With Venezuela plagued by protests and violence in the wake of the July 28 presidential election, at least one participant is considering pulling out of the Hexagonal Monumental preseason event scheduled for October in Caracas.
The Tigres del Licey, the defending LIDOM champions who reached the final game of the last two Caribbean Series and won the 2023 event at Estadio Monumental Simon Bolivar in Caracas, are reconsidering participating in the event, according to a report in Diario Libre.
“Nothing has been confirmed yet, but given the current situation and the outlook for the near future, I think that [playing in the event in Caracas] will not be possible,” a source close to the blue team told Diario Libre.
The event, scheduled for October 8-11 at the Estadio Monumental Simon Bolivar, is set to include the Liga Venezolana de Beisbol Profesional’s Leones del Caracas, Navegantes del Magallanes and Tiburones de La Guaria, the LBPRC’s Cangrejeros de Santurce, and the Japan Breeze, an exhibition team that has been invited to the 2025 Caribbean Series in Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico.
Since Maduro claimed victory in the July 28 plebiscite, citing the results certified by the Consejo Nacional Electoral, or National Election Commission, the country has seen widespread protests, as the opposition, led by Maria Corina Machado, has produced tally sheets from a large majority of polling places across the country indicating that Edmundo Gonzalez was the true winner of the election, having drawn nearly 80% of the vote.
In the wake of multiple countries questioning the results of the election, Maduro has ordered diplomats from Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Panama, the Dominican Republic, and Uruguay expelled from the country.
Puerto Rico, whose Liga Beisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente is sending the Cangrejeros de Santurce to the Hexagonal Monumental event, is a United States territory. The United States does not currently have diplomatic relations with Venezuela, and the South American country is the subject of a Level 4 Travel Advisory issued by the U.S. Department of State. Sanctions levied against Venezuela make travel and financial transactions difficult for U.S. citizens and corporations.
The LVBP organized the Hexagonal Monumental event as a preseason primer for the winter ball season.
A similar event, the Choques de Gigantes, or Clash of the Giants, will be held November 8-10 at loanDepot Park in Miami, the home of MLB’s Miami Marlins. The event is expected to include three teams from the LVBP: the Leones del Caracas, the Cardenales de Lara, and the Navegantes de Magallanes.
Photo Credit: A demonstrator waves a Venezuelan flag during a protest against the official results of the presidential election on July 29, 2024, in Caracas, Venezuela. (Photo by Jesus Vargas/Getty Images)
