By Conor Ligouri
World Baseball Network
Nicaragua’s best-of-seven Liga de Beisbol Profesional Nacional championship between the Gigantes de Rivas and the Tren del Norte will begin on Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET.
The two teams survived the four-team round-robin, which also included the Leones de Leon and the Tigres de Chinandega. The Tren del Norte finished with the best record, going 8-4 in the round robin, clinching home field advantage in game one of the championship series. The Gigantes de Rivas finished second with a 7-5 record.
After having two days off to rest, the two teams will clash on Tuesday night at Estadio Rufo Marin in Esteli.
Tren del Norte
The Tren del Norte finished the regular season in fourth place with a 14-18 record, but showed they are a force to be reckoned with in the round robin.
This championship appearance is the first for the organization, and it comes against a team in the Gigantes de Rivas, who will be making their fourth straight trip to the final. The Tren del Norte played their inaugural Liga de Beisbol Profesional Nacional season in 2020-21.
On the mound, the pitching staff is led by starting pitcher Luis Ramirez, who leads the team in innings pitched (62.2), strikeouts (48), and ERA (3.88). He led his team to an 8-2 win on January 2 against the Gigantes de Rivas in round robin play, throwing an impressive seven innings. Ramirez allowed just one earned run and five hits while striking out four.
The Tren del Norte offense proved throughout the round-robin that producing runs is not a glaring issue heading into the championship. They scored eight runs in their most recent win against the Leones de Leon on Saturday and have scored five or more in five of their last six contests. They are seeking similar offensive production in the championship.
The Tren del Norte could be viewed as the underdogs for the matchup against the Gigantes de Rivas. Still, the possibility of defeating the three-time champions is unique for an organization that joined the league four short years ago.