The Serie de Las Americas tournament began last Thursday in Venezuela at Estadio Monumental Simon Bolivar in Caracas and Estadio Forum in La Guaira.
This year’s participants were the Caimanes de Barranquilla of the Liga Profesional De Béisbol Colombia, Club DAOM of the Liga Argentina de Béisbol, Leones de Leon of the Asociación Profesional de Béisbol Nicaraguense, the Aguilas Metropolitanas of Panama ProBeis, Cuba’s national team, and the Willemstad Cannons of the Kampionato Beisbòl Profeshonal Kòrsou.
Below are Friday’s results from the championship game between Venezuela and Colombia and the third-place game between Cuba and Panama.
Venezuela 10, Colombia 9 – Hopefully, you stayed until the end for this one. Colombia held a 6-1 lead after two innings, a 9-1 lead through four and a half innings, and a 9-3 advantage through five frames. They plated five in the top of the first with the help of a pair of RBI singles from Harold Ramirez and Gabriel Lino.
Rougned Odor’s solo homer in the bottom of the second got Venezuela on the board, but the home team did nearly all of their damage in the eighth, rallying for seven runs to take their first lead of the game and secure the title.
Let’s set the scene: Venezuela is down 9-3, and Odor starts the scoring parade with his second solo shot of the contest. Following Odor, Luis Sardinas hit an RBI double that made it 9-5, Carlos Perez scored on a wild pitch and it was 9-6, Hernan Perez’s two-run double cut the lead to a single run, a costly error from Colombia shortstop Kelvin Melean got Perez home to tie the game, and finally, a go-ahead single from Renato Nunez gave the Navegantes del Magallanes a 10-9. Closer Felipe Rivero threw a relatively clean ninth, striking out two and walking one.
Odor was named MVP of the championship game,
Cuba 7, Panama 2 – Less dramatic than the championship game, but Cuba utilized a pivotal four-run top of the third inning to secure third place. Christian Rodriguez had the most significant swing of the day, launching a three-run shot to put Cuba ahead 6-2 in the third.
Outfielder Roel Santos added an RBI single in the sixth for Cuba, and starting pitcher Jose Bermudez, the winning pitcher of the game, struck out four and allowed just two earned runs in five innings. Panama lost the final three games of the tournament after winning its first five.
For information on the 2027 Serie de Las Americas tournament, click here: https://worldbaseball.com/the-serie-de-las-americas-will-return-to-venezuela-in-2027/
Photo: The Navegantes del Magallanes of Venezuela’s LVBP won the 2026 Serie de Las Americas, erasing a 9-1 deficit to beat the Caimanes de Barranquilla 10-9. (Photo courtesy of the LVBP)
