By Leif Skodnick
World Baseball Network
Jan. 7, 2022
With six games remaining in the round robin stage of the LIDOM playoffs, all four teams are neck-and-neck, after Aguilas de Cibaenas shut out Gigantes de Cibao 5-0 and Estrellas Orientales topped Tigres del Licey 4-2.
The top two teams in the 18-game round robin advance to the best-of-seven LIDOM championship series.
Aneury Tavares’ sixth-inning grand slam to right field off Emmanuel Rodriguez powered Aguilas, which also got nine combined shutout innings on the mound from seven different pitchers, who allowed three hits and struck out seven.
Estrellas scored three runs in the bottom of the eighth to top Tigres. With runners on second and third, Tigres’ Juan Carlos Mejia intentionally walked Jeimer Candelario to load the bases with no outs, which came back to bite him when Danny Santana hit into a fielder’s choice that scored two runs. Robinson Cano drove home the winner with a sacrifice fly to right.