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Touch base It’s a monthly column that highlights exciting happenings in baseball beyond the confines of MLB – from the International League to amateur teams and everything in between. This month’s column features the Dominican Winter League Championship, a preview of the upcoming Caribbean Series and the latest WBC World updates.


Hours after he walked Tigres del Lici in a record Game 5 victory in the Dominican Republic’s Major League Baseball championship, his owner, Jorge Alfaro, appeared at a gas station not far from Estadio Quisquea. He was not alone. A crowd gathered.

Nicknamed “Aquaman” by fans due to his long hair and resemblance to Jason Momoa, Alfaro was instantly recognizable. With his lanky frame and hair, people recognize Alfaro even in street clothes. Especially for what happened next.

It was early in the morning in Santo Domingo, but a game of ad lib stickball broke out between the gas pumps. Cars came in and out, but game after game went on. As the Tigers chase another title, former Yankees reliever Esmil Rogers pitches again in a stickball game. Other players have joined. Fans gathered, and curious customers stopped to watch. Phone cameras rolled.

The Tigres had just won their 23rd title and Lise moved to the top of the pile in the Dominican Republic. They now hold one more championship than their rivals Águilas Cibaeñas in the Dominican Winter League – LIDOM in Spanish. In the long and storied history of baseball in the country, the Tigres are the championship champions. Some Dominican fans recognize the New York Yankees as the Tigers of Major League Baseball.

And Alfaro is their closest hero. The 29-year-old Hunter, a native of Colombia, dominated LIDOM’s round-robin playoff run, hitting .375 in the postseason. In the championship game against the Estrellas Orientles, he hit 8-for-19 with two home runs, a double, four RBI and four runs scored. He was named the series MVP.

In the 10th inning, with the runner-up tied at 1-1, Estrellas’ Ronel Blanco refused to give Alfaro a strike. His five pitches sailed everywhere but in the zone and Alfaro walked to extend the inning. The next batter, Mel Rojas Jr. punched a single into right field and Lise followed with another run.

Last week, it was reported that Alfaro signed a minor league contract with the Red Sox. Last season with the Padres, Alfaro hit .246 in 82 games, with seven homers and 40 RBIs. He is a former top prospect for the Rangers and Phillies, and before Dominican fans gave him a new nickname, Alfaro was known as “El Oso” Bear because of his incredible power at the plate and strong arm behind it.

Between the Dominican League, gas station stickball, and, soon, spring training, Alfaro’s summer is on. If he can crack the Red Sox roster, he will be playing in his eighth big league season. And he may just be the latest player in LIDOM to get a boost on his way to MLB. Last season, the Orientales’ run to the LIDOM finals was led in part by young shortstop Jeremy Pena. Less than a year later, Pena won the World Series MVP award in the Astros’ title game.

On board the Caribbean series

Alfaro is headed to Fort Myers, Fla. for spring training. Before the report, he could fly to Venezuela first for more playoff games. As the Dominican champions, the Tigres have earned a spot in the Caribbean Series in the eight-team championship tournament that begins on February 2.

In the year It will be the 65th edition of the Caribbean series, first contested in 1949. And what do you know, the Tigres won by 10, then, again, the Aguilas, by six.

Competing teams include league champions from the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Mexico, Panama, Colombia, Cuba and Curaçao. So far, these teams include Tigres (Dominican), Indios de Mayaguez (Puerto Rico), Vaqueros de Montería (Colombia), Federal de Chiriquí (Panama), Agricutores (Cuba) and WildCats KJ74 (Curaçao).

Leagues in Venezuela and Mexico should crown their champions in the next few days.

Venezuelan winter league events

In Venezuela, Tiburones de la Guerra is going against León del Caracas in the VPBL Championship Series. And Game 2 saw a power surge.

Braves star Ronald Acuna Jr. signed a late contract to join the Tiburons as a designated hitter. And in his first game Tuesday night, Acuna hit a solo homer to center field in the fourth inning to extend the Tiburons’ lead.

Leones went on to win 8-5 and now lead the series by two games.

And then Acuna promptly bowed out, announcing his retirement from the Venezuelan league on Instagram after the game, frustrated by the reception the home fans in Caracas gave him and his family. After the home run — and to be fair, his extended celebration — some fans had to separate from Acuna’s father and family, he said. Reports from the game.

Will Akuna be Mia at WBC?

Acuna, however, is eager to play in his home country. So will we see him play for Venezuela in the upcoming World Baseball Classic?

The answer seems to be no. Acuna said last week that he wants to play in the WBC, but the Braves have other ideas.

“I always said I wanted to represent my country.” Acuna said.“But it’s not a decision I can make.” The team, medical staff and staff will take care of this.

