MEXICALI, Mexico – Behind a stellar performance from the bullpen, the Dominican Republic’s Leones del Escogido captured the 2025 Caribbean Series title with a 1-0 win over Mexico’s Charros de Jalisco, as four pitchers combined to throw a one-hit shutout in the championship game.
For the Dominican Republic, it’s the the fourth Caribbean Series title in the last six years, with teams from LIDOM winning in 2020, 2021, 2023, and 2025, and came amid a difficult week that saw multiple players and manager Albert Pujols get the flu.
“There’s nothing that you can do when you’re sick, you just take medication. We give all the trainers all the credit, you know, they keep us hydrated and give us the medication that we needed,” Pujols said. “To stay on our feet, not just mine, but also the players, who did an unbelievable job just coming here. It’s not easy. We came a long way, we traveled a long way to get here, but at the same time, nobody was going to feel sorry for us.”
In the early innings, both starters were a tad sloppy, with Mexico’s Manny Banuelos facing a first-and-third situation with one out. But with Socrates Brito on third and Yamaico Navarro on first for the Leones, Robinson Cano hit a hot grounder to third, and Mexico caught Brito in a rundown between third and home for the second out, and escaped the inning when the next batter, Kelvin Gutierrez hit into a fielder’s choice, and Cano was retired at second to end the inning
The Dominican Republic’s Esmil Rogers loaded the bases in the second with three walks, but escaped without damage when he got Mexico’s Alfredo Hurtado to pop out to third baseman Cristhian Adames in foul ground.
Banuelos wasn’t as lucky in the third, walking leadoff hitter Junior Lake, who stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch, and then walked Brito. Robinson Cano hit Banuelos’ first offering to second baseman Michael Wielansky, and Mexico turned the 4-6-3 double play while Lake scooted home to give the Dominican Republic a 1-0 lead.
And then, both starters settled down.
The Leones’ Rogers allowed just one hit, a fifth-inning single to Reynaldo Rodriguez, and walked Billy Hamilton in the fifth, but sparkled otherwise on his way to winning the Caribbean Series MVP Award. He left after retiring the side in order in the sixth, and on came Joe Corbett, who plunked Rodriguez but got through the seventh with ease otherwise, striking out Donovan Casey swinging and Alfredo Hurtado looking to end the inning.
“That wasn’t intentional. I tried to throw it really hard and my arm was late and that just got away from me,” Corbett said of the pitch that hit Rodriguez. With the next two batters, Corbett was “Just taking it pitch by pitch, I had a lot of confidence out there.”
He drew extra motivation pitching against his former team, the Charros, for whom he pitched in 2023-24.
“Pitching for the Dominican Republic and against a team that didn’t want me to come back this year, you know, that’s plenty of fire,” Corbett said. “So I just felt good out there. 1-0 ballgame. You just don’t want to walk guys, you don’t want to put guys on base. So just try and throw strikes.”
Mexico’s Banuelos retired the side in order in the fourth, and then handed the ball off to David Gutierrez, who threw two perfect innings in relief. Jesus Cruz followed him, throwing two innings and allowing only a walk.
Banuelos “was mixing well, he knew that he could pitch towards contact because this field helps him a lot, I mean he was pitching for contact. He was dealing. It was a great duel,” said the Dominican Republic’s Jose Marmolejos, who entered the game as a pinch hitter for designated hitter Kelvin Gutierrez.
With the 1-0 lead intact for the Dominican Republic, Ulises Joaquin retired the top of the Charros’ order 1-2-3 in the bottom of the eighth, and Mexico’s chances dwindled. The sell-out crowd inside El Nido de las Aguilas was quiet, as were the more than 20,000 watching outside on a screen.
Closer Stephen Nogosek came on to pitch the ninth for Mexico, surrendering a single to Yamaico Navarro, but getting out of the inning after getting Jose Marmolejos to fly out to center and Francisco Mejia to ground out.
On came Jimmy Cordero to pitch the bottom of the ninth for the Dominican Republic, and clinging to a one-run lead, and he struck out Mateo Gil to open the frame. Cordero’s second offering, an inside fastball, grazed Jack Mayfield on the right forearm, and after a video review by the umpires, Mayfield took first base. Julian Ornelas hit a ground ball to short, and the Dominican Republic appeared to have turned the double play.
But Ornelas thought Yamaico Navarro’s foot was off the bag, and the Leones, who poured out of the dugout, had their celebration stymied while the umpires consulted the video, reversed the call, and put Ornelas on first. On a 1-2 count to Reynaldo Rodriguez, Ornelas stole second, but Cordero struck out Rodriguez swinging, and the Leones poured out of the dugout to celebrate.
“Our focus was to try to win this tournament, and we did. We did it together, through difficulties and difficult trips. But, as I said, nobody was going to feel bad for us. We got out of it. We were in difficult situations, not only in the Dominican Republic, but also here,” Pujols said. “We fought and we didn’t give up. …And that’s what we did. We kept working as professionals, executing the work. And once again, we are champions here in the Caribbean Series.”
Photo: The Dominican Republic’s Leones del Escogido celebrate winning the 2025 Caribbean Series championship game 1-0 over Mexico’s Charros de Jalisco. (Photo Courtesy of CBPC)
