Pitching is the name of the game; says a famous saying in baseball. The Navegantes del Magallanes advanced to the semifinals of the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League and much of that achievement is due to the excellent work done by Erick Leal.
The Carabobeño was the ace of manager Carlos García’s rotation, something that is not easy at all since in this rotation there are names like Wilfredo Boscán, Yohan Pino and Félix Doubront.
Leal led the tournament in ERA at 1.39. In the past six seasons, only Omar Bencomo Jr. (1.25) had a better average than him.
In seven starts, Leal had five wins, went down one time and went without a decision the other. He was second in the wins line but was the only starter to reach five awards, since Danny Rondón won six but always as a reliever.
The five games won came back to back after a shaky start: no decision to Águilas del Zulia and loss to Bravos de Margarita.
The dominance of the 25-year-old pitcher was such that he allowed only five runs and gave up nine walks in 34.1 innings, figures that led him to lead the league’s WHIP with 1.11.
In five of his seven starts he did not allow a touchdown and did not give him more than three hits.
Another interesting fact is that he only needed to defeat Tigres de Aragua and Caribes de Anzoátegui.
The electricians were the second best pitching of the contest and third among starters, this undoubtedly thanks to the outstanding performances of Erick Leal, number one candidate for the Pitcher of the Year award.
They also highlighted
Henry Centeno and Víctor Díaz were among the best throughout the season. Unfortunately they did not receive offensive or bullpenn support.
