 02/04/2004 11:51 PM ET
Dominicans a win away from title
Licey still unbeaten after dramatic win over Mexico
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| Sandy Martinez smiles after hitting a solo homer against Mexico in the 10th inning Tuesday. (Andres Leighton/AP)
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SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic -- Mexico realized the gravity of the situation, with its team facing elimination in the 2004 Caribbean Series if it lost Wednesday night's game to the Dominican Republic.
That's why the Culiacan Tomato Growers of Mexico brought in their No. 1 pitcher, Pittsburgh Pirates lefty Oliver Perez, in a relief role on two days' rest.
The move looked brilliant until the top of the 10th inning, when the Dominican champion Licey Tigers asserted their fortitude once again, winning, 3-1, and clinching a spot in the title game.
With the score deadlocked at 1-1 in the top of the 10th, Licey catcher Sandy Martinez connected on a Perez pitch and drove it on a line over the right field wall as the home crowd erupted.
Miguel Tejada
/ SS
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Licey made it 3-1 when Miguel Tejada's one-out ground ball to second base created a botched double play, scoring Luis Castillo, who had followed Martinez's homer with a double.
Despite having more big-league guns than any of the other three teams in the Series, Licey, the only undefeated team in the six-day round-robin tournament at 4-0, has barely eked out two of those wins in extra innings.
"We have a great pitching staff, a great bullpen, and we represent our country with heart," Martinez said. "We've been lucky to win some of these games, maybe, but we play hard and that's how good things happen."
Each team (Puerto Rico, Mexico, Venezuela and the Dominicans) plays each other twice over the course of six days, and the team with the best record at the end wins. The Dominicans beat Puerto Rico for the title last year.
If the Dominicans win one more game against either Puerto Rico on Thursday or Venezuela on Friday, they will take the title.
Licey can lose both of its remaining games and still qualify for a tiebreaker game for the title if 2-2 Venezuela wins both of its games.
Mexico, at 2-2, is out because even if it wins its two last games and the Dominicans lose, making both teams' final records 4-2, Licey will win because the Dominicans won both of their games against Culiacan. Puerto Rico was eliminated early Wednesday with a record of 0-4.
Dominican manager Manny Acta said after Wednesday's win that he will implore his troops to come out Thursday night with the feeling that they still have something to prove.
"This was a quality game," Acta said. "Outstanding baseball and our guys are mentally tough. They don't give up.
"But it's not over yet. We can't come out and cruise and expect we're going to win. Venezuela has a chance to tie. We don't want a tie-breaker because it's already been a very long season for us."
Wednesday night's feature attraction turned out to be the most intensely played game of the week.
The Dominicans and Mexicans traded scoreless frames for the first five innings, with Roque and Mexican starter Francisco Campos dueling through quite a few close calls.
David Ortiz
/ DH
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In the top of the first inning, the Dominicans gave Mexico their first scare when Campos issued two-out walks to Tejada and David Ortiz, but he got Jose Offerman on a short flyout to center to end that threat.
In the bottom of the fourth, it was Mexico's turn to apply offensive pressure.
Benji Gil led off with a double and moved to third on a groundout by Luis Carlos Garcia. Roque looked to be in a heap of trouble when he walked Derrick White to put runners on the corners with two outs, but he struck out Melvin Nieves to escape that frame unharmed.
Then, in the top of the fifth, it was Campos' turn again.
Luis Castillo
/ 2B
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After Abraham Nuñez walked and took third on Mendy Lopez's one-out single, Campos retired Sandy Martinez on a flyout and Luis Castillo on a groundout to keep it scoreless.
Both teams broke through in the sixth with a run apiece.
Tejada reached on an error by shortstop Gil, then moved to second when Ortiz drew a walk. Campos got Izzy Alcantara to an 0-and-2 count, but Alcantara battled back and drilled an RBI single into left field, giving Licey a 1-0 lead and getting the hometown crowd going.
The lead and the momentum didn't last long, though.
Roque tired in the bottom of the frame, giving up a leadoff double to Jose Macias and walking Gil before being replaced by Chicago White Sox left-hander Damaso Marte.
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