The forty-eighth edition of the

Caribbean Series The Caribbean Series ( Spanish: ''Serie del Caribe'') is an annual club tournament contested by professional baseball teams in Latin America. It is organized by the Caribbean Professional Baseball Confederation. The series is normally played in ...

(''Serie del Caribe'') baseball tournament was played in

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

in the neighboring cities of

Maracay Maracay () is a city in north-central Venezuela, near the Caribbean coast, and is the capital and most important city of the state of Aragua. Most of it falls under the jurisdiction of Girardot Municipality. The population of Maracay and its ...

and

Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

, making it the first one to be played in two cities. It was held from February 2 through February 7 featuring the champion teams from The

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a Maritime boundary, maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and ...

( Licey),

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

(

Mazatlán Mazatlán () is a city in the Mexican list of states of Mexico, state of Sinaloa. The city serves as the municipal seat for the surrounding , known as the Mazatlán Municipality. It is located on the Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast across from th ...

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

( Carolina) and

(

Caracas Caracas ( , ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas (CCS), is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the northern p ...

). The format consisted of 12 games, each team facing the other teams twice. The games were played at Estadio José Pérez Colmenares (Maracay) and

Estadio José Bernardo Pérez Estadio José Bernardo Pérez is a multi-use stadium in Valencia, Venezuela. It opened on October 8, 1955, and holds 15,500 people. Originally named Estadio Cuatricentenario, it primarily served as the home stadium for the Industriales de Valen ...

(Valencia).

Summary

The Venezuela home team, represented by the Leones del Caracas, won its first Caribbean Series title since 1989 after a dramatic rally with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning led them to a perfect 6-0 finish, the 9th time this had happened in the Series. Managed by Carlos Subero, Venezuela outscored their opponents 45–15 while the defense committed only three

errors An error (from the Latin , meaning 'to wander'Oxford English Dictionary, s.v. “error (n.), Etymology,” September 2023, .) is an inaccurate or incorrect action, thought, or judgement. In statistics, "error" refers to the difference between t ...

. Triple Crown winner

Ramón Hernández Ramón José Hernández Marin (; born May 20, 1976) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball catcher and current major league staff assistant for the Athletics (baseball), Athletics of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB with the ...

was named the Series

Most Valuable Player In team sports, a most valuable player (MVP) award is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particular competition, or ...

after leading all players with a .542

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

(13-for-24) and eight RBIs, while tying with Edgar González with three

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the Baseball (ball), ball is hit in such a way that the batting (baseball), batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safe (baseball), safely in one play without any error ( ...

s. Hernández also

hit for the cycle Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust or HIT, a fictional organization ...

in Game Two, to become the first player to do it in the Series history. Other notable contributions came from

Alex Cabrera Alexander Alberto Cabrera (born December 24, 1971) is a Venezuelan former first baseman and right-handed batter who played in 2000 for the Arizona Diamondbacks in Major League Baseball (MLB) and for 12 seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball (NP ...

(.360, 2 HR, 7 RBIs), Álex González (.409, 1 HR, 7 RBIs),

Marco Scutaro Marcos Scutaro, better known as Marco Scutaro, (; born October 30, 1975) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball infielder. He bats and throws right-handed. Scutaro made his major league debut with the New York Mets in 2002, and subsequentl ...

(.304, 7 runs, 5 RBIs, 2 HR, including a

grand slam Grand Slam or Grand slam may refer to: Games and sports * Grand slam, winning category terminology originating in contract bridge and other whist card games Athletics * Grand Slam Track, professional track and field league Auto racing * ...

), Luis Rodríguez (.310, 3 doubles, 5 runs, 8 RBIs) and

Franklin Gutiérrez Franklin Rafael Gutiérrez (born February 21, 1983), nicknamed "Guti", is a Venezuelan former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cleveland Indians, Seattle Mariners and Los Angeles Dodgers. While pr ...

(.364, 4 runs, 4 RBIs). Overall, the Venezuelan club hit .327 with nine home runs. The pitching staff posted a collective 2.62

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

and was led by

Geremi González Geremi Segundo González Acosta (January 8, 1975 – May 25, 2008) was a Venezuelan right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Chicago Cubs (–), Tampa Bay Devil Rays (–), Boston Red Sox (), New York Mets () and Milwaukee ...

, who went 1-0 and topped all pitchers in ERA (1.20) and

innings pitched In baseball, the statistic innings pitched (IP) is the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of Batter (baseball), batters and baserunners that have been put out while the pitcher is on the Baseball field#Pitcher's mou ...

(15),

striking out ''Striking Out'' is an Television in the Republic of Ireland, Irish television legal drama television series, broadcast on RTÉ, that first aired on 1 January 2017, based on ''The Good Wife'' by Robert King (writer), Robert and Michelle King. Prod ...

12 batters while

walking Walking (also known as ambulation) is one of the main gaits of terrestrial locomotion among legged animals. Walking is typically slower than running and other gaits. Walking is defined as an " inverted pendulum" gait in which the body vaults o ...

just three. In addition, Subero, at 33, became the youngest manager to win a Caribbean Series championship.

