Because something as important as the championships of the WBH should never have to go down without some sort of narrative, for posterity’s sake, here’s a rundown from the first week of championship playoff games.
USA LEAGUE:
San Lorenzo Legends leads AzuaTortugas, 2-1
Game 1 was a pitchers’ duel between Azua’s Christian Lewis and San Lorenzo’s Felix Casilla. Both pitchers tossed scoreless gems, leaving the bullpens to battle it out into extra innings. An walk-off RBI single in the 10th from Azua’s “Shotgun” Nozara was the lone score in the game, and Azua took the first contest by a score of 1-0.
Games 2 and 3 were decisive Legends victories. Game 2 belonged to Legends SP Hyung-gwang Kim, who shut down the Tortugas’ offense all the way to the 2nd out of the 9th inning; Pereira took the ball for the last out and the save. A 3-run homer from Legends C Mario Romero provided the bulk of the scoring in the 4-1 Legends victory. Game 3 was yet another pitcher’s duel, with Legends’ SP Erin Evenson pitching 8 scoreless innings, and Tortugas’ SP Keishi Aoki keeping it scoreless until giving up a run in the 7th. The Legends then broke it wide open with five runs versus the Azua bullpen in the 8th. Final score 6-2.
<more leagues below the jump>
JAPAN LEAGUE:
Santiago de Cuba Rough Riders leads Maracaibo Jackals, 2-1
Rough Riders starter “Big Dumb” Palmier kept Maracaibo’s scoring limited to a pair of solo homers from 1B Bartoli Salinas, outdueling Jackals’ starter Antonio Valverde, who gave up four in seven innings. Three additional runs in the 8th versus Maracaibo reliever Junior Couret made Game 1 decisiviely a Rough Riders victory, 7-3.
Game 2 was a stinging blow to Maracaibo. Jackals’ Cesar Anaya, who gave up only 14 home runs all season as a 16-3, 2.30 ERA starter, gave up a first-inning grand slam to 3B Ramon Clenega (who hit only seven HRs all season). The Jackals never recovered despite keeping the Rough Riders scoreless for the rest of the game; the Maracaibo offense scattered three runs and lost a heartbreaker, 4-3.
Game 3 was a pitchers’ duel won in every sense of the word by Jackals starter Tavio Soravilla, who pitched eight scoreless innings and provided the only RBI of the game, a single that scored Jerrold Muguercia, assisted by an error in left field from Santiago de Cuba’s Jean Lagace. Final score 1-0, Jackals.
CUBA LEAGUE:
Mao Dadaistas leads Xi’an Kylin, 3-0
Game 1 belonged to Xi’an almost the entire game, except the part that counts (the end). The Kylin scored four unearned runs in the third (thanks to an infield error by Mao SS Pascual Gonzalez) and went into the 9th with a 4-3 lead. Then, Xi’an closer De-shi Yao gave up a two-run double to pinch-hitter Alex Ortega, and with the blown save the Kylin went down 6-4.
Game 2 was a slugfest, with Xi’an starter Guo-feng Zong and Mao starter “Fury” Alvarez both giving up five runs and getting knocked out of the game after only 1.2 innings. Both teams proceeded to tee of on each others’ bullpens, but it was Mao who featured the strongest bats; LF Quinto Userin went 2-for-4 with two HRs and 4 RBI, and Francisco Benigue went 3-for-5 with two doubles, a HR, and 4 RBI. Mao wins, 10-7.
To add insult to injury, Mao took Game 3 in a five-hit shutout, led by starter “The Skul” Baza who scattered five hits and five walks in a 7.1 inning effort. Solo homers by Benigue, 1B Jorge Hueca, and 2B “Fuzzy” Buenoventura were more than enough to hand Mao the 3-0 victory.
