Manager Carlos Marti (C) of Cuba makes a pitching change in the top of the fourth inning during the World Baseball Classic Pool E Game Five between Netherlands and Cuba at the Tokyo Dome on March 15, 2017 in Tokyo, Japan. Marti will manage Alazanes de Granma at the 2023 Baseball Champions League event in Mexico. (Photo by Matt Roberts/Getty Images)
Staff Reports
World Baseball Network
Sources told Cuban Baseball Digest that veteran skipper Carlos Marti will manage the Cuban entry at the 2023 Baseball Champions League.
Marti, who has managed the Alazanes de Granma to four titles in the Cuban Serie Nacional, managed Agricultores to the inaugural championship of the Cuban Elite League last winter, earning them a berth in the 2023 Caribbean Series.
The long-time manager in the Serie Nacional is also a frequent choice of the Federacion Cubana de Beisbol to lead the Cuban National Team in events ranging from the 1999 Intercontinental Cup to the 2017 World Baseball Classic.
The first Baseball Champions League will pit the 2022 winners of the Serie Nacional, American Association, Liga Mexicana de Beisbol, and Liga Profesional Beisbol de Colombia at Parque Kukulkan in Merida, Yucatan, Mexico.
The event, which will be played from September 28 to October 1, will feature eight games in a round robin format from September 28-30. There will be a championship game and third place game on October 1, based upon the round robin records. If necessary, head-to-head win-loss records and total quality balance run differential criteria will determine the seeding.
For the 2023 Baseball Champions League, the four leagues will each be represented by their 2022 champion: from the Liga Profesional de Beisbol de Colombia, the Caimanes de Barranquilla; from the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol, the Leones de Yucatán; from the Serie Nacional de Cuba, Alazanes de Granma; and from the American Association, the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks.