Mexico vs Dominican Republic

Caracas, February 9 (PL) - Mexico (Cañeros de los Mochis) and the Dominican Republic (Tigres del Licey) will face off today for a ticket to the final of the Caribbean Baseball Series 2023.

The Mexicans finished first in the qualifying phase, in which they only lost to eliminated Curacao and Puerto Rico, while the Dominicans were fourth with three losses.

However, the four successes of the Quiqueyans were precisely at the José Luis García Carneiro stadium in La Guaira, and they will cling to that fortune to take revenge on their rivals.

The Cañeros took a game out of the Tigres' freezer with three runs in the eighth chapter to win 5×4, but this time manager José Offerman's team will surely be more focused on defense.

Right-hander Esmil Rogers will take the ball for the challenge, and if he pitches as he did in the first round against the Puerto Ricans (two clean sheets in five innings), he could lead the Tigers to their first regional final, because their 10 previous crowns were achieved in a round-robin format.

To avoid that, American right-hander Matt Pobereyko, who even had a better previous start (two clean sheets in six innings, with five strikeouts, against Curaçao), will be in the front row.

Despite the difference in the standings, the collective numbers favor the Caribbeans in batting (.258 to .237) and pitching (2.89 to 3.43), while on defense Los Mochis committed two fewer errors.

Undoubtedly, it will be a duel of power to power and the team that best executes the small details will be the first finalist of Gran Caracas 2023.

The other semifinal will be between Vaqueros de Montería (Colombia) and Leones del Caracas (Venezuela).