The LBPN is in the middle of its fourth full week of play as the calendar approaches December. Here are all of the news and notes from this week so far.
Recap of Games on Nov. 19 and Nov. 20
On Nov. 19, the LBPN resumed play after Tropical storm Sara had finished passing through the country. The league re-opened with Tren del Norte upsetting Indios de Boer on the road 7-6, with the number two team in the LBPN being upset thanks in large part to an Oscar Gonzalez go-ahead RBI sacrifice fly in the top of the ninth inning.
In the other Monday game, fans were treated to a show of pitching prowess as Leones de Leon won their third straight game with a 2-1 victory against Gigantes de Rivas.
On Tuesday, Indios de Boer bounced back with a commanding 6-0 victory over Tigres de Chinandega in seven innings. Yeudy Garcia picked up the win with 5 2/3 shutout innings and five strikeouts while his offense backed him up with four home runs.
In the night game, Leones de Leon walked off Tren del Norte thanks to a Dwight Britton single up the middle to bring home Chase Dawson and extend the win streak to four for Leones.
Three Teams Make Roster Changes
Gigantes De Rivas, Leones de Leon, and Indios de Boer all made personnel changes in the past four days. Gigantes de Rivas made their lone move when they released infielder Jose King on Monday, Nov. 18. King had struggled to a .611 OPS in 27 at-bats for Gigantes.
Indios de Boer dropped three players and two coaches, replacing them with three new players and two new coaches. The most notable player change came when Aneudy Cortorreal, the team’s leader in saves, was released on medical orders and replaced by the returning Kevin Kelly.
Leones de Leon made two moves, dropping infielder Alvaro Jose Rubi Duarte to add pitcher Joaquin Acuna and dropping pitcher Jesus Linarez to sign American left-handed pitcher Chase Cook. Linarez was second on the team in innings pitched, but was released due to medical prescription.
Three Players of the Week for Week Three
The LBPN named three players of the week for the week of Nov. 11: Chase Dawson of Leones de Leon, Cheslor Cuthbert of Gigantes de Rivas, and Luis Pena of Leones de Leon.
Dawson earned the Player of the Week award for an outfielder by helping his team win all three games they played while hitting .500 with six hits and seven RBIs in that stretch.
His teammate Luis Pena also did his part on the mound for Leones, pitching a seven inning complete game shutout with seven strikeouts against Indios de Boer on Nov. 13 to win Pitcher of the Week.
The former MLB veteran Cuthbert claimed Infielder of the Week at his third base position for Gigantes de Rivas by hitting two home runs and driving in six runs on Monday, Nov. 11 against the Leones. He became only the thirty-seventh player ever in LBPN history to drive in six or more runs in a game.
Indios de Boer and Gigantes de Rivas to Resume Game from Nov. 8
Indios de Boer will play a doubleheader at Estadio Yamil Rios Ugarte hosted by Gigantes de Rivas, with one game being a continuation of a game between the two teams from Nov. 8. The game was rained out after a couple innings with Gigantes De Rivas leading 4-0.
LBPN Standings as of Nov. 20
Game schedule for Thursday, Nov. 14:
Indios de Bóer vs. Gigantes de Rivas at 4:00 p.m. EST
Leones de Leon vs. Tigres de Chinandega at 7:00 p.m. EST
Indios de Bóer vs. Gigantes de Rivas at 7:00 p.m. EST
You can watch all LBPN games on their official YouTube all season long.
