The Leones de Ponce entered Game 6 just looking to extend the series another night. One loss, and their season would be over.
Meanwhile, the Cangrejeros, the losers of Game 5 but the winners of the first four contests of the LBPRC championship series, likely had one thing in mind: win, and they’re in. Santurce accomplished that goal, celebrating at Estadio Hiram Bithorn after their 5-1 victory to clinch a Caribbean Series berth.
The championship is the Cangrejeros’ 17th in league history and their first since the 2019-20 season. The organization, based in San Juan, Puerto Rico, seeks its sixth Caribbean Series championship.
Santurce opened the scoring with one run each in the bottom of the third and fourth innings. In the third, Ruben Castro scored from second base on an overthrow to first by Leones third baseman Emmanuel Rivera. In the fourth, Jack Lopez ripped a line drive double down the left field line to score Brian Navarreto from first, who led off the frame with a single.
The Leones threatened to tie the game at two in the seventh, putting runners on second and third with two outs following Gabriel Cancel’s double. Reliever Andrew Baker narrowly escaped the rally, as Jesmuel Valentin lined out to Cangrejeros first baseman Yohandy Morales.
The Cangrejeros rallied to score three insurance runs in the eighth, firing up the dugout and the home crowd in the process. Navarreto’s single made it 3-0, scoring Shed Long Jr. from second, who roped a leadoff double. Andrew Velazquez followed with a double of his own, and Johneshwy Fargas’ two-run single made it 5-0 in favor of Santurce.
Robert Gsellman allowed one earned run in the ninth on an RBI forceout by Cancel, but otherwise threw a relatively clean inning to complete the series. Santurce mobbed their closer on the mound and shared hugs after the final out, a routine groundball to Velazquez at shortstop.
The 2026 Caribbean Series will run from Feb. 1-7 at Estadio Panamericano in Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico. The Cangrejeros, representing Puerto Rico, will open the tournament on Sunday, Feb. 1, with a matchup against one of the two representatives from Mexico’s Liga ARCO Mexicana del Pacifico at 3 p.m. EST.
Where to Watch: Puerto Rico’s LBPRC streams its games live on its YouTube page and on the league’s official app, available on the App Store and Google Play.
WBN Puerto Rico: https://worldbaseball.com/league/puerto-rico/
Photo: The Cangrejeros de Santurce celebrate their 2026 LBPRC title. (Photo courtesy of the LBPRC)
