2023 Central American and Caribbean Games

The 2023 Central American and Central Games are being held in San Salvador, El Salvador; the baseball portion runs from June 24-July 1, 2023 at Estadio Saturnino Bengoa. Competing are host  El Salvador,  Cuba,  Dominican Republic,  Mexico,  Venezuela, two qualifiers from the 2022 Caribbean Baseball Cup ( Puerto Rico and  Curaçao) and one team from the 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games Central American Qualifier ( Nicaragua). For the first time in almost a century of Central American and Caribbean Games, contests were set to seven innings instead of nine as part of new WBSC rules. The top three finishers qualified for the 2023 Pan American Games.

Results

June 25

•  Mexico 4,  Cuba 0. Wilmer Ríos and three relievers combine on a two-hitter against the most dominant team in event annals. RF Fernando Villegas has three of the game's four runs. RF Yoelkis Guibert and 2B Yadil Mujica have Cuba's lone hits while Carlos Viera suffers the defeat.
•  Venezuela 4,  Puerto Rico 3. The defending champs drop their opener as Venezuela scores twice in the bottom of the 6th to take the lead, RF Juan Infante driving in C Alex Monsalve with the deciding run. It was Infante's second RBI and Monsalve's second run. Eduardo Paredes saves it for Carlos Chourio. Freddie Cabrera takes the loss. 1B Kevin Luciano's two-run triple is the big hit for the islanders.
•  Dominican Republic 6,  Nicaragua 5. The Dominicans tie it in the 7th then win it in the 8th when RF Wildert Pujols singles off Jorge Bucardo to drive in CF Edgar Figueroa. Hansel Paulino fans four over two shutout innings to close it out for the Dominican Republic. 3B Benjamín Alegría hits a three-run homer for Nicaragua.
•  Curaçao 12,  El Salvador 4. Curaçao makes its CACG debut (they had contributed numerous players to the Netherlands Antilles national team, which had played as recently as 2010; Curaçao was now an independent political entity from the Antilles). SS Andrelton Simmons goes 3-for-4 with a double, run and two RBI and becomes one of the first players to wear three different national team uniforms, having previously represented the Antilles and the Netherlands; he is joined in that feat by 3B Dudley Leonora, who scores a pair. Temesh Lourens gets the win over Nelson Alfaro as El Salvador makes its first appearance in 21 years. SS Melvin Deras scores half the runs for the hosts.

June 26

•  Venezuela 5,  Dominican Republic 2. 2B Derwin Barreto scores two, LF Anderson Melendez drives in two and Eduardo Paredes saves Oscar Abreu's win. Luis Mateo takes the loss, while DH Kelvin Pena drives in both Dominican runs.
•  Cuba 4,  Curaçao 2. It is scoreless for four before Cuba pulls away. CF Roel Santos hits a two-run homer and RF Yoelkis Guibert raps three hits to back the fine pitching of Yoennis Yera; Franky Quintana saves it. CF Raysheandall Michel homers for Curaçao while Jordan Lucas is handed the loss.
•  Nicaragua 3,  Puerto Rico 1. The defending champs fall again as Leo Crawford and Fidencio Flores contain their hitters. 3B Edgard Montiel (2 RBI) and SS Jose Orozco each have three hits for the Central Americans. LF Jeffrey Domínguez drives in SS Jeremy Rivera with Puerto Rico's only run. Andrés Santiago suffers the defeat.
•  Mexico 4,  El Salvador 0. Mexico has their second straight 4-0 win, while the hosts show they can pitch better than in their opener. Faustino Carrera allows two hits in six shutout innings while CF Randy Romero has a dinger among his three hits. Wilfredo Ramirez gets the decision for El Salvador. C Carlos De Leon reaches in two of three plate appearances.

