2018 Central American and Caribbean Games

The 2018 Central American and Caribbean Games were held in Barranquilla, Colombia at Estadio Édgar Rentería in July 2018. The baseball teams were  Colombia,  Cuba,  Dominican Republic,  Mexico,  Nicaragua,  Panama,  Puerto Rico and  Venezuela. Puerto Rico won their third Gold to tie the Dominicans for second all-time (well behind Cuba's 12) while Cuba won their second Silver and host Colombia a Bronze, only their second Medal ever (72 years after their Gold).

Results

July 20

•  Dominican Republic 5,  Panama 4. In a close match, former major leaguer César Valdéz gets the win and fellow ex-MLBer José Valdez the save. LF José Rosario drives in 3. Panama takes the loss despite outhitting the Dominicans 9-6; 2B Gerald Chin goes 3 for 4 with a run and a RBI. Andy Otero takes the loss.
•  Cuba 5,  Mexico 0. The defending champs start strong despite having been hit by numerous defections in the four years since their Gold. SS Yordan Manduley raps four hits, Lázaro Blanco allows 3 hits and no walks in 7 shutout innings and Alain Sánchez and Vladimir García close out the shutout. C Alan Espinoza has half of Mexico's four hits and Javier Solano gives up 10 hits and 5 runs in 4 2/3 IP for the loss.
•  Colombia 3,  Nicaragua 1. The hosts defeat the defending Silver Medalists handily. Randy Consuegra pitches a gem (2 H, 2 BB, 0 R in 6 IP) and former major leaguer Ernesto Frieri saves it, while 1B Reynaldo Rodríguez drives in a pair. Former big leaguer Wilton López takes the loss (8 H, 2 BB, 3 R, 1 ER in 5 1/3 IP) while they get their only run in the 8th when CF Norlando Valle drives in C Janior Montes.

July 21

•  Puerto Rico 5,  Venezuela 3. Puerto Rico makes a strong start. For five, the game is a pitchers' duel between Adalberto Flores of Puerto Rico (3 H, 1 BB, 0 R) and former major leaguer Wil Ledezma (1 H, 2 BB, 8 K, 0 R). Héctor Mayora relieves Ledezma in the 6th and is battered for 3 hits, a walk and 4 runs in 1/3 of an inning; C Wilfredo Rodríguez-Chevere drives in three. Venezuela scores three in the 8th and 9th, two off Fernando Cabrera on four hits but the former major leaguer notches the save anyhow. CF Júnior Sosa scores two for Venezuela.
•  Cuba 1,  Panama 0. SS Yordan Manduley scores in the first but it's all the offense Cuba will get off Gabriel Ramos and Abraham Atencio Jr. It will be enough, though, as their pitching is again dominant. Vladimir Baños allows two hits in seven shutout innings and Yoannis Yera throws a fine 8th. Panama gets two hits in the 9th off Raidel Martínez but fails to score. LF Gerald Chin again plays well, with two of their four hits today.
•  Colombia 9,  Mexico 1. The hosts go to 2-0 with more strong pitching, this time from Ronald Ramírez, Yesid Salazar (W), Horacio Acosta and Kendy Batista. Their offense also has a big day, led by C Álvaro Noriega (3 for 3, 2 R, RBI) and 1B Cristian Cano (3 RBI). José Samayoa takes the loss. Mexico's only run comes when C Amadeo Zazueta drives in RF Ricky Rodríguez.

