The Venezuelan baseball team, Navegantes del Magallanes, sanctioned by the United States, became champion of the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League (LVBP) in the 2021-2022 season, by defeating Caribes de Anzoátegui, 3-2, in a game played on Tuesday night at the Alfonso “Chico” Carrasquel stadium in Puerto La Cruz, in Anzoátegui state.
The United States Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) prevents the Magallanes from hiring players from the professional league of the North American country, Major League Baseball, MLB, for its acronym in English, because one of the owners of the team is a foundation that depends on the Venezuelan State.
Despite not playing with Major League Baseball players, Magallanes not only won the title of champion in Venezuela, but was also the best team in the regular round of the sports competition, and now the baseball team will represent the country in the Caribbean Series, which begins next Friday, January 28 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
The unilateral actions against Magallanes, as with the Tigres de Aragua, are part of the economic blockade scheme and sanctions of the United States Government against Venezuela, for not responding to its political and economic interests. Magallanes, a team with a long tradition in the Caribbean country, was the ninth favorite of former Venezuelan President Commander Hugo Chávez
An exciting endgame
Twice they were behind in the final series and both times they were able to react to finally prevail in the decisive seventh game. Navegantes del Magallanes is the new monarch of Venezuelan baseball, highlights a note from the sports newspaper Leader.
Those led by Wilfredo Romero relied on pitching and beat Caribes de Anzoátegui 3-2 in Puerto La Cruz on Tuesday to add title number 13 in their history.
The Anzoátegui “tribe” got ahead on the scoreboard with a streak in the second inning with a single by Tomás Telis off starter César Jiménez, who was making the last start of his 17-year career in Venezuelan baseball.
Magallanes tied it in the top of the fifth on a solo home run by Cade Gotta. However, he received an immediate response from Caribes, who took a 2-1 lead on a sacrifice fly by captain Niuman Romero.
Insistent and refusing to die, the electricians returned to equalize the actions in the sixth with a shot by Carlos Pérez. But they couldn’t go ahead despite having the bases loaded with one out.
Two innings of heart attack
The tension could be felt in the atmosphere. The give and take that took place in Valencia, Carabobo state, was far from being repeated in Puerto La Cruz, here everything was going to be said in one hit and that didn’t come until the eighth episode.
Ángel Reyes (4-3) took the ball through the left field in front of the experienced Yohan Pino and sentenced the commitment. The man from Anzoatiguense, who in the first six games had barely been able to hit three hits in 23 at-bats, today was the hero.
