The Liga Venezolana de Béisbol Profesional (LVBP) had quite an eventful opening weekend and a shocking one at that. The recent Caribbean Series champion Tiburones de La Guaira found themselves at the bottom of the food chain, losing two out of their first three games. Meanwhile, the Navegantes del Magallanes have gotten off to an early lead in the standings, winning two of their first three games with their new manager, Eddie Pérez, no less.
Leones (11) v. Aguilas (4)
On Saturday, the competition kicked off with a match between the Aguilas del Zulia and the Leones del Caracas. The Leones looked dominant, scoring 11 runs on Aguilas’s pitching, with a total of 14 hits and seven extra-base hits. The Aguilas bats could not keep up, only putting up four runs and nine hits with one home run.
Tigres (8) v. Caribes (1)
The following game was a matchup between the Tigres de Aragua and the Caribes de Anzoátegui, in which the Tigres took the victory 8-1. The Tigres had 13 hits, with major contributions coming from Keyber Rodriguez and Jose Martinez, who went 3-for-5 with a run scored, a double, a home run, and two RBIs. The Caribes were limited to one run and six hits by the Tigres pitching staff and had three errors.
Tiburones (3) v. Navegantes (1)
The third game was a rematch between the Tiburones de La Guaira and the Navegantes del Magallanes. The Tiburones got their revenge for the match the day prior, winning the game on three runs and 11 hits, including a triple. The Navegantes had nine hits but couldn’t capitalize on the runners they had on base, as they only scored one run in the game.
Cardenales (2) v. Bravos (0)
To round out the day on Saturday, the Cardenales de Lara beat the Bravos de Margarita 2-0. The offense was relatively quiet for the Bravos, limited to six hits and no runs, while the Cardenales had two runs on seven hits.
Bravos (7) v. Cardenales (4)
Sunday saw the rematch of the Bravos and the Cardenales, in which the Bravos won 7-4. Each team had ten hits. Despite the Cardenales having more extra-base hits with two doubles, one triple, and one home run, the small ball won the game for the Bravos.
Aguilas (3) v. Tiburones (2)
The Tiburones lost another game, this time against the Aguilas 3-2. The Aguilas had eight hits, including two doubles, while the Tiburones had seven hits and three doubles.
Caribes (8) v. Leones (7)
The Caribes faced off against the Leones, winning the game 8-7. It was an offense-heavy game, with the Caribes getting 15 hits and the Leones getting 11.
Navegantes (7) v. Tigres (3)
The final game of the day was between the Navegantes and the Tigres, with the Navegantes outscoring the Tigres 7-3. The player of the game for the Navegantes was Renato Núñez, who had three hits, one home run, and three runs batted in.
LVBP Standings as of Monday, October 14
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