The Dominican Republic are 2-0 after their first two Caribbean Series games in Mexicali. They outscored their two opponents, Venezuela and Japan, by a combined score of 14-1 during these wins as their pitching has been dominant.
Brooks Hall got the start for the Dominican Republic in Game One Friday against Venezuela. He was able to eat up five innings and allowed just three hits.
The bullpen behind Hall kept Venezuela off the scoreboard as the four Dominican relief pitchers combined for just two hits, one walk, and had five strikeouts in four innings. This led to a 2-0 win for the Dominican Republic and their first win of the Serie del Caribe.
The D.R. saw similar pitching success on Saturday against Japan. Manager Albert Pujols went with former MLB All-Star Johnny Cueto as his starter on the mound and Cueto did not disappoint.
Cueto pitched over a stretch of six innings while only giving up one run. By the time Cueto exited the game, the Dominican Republic had a 9-1 lead over their Japanese opponents.
The three bullpen arms that followed Cueto gave up no runs in their combined three innings of work. This led to a crushing 12-1 win for the D.R. had over Japan.
Of course, the Dominican Republic’s offense deserves its flowers in the game against Japan as they scored 12 runs. However, the pitching has been the story for this team thus far during the tournament.
They have shut down the first two opposing lineup’s they have faced and if this keeps up, the Dominican Republic could find themselves winning the 2025 Caribbean Series in Mexicali. It would be the 23rd Caribbean Series title for the country.
Until then, the Dominican Republic’s next game is on Sunday, Feb. 2, as they face off against Mexico. The first pitch is at 8:50 p.m. EST. Mexico is also currently undefeated with a 2-0 record after wins against Puerto Rico and Venezuela.
This year’s Caribbean Series games are available to watch in English on MLB Network and ESPN+.
CLICK HERE for the entire 2025 Caribbean Series schedule
WBN Caribbean Series: https://worldbaseball.com/league/serie-del-caribe/
