The Estrellas Orientales rallied for three runs in the top of the 11th inning to defeat the Toros del Este 6-4 at Estadio Francisco Micheli in La Romana and become the first team to qualify in the 2024-25 Dominican Winter Professional Baseball Championship, the Dominican League (Lidom) reports in a press release.
The game was tied at 3-3 heading into the 10th inning. After both teams failed to score, the Estrellas capitalized on an opportunity against reliever Chester Pimentel (0-2).
The Estrellas, under the guidance of Fernando Tatis Sr. since 2021, clinched a playoff spot for the sixth straight year. The team had secured a championship in 2019 and is currently leading the Dominican League (Lidom) standings.
In the game on Sunday, Robinson Canó gave the Estrellas an early lead with an RBI single in the first inning. The Toros responded with a pair of runs in the second, taking advantage of an error by third baseman Rodolfo Castro. Canó tied the game with a solo home run in the fourth, and Danny Santana’s sacrifice fly in the sixth put the Estrellas ahead. However, Bryan de la Cruz’s sacrifice fly in the ninth knotted the score at 3-3.
In a dramatic 10th inning, the Toros loaded the bases with one out but were unable to score. The Estrellas had a runner thrown out at the plate in the top of the inning, but they broke through in the 11th to secure the victory.
In the coverage of other games in the ongoing baseball championship, a steal by Jose Siri was regarded as a move to watch. The extraordinary play occurred during the Aguilas versus Gigantes del Cibao game.
As of 15 December 2024, the standings of the Dominican Professional Winter Baseball Championship are: Estrellas (27-17), Aguilas Cibaeñas (23-19), Tigres del Licey (