The Cardenales de Lara, under manager Henry Blanco, won their seventh Liga Venezolana de Beisbol Profesional title for the 2024-25 season in the best-of-seven championship series on Sunday, January 26. They came back from a 0-2 deficit with a shutout win against the Bravos de Margarita, 9-0, in Game Six at home at Estadio Antonio Herrera Gutiérrez in Barquisimeto, Venezuela with 19,320 fans in attendance.
Cardenales de Lara shortstop Ildemaro Vargas won the 2024-25 LVBP Robert Perez MVP Award. He played in all six games, leading the best-of-7 series with .556 with average, 15 hits, scoring eight runs, cracking two home runs, with a .600 OBP, and a .815 slugging percentage.
The Cardenales de Lara earned a berth to the 2025 Caribbean Series at El Nido de los Águilas in Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico. They play their first game on January 31 at 4:30 p.m. ET against the 2024-25 LIDOM champion.
El Nido de los Águilas is home to the Águilas de Mexicali franchise of the Liga ARCO Mexicana del Pacífico.
The 2025 Caribbean Series will be held from January 31 through February 7 at El Nido de los Águilas. The event will be televised on ESPN Deportes in Spanish and MLB Network in English until the final out of the championship game on February 7.
Cardenales de Lara starting pitcher Adrian Almeida chucked 5.1 innings, allowing three hits, three walks, and five strikeouts while flaming 95 pitches for 61 strikes.
The Cardenales de Lara pitching staff, including relief pitchers Jesus Valles, Alex Scherff, Brian McKenna, and Arnaldo Hernandez, combined with Almeida to throw nine innings, allowing five hits, four walks, and recording 10 strikeouts.
Cardenales de Lara first baseman Rangel Ravelo helped the franchise get on the board first in the bottom of the first inning with a two-run home run over the left-center field wall, scoring Harold Castro.
In the bottom of the second inning, the Cardenales pounded five runs starting with third baseman Hernan Perez cracking an RBI ground-rule double over the left field wall, scoring Danry Vasquez to extend the lead to 3-0. Moments later, Eduardo Garcia lifted a sacrifice fly to Bravos de Margarita left fielder Anthony Jimenez in foul territory, as Perez came in to score, to make it 4-0.
The Cardenales offense continued the hit parade, with center fielder Gorkys Hernandez drilling an RBI ground ball single into center field, scoring catcher Ali Sanchez for the fifth run of the game.
Bravos de Margarita manager Jose Moreno called upon relief pitcher Melvi Acosta to replace starting pitcher Jesus Vargas. Vargas threw 1.1 innings, allowing six hits, seven earned runs, and one walk.
Castro hit an RBI ground ball to first base, scoring shortstop Ildemaro Vargas to extend the lead to 6-0. Ravelo kept his hot bat alive, when he drove an RBI ground ball single to center field, scoring Hernandez to make it 7-0.
In the bottom of the third inning, the Cardenales tallied their final two runs, when Garcia ripped a two-run home run over the left field wall. No other runs came across the rest of the way from Almeida’s lights-out pitching performance on Sunday night.
Hernandez entered in the ninth to record the final three outs, and secure the Cardenales de Lara’s spot in the 2025 Caribbean Series.
Hernandez came into the game in the top of the ninth inning for the final three outs and a chance for the Cardenales de Lara to extend their season and play in the 2025 Caribbean Series.
CARDENALES DE LARA CONQUISTÓ EL SÉPTIMO TÍTULO EN LA LVBP ????????
Los crepusculares remontaron la serie final con 4 victorias seguidas, para derrotar a Bravos de Margarita y alcanzar la gloria en el béisbol venezolano.
Video: IVC#LVBP #Beisbol #Venezuela #Cardenales #Campeon pic.twitter.com/7BwhiXZxC7
— BeisbolPlay (@beisbolplaycom) January 27, 2025
Hernandez would get Bravos de Margarita pinch hitter Jasson Lopez to strike out swinging on a 2-2 count for the final out. The 9-0 win gave the organization their seventh championship.
The Bravos de Margarita pitching staff threw eight innings, allowing 11 hits, nine earned runs, three walks, and six strikeouts in their Game Six loss on Sunday night.
2024-25 LVBP Regular Season Recap:
The Bravos de Margarita’s debut season was 2007-2008 and have never won an LVBP championship title.
The Cardenales de Lara ended the 2024-25 LVBP regular season at No. 1 with their record at 33-23, the Bravos de Margarita finished in second place at 31-25, the Aguilas del Zulia finished third at 30-26, the Navegantes del Magallanes went fourth at 29-27, and the Tigres de Aragua snuck into the Round Robin with their record at 27-29.
The Leones del Caracas did not qualify for the 2024-25 LVBP Round Robin and finished in sixth place at 27-30. The 2024 Caribbean Series champion Tiburones de La Guaira ended in seventh place at 26-31, and the Caribes de Anzoategui finished in last place at 22-34.