July 22

•  Mexico 5,  Nicaragua 0. Mexico gets their first win as Octavio Acosta, Thomas Melgarejo, Pedro Villarreal and Aaron Kurcz combine on a three-hitter, while 1B Jose Alvarez goes 2 for 4 with a run and two RBI. 42-year-old Gustavo Martínez is knocked out in the 2nd.
•  Venezuela 4,  Dominican Republic 0. Two players with similar names star for Venezuela as LF Carlos Colmenares goes 3 for 4 with 3 runs to back the pitching of Juan Colmenarez (4 H, 1 BB, 0 R, 7 K in 7 1/3 IP). The Dominicans manage only four hits, while Ulises Joaquín gives up 8 hits and 4 runs in 4 2/3 IP.
•  Puerto Rico 8,  Cuba 1. Cuba's pitching finally looks mortal as Freddy Asiel Alvarez allows 5 runs (4 earned) in 3 2/3 IP. Anthony Seise Jr. scatters 7 hits in 7 innings for the win. DH Randy Ruiz gets 3 hits and CF Aldo Méndez drives in three. CF Roel Santos has 3 hits in a losing effort.

July 23

•  Nicaragua 5,  Venezuela 4. The defending Silver Medalists get their first win, though it takes 10 innings. After one run in their first two games, the offense comes alive. CF Norlando Valle scores 2, RF Javier Robles drives in a pair and 1B Renato Morales has 3 hits. Jorge Bucardo, their 5th pitcher, gets the win after taking over for his brother Wilber Bucardo; Elvin García had turned in a strong start (1 R in 5 IP). For Venezuela, CF Júnior Sosa (3 for 5, 3 R) is a bright spot in a losing cause for the second time. Jean Toledo took the loss.
•  Puerto Rico 4,  Dominican Republic 1. Puerto Rico remained unbeaten as they top the 2010 champs. 2B Luis Mateo has 2 hits and 2 RBI while Luis Cintrón and six relievers combine to allow 6 hits and 1 run; Fernando Cruz notches the save. Former major leaguer Edwar Cabrera is charged 3 runs (1 earned) in 1/3 of an inning in a rough start, while RF Luis Tejeda (2 for 3, R) is a bright spot for the Dominicans.
•  Panama 8,  Colombia 1. The only winless team left, Panama, trounces the previously unbeaten hosts. SS Eduardo Thomas Jr. has 3 hits to pace a 15-hit offensive and Ernesto Silva allows only 3 hits in 7 shutout innings. Yoandry Portal gives up 9 hits and 4 runs in 4 innings for the loss. RF Reynaldo Rodríguez has half of Colombia's four hits.

July 24

•  Puerto Rico 7,  Mexico 1. Puerto Rico remained the only unbeaten squad as Iván Maldonado tosses a gem and 3B Jeffrey Domínguez (3 for 4, 2 RBI) and 2B Luis Mateo (2 R, 2 RBI) pace the offense. DH Luis Juárez gets Mexico's lone run as they fall to 1-3. Alejandro Soto takes the loss.
•  Venezuela 2,  Cuba 1. Venezuela ties Cuba for 3rd place at 2-2 by winning a close game. Carlos Parra allows only two hits and three walks in seven shutout innings and Jean Toledo gets the save while LF Carlos Colmenares has another big day on offense (2 for 2, 3 BB). C Yosvany Alarcón has two of Cuba's three hits; their only run comes in the 8th when CF Roel Santos drives in DH Alexander Ayala. Ulfrido García is the losing pitcher.

July 25

•  Panama 5,  Mexico 2. Panama also moved into a tie for third, while Mexico remained last. 2B/LF Gerald Chin went 3 for 4 with a walk, run and two RBI and CF Jhadiel Santamaria had a hit, two walks and two runs. Luis Ramos got the win with four shutout innings of relief and Jean Corpas saved it. Javier Solano fed to 0-2.
•  Dominican Republic 3,  Nicaragua 2. The Dominicans become the 4th team at 2-2 while the defending Silver Medalists fall to 1-3, the second team to three losses. 2B Darlin Germán goes 5 for 5 with a RBI while LF José Rosario drives in two. José Valdez saves it for Willy Lebrón, who allowed one hit and one run in five. 2B Ofilio Castro (2 for 4, R) had two of Nicaragua's three hits, while Berman Espinoza took the loss.
•  Colombia 7,  Venezuela 3. Colombia remained in second. After both starters struggled (Colombia's Yesid Salazar allowed 8 hits and 3 runs in 3 while Alvin Herrera gave up 5 runs in 2 in a loss), five Colombian relievers turned in a total of six shutout innings, with Horacio Acosta getting the win. LF Gerson Jiménez drives in 3 and RF Diover Ávila and SS Dewin Pomares hit the first homers of the Games. Venezuela's offense is led once again by CF Júnior Sosa (2 R, RBI) and LF Carlos Colmenares (3 H) rather than the three ex-major leaguers in their lineup.

