By Conor Liguori
World Baseball Network
Is it playoff time yet? Well, almost, but not quite. The last day of the 2023-24 Liga de Beisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente season is Friday, December 29, and the playoffs begin on Tuesday, January 2.
As the regular season draws closer to concluding, let’s look at the top performers and the latest news from this past week in Puerto Rico’s top professional baseball league.
Top Performers
Roberto Enriquez, OF, Indios de Mayaguez – Enriquez has yet to see much success at the plate this season for the Indios de Mayaguez, but he went two for two with a solo home run in a 3-0 win against the RA 12 on Sunday. The home run was his first blast of the season.
The outfielder has a .628 OPS and three extra-base hits in 85 plate appearances this season for the Indios de Mayaguez and spent the 2023 minor league baseball season with the Amarillo Sod Poodles, the Double-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Roy Geigel, SP, RA 12 – The RA 12 pitching staff has generally had difficulty limiting hits and runs this season, but 34-year-old Roy Geigel put together a solid effort in a 4-3 win against the Gigantes de Carolina this past Saturday.
Geigel allowed no earned runs in five innings, giving up just three hits and striking out six in the process. The Gigantes de Carolina scored two runs in the top of the first inning, but both scored because of an RA 12 error.
In 29 innings this season, Geigel has a 2.79 ERA and 25 strikeouts.
David Lebron, SP, Cangrejeros de Santurce – Pitching performances like the one David Lebron had on Tuesday helped maintain his team’s lead for first place. Lebron allowed one earned run and struck out six in six innings in the 2-1 win against the RA 12.
Heading into the final few games of the regular season, Lebron and the Cangrejeros de Santurce could not afford a loss to the last place RA 12.
Lebron is 1-1 with a 3.03 ERA with 37 strikeouts in seven starts this season.
Off the Field
Cangrejeros de Santurce Manager Romero Suspended – On Sunday, Liga de Beisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente suspended Cangrejeros de Santurce manager Wilfredo Romero for seven games and fined him $1,000.
In a game against the Leones de Ponce on Saturday night, Romero argued a call made by first base umpire Johnel Rivera and made aggressive contact with him, including a push to the chest.
According to the Liga de Profesional Roberto Clemente website, the league has informed Romero that future altercations with umpires could lead to harsher punishment.
New Members in Hall of Fame – On Monday, 15 new members were inducted into the Puerto Rican Professional Baseball Hall of Fame. A celebration of their accomplishments on and off the field was held at the Sor Isolina Ferre Center in Ponce.
“This year, a total of 68 sportsmen were nominated, of which 30 were native players, 18 imported, and 20 in other categories: leaders, team owners, executives, journalists, narrators, and pioneers of the league,” said league President Juan Antonio Flores Galarza at the ceremony.
The 15 new members of the Puerto Rican Professional Baseball Hall of Fame are Candido Maldonado, Felix Millan, Jose Antonio Pagan, Santos Alomar Sr., Julio Navarro, Luis de Leon, Dickie Thon, Hector Villanueva, Jim Dwyer, Johnny Davis, Monte Irvin, John Boozer, Isidoro Garcia, Hector Rafael Vazquez, and Jose Crescioni.
Current Standings as of December 20
1. Cangrejeros de Santurce – 21-10
2. Gigantes de Carolina – 20-12
3. Criollos de Caguas – 18-13
4. Leones de Ponce – 15-16
5. Indios de Mayagüez – 10-21
6. RA 12 – 10-22
Game Schedule for the Following Three Days
Thursday, December 21
6:10 p.m. ET – Criollos de Caguas vs. RA 12
6:10 p.m. ET – Cangrejeros de Santurce vs. Gigantes de Carolina
6:10 p.m. ET – Indios de Mayaguez vs. Leones de Ponce
Friday, December 22
6:45 p.m. ET – Leones de Ponce vs. Criollos de Caguas
6:45 p.m. ET – Indios de Mayagüez vs. Cangrejeros de Santurce
6:45 p.m. ET – RA 12 vs. Gigantes de Carolina
Saturday, December 23
6:45 p.m. ET – RA 12 vs. Cangrejeros de Santurce
6:45 p.m. ET – Gigantes de Carolina vs. Leones de Ponce
6:45 p.m. ET – Criollos de Caguas vs. Indios de Mayaguez