Caribbean Series 2015 Schedule, Teams & Preview: Mexico Looks to Defend Title, Venezuela Beats Puerto Rico
The 2015 Caribbean Series is underway.
The Caribbean Series is a baseball tournament held each year in various Latin American nations. Cuba, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Mexico and the Dominican Republic are the five territories that have teams compete year in and year out dating back to 1949.
Mexico has won the last two Caribbean Series, in Venezuela and Mexico. The Dominican Republic has the most championships with 19, while Puerto Rico has the second-most ever with 14.
This year, the Caribbean Series is being hosted in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
On the first day of the tournament Mexico defeated Cuba, 2-1. Cuba scored a run in the fourth inning thanks to second baseman Yulieski Gourriel. Mexico answered quickly with a run in the sixth and seventh inning, eventually holding on to the 2-1 victory. Jablonski Noel and Francisco Salas scored the two runs for Mexico.
Anthony Vasquez had a terrific game on the mound for Mexico allowing just one run in five innings.
Venezuela also opened the first day with a win. Venezuela dominated Puerto Rico in a convincing 5-1 win on their home turf. Venezuela scored three runs in the third inning, and never looked back. Venezuelan Pitcher Daryl Thompson allowed just one run his six innings on the mound, and had six strikeouts.
On Tuesday, Cuba will take on the Dominican Republic at 12:05 p.m. EST. On the same day, Puerto Rico will take on Mexico at 6:30 p.m. EST.
This is a great opportunity for many young Latin Americans to show off their talents in front of the baseball world. Some of the greatest baseball players in Major League Baseball history come from Latin American countries. MLB scouts and general managers will definitely have their eyes set on this exciting tournament to find the next big star player. With Cuba "normalizing" relations with the United States, the possibilities could be endless for young Latinos who dream of playing baseball at the professional level.
As far as the tournament format, each and every team will play each other in a 10-game regular season to determine the final standings. Each team will play four games. After the final 10-game regular season, the four teams will then compete in a single game elimination playoff. The No. 1 seed will play the No. 4 seed, and the No. 2 seed will play the No. 3 seed. The winners of those two games will battle it out in the championship game.
On Wednesday, the Dominican Republic will face Venezuela, and Cuba will play Puerto Rico.
For a full Caribbean Series schedule, click here.
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