June 26

• All games rained out, to be replayed if needed; only one was needed

June 27

•  Dominican Republic vs.  El Salvador postponed due to rain
•  Curaçao 4,  Venezuela 3. The unbeaten Venezuelans fall. Ruderly Manuel and Cerilio Soleana shut out Venezuela for five but are matched by Ivan Andueza and Wuilder Rodriguez. Carlos Valero allows all four batters to reach and gets charged with four runs while retiring none, but Venezuela nearly ties it in the bottom of the inning before falling short. Alexander Rodriguez saves Soleana's win. 3B/1B Dudley Leonora has two hits, a run and a RBI in the win.
•  Mexico 7,  Nicaragua 0. Luis Miranda and Aldo Montes keep up Mexico's shutout streak, allowing only two hits (to CF Juan Montes and 1B Norlando Valle). RF Fernando Villegas goes 2 for 2 with a hit-by-pitch, homer, two runs and two RBI. Osman Gutiérrez is handed the defeat.
•  Puerto Rico 5,  Cuba 4. Puerto Rico wins in the 8th when RF Yadiel Rivera draws a bases-loaded walk from Yeudis Reyes to force in 1B Jeffrey Domínguez, giving Jan Figueroa the win. 2B Jesmuel Valentín hits a 3-run shot for Puerto Rico while his counterpart Yadil Mujica has three hits in a losing effort.

June 28

•  Curaçao 3,  Puerto Rico 2. Curaçao joins Mexico at three wins. Tied 2-2 in the bottom of the 7th, LF Ericson Leonora singles off Freddie Cabrera to score PR Jamal Zalm with the winner; Ivan Houellemont takes the loss while Marlison Brunken gets the win, Curaçao's bullpen working 4 2/3 scoreless innings. 1B Roderick Bernadina goes 2 for 2 with a walk, run and a RBI. For Puerto Rico, SS Jeremy Rivera reaches three of four times up.
•  Venezuela 4,  Nicaragua 1. Venezuela was the third team to three victories. Their four relievers today don't allow any hits, with Wuilder Rodriguez getting the win and Eduardo Paredes his third save. 3B Junnell Ledezma scores a pair. Jesús Garrido blanks Venezuela for five before tiring, with Ernesto Glasgon taking the loss. C Rodolfo Bone drives in CF Juan Montes in the 2nd to give Nicaragua their temporary lead.
•  Dominican Republic 6,  Mexico 2. After outscoring their first three opponents 15-0, Mexico falls flat in their fourth contest. SS Adrian Valerio's grand slam caps a five-run second and Hansel Paulino gets the win over Yoanner Negrin. RF Fernando Villegas remains hot for Mexico, doubling in both of their runs.
•  Dominican Republic 6,  El Salvador 2. The Dominicans aren't tired as they play their postponed game and match their 6-2 win from the prior contest. 2B Luis Valenzuela hits a two-run homer for the Dominicans, but it is 2-2 still entering the bottom of the 5th before they put it away. Joel Cesar fans five in two innings to save it for Miguel Rosario, while Jose Roca takes the loss. 2B Cesar Ceron has two hits and a RBI for the hosts.
•  Cuba vs.  El Salvador - no time left for game and postponed

June 29

•  Cuba 15,  El Salvador 0. Cuba moves into 5th place with a five-inning mercy rule win. Jonathan Carbó throws a three-hitter, fanning eight, while RF Yoelkis Guibert (3 H, 3 R, 2 RBI) paces a powerful offense. Héctor Martínez is the losing hurler.
•  Cuba 12,  Dominican Republic 0. Cuba gets its second rout of the day, in its regularly scheduled game. Carlos Viera and Yunieski García combine on a four-hitter. RF Yoelkis Guibert drives in 3 to give him 5 on the day and C Andrys Pérez also drives in three. Luis Mateo is rocked for 7 hits in 3 innings while SS Adrian Valerio is the only Dominican player with more than one hit.
•  Mexico 5,  Puerto Rico 4. Mexico goes back into first while Puerto Rico suffers its third one-run loss. RF Fernando Villegas homers and drives in all five Mexican runs. Samuel Zazueta saves Francisco Haro's victory over Andrés Santiago. 2B Kenen Irizarry has three hits in a losing effort.
•  Nicaragua 6,  Curaçao 5. Curaçao blows a chance to stay tied for first, as Nicaragua scores three times in the bottom of the 8th to win it. C Rodolfo Bone's sacrifice fly off Hershelon Juliana scores LF Norlando Valle with the winner. 3B/1B Dudley Leonora scores twice and drives in one but it's not enough for his team.

