Before the 2025 Caribbean Series championship in Mexicali, Puerto Rico and Venezuela will battle for third place at Estadio Nido de los Aguilas. Both teams are coming off losses on Wednesday in the semifinal games. Here is how they look heading into Thursday’s matchup.
Venezuela Hitting is Hot in Past Few Games
Despite a brutal loss in extra innings to the Dominican Republic, Venezuela did string some offense together in their semifinal game on Wednesday.
The team put 10 hits together but could only turn in four runs despite having 19 opportunities with runners in scoring position.
Venezuela’s offense was also hot in its final round-robin game against Japan. The team had 12 hits, pounced early with a five-run first inning, and never looked back.
Seven different hitters on Venezuela also had an RBI in that game.
It is also important to note that Venezuela’s starting pitcher, Jesus Vargas, threw the third no-hitter in Caribbean Series history in this game.
If they can keep up their hitting success for the past two games, Venezuela can take home the title of third place in the Caribbean Series in Mexicali.
Does Puerto Rico Have Some Magic Left in Them?
Puerto Rico is coming off a 3-1 loss in its semifinal game to Mexico. The pitching from Mexico was shut down and Puerto Rico only managed to get five base runners in scoring position.
However, a loss was not the story for Puerto Rico in their game on Tuesday. They went on a tear in a 10-7 comeback win against the Dominican Republic.
Upon losing 7-4 heading into the eighth inning, Puerto Rico put a five-run inning to get the lead back and go on to win 10-7.
Puerto Rico had 11 hits in the game and six different batters had RBI in the game.
Perhaps Puerto Rico can put some magic together again one final time in Mexicali.
The First Time Puerto Rico and Venezuela Played
The two teams first met in the tournament on Feb. 3. Venezuela won that game 10-5 on a 14-hit effort. It was their first win of the 2025 Caribbean Series.
After losing 5-1 after three full innings, Venezuela scored runs in each inning for the rest of the game.
The third place game between Puerto Rico and Venezuela will be at 10 p.m. E.T.
This year’s Caribbean Series games are available in English on MLB Network and ESPN+.
CLICK HERE for the entire 2025 Caribbean Series schedule.
