1989 Caribbean Series

The 1989 Caribbean Series (Serie del Caribe) was the nineteenth edition of the second stage of the Caribbean Series. It was held in Mazatlán, México from February 4 to February 9. The series featured four teams from Dominican Republic, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Venezuela. The Águilas del Zulia of the Venezuelan League won a close title in league play and then the series 5 to 1. The Águilas were managed by Pete Mackanin. The Most Valuable Player was Phil Stephenson, a first baseman with the Águilas del Zulia.

Zulia won their first five games and had a 1.68 ERA in those games. They won three games in extra innings - the clincher went 13 and they won another in 16 innings and a Series-record five hours, 23 minutes. The records would stand until the 2007 Caribbean Series. Zulia finished 5-1, one game ahead of the Indios de Mayagüez. The staff was led by Dale Polley and Leonard Damian. First baseman and MVP Stephenson hit .385 with 3 homers and 7 RBI. The Leones del Escogido, the champions in the 1988 Caribbean Series were the last place team, dropping five in a row before winning their finale.

Due to ongoing financial problems, the Series was moved to the USA for the 1990 Caribbean Series.

Final Standings

Team	League	G	W	L	WPCT	Manager
Águilas del Zulia	VEN Venezuelan League	6	5	1	0.833	Pete Mackanin
Indios de Mayagüez	PRI Puerto Rican League	6	4	2	0.667	Tom Gamboa
Águilas de Mexicali	MEX Mexican Pacific League	6	2	4	0.333	Dave Machemer
Leones del Escogido	DOM Dominican League	6	1	5	0.167	Phil Regan

Leaders

• Batting Average: .500 - Matías Carrillo, Águilas de Mexicali
• Home Runs: 3 - Phil Stephenson, Águilas del Zulia
• Runs Batted In: 7 - Ken Caminiti, Indios de Mayagüez; Phil Stephenson, Águilas del Zulia; Ron Washington, Águilas de Mexicali
• Wins: 2 - Dale Polley, Águilas del Zulia

Sources

• 1990 Baseball Almanac