Manny Acta Manuel Elias Acta (born January 11, 1969) is a Dominican former professional baseball manager who is currently the bench coach for the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has formerly served as a broadcast analyst for ESPN and ESP ...

was 34 when he guided the Dominicans to the title in 2004. The Dominican Republic finished the series in second place with a 4–2 record. Both losses were to Venezuela. The team was managed by

Rafael Landestoy Rafael Silvaido Landestoy Santana (born May 28, 1953) is a Dominican former Major League Baseball player. Landestoy played eight major league seasons with the Houston Astros, Cincinnati Reds, and Los Angeles Dodgers. He amassed 291 hits, a .237 ...

and included players as Alexis Gómez, who led his teammates with a .500 BA (10-for-20), and

Miguel Tejada Miguel Odalis Tejada ( Tejeda; born May 25, 1974) is a Dominican former professional baseball shortstop who played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for six teams, most notably the Oakland Athletics and Baltimore Orioles, before ...

(.273, 1 HR, 8 RBIs),

Sandy Martínez Angel Sandy Martínez Martínez (born October 8, 1970) is a Dominican former professional baseball player, and current Manager for the DSL Nationals. He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball for the Toronto Blue Jays (-), Chicago Cubs (- ...

(.300, 1 HR, 5 RBIs), Napoleón Calzado (.321) and

Rafael Belliard Rafael Leonidas Belliard Matias (born October 24, 1961) is a Dominican former professional baseball shortstop who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1982 to 1998 with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Atlanta Braves. He was a member of Atlanta ...

(.304, 1 HR). Puerto Rico was guided by

Lino Rivera Lino may refer to: * Lino, short for linoleum, a common flooring material * Lino, slang for linesman, the former name (still in widespread common use) for an assistant referee in association football People Given name * Lino (footballer, born 1 ...

and finished third at 2–4, both its wins coming against Mexico. Other than starter

Willie Collazo William Collazo (born November 7, 1979) is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball pitcher. During the 2007 season, he appeared in six games for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB). Since 2016, Collazo has worked as a minor le ...

(0-1) and

relievers In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who pitches in the game after the starting pitcher or another relief pitcher has been removed from the game due to fatigue, injury, ineffectiveness, ejection, high pitch count ...

Iván Maldonado and

Orlando Román Orlando Bruno Román (born November 28, 1978) is a Puerto Rican professional baseball pitcher. He has played in the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) for the Brother Elephants in 2010 and 2011, the Lamigo Monkeys in 2016, and the China ...

, the pitching staff was ineffective. The offense was led by Luis Figueroa (.364, 1 HR, 5 RBIs),

Rubén Gotay Ruben A. Gotay ( ; born December 25, 1982) is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball infielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2004 to 2008 with the Kansas City Royals, New York Mets and Atlanta Braves. He is currently a coac ...

(.368, 1 HR),

Alex Cintrón Alexander Cintrón (born December 17, 1978) is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball infielder and current hitting coach for the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Chicago White Sox ...

(.308, 1 HR) and

José Valentín José Antonio Valentín (born October 12, 1969) is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball infielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers (–), Chicago White Sox (–), Los Angeles Dodgers (), and New Y ...

(.269, 1 HR). The defending champion Mexico did not win a game in the series. Managed by Juan José Pacho, it was the fifth time a Mexican team had been held winless in Caribbean Series history. Edgar González led the attack with a .524 BA (11-for-21) and three solo home runs. The team also included veterans players such as

Trenidad Hubbard Trenidad Aviel Hubbard (born Trent Hubbard' May 11, 1964) is a former Major League Baseball journeyman outfielder. He is an alumnus of Southern University and A&M College. Drafted by the Houston Astros in the 12th round of the 1986 MLB amateur ...

Oscar Robles Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People and fictional and mythical characters * Oscar (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters named Oscar, Óscar or Oskar * Oscar (footballer, born 1954), Brazilian footballer J ...

and

Francisco Campos Francisco Campos is the name of: * Francisco Campos (baseball) (born 1972), Mexican baseball player * Francisco Campos (jurist) (1891–1968), Brazilian cabinet minister and author of the 1937 Constitution * Francisco Campos (footballer) (born 1912 ...

Final standings

Scoreboards

Game 1, February 2 at Maracay

Game 2, February 2 at Valencia

Game 3, February 3 at Valencia

Game 4, February 3 at Maracay

Game 5, February 4 at Valencia

Game 6, February 4 at Valencia

Game 7, February 5 at Maracay

Game 8, February 5 at Maracay

Game 9, February 6 at Maracay

Game 10, February 6 at Valencia

Game 11, February 7 at Valencia

Game 12, February 7 at Maracay

Quotes

*''"Up to the bag, hits a very high fly, comfortable, to short left field. Back in is the short (stop) Erick Aybar. The ball is coming down and hit Aybar in the head... THE BALL DROPS! THE BALL DROPS! VENEZUELA IS GOING TO WIN! VENEZUELA IS GOING TO WIN! VENEZUELA IS GOING TO WIN!...AND VENEZUELA HAS WON THE CARIBBEAN SERIES, 2006!'' (Translation of ''Fox Sports en Español'' narrator Beto Villa on the final play)

Sources

*Antero Núñez, José. ''Series del Caribe''. Jefferson,

Caracas, Venezuela Caracas ( , ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas (CCS), is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the northern p ...

: Impresos Urbina, C.A., 1987. *Gutiérrez, Daniel. ''Enciclopedia del Béisbol en Venezuela – 1895-2006 ''. Caracas, Venezuela: Impresión Arte, C.A., 2007.

External links

Official siteLatino Baseball
{{Caribbean Series , state=collapsed

Caribbean Series International baseball competitions hosted by Venezuela Sport in Aragua Sport in Carabobo 2006 in Venezuelan sport 2006 in Caribbean sport