The Cardenales de Lara, under manager Henry Blanco, won their seventh Liga Venezolana de Beisbol Profesional title for the 2024-25 season in the best-of-seven championship series on Sunday, January 26. They came back from a 0-2 deficit with a shutout win against the Bravos de Margarita, 9-0, in Game Six at home at Estadio Antonio Herrera Gutiérrez in Barquisimeto, Venezuela with 19,320 fans in attendance.
Cardenales de Lara shortstop Ildemaro Vargas won the 2024-25 LVBP Robert Perez MVP Award. He played in all six games, leading the best-of-7 series with .556 with average, 15 hits, scoring eight runs, cracking two home runs, with a .600 OBP, and a .815 slugging percentage.
The Cardenales de Lara earned a berth to the 2025 Caribbean Series at El Nido de los Águilas in Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico. They play their first game on January 31 at 4:30 p.m. ET against the 2024-25 LIDOM champion.
El Nido de los Águilas is home to the Águilas de Mexicali franchise of the Liga ARCO Mexicana del Pacífico.
The 2025 Caribbean Series will be held from January 31 through February 7 at El Nido de los Águilas. The event will be televised on ESPN Deportes in Spanish and MLB Network in English until the final out of the championship game on February 7.
Cardenales de Lara starting pitcher Adrian Almeida chucked 5.1 innings, allowing three hits, three walks, and five strikeouts while flaming 95 pitches for 61 strikes.
The Cardenales de Lara pitching staff, including relief pitchers Jesus Valles, Alex Scherff, Brian McKenna, and Arnaldo Hernandez, combined with Almeida to throw nine innings, allowing five hits, four walks, and recording 10 strikeouts.
Cardenales de Lara first baseman Rangel Ravelo helped the franchise get on the board first in the bottom of the first inning with a two-run home run over the left-center field wall, scoring Harold Castro.
In the bottom of the second inning, the Cardenales pounded five runs starting with third baseman Hernan Perez cracking an RBI ground-rule double over the left field wall, scoring Danry Vasquez to extend the lead to 3-0. Moments later, Eduardo Garcia lifted a sacrifice fly to Bravos de Margarita left fielder Anthony Jimenez in foul territory, as Perez came in to score, to make it 4-0.
The Cardenales offense continued the hit parade, with center fielder Gorkys Hernandez drilling an RBI ground ball single into center field, scoring catcher Ali Sanchez for the fifth run of the game.
Bravos de Margarita manager Jose Moreno called upon relief pitcher Melvi Acosta to replace starting pitcher Jesus Vargas. Vargas threw 1.1 innings, allowing six hits, seven earned runs, and one walk.
Castro hit an RBI ground ball to first base, scoring shortstop Ildemaro Vargas to extend the lead to 6-0. Ravelo kept his hot bat alive, when he drove an RBI ground ball single to center field, scoring Hernandez to make it 7-0.
In the bottom of the third inning, the Cardenales tallied their final two runs, when Garcia ripped a two-run home run over the left field wall. No other runs came across the rest of the way from Almeida’s lights-out pitching performance on Sunday night.
Hernandez entered in the ninth to record the final three outs, and secure the Cardenales de Lara’s spot in the 2025 Caribbean Series.
Hernandez came into the game in the top of the ninth inning for the final three outs and a chance for the Cardenales de Lara to extend their season and play in the 2025 Caribbean Series.
CARDENALES DE LARA CONQUISTÓ EL SÉPTIMO TÍTULO EN LA LVBP 🔥🆑
Los crepusculares remontaron la serie final con 4 victorias seguidas, para derrotar a Bravos de Margarita y alcanzar la gloria en el béisbol venezolano.
Video: IVC#LVBP #Beisbol #Venezuela #Cardenales #Campeon pic.twitter.com/7BwhiXZxC7
— BeisbolPlay (@beisbolplaycom) January 27, 2025
Hernandez would get Bravos de Margarita pinch hitter Jasson Lopez to strike out swinging on a 2-2 count for the final out. The 9-0 win gave the organization their seventh championship.
The Bravos de Margarita pitching staff threw eight innings, allowing 11 hits, nine earned runs, three walks, and six strikeouts in their Game Six loss on Sunday night.
2024-25 LVBP Regular Season Recap:
The Bravos de Margarita’s debut season was 2007-2008 and have never won an LVBP championship title.
The Cardenales de Lara ended the 2024-25 LVBP regular season at No. 1 with their record at 33-23, the Bravos de Margarita finished in second place at 31-25, the Aguilas del Zulia finished third at 30-26, the Navegantes del Magallanes went fourth at 29-27, and the Tigres de Aragua snuck into the Round Robin with their record at 27-29.
