Sportswriters had forecast the playoffs would be a battle of equal titans. The Estrellas Orientales won game one, but the Gigantes del Cibao turned in game two with a 6-3 win at their home stadium, the Julian Javier in San Francisco de Macorís.
Marcell Ozuna (alias El Oso) batted a “tablazo” over the left-field wall on a 0-1 count to Wilmer Ríos, the Estrellas starting pitcher, when two of his teammates, Henry Urrutia (double to CF) and Kelvin Gutiérrez (BB), were on bases. The play put the scoreboard 5-2.
Before Ozuna’s homer, Gutiérrez had hit a two-run double to center field to tie the score 2-2, with Webster Rivas (BB) and José Sirí (hit to RF) scoring against the Estrellas pitcher Ríos.
The Estrellas were the first to score runs in the game, two in the third inning against the Gigantes’ starting pitcher Tyler Alexander. The first run came after Elehuris Montero was walked with the bases loaded resulting in Robinson Canó scoring. Jeremy Peña drove in the second run with a ground ball to the middle that towed Yamaico Navarro (BB).
The Estrellas then played to put the game 5-3 with a run in the eighth inning on a Yamaico Navarro grounder to left field against reliever Jake Sánchez.
Nevertheless, the Giants responded, extending their lead to 6-3 with Hansel Alberto’s sending a single to left field against reliever Wirfin Obispo, with Siri scoring the run.
The playoffs are a seven-game series. The first to win four games is the winner.
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Listin Diario
19 January 2022