July 26

•  Nicaragua 6,  Panama 2. Nicaragua moved into a tie for 5th with Panama and Venezuela at 2-3 by beating their rivals. DH Willie Vasquez goes 3 for 3 with a walk, run and RBI and Wilton López gets the win, while Andy Otero takes the defeat. LF Gerald Chin triples, singles and plays a role in both Panamanian runs with one run and one RBI.
•  Puerto Rico 2,  Colombia 1. The hosts come close to handing Puerto Rico their first loss, leading 1-0 after 7, but Puerto Rico rallies to win. 1B Reynaldo Rodríguez homers off Adalberto Flores in the 4th but Flores and Fernando Cruz don't allow any more runs (Bryan Escanio pitched to two batters, with a hit and a walk, in between Flores and Cruz). Randy Consuegra pitches 6 1/3 shutout for Colombia then Horacio Acosta pitches a scoreless 7th. C Wilfredo Rodríguez-Chevere singles to open the 8th to go to 3-for-3. Brian Ortiz pinch-ran, while Ernesto Frieri was summoned from the bullpen. SS Ozzie Martínez drove in Ortiz a batter later and after two more batters, DH Randy Ruiz drove in Martínez with the winner. Puerto Rico locked up the Gold Medal with three days still to play, but several teams were still in the Medal hunt for Silver and Bronze.
•  Cuba 13,  Dominican Republic 1. The winner would move into a second while the loser would fall into a tie for fourth and a tougher shot at the medal. It was 1-1 after 5 before the 2014 champs exploded for 12 runs in the next 3 for a mercy rule rout of the 2010 champs. RF Yurisbel Gracial and 3B Alexander Ayala both have 3 hits and 2 RBI, Gracial also scoring twice, while Lázaro Blanco improves to 2-0. RF Luis Tejada drives in DH Jhonatan Reynoso with the only Dominican run. César Valdéz takes the loss.

July 27

•  Cuba 11,  Nicaragua 3. Cuba's offense remained hot with 18 hits and 11 runs. 3B/2B Alexander Ayala went 4 for 4 with 3 runs and a RBI, DH Juan Carlos Torriente added 3 more hits and backup 3B Raúl González drove in 3. Vladimir Baños got the win. For Nicaragua, CF Norlando Valle and LF Jilton Calderón each had 3 hits while Gustavo Martínez was hit hard (7 H, 5 R, 3 ER in 3 IP).
•  Panama 5,  Puerto Rico 2. Panama handed Puerto Rico their first loss. LF Gerald Chin hit a leadoff homer and would score 3 runs; 1B Kevin Ramos (4 for 4, 2 RBI) and SS Eduardo Thomas Jr. (3 H) also played key roles. Gabriel Ramos gets the win and Abraham Atencio Jr. does a fine relief job for the save. C Wilfredo Rodríguez and 3B Jeffrey Domínguez each have 3 hits for Puerto Rico, while Cristian González is tagged with the loss.
•  Mexico 3,  Venezuela 0. The 2010 Silver Medalists finally won their second, knocking Venezuela to a tie for last at 2-4. DH Luis Juárez goes 3 for 4 with a run and a RBI to back the fine pitching of José Samayoa (9 K, 3 H, 2 BB, 0 R in 7 IP) and Aaron Kurcz (0 H, 0 R in 2 IP). Wil Ledezma takes the loss despite a solid outing.

