Pitching led the way in the 3-2 win for the Toros del Este against the Leones del Escogido on Jan. 25 in Estadio Quisqueya Juan Marichal. The game, previously scheduled for Jan. 23 and then rescheduled for Jan. 24, was rained out twice, perhaps giving the Toros del Este the time they needed to regroup.
Both starting pitchers, Odrisamer Despaigne for the Toros and Luis Miranda for the Leones, set the tone, each throwing three scoreless innings, until everything changed when the LIDOM MVP, Toros del Este outfielder Bryan De La Cruz, launched an opposite-field solo home run to right field against Miranda in the top of the fourth.
#VideoLD | El toletero de los Toros del Este, Bryan de la Cruz, indicó tras la victoria ante los Leones del Escogido este domingo que con el triunfo se levanta aún más la confianza del equipo.#ListínDiario pic.twitter.com/ZmMYQLoRHN
— LISTÍN DIARIO (@ListinDiario) January 26, 2026
That ended Miranda’s night, but his four innings of work with one run allowed and three strikeouts were more than enough to give the Leones del Escogido a fighting chance.
Despaigne cruised through five scoreless innings and looked like he would escape the sixth as well, but gave up a two out walk to Leones del Escogido outfielder Junior Lake. With Raimel Tapia at the plate, Lake was moving on contact with two outs and scored all the way from first on an RBI single by Tapia to tie the game 1-1 in the sixth.
¡SE EMPATÓ EL JUEGO! ??
Raimel Tapia conecta sencillo y Junior Lake anota la carrera del empate. #SerieFinalLIDOM #CopaBanreservas pic.twitter.com/wtp4T1s9Rz
— LIDOM (@LIDOMRD) January 26, 2026
Tapia scored the go-ahead run on an RBI single by first baseman Yamaico Navarro. That was the second earned run for Despaigne, who went 5 ⅔ innings with two runs allowed and seven strikeouts.
Leones del Escogido would stay up 2-1 all the way into the ninth. They brought reliever Stephen Nogosek to try and nail down the final three outs and get a commanding 3-0 series lead. Nogosek couldn’t get it done this time and he ultimately walked in the go-ahead run, giving a free pass to Eric Filia at the plate with the bases loaded.
La base por bolas que movió la pizarra ????????
Sergio Alcántara anota la carrera del desempate para los @TorosdelEste ⚾️#SerieFinalLIDOM #CopaBanreservas pic.twitter.com/biTygQN5xJ
— LIDOM (@LIDOMRD) January 26, 2026
Joe Corbett was strong in the ninth with a perfect inning and two strikeouts for a sweat-free save, his eighth of the playoffs.
LIDOM Championship Series Schedule:
All times Eastern Standard Time
Games streamed on MLB.tv with a subscription
* – If necessary
Jan. 21
Leones del Escogido 7, Toros del Este 6
Jan. 22
Leones del Escogido 7, Toros del Este 4
Jan. 25
Toros del Este 3, Leones del Escogido 2
Jan. 26
4 p.m. – Leones del Escogido at Toros del Este – Game 4
Jan. 27
6:15 p.m. – Toros del Este at Leones del Escogido – Game 5
Jan. 28
6:30 p.m. – Leones del Escogido at Toros del Este – Game 6 *
Jan. 29
6:15 p.m. – Toros del Este at Leones del Escogido – Game 7 *
WBN LIDOM: https://worldbaseball.com/league/dominican-republic/lidom/
Photo: The Toros del Este celebrate their win in Game 3 of the 2026 LIDOM Championship Series. (Photo courtesy of LIDOM)
