Mexico Green ends DR's repeat bid, advances to Caribbean Series final

GUADALAJARA, Mexico – The 68th Caribbean Series will not have a repeat champion, as the Dominican Republic’s Leones del Escogido were eliminated by Tomateros de Culiacán (Mexico Green), 9-4, on Friday afternoon at Estadio Panamericano de Béisbol in the tournament’s first semifinal game.

Culiacán will face the winner of Friday’s second semifinal contest between the Cangrejeros de Santurce (Puerto Rico) and the hometown Charros de Jalisco (Mexico Red) in Saturday night's championship game.

The Leones -- trying to become the first club to win consecutive titles since Puerto Rico’s Criollos de Caguas in 2017-18 after taking the '25 Caribbean Series crown in Mexicali, Mexico -- took a 2-0 lead into the fourth inning on Friday.

But from there, it was all Tomateros. Left fielder Estevan Florial provided the first and biggest blow of the day for the Culiacán club with a three-run homer off Escogido starter Oscar de la Cruz, his second round-tripper in as many days against his country of origin’s Winter League champion.

The Tomateros then poured it on against the Leones’ bullpen, scoring two runs off Luis Frías and three more off Alex Colomé before adding an unearned run off Jefry Yan.

Florial was joined in the Culiacán offensive attack by shortstop Luis Verdugo (2-for-4, three RBIs), first baseman Victor Mendoza (3-for-5, three runs scored) and right fielder Yadir Drake (3-for-5, an RBI and a run scored).

After scoring nine runs in their first three contests of the series, the Tomateros have exploded for 19 tallies in their past two games – both against the Leones -- to reach the championship round for the first time since 2015. The club’s last Caribbean Series title was in '02.

“Another great home run that changed the game,” said Culiacán manager Lorenzo Bundy of Florian’s blast. “And then the bats came alive, with contributions from almost everyone in the lineup. That’s how we have to win games.”

On the Culiacán pitching side, starter David Reyes allowed two runs (one earned) in 4 2/3 innings, while relievers Anthony Gose, Norman Elenes, Sasagi Sanchez, Rafael Cordova and Lupe Chavez held Escogido to two more runs the rest of the way.

Despite winning their first three contests of the tournament, the Leones’ shaky pitching caught up with them in the last two games, both losses to Culiacán. After defeating Panama’s Federales de Chiquirí on Wednesday, 16-15 -- a game that set a record in Caribbean Series play for total runs -- Escogido lost, 10-7, Thursday in the round-robin stage’s last contest before allowing nine runs in Friday’s semifinal.

“We weren’t able to execute our pitches in the big moments,” said Escogido manager Ramón Santiago, whose pitching staff registered a 7.77 ERA in the tournament, including a 9.49 ERA by the bullpen.

“Those were some tough days for our relievers. When you don’t execute your pitches in the big moments, they make you pay. They executed and we didn’t.”