Championship Series of Dreams

I know folks in the U.S. think that yesterday was an exciting doubleheader of football thanks to the NFL conference championship games, but let me tell you it had nothing on its counterpart here in Venezuela. Saturday was the final day of the round robin phase of the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League (LVBP). Going into the day the Aragua Tigers had wrapped up a spot in the championship series thanks to their Friday win over the collapsing Anzoátegui Caribbeans, which left them with a 10-5 record. The Caribbeans’ schedule was complete, and the early leaders finished at 9-7 after dropping six of their final seven games. Standing a half game back at 8-7 each were the La Guaira Sharks and the Magallanes Navigators, who faced the 3-12 Zulia Eagles and nothing-to-play-for Tigers respectively. Not surprisingly the two pursuers both won, creating a three-way tie for second place and setting up a baseball festival on Sunday.

In a wrinkle that rivals the dispersal draft for its genius, the LVBP held back-to-back elimination games to decide the second finalist. Due to their superior first round record, the Sharks were given a bye into the second game and hosted both contests at their home stadium in Caracas. At 4:00 the Caribbeans and Navigators faced off in what became a thrilling encounter. Magallanes jumped out to a 5-0 lead after scoring three in the top of the third, but Anzoátegui rallied with runs in the sixth and seventh. Then in the eight their captain Eliézer Alfonzo hit a clutch three-run home run to tie the game. After a scoreless ninth the Caribbeans advanced a runner to third base in the bottom of the tenth but were unable to bring him home. In the top of the eleventh a William Bergolla double drove in Alberto Callaspo to retake the lead for Magallanes. Desperate to stay alive, René Reys led off the bottom of the inning with a double but was once again stranded on third base as closer Ricardo Hernández sealed the victory for the Navigators.
After a 90 minute break Magallanes returned to the field to face the Sharks. Seemingly drained from their emotional win earlier, the Navigators managed to score a run in the top of the first, but things went downhill from there. La Guaira responded with four in the bottom of the frame, scored two more in the third, and went on to cruise to a resounding 16-1 win. With the victory the Sharks advanced to the championship series for the first time in 25 years and set up a compelling storyline against the Tigers.

As I wrote about previously, the Sharks have long been known more for their fans than for their play on the field. The twenty-five year gap between finals appearances and twenty-seven year championship drought are both league highs, meaning they are most neutrals’ team of choice for the final. This year, however, they entered the seasons as one of the favorites thanks to a stronger than usual roster and showed why by cruising to the league’s best regular season record (37-26). Their lineup is stacked with stars, led by league MVP Gregor Blanco, Rookie of the Year Héctor Sánchez, and veteran sluggers Alex Cabrera and Luis Jiménez. The Sharks batted a league-best .281 as a team during the first round, then improved that mark to .291 with 25 home runs (7 more than the next best) in the round robin. Despite their need for a playoff to advance to the final, they enter the championship as strong contenders to take the title.

The reason the Sharks are not outright favorites has less to do with the caliber of the opposing lineup than the mystique that the Aragua Tigers carry right now. This will be the ninth championship appearance in the past eleven years for Aragua, of which they have won five. In the final days of the round robin I asked numerous fans of La Guaira and Magallanes who they would prefer their team to face if they reached the championship series. Unanimously they answered “anyone but the Tigers.” Aragua struggled to qualify for the round robin, clinching its berth on the final day of the regular season. Once the semi-finals began, however, they found their stride. Sort of. The Tigers’ collective numbers during the semi-finals do not stand out as particularly impressive. They hit a league worst .249 over the course of the 16 games with just a .317 OBP (worst) and .375 slugging percentage (2nd worst). Their pitching was better with a 3.87 ERA (second best) but not dominant. Yet somehow they found a way to win ten games. Manager Buddy Bailey has been with the club since 2002 and seems to find a way to push the right buttons with his team. Few are willing to be him against him doing so one more time.

Venezuela being awesome, another dispersal draft was held late last night to allow the finalists to select two players each from the eliminated teams. Aragua chose Cuban outfielder/third baseman Adonis García and right-handed pitcher Pedro Guerra, both from Magallanes. La Guaira went with righties Matt Klinker and Jon Hunton, from the Navigators and Caribbeans, respectively. There was a mini-controversy as the Sharks attempted to select Anzoátegui pitcher Brayan Villarreal, but he had not been included in the list of available players given to Aragua. The Tigers complained and La Guaira was not allowed to keep Villarreal.

Of course for me this has always been the dream final. My favorite team going against the local team, who I have grown to like as well since I have seen them play so much. The championship kicks off tonight in Maracay with Yusmeiro Petit on the hill for Aragua against Les Walrond for La Guaira. The series uses the same 2-3-2 format as the World Series, so La Guaira will host games in Caracas on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday (if necessary). It really does look like a balanced series that could go either way, but I’m picking La Guaira in six. It just feels like it’s their year. No matter what, I am fired up to attend a game in a championship series for the first time in my life. Vayan los Tigres!