In the year Following a season-ending knee injury in July 2021, a right ACL tear, the Braves eased him back into action last year. Acuna was listed as the designated hitter in 27 of his 115 starts. Even then, he returned to stardom.

Acuna’s absence will be a huge blow for Venezuela, a team that stands as one of the favorites to make it out of the WBC group stage. Instead, they will have to compete with Israel and Nicaragua for one of the two spots in the quarterfinals, along with the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico.

Captain: America

As the defending WBC champions, Team USA will be among the favorites again in March, but they’re not on the sidelines. One of the first moves the team made was to name Mike Trout as captain. And the star of the Angels soon began to recruit.

“Since then, there have been a lot of guys who have said, ‘Hey, I want to be a part of this.'” Trout said last week. “Everybody wants to be a part of it because it’s going to be something special.”

The first call was to Bryce Harper, who was set to play before undergoing elbow surgery this summer, and then more calls rolled in. Trout joins the Cardinals’ NL MVP Paul Goldschmidt on the All-Star team. Nominations will be finalized by February 7.

“The reason I signed up: trying to win this thing,” Trout said. “And nothing else. Anything else is a failure. “

Senga says

Right-hander Kodai Senga, who signed a five-year deal with the Mets in December, said in the WBC whether he wants to make a move to Japan. But he did not hide his displeasure at his former team, the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks.

as if A since-deleted Twitter thread Earlier this month, Senga said he wanted to play in the MLB for several years, but was held back by Hawks management. They refused to let him go, Senga said.

He even agreed to some conditions like ERA and WAR standards, but said he was turned down. He stated that he has grown not to enjoy the game.

Perhaps that explains Senga’s excitement upon arriving in New York. I am very happy and excited to be at Big Apple and join such a great team. Let’s go Mets,” he said at an introductory press conference.

The Japanese team is finished

Japan released its 30-player roster Thursday, which includes the Angels’ Shohei Ohtani, Padres pitcher Yu Darvish and Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki.

And Japan gets another famous name: Lars Nottbar.

The 25-year-old Cardinals right fielder was born and raised in El Segundo, California, and is eligible to play for Japan because his mother is a native of the country. Notebar will be the first player in the team’s history to be born outside of Japan.

Japan will field a stacked roster, including 29-year-old outfielder Masataka Yoshida, who signed a five-year contract with the Red Sox in December, and 22-year-old Tokyo Giant Swallows slugger Munetaka Murakami, who has broken Sadaharu. Oh, the single-season homer record last season, with 56.

Murakami’s new three-year contract with the Swallows allows him to move to the MLB in 2025, and he has already made his choice for a landing spot.

“Ideally I’d like to play for the West Coast team.” Murakami said earlier this month In an interview on television in Japan. But I’m also interested in the New York Yankees.

how do you say…?

The other night in Santo Domingo they were playing stickball, but it’s called a street game in the Dominican Republic. La Plaqueta, It means “small bowl”. (You may be familiar with this if you read Levi Weaver’s New Rules that I and I did earlier this month.)

Kids (or adults, whoever) make home plate out of a crumpled sheet of cardboard (or folded cardboard, whichever works) propped up against the back edge of the batter. The pitcher’s job is to knock on la plaquita. The task of the batter is to hit the ball and defend La Plaqueta. Fastened poles are common. This is Vladimir Guerrero Sr.’s game, played as a kid to learn his – how shall we say – aggressive approach to the wide strike zone.

News and notes

A few more updates from around the world baseball:

• South Korea’s WBC roster appears set, after the additions of Cardinals second baseman Tommy Edman, Pirates first baseman Ji-Man Choi and Padres infielder Ha-Seung Kim.

• MLB needed permission from the U.S. government, but Cuban major leaguers living stateside would be allowed to play in the WBC for Cuba. On Thursday, Cuban was on the roster and third baseman Yoan Moncada and White Sox center fielder Luis Roberts were the only major leaguers of the season.

• Longtime Astros utility player Marwin Gonzalez, who played last season with the Yankees, is headed to Osaka after signing a one-year contract with the NPB Oryx Buffaloes.

• Adam McKillikan is a world traveler. The Canadian native played last season at High-A Spokane and this summer in Australia for the Adelaide Giants, a right-handed reliever in the Rockies’ organization.

• Thunder Bay, Ontario will host the 2024 Women’s Baseball World Cup Finals.

• And finally, the Reds signed grad Dominique Scheffler when the international free agency period opened this month. At 6-foot-4, he throws a 94-95 mph fastball. And if Scheffler can make it to the major leagues, he will become only the second Swiss-born player in MLB history. In fact, the only Swiss-born player in the majors was Otto Hess, who played for the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Braves in the early 1900s.

(Top photo of Mike Trout: Brace Hemmelgarn / Minnesota Twins / Getty Images)

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