Estadio Monumental Simon Bolivar in Caracas, Venezuela, will host a preseason tournament in October. (Photo: Getty Images)
According to a report from the Puerto Rican newspaper Primera Hora, a preseason tournament featuring winter ball teams from around the Caribbean and Japan will be held in October at Estadio Monumental Simon Bolivar in Caracas, Venezuela.
The Cangrejeros de Santurce, the Dominican Republic’s Tigres del Licey, Venezuela’s Leones del Caracas, Tiburones de La Guaira, and Navegantes de Magallanes, and a team representing Japan comprised of players from two of that country’s leagues will be among the participants.
The Cangrejeros de Santurce, who play in the Liga Beisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente, Puerto Rico’s winter league, were founded in 1939 and have won 16 league championships and five Caribbean Series titles, most recently in 2000.
The Tigres del Licey, known as “El Glorioso” in the Dominican Republic, has won 24 LIDOM titles and 11 Caribbean Series championships, including the title in 2023 at Estadio Monumental in Caracas.
Estadio Monumental’s primary tenant, the Leones del Caracas, will play in the event, along with the defending Caribbean Series champions, the Tiburones de La Guaira and the Navegantes de Magallanes, giving Venezuela three entries in the event. The Leones have won 21 championships in the Liga Venezolana Beisbol Profesional and a pair of Caribbean Series, most recently in 2006. The Navegantes have won the Caribbean Series twice, in 1970 and 1979, and have 13 LVBP titles, while the Tiburones have won the LVBP championship eight times.
Estadio Monumental Simon Bolivar, or Estadio La Rinconada, hosted the 2022 Caribbean Series, the first time the event featured eight teams. It’s widely viewed as a stadium capable of meeting Major League Baseball’s requirements to host games. It could potentially host future MLB exhibition games or World Baseball Classic games in years to come.
Primera Hora’s Noel Piñeiro Planas reported that the event’s official announcement is expected in the next few weeks.