The Leones del Caracas did not qualify for the 2024-25 LVBP Round Robin and finished in sixth place at 27-30. The 2024 Caribbean Series champion Tiburones de La Guaira ended in seventh place at 26-31, and the Caribes de Anzoategui finished in last place at 22-34.
In the 2024-25 LVBP regular season, the Caribes de Anzoategui were managed by Lipso Nava, the Tiburones de La Guaira were at the helm of Ozzie Guillen, the Leones del Caracas were managed by José Alguacil, and Eduardo Perez was at the helm for the Navegantes del Magallanes.
Former Tigres de Aragua manager Buddy Bailey was fired on December 4, 2024, before Russell Vasquez took over as the interim manager for the rest of the 2024-25 LVBP regular season.
The Cardenales de Lara won the LVBP championship in 1990-91, 1997-98, 1998-99, 2000-01, 2018-19, and 2019-20, and before Sunday night’s victory, they had appeared in the Caribbean Series in 1991, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2019, and 2020.
LVBP teams have won the Caribbean Series with the Navegantes del Magallanes in 1970 and 1979, the Aguilas del Zulia in 1984 and 1989, the Leones del Caracas in 1982 and 2006, the Tigres de Aragua in 2009, and the Tiburones de La Guaira in 2024.
Five teams will compete in the 2025 Caribbean Series: the champions of the 2024-25 winter league seasons, including the Liga ARCO Mexicana del Pacífico (host nation), Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente in Puerto Rico (Indios de Mayagüez), Liga Venezolana de Béisbol Profesional (Cardenales de Lara), Liga de Béisbol Profesional de la República Dominicana, and an invitee, the Japan Breeze, who will make their tournament for the first time.
The LAMP, LVBP, LIDOM and LBPRC are all part of the Confederación de Béisbol Profesional del Caribe (CBPC).
The 2025 Caribbean Series marks the 67th edition of the event and the 76th year of the CBPC, beginning on January 31.
2025 Caribbean Series Schedule
All Games Will Be Televised On ESPN Deportes in Spanish & MLB Network in English
All Caribbean Series Games Will Be Played At Estadio Nido de los Águilas
Friday, January 31
Venezuela vs Dominican Republic – 1:30 p.m. PT/4:30 p.m. ET
Puerto Rico vs Mexico – 8:00 p.m. PT/11:00 p.m. ET
Saturday, February 1
Dominican Republic vs Japan – 12:50 p.m PT/3:50 p.m. ET
Mexico vs Venezuela – 5:50 p.m. PT/8:50 p.m. ET
Sunday, February 2
Japan vs Puerto Rico – 12:50 p.m. PT/3:50 p.m. ET
Dominican Republic vs Mexico – 5:50 p.m. PT/8:50 p.m. ET
Monday, February 3
Venezuela vs Puerto Rico – 12:00 p.m. PT/3:00 p.m. ET
Mexico vs Japan – 5:00 p.m. PT/8:00 p.m. ET
Tuesday, February 4
Puerto Rico vs Dominican Republic – 2:00 p.m. PT/5:00 p.m. ET
Japan vs Venezuela 7:00 p.m. PT/10:00 p.m. ET
Wednesday, February 5: Semifinals
Semifinal 1: 2:00 p.m. PT/5:00 p.m. ET
Semifinal 2: 7:00 p.m. PT/10:00 p.m. ET
Thursday, February 6
Third place game: 7:00 p.m. PT/10:00 p.m. ET
Friday, February 7
Final: 7:00 p.m. PT/10:00 p.m. ET
Q&A with Cardenales de Lara fan and Barquisimeto native Magda Perez:
Perez worked at Team Pal Perro in Barquisimeto, which was operated by Nixon Vargas and is now a resident of Westchester County, N.Y. and coaches soccer for the Greenburgh United youth selective soccer travel team in the New York City Tri-State region. With her past work in Venezuela, Perez is active with coaching baseball and softball as part of her craft while seeking opportunities to work on sports certifications in the United States for USA Baseball, USA Softball and the United States Soccer Federation.
Being a Baraquismeto native and following the Cardenales de Lara for a long time it’s very emotional being able to celebrate another championship for them. Being at Estadio Antonio Herrera Gutiérrez or here, stateside I have been very attached to my love and passion for the franchise since I was a child.
I was lucky to have the chance to work with young players that have the ability to go far in the game. Now we see players in the LVBP and it feels fortunate to be able to be a part of their growth.
I have full confidence in those coaches to coach the team that I love. We know that Venezuelan managers have the common and necessary knowledge to lead a team to the final and win whichever tournament, they are very knowledgeable with their experience on the field and in the dugout.
