caguas, led by Ramón Vázquez, dominated the regular series with a record of 14-4, and in the semifinal A swept the debutant RA12. Meanwhile, Mayagüez, led by Luis Matos, finished 13-5 and did the same with the Atenienses de Manatí.

“

Everyone was waiting for this series. Regardless of the team, we all had a long wait to meet the Puerto Rican champion. The important thing is that there is baseball and that our league has managed to solve all the situations in recent weeks

”

Now the two big favorites face off in a series that promises the quality of the players from both teams.

“Everyone knows that Mayagüez has an extraordinary native talent. We know it won’t be an easy series, but we have been preparing since mid-October, waiting for it to come tomorrow (today). We are well prepared physically and mentally. We will support a good show knowing that Mayagüez will give his best “, added Feliciano, whose team last played on January 7th.

The Creoles reach the final strengthened with the acquisitions of the recipient of the Major League Baseball, Víctor Caratini, and the veteran Yadier Molina, claimed in the draw of the eliminated teams. In three games, Molina was 3-for-12 with the Athenians.

“We know that Molina’s entry will be a great contribution for our team and for the final series. I could see him in the semifinals, the way he competed in the laps. This was one of the things that caught our attention. We know that he is ready and that he is physically well “, said Feliciano about the receiver who joined the Athenians in the B semifinal.

“We are very pleased with the two players we have acquired for the final series.”

In turn, the Indians claimed pitcher Joel Huertas from RA12.

“I continue to trust my native core with the purchases I made from the boys who were available. But, as I always mention, games are not won on paper, but on the field. This is the message I carried from the first day because, with all the adversities we went through, instead of going back, on the contrary, we become stronger every day “, said, meanwhile, the leader Matos The new day when we talk about the series.

The special series from the regular series equaled three.

“

We all hope it’s a quiet series, which is just baseball. No one is hurt by something that happens. Decide on the field

”

“We have a number of veterans who were already in those final series. This experience is very important. “

Criollos has players such as Vimael Machín, Reymond Fuentes, Jonathan Morales, Johneshwy Fargas (the most valuable as a regular) and veteran Héctor Santiago, among others.

Meanwhile, the Indians have Kennys Vargas, Henry Ramos, Danny Ortiz, TJ Rivera and Emmanuel Rivera on their roster, who is coming off an incredible show in his series against Manati with 13 RBIs in four games.

“As the boys said, these two teams are good and have a lot of experience in the years they had in the league in the final,” said Emmanuel Rivera, third baseman.

For his part, Rivera was confident that the final would go smoothly, referring in particular to some incidents that occurred during the regular season between the two sides.

Even in the last game of the regular season, manager Matos ordered Jonathan Morales to be given two bass for deliberate dead ends and no one on the base when he challenged the batting title, which caused discomfort on the part of Criollo and his own player.

“We all hope it’s a quiet series, which is just baseball. No one is hurt by something that happens. To decide on the playing field “, said Rivera.

For his part, Matos did not detail the series of incidents and comments on social networks, limiting himself to emphasizing that “the best word is the one that is not said”.

“I am not talking about problems. I’m one of those people who does things on the ground. Those who want to put things on networks or in newspapers is their problem “, concluded Matos.