July 28

•  Nicaragua 10,  Puerto Rico 9. With Puerto Rico having locked up the Gold, they took Anthony Seise Jr. out after 3 shutout innings in what wound up a slugfest loss. 1B Willie Vasquez drives in four and DH Darrel Campbell and RF Javier Robles each score three. Wilber Bucardo gets the win while Fidencio Flores allows one run in five. 2B Luis Mateo goes 5 for 6 with 3 RBI for Puerto Rico while SS Ozzie Martínez has 3 hits and 3 RBI. Fernando Cabrera takes the loss.
•  Venezuela 4,  Panama 2. Venezuela ties Panama at 3-4 as Juan Colmenarez goes to 2-0 and Jean Toledo saves it, while Ernesto Silva is the losing hurler. Venezuela uses a balanced offense, while Panama gets both of their runs by SS Eduardo Thomas Jr. driving in RF Hector De La Cruz.
•  Colombia 5,  Dominican Republic 3. Ronald Ramírez outdueled Randy Pérez, while Horacio Acosta saved it for Colombia, which clinched a medal, facing off with Cuba tomorrow to see who would get Silver and who would get Bronze. 1B Reynaldo Rodríguez drove in three for Colombia, while C Luis Bernardo drove in a pair for the Dominicans. It would be the first time in 20 years the Dominicans would leave without a baseball medal.

July 29

•  Mexico 3,  Dominican Republic 2. Not only would the Dominicans fail to earn a medal for the first time in 20 years, but they finished last. CF Leo Heras goes 3 for 4 with two runs while Mexico gets strong relief from Octavio Acosta (3 1/3 IP, 1 H, 0 BB, 0 R, W) and Aaron Kurcz (1 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 R, Sv). Leyson Septimo took the loss in relief of Edwar Cabrera. C Luis Bernardo (2 for 4, R) and RF Jhonatan Reynoso (2 for 4, RBI) lead the Dominican offense.
•  Cuba 3,  Colombia 1. The two teams would battle for Silver, a down for a Cuba which had won most of the Golds in the event's history while Colombia's Bronze still represented their second medal ever, following Gold way back in 1946 (the other time it had been held in Barranquilla, interestingly). The win also gave Cuba a spot in the 2019 Pan American Games. Working on short rest, Randy Consuegra fails to toss his third gem of the tournament, lasting four innings and yielding two runs. On the other hand, Freddy Asiel Alvarez (0 R in 5 IP, W), Vladimir García (1 in 3) and Raidel Martínez (0 in 1, Sv) pitched excellently for Cuba. CF Roel Santos was 2 for 4 with a walk and a run and veteran LF Frederich Cepeda added a 8th-inning homer off Kendy Batista. In a Games low on homers (a total of 5 in the 27 contests before this one), 1B Reynaldo Rodríguez provides all of Colombia's offense with a late home run.

Final Standings

1.  Puerto Rico, 5-2
2.  Cuba, 5-2
3.  Colombia, 4-3
4.  Mexico, 3-4
5.  Nicaragua, 3-4
6.  Venezuela, 3-4
7.  Panama, 3-4
8.  Dominican Republic, 2-5

Leaders

• Average: Gerald Chin,  Panama, .519
• Slugging: Chin, .8989
• Home Runs: Seven tied with 1
• RBI: Luis Mateo,  Puerto Rico, 8
• Stolen Bases: Ozzie Martínez,  Puerto Rico, 3
• Runs: Júnior Sosa,  Venezuela and Martínez, 8
• ERA: Anthony Seise Jr.,  Puerto Rico, 0.00 (10 IP)
• Wins: Five tied with 2
• Strikeouts: José Samayoa,  Mexico, 14

Rosters

See 2018 Central American and Caribbean Games (Rosters)