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC LEAGUE
Pacora Jaguars leads Tocumen Pollo Diablo, 2 games to 1
Game 1 saw the Pacora offense chasing ace Devil Chicken starter Alejandro Asrreaza out of the game after only three innings, giving up four doubles, one HR and four total runs. They weren’t much nicer to his replacement, Kelvim Silva, who gave up three runs of his own. Pacora remained in command throughout, until the 9th, when Tocumen rallied with a 3-run homer from 3B Seville Boquín off mop-up reliever Javiero Opez, forcing Pacora to bring in “Franchise” Takashita to close the deal. Pacora wins, 8-5.
Game 2 was a pitching fan’s dream. The Pollo Diablo scored the one and only run in the game - in the 1st off a sacrifice hit from LF Roberto Soto. From there, Tocumen starter Pedro Mayorga was in command, limiting Pacora to three hits in 8.0 innings, handing the 1-0 lead to closer Cristian Ronda for the save. Pacora starter Marque Lendra and three others kept Tocumen to only six total hits, but the bats couldn’t ignite a rally in Pacora. Tocumen takes Game 2, 1-0.
Game 3 brought the thunder back, in a high-scoring affair that featured 25 total hits between the two teams. Pacora RF Manuel Niavez single-handedly knocked Tocumen starter Jorge Onzales out of the game by the third inning with a grand slam. Tocumen responded by shaking four runs out of “Bugs” Hererra in four innings, and two more out of Álex Salinana to give them a lead that they kept until the 9th inning. Then, Tocumen closer Ronda gave up two leadoff walks, setting the table for an RBI single from SS Teo Maradinga and later a two-run single from RF Alex Jose. Pacora handed a two-run lead to Takashita-san in the bottom of the 9th, and he closed the deal. Pacora wins 10-8.
SOUTH KOREA LEAGUE:
Asahikawa Green Guild leads Suwon Samsung Lions, 2 games to 1
Game 1 started by going the Lions way. Starter “Little BVu” Kwak stayed in command of the Green Guild for most of the game, outlasting Asahikawa’s Misao Inoue to give Suwon a 4-2 lead going into the sixth. The wheels fell off Kwak in the 7th, giving up a 2-run triple to 3B Tomokazu Ohayashi , followed by a solo HR, a double, and an RBI single in the 8th to put them in the lead. Green Guild closer Carlos Gallo preserved the two-run lead for the save. Green Guild wins, 6-4.
In Game 2 Suwon starter Lu-po-teh Yap carried a five-hit shutout and a four-run lead into the eighth, and then proceeded to start the 8th inning with three straight singles and a wild pitch. Four runs on five hits later, the 9th inning began with the two teams tied. The tie only lasted two pitches into the ninth, before Suwon SS Hee-ho Pak belted a solo HR to give the lead back to Suwon; the save however was blown when Green Guild C Hideyori Nakashima doubled and later scored on a Chayo Ramírez sacrifice fly. Not to be deterred, Pak hit yet another solo jack in the top of the 11th; this lead required only seven pitches from Lions reliever Matsu Koike to pick up the save. Suwon wins 6-5.
Game 3 featured yet another star turn by a Suwon starter that got ruined by the bullpen. Lions starter Tu-chin Kim gave 6 good innings of pitching, allowing only three hits and a single run. In the seventh, his one run lead evaporated thanks to bad relief from Jae-woo Yi, and despite Suwon’s offense coming back to tie the game at 3-3 in the eighth, the Suwon bullpen gave up five runs in the eighth and lost in a blowout, 8-5. Green Guild 3B and dead-lock for series MVP Tomokazu Ohayashi was again the offensive hero, going 2-for-3 with 1 run, 3 RBI and 2 walks. Through Game 3 of the playoffs, Ohayashi is hitting .538.
VENEZUELA LEAGUE:
Oaxaca Nueve Garras de Jaguar leads Tokyo Tankui, 2 games to 1
Game 1 broke the Tankui way in the bottom of the sixth, when they busted up the shutout for Oaxaca starter Kyuso Kaku with a 3-run homer from 3B Elonso Romano. Tankui emphasized the point by picking up another four runs in the eighth (centered around a bases-loaded double from CF ‘Banzai’ Fujitate that scored three). Tokyo wins, 9-3.
