2009 Caribbean Series


The fifty-first edition of the Caribbean Series was played in. It was held from February 2 through February 7 with the champions teams from Dominican Republic, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Venezuela. The format consisted of 12 games, each team facing the other teams twice. The games were played at Estadio Casas GEO in Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico.

Summary

Tigres de Aragua of Venezuela clinched its first team Caribbean Series title and seventh as a country with a 5-1 record. Guided by Buddy Bailey, the Venezuelan club took the top spot much more easily than expected, especially considering the absence of big-name stars, which was mitigated by playing small ball. In addition, the opportune hitting and sharp defense were bolstered by above-average running speed and strong bullpen support. Venezuela clinched the title with a 5–3 win over host Mexico before an overflow crowd at Mexicali's stadium. Closer Francisco Buttó set records with more saves in a series and most saves in series history, which was enough to be named the Most Valuable Player of the series. Also providing offensive support were SS Luis Maza, CF Selwin Langaigne and 2B Ramón Castro. The team only committed three errors and the pitching staff posted a collective 2.41 earned run average. Venezuela blasted only one home run in the series, but it was a good one as first baseman Héctor Giménez' 11th-inning, walk-off solo homer in Game 4 pushed the Tigers to a 1–0 victory over the Mexican team. The only winning starter on their staff was Horacio Estrada. Other members of the team included starter Tim Harikkala and relievers Ronald Belisario, Iván Blanco, Marcos Carvajal, Andrew Lorraine and Víctor Moreno; catching tandem of Alex Delgado and Wilson Ramos; DH Raúl Chávez; 3B Luis Ugueto, and outfielders Rodney Medina and Jackson Melián.
The experienced Lorenzo Bundy managed the Mexican club, represented by the Venados de Mazatlán, and finished in second place with a modest 3-3 mark. A strong offense and solid defense were not enough to compensate for poor pitching and a lack of speed on the basepaths. Leading the offensive charge were Edgar Gonzalez, who had the series' highest batting average at.423, though his brother Adrián González did hit.286 with eight RBI and a.714 SLG, including three home runs in a game to set a series record. SS Héber Gómez and RF Christian Quintero also carried much of the offensive weight. One of the few bright spots in the pitching staff was Walter Silva, who posted a 1-1 record with 12 strikeouts and a 2.25 ERA in two starts. The roster also included veteran pitchers Francisco Córdova and Pablo Ortega; catcher Miguel Ojeda; outfielder Rubén Rivera, and infielders Freddy Sandoval, Robert Saucedo and Óscar Robles.
The Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico finished tied in third place with a 2-4 record.
The defending champion Tigres del Licey, of the Dominican Republic, was a pale shadow of the glorious franchise that won 10 series titles and posted a 65-24 record in 15 appearances between 1971 and 2008. Managed by José Offerman, the offense mustered little punch and led the series with seven errors. The most prominent players were starters Alfredo Simón and Ramón Ortiz ; reliever Julio Mañón, and DH Ronny Paulino. Also in the roster were pitchers Wilton Chávez, Valerio de los Santos, Julio Mateo, José Mercedes, Jailen Peguero, Carlos Pérez, Oneli Pérez and Jorge Sosa; catcher Salvador Paniagua; infielders Erick Aybar, Willy Aybar, Ronnie Belliard, Anderson Hernández and D'Angelo Jiménez, and outfielders José Bautista, Fernando Martínez, Ricardo Nanita and Timo Pérez.
Puerto Rico returned to the Series after a one-year absence, represented by the Leones de Ponce and managed by Eduardo Pérez, former big leaguer and ESPN Baseball Tonight broadcaster. The Boricuas team outscored their rivals, 18–16, despite a negative record of 2-4. The pitching staff was led by Giancarlo Alvarado, and posted one of the two shutouts in the series, while the offense was paced by SS Luis Figueroa, 1B Carlos Rivera and 2B Andy González. The rest of the roster was filled with starters Josué Matos, Héctor Mercado and Bill Pulsipher ; relievers Iván Maldonado, Josh Rainwater and Fernando Cabrera; catchers Eli Marrero, Robinson Cancel and Raúl Casanova; infielders Fernando Cortez and Iggy Suarez, and outfielders Jesús Feliciano and Raúl González, among others. To fill the void last winter, Perez, who took over as Ponce's manager just one day before the start of the regular season, created the Winter Training Program for professional and amateur players on the island, and expressed cautious optimism that winter baseball in Puerto Rico was back to stay.

Final standings



Scoreboards

Game 1, February 2

Game 2, February 2

Game 3, February 3

Game 4, February 3

Game 5, February 4

Game 6, February 4

Game 7, February 5

Game 8, February 5

Game 9, February 6

Game 10, February 6

Game 11, February 7

Game 12, February 7

Television