June 30

•  Venezuela 4,  El Salvador 3. Venezuela ties Mexico for first but gets a major scare from the hosts. They lead 2-0 entering the 5th, with Brayan Salaya working a no-hitter. In the 5th, 1B José Medina singles. After an out, DH Charles Monterrosa goes deep off Wuilder Rodríguez for El Salvador's second and last hit but enough to tie it. They then took the lead in the 8th off Eduardo Paredes. With the two men starting on under WBSC extra-inning rules, the first batter laid down a bunt and RF Anselmo Joya was intentionally walked. LF Wilfredo Jiménez hit a sacrifice fly to score PR Jose Marquez and give El Salvador a surprising 3-2 lead. Wilfredo Ramirez had shut down his countrymates from the 5th through 7th with nary a hit. In the 8th, though, he faded. 2B Derwin Barreto bunted the starting runners over and PH José Ortega struck out to put El Salvador one out away from a major upset. It was not to be as 3B Junnell Ledezma hit into a game-tying error and 1B Yoandy Rea singled in the winner.
•  Cuba 8,  Nicaragua 2. 2B Dayán García goes 4 for 4 and joins CF Roel Santos in driving in three. Yoennis Yera strikes out ten in five innings to beat Leo Crawford. 3B/SS Benjamín Alegría reaches in three of four plate appearances for Nicaragua.
•  Dominican Republic 10,  Curaçao 0. Curaçao is eliminated from medal contention with a blowout loss. 2B Luis Valenzuela has 3 hits and 3 RBI while 8 of the 9 Dominican starters score. José Molina and Cesar Rosado scatter seven hits in the shutout. SS Andrelton Simmons has two hits to lead the Dutch islanders, while Jordan Lucas suffers the loss.
•  Mexico 11,  Venezuela 1. The two 4-1 teams square off and it's a one-sided affair rather than a close contest. Mexico only needs five innings for a mercy rule rout; the offense is paced by 1B Víctor Mendoza's 3 hits and 3B Emmanuel Avila's 3 RBI but it's a team effort as they go 11-for-23 with 9 walks. Wilmer Ríos shuts down Venezuela to go to 2-0 while his counterpart Sonny Vargas is charged with three unearned runs while retiring no one. CF César Ortega drives in LF Wuilman Velasquez with the lone run for the South Americans.
•  El Salvador vs.  Puerto Rico cancelled

July 1

•  Cuba 11,  Venezuela 4. With Cuba and Venezuela tied for second, one of the rained-out games had to be replayed. Cuba made it a no-contest by jumping to a 7-0 lead after two, Naikel Cruz defeating Carlos Chourio. 3B Dayán García again goes 4-for-4, this time with two runs and two RBI. 2B Derwin Barreto and CF César Ortega each have two hits for Venezuela.
•  Venezuela 8,  Dominican Republic 7. In their second game of the day, Venezuela bounces back from two straight tough losses. It is 6-6 at the end of regulation in the Bronze Medal Game. In the top of the 7th, 3B Carlos Jimenez grounds in RF Seuly Matias to charge Eduardo Paredes with an unearned run. He escapes a bases-loaded jam by getting 2B Irving Ortega to fly out. In the bottom of the 8th, facing Hansel Paulino, 2B Derwin Barreto lays down a bunt hit to load the bases. 1B José García, a star of the 2022 Bolivarian Games, again comes up big for Venezuela, smacking a two-run double to end it.
•  Cuba vs.  Mexico cancelled by rain; Mexico is awarded their first gold medal in a baseball tournament, after six Silvers in the Central American and Caribbean Games (going back to the first ones 97 years ago) and four in the Amateur World Series/Baseball World Cup.

Final Standings

1.  Mexico, 5-1
2.  Cuba, 5-2
3.  Venezuela, 5-3
4.  Dominican Republic, 4-3
5.  Curaçao, 3-3
6.  Nicaragua, 2-4
7.  Puerto Rico, 1-5
8.  El Salvador, 0-6

Leaders

• Average: Fernando Villegas,  Mexico, .611
• Slugging: Villegas, 1.144
• Home Runs: Villegas, 4
• RBI: Villegas, 13
• Stolen Bases: 11 tied with one
• Runs: Villegas, 10
• ERA: Eduardo Paredes,  Venezuela and Hansel Paulino,  Dominican Republic, 0.00 (7 IP)
• Wins: Wilmer Ríos,  Mexico; Paulino,  Dominican Republic; Yoennis Yera,  Cuba and Paredes,  Venezuela, 2
• Strikeouts: Yera, 16

Rosters

See 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games (Rosters)