The Cuban Yasmani Tomás became a mainstay of the coronation of the Cañeros de Los Mochis in the Mexican Pacific League (LMP) this Saturday after beating the Algodoneros de Guasave 5-0 in the sixth game of the final .
In the decisive duel, the Havana native and former MLB player drove in three runs with a double in the third inning, while Nick Struck threw a one-hit ball in seven innings for the Cañeros to break a winning drought that lasted 20 seasons. according to a report from the Spanish website of the ESPN network.
? CHAMPIONS OF THE MEXICAN PACIFIC LEAGUE!
⚾ Cañeros de Los Mochis gets his fourth title after beating the Cottoners of Guasave in 4-2.
?? The Sinaloa ninth will represent Mexico in the Caribbean Series that will be held in Venezuela.https://t.co/3kGw7M0TuR pic.twitter.com/kQdQBcjTnC
– ESPN.com.mx (@ESPNmx) January 29, 2023
Los Cañeros won the final 4-2, winning the first two games at home and the last two. They finished with a balance of eight wins without defeat in games played at home throughout the postseason, the information highlights.
Los Cañeros took a decisive advantage in the third inning, in which they combined a double by Bruce Maxwell, a walk by Wagner Lagrange and a single by Isaac Rodríguez. Pitcher Jeff Kinley struck out two outs, but Tomás doubled down the right field line and sent all three runners home.
In this way, Tomás rounded off an extraordinary campaign that earned him to be chosen as the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the season, although this was not enough to be taken into account when selecting the 50 players eligible to represent Cuba in the V World Baseball Classic (MVP).
Yasmany Tomás: “If the national team calls me, I’ll go to the Clásico”
During the regular calendar, the Cuban left a powerful offensive line of .328/.383/.510/.893 in his 132 at-bats. He tied with two other players for the lead in home runs with 10, led the RBI department with 57 and scored 33 times, with 27 extra-base hits.
The absence of “El Tanque”, as baseball fans in Cuba know him, surprised and generated great controversy among specialists and fans, fueled by subsequent statements by manager Armando Johnson about the decision.
With their victory in the same year that they celebrated the 75th anniversary of their foundation, the team became the representative of Mexico in the coming Caribbean serieswhich will begin on February 2 in Caracas, Venezuela.
Tomás recently assured in a interview that in the event that the Cañeros prevailed in the final, he would be with them in the Caribbean classic. «I think that if we win with Cañeros Yes, I will go to the Caribbean Series. I had the opportunity to be champion in the Dominican Republic and I couldn’t go due to an injury, but I would like to go to the Caribbean Series. It’s a new experience and I don’t want to waste it, you don’t know when I could go through it again», he declared.
If it happens, Tomás would be facing some well-known players on the island when the Cañeros have to face the cast of Farmers, who will be the representative of the Cuban Baseball Federation (FCB) as the champion of the I Elite League of the Cuban Baseball (LEBC).
As for the end of the Mexican tournament, Los Mochis won its fourth league title, after having won the titles in the 1968-1969, 1983-1984 and 2002-2003 campaigns. With his new success he left the city of Guasave -which has two franchises- with 51 years without winning a championship, after winning only in the 1971-1972 edition.
The designated hitter and catcher, Juan Uriarte, was named the MVP of the Final Series, batting .476, with 10 hits, a home run and driving in six runs. His OPS was 1.141, and he drove in runs in three of the victories, though he went hitless in the title game.