Game 2 was a low-scoring pitching battle between Tokyo’s ‘Clodhopper’ Alipaz and Oaxaca’s Dan McRae. Alipaz edged McRae slightly and carried a 3-1 Tankui lead into the eighth, where he got in trouble and gave way to setup man Soo-geun Nae. Nae then gave up a brutal series of singles and walks, handing Oaxaca seven runs and an 8-3 lead, and they never looked back. Final score, 8-3.
Game 3 was a scorekeeper’s dream. The lead pinballed between Tokyo and Oaxaca six times before it was all over. Tokyo managed a total of 17 hits for 9 total runs, but only three of those hits were for extra bases (a pair of doubles from Braulio Tosado and a solo homer for Sukejuro Nakamura). Oaxaca only connected for 10 hits - four of which were for extra bases - but benefitted from having more baserunners when they hit them. The decisive play went to Oaxaca’s Chayo López, who hit a 2-run double in the 8th to put the Garras up for good. One of the runners scoring in that play was pinch-runner and aged living legend Gustavo Ureclay, who may have scored his last post-season run of his career. Oaxaca wins, 11-9.
CANADA LEAGUE:
Series tied between Vancouver Venture Brothers and Changsha Dragon Riders, 1 game to 1.
Game 1 was blown wide-open by Changsha early. Dragon Riders’ LF Tong Jian started the 1st with a two-run homer, followed in the 3rd by a grand slam from 1B Tian-yun Xia and a two-run double from SS Cisco Finones. Vancouver did their best to fight back with a barrage of extra-base hits (10 of 11 total hits were for extra bases; 5 doubles, 1 triple and 4 homers) but Changsha scored six more in the 7th and 8th innings to secure a lead that Vancouver couldn’t rise to. Changsha wins, 14-10.
Game 2 saw Vancouver establishing the lead early, with a solo HR from C Brad Southorn in the 2nd and three runs in the 4th. Venture Brother starter David Gorman kept the Dragon Riders’ bats mostly quiet through seven straight innings. A pair of 2-run innings in the 6th and 7th kept the Venture Brothers far ahead of Changsha, and they picked up the victory, 8-2.
PANAMA LEAGUE:
Nagasaki Blues leads Ciudad Bolivar Liberators, 2 games to 1
Game 1 featured a rare occurrence in baseball - a no-hitter vs. a team that still manages to score a run. Liberators starter Gerardo Avilar began the first inning by walking the first two batters and hitting Blues 3B Karim Garza with a pitch; 1B Tsukasa Yanagimoto knocked in the lone Blues run all game, and from there never managed to get another hit. Avilar and closer Horacio Manuel combined for a no-hit, 6 BB, 6 K effort. A homer from CF Ruddy Lorega was among the three runs scored by Ciudad Bolivar. Liberators win, 3-1.
In Game 2 the Nagasaki bats redeemed themselves. Karim Garza started the first inning with a solo homer, and 2B Shotaro Ishii and LF Fu-chi Qiu provided a pair of homers in the 6th inning to provide a plenty big enough lead for Blues closer-turned-starter “Down Home” Casillas who spread three runs out over the first six innings before handing it to the bullpen, where new closer Sung-your Ch’ang buttoned up the save. Blues win, 6-3.
Game 3’s runs were entirely contained in the first two innings. Liberators C Bartolo Bernard scored one on a triple in the first, and P Gerardo Gonzáles knocked in another run on a double. The Blues scored two runs on two different Karim Garza singles in the first and second innings, with an additional RBI single from RF Jose Limon. From there, Blues starter Ho-win Shi and Gonzales battled it out, with both pitchers shutting down the opponent’s offense. With a one-run lead in the ninth, Shi handed the ball to Ch’ang again for his second playoff save. Blues win, 3-2.
PUERTO RICO LEAGUE:
Roswell Invasion leads Osan Flying Squid, 2 games to 1.
Game 1 belonged to Roswell starting pitcher Orlando Agure, who shut out the Squids until the eighth inning. Osan’s “Lunatic” Bath also pitched well, but Roswell got to him for two runs in the third and another in the fourth. This was a plenty big lead for Roswell closer Young-jong Yi to supply the save. Roswell wins, 4-1.
