2022 Bolivarian Games

The 2022 Bolivarian Games were the 15th Bolivarian Games to feature baseball. They were held in Valledupar, Colombia from June 24 to July 5, 2022 (the baseball portion ran from June 29 to July 5). They originally were slated for 2021 but were delayed due to the financial and organizational issues for then-host Venezuela. Participants were defending titlist and host  Colombia,  Dominican Republic,  Peru and  Venezuela, which had won the most Golds in baseball in Bolivarian Games history. The Dominicans were making their debut, as they were not a traditional Bolivarian Games participant. An unusual absence was  Panama, which had won three of the past four Golds. Games were seven innings in duration under new WBSC rules.

See 2022 Bolivarian Games (Rosters) for player listings. The most notable players to appear were former major leaguers Sugar Ray Marimón for Colombia and Alfredo Figaro for the Dominicans.

Games

June 29

•  Dominican Republic 6,  Peru 0. The Dominicans win easily as expected in their debut. Samuel Burgos fans 13 and allows one hit (to SS Rider Zevallos) and two walks in seven shutout innings. RF Wildert Pujols homers and drives in three, DH Randy Francisco scores twice and 2B Ricardo Andújar doubled twice. Ken Ishihara takes the loss.

June 30

•  Venezuela 9,  Dominican Republic 2. After their dominating debut, the Dominicans have a much harder time in their second game, facing a significantly tougher opponent. SS Juan Bidau, a late addition, has a two-run double and a two-run triple. Victor Aguilar scatters eight hits over 3 2/3 shutout innings and Javier Gorrin relieves and gets the win. CF/RF Stanley Javier has three hits for the Dominicans, while former big leaguer Alfredo Figaro loses the contest (though 4 of the 6 runs he gave up were unearned).
•  Colombia 8,  Peru 0. The hosts get going with a combined shutout by Randy Cuentas and Gabriel Hernández. C Jesús Posso hits a three-run homer as part of a four-RBI day. LF Daniel Liu had half of Peru's four hits, while Edgar Paredes gives up five runs in one inning for the loss.

July 1

•  Peru 5,  Venezuela 4. Perhaps the biggest upset in Peruvian baseball takes place as they stun Venezuela after having five hits and zero runs in their first two games. Things did not start out well for Peru - SS Juan Bidau opened with a double off Jorge Sivirichi then 1B Yoandy Rea was plunked. After an out, C José Ortega doubled in a pair. Peru got their first run of the Games in the bottom of the inning when SS Rider Zevallos doubled off Gabriel Acosta and CF Joaquin Velez singled him in.

Sivirichi kept Venezuela off the board from the 2nd through the 4th, allowing one hit, while Peru did not score in that period but did load the bases once. In the 5th, Sivirichi walked Bidau and Rea with one out. Jonathan Farías (a native Venezuelan who had been living in Peru and playing for them for several years now) relieved and walked RF Jose Garcia. Ortega's sacrifice fly gave him three RBI and his team a 3-1 lead but they got no closer as 2B Junnell Ledezma flew out.

In the bottom of the 5th, Peru quintipled their offensive output of the first 2 1/2 games. Zevallos drew a walk from Acosta and Velez singled. Ronny Rincones relieved but the former Mets farmhand didn't have the answers either. DH Susumu Yoza reached on a fielder's choice. After an out, 3B Jin Ishihara hit into a force at home and it looked like the threat was winding down. LF Daniel Liu coaxed a walk to force in a run, though, then RF Daniel Shimura smacked a bases-clearing double and suddenly, Peru was up 5-3!

Farías allowed the first two aboard in the sixth but escaped further harm. Rea opened the 7th with a single and advanced on a Garcia grounder, then Ortega walked to put the potential tying run aboard. Ledezma flew out, then DH Beicker Mendoza singled to make it 5-4; when the play ended, Venezuela now had the tying run on third and the winning run on second. The tension heightened as LF José Pastrano walked to load the bases. Yhostin Chirinos flew out to left and Venezuela's rally fell short. It was Peru's first win over Venezuela in an official tournament.

•  Dominican Republic 11,  Colombia 4. The hosts become the last team to take a loss, with 3B Victor Luna (3 for 4, 2 2B, 3 R, 3 RBI) leading a strong Dominican offense. His counterpart, Jonathan Lozada, homers and drives in a pair. Mario Garman gets the win, Jose Altamiranda the loss.

July 2

•  Dominican Republic 7,  Peru 1. In a game closer to expectations for Peru, they are held to one hit in five innings by Omarly Luna, who fans nine, while Edgar Paredes falls to 0-2. CF Stanley Javier goes 3 for 4 with a homer for the Dominicans, while Peru's only run comes when SS Susumu Yoza drives in 2B Gabriel Hernández.

•  Colombia 10,  Venezuela 0. Yeizer Marrugo and Jhon Peluffo combine on a two-hitter as Venezuela falls again. 3B Jonathan Lozada shines again, driving in four. C Yoandy Rea and 2B José Pastrano get Venezuela's lone hits, while Frank Lopez takes the defeat.

July 3

•  Dominican Republic 14,  Venezuela 2. The Dominicans avenge their only loss so far, pulverizing Venezuela. LF Josuel Chalas's 3 hits pace a 16-hit attack while RF Wildert Pujols hits a 3-run homer as part of a five-RBI effort. 1B Darlin Germán scores three runs, and Samuel Burgos goes to 2-0. Oscar Abreu is handed the loss, while RF Jose Garcia doubles and homers in a losing cause.

•  Colombia 8,  Peru 0. The hosts go to 3-1 with their second 8-0 rout of Peru. OF Luis Castro goes 3 for 4 with two runs and a RBI while IF David Lozano draws four walks. Gabriel Hernández and Luis Arrieta combine on a four-hitter. Marco Castellano walks five in the first 2/3 of an inning in a loss.

July 4

•  Venezuela 6,  Peru 5. Peru nearly upsets Venezuela again, this time falling just short. Frank Lopez saves Javier Gorrin's win while LF Beicker Mendoza doubles, homers and drives in a pair. SS Rider Zevallos has three hits, including a homer, and drives in three, while Ken Ishihara gets the decision for Peru. Peru nearly ties it in the 7th but Mendoza throws out Joaquin Velez at the plate.

•  Dominican Republic 6,  Colombia 2. Alfredo Figaro bounces back from his poor showing earlier, allowing two runs in six to beat Randy Cuentas and Colombia. CF Stanley Javier has another fine day, going 3-for-3 with a double and two RBI as the Dominicans finish first at 5-1 to take Gold. 1B Gerson Jiménez goes 2 for 3 with a triple and a RBI for Colombia.

July 5

•  Venezuela 7,  Colombia 1. Venezuela beats Colombia to tie them at 3-3, but Colombia wins the Silver Medal and Venezuela the Bronze as the run-differential tie-breaker goes Colombia's win (Venezuela needed to win by a mercy rule victory to secure the Silver). Gabriel Acosta gets the win, while RF Jose Garcia homers twice and drives in four. Carlos De Avila is the losing pitcher. Backup LF Jesús Sepúlveda goes 2 for 2 with a triple and a RBI as a bright spot for the home team. It marked the first time Colombia had finished ahead of Venezuela in consecutive Bolivarian Games.

Sources: 2022 Bolivarian Games site, La Republica, WBSC Americas