The Balance of the Caribbean Series 2025: a success
The 2025 Caribbean Series in Mexicali, Mexico, attracted more than 200 thousand fans of a stadium of 17 thousand seats, to see the five teams play the tournament.
Mexicali – the Lions of the chosen one of Dominican Republic They lifted the title in the 67th edition of the Baseball Caribbean Serieswhich was held successfully in Mexicali, the capital of Baja California, on the northern border of Mexico with the United States.
To catch the title number 23 of the Dominican Professional Baseball League, the Lions defeated 1-0 in a final dramatic to the favorites Jalisco charrosrepresentatives of the Mexican Pacific League, which arrived undefeated (5-0) to the match for the championship and that only allowed six races in six clashes in the tournament.
The Mayagüez Indians from Puerto Rico They exceeded 7-4 to Cardinals from Lara de Venezuela In the commitment for third place, while the debutant, and controversial Japan Breeze from Japan It was in the last place, after losing its four games, the last by the knockout with a non-hitter included, against Lara.
Japan Breeze, a traveling team without a fixed calendar, is the first non -American representative who participates in the Caribbean series, an event that was created in 1949.
In his second chance as organizer of the Caribbean series, Mexicali was a resounding success.
The tournament attracted more than 200 thousand fans of a stadium of 17 thousand seats, including an average surprise of more than 12 thousand to the evening clash of each day. Traditionally, that first game of the day of the regular stage, in which the local team does not act, many fans do not attend.
In addition to the permanent member countries of the Caribbean Professional Baseball Confederation (CBPC); Mexico, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic and Venezuela, the 2025 Caribbean Series was broadcast in the United States (Sports in Spanish and MLB Network in English), Canada (Univision in Spanish and NAFTA in English), Japan (Rakuten in English) and by the Dazn streaming platform for everyone, except in the territories mentioned above.
“We are very happy and grateful to the results of a dream we had,” said Murillo, president of the Mexicali 2025 Organizing Committee From the fan in the parking lot and millions who saw the event, “added the owner of Águilas de Mexicali of the Mexican Winter League.
“For us, the economic detail is the least important. We never saw the assembly of the Caribbean series in pesos and dollars. We did it thinking of growing our sport that is baseball. If the numbers will not remain in blue, probably the results They will come in time, “Murillo said.
Once the activity is completed in the renovated and cozy Nido stadium of the Eagles, the CBPC focused its attention on the immediate future. The 2026 Caribbean Series corresponds to the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League (LVBP), which plans to set up a tournament with eight teams in three stadiums in Gran Caracas, in the Venezuelan capital.
The commissioner of the Caribbean ball, Juan Francisco Puello Herrera, told AM850 Digital that there is a great possibility that, in addition to the return of Japan Breeze, in Caracas the champion of the Professional League of South Korea (KBO) and A representative of Italy.
A KBO delegation met with the Caribbean leagues in Mexicali and Puello Herrera plans to travel to Italy and South Korea in the coming months to continue abundance about the idea.
Giuseppe Palmisano, president of the LVBP, said that Cuba is formally invited to play in Caracas and warned that the candidate selection process will be verified to maintain the competitive standards of the event.
In 2023, Venezuela celebrated two daily games in the new monumental Simón Bolívar and two others in the guaira forum. In addition to those two buildings, the mythical university stadium, which was recently remodeled, will house meetings of the next Caribbean classic.
“We will be hosts again in 2026 and in what way, to break that rod that we put so high in 2023, yes, we are not only going to use two stages, but three stages,” Palmisano said.
Beyond the logistics of distributing the games of eight competitors in three stadiums, the CBPC and the organizers of the next Caribbean series have a political and diplomatic theme that surpasses them.
In July last year, the Venezuelan government cut diplomatic relations with several countries, including the Dominican Republic, which questioned the controversial electoral results used by President Nicolás Maduro to remain in power. By expelling the Dominican consular mission of Caracas and withdrawing its staff in Santo Domingo, basically, Venezuela broke its historical links with the Dominican Republic.
For many analysts, the participation of a Dominican team in the next Caribbean series will be difficult to persist the current situation for next February. However, baseball is optimistic about it.
“It remains (the headquarters), we will look for a way of attending Caracas, it remains, unless a fact occurs that one cannot foresee it, but Caracas is maintained,” said Puello Herrera.
“We as a league, as baseball, always remain completely outside of politics, I think that baseball sport is for everyone, and that way we have been able to confirm a Kids Caribbean series and in which Dominican as other countries have confirmed their Presence, “Palmisano said.
“We understand that everything will work out, two years ago, although it was obviously not the same situation, but we had a spectacular series,” said former Dominican player Erick Almonte, who is second in the directive of the Caribbean Peloteros Confederation (Conpeproca) .
“We have a year to work and expect things to be solved and we can play ball in Venezuela without inconvenience,” he added.