In Game 2, the Roswell bats touched up starter Dong-u Pak for three early runs in the 2nd inning (courtesy of a 2-RBI double from RF Han-soo Kim and two infield errors), but Pak settled down and the Invasion managed only three more total hits off Pak as he pitched a complete game and allowed the Squid offense to battle back to a 3-3 tie in the ninth inning. The game-winning hit came courtesy of a bottom-of-the-ninth, walk-off pinch hit single from Osan’s Pancho Escueta to score Gilberto Bertot. Osan wins, 4-3
Game 3 once again saw Roswell score early against an Osan starter. A pair of 2-run homers in the first and third innings by Roswell 1B Osiris Andujar and SS José Valle respectively contributed to the five early runs that knocked Osan’s Yong-hong Ma off the mound. Osan C “Raptor” Vargas contributed two solo homers to the five runs Osan scattered throughout the game, but the Squid couldn’t apply enough power to overtake the Invasion. Roswell wins, 6-5.
MEXICO LEAGUE:
Tijuana Grasshoppers leads Valencia Cerveceros, 2 games to 1.
Game 1 featured a low-scoring game of chicken between Tijuana starter Pancho Molina and Valencia starter Salvador Mata. It was the Cerveceros who finally broke the deadlock, touching up Molina with a 2-run double from 3B Alejandro González and a pinch-hit RBI single from Vernon McConnell. Valencia fought back with a solo HR from ‘the Br’ Maldonado and a triple by 3B Hernán Martínez that scored on a sacrifice. This wasn’t enough to overcome the deficit, and so Valencia takes the 1st game, 4-3.
Game 2 became a blowout for the Grasshoppers shortly after the 4th inning, when Valencia starter Bo Woo gave up a 2-run homer to “The Br” to give Tijuana a 5-0 lead. Tijuana pitcher Ricardo Amaya pitched a complete game and gave up only one run (a solo homer to 2B Shuncho Osagawa) in a 4-hit effort. Tijuana wins the 2nd game, 7-1.
In Game 3, Tijuana starter Pat Dooley went into the 7th inning with a 2-1 lead over Cerveceros starter Taysuke Kinashita, until an RBI single from RF Sancho Alfonso and an RBI double from 2B Shuncho Osegawa tipped the lead back in Valencia’s favor. It wouldn’t last long, though, as Tijuana responded with a 2-run double in the from 3B António Camuñas to regain the lead. Tijuana’s closer Ricardo Pedreyra was able enough to keep the 4-3 lead and save the win for Tijuana.
CHINA LEAGUE:
Wuhan Blackhawks leads Rizao Rally Cats, 2 games to 1
In Game 1, the Rally Cats made an early statement with two runs against Wuhan starter Julcir Tavora in the third, courtesy of RBI singles from 1B Alberto Anruvio and 3B Jorge Esquival. This would be the only scoring Rizao would manage all game, and after Wuhan earned three in the fifth (two runs coming courtesy of a C Gallard Cargill two-run jack) they kept the lead on to the end. Wuhan wins, 4-2.
Game 2 belonged to Rizao, as starter Yasujiro Minoru pitched 7.1 innings of shutout, three-hit ball. Rally Cat left fielder Bernardo Grageda connected for a two-run homer in the 2nd off Wuhan starter Er Gai for the only offensive action in the game. It was more than enough to net the Rizao victory, 2-0.
Game 3 saw Rizao starter ‘Gold M’ Veolásquez roughed up for three runs early in the game. It would not be until the 7th inning that Rizao answered with an offensive explosion of their own, with an Alberto Anruvio solo HR leading the rally against Wuhan’s starter Stéphane Pellerin to force a 3-3 tie. In the 8th, Wuhan SS Chua-kah Gui connected for an RBI single against reliever Rally Cat Álex Aeyta, breaking the tie for good and leading to the Wuhan 4-3 victory. Closer Cai-fei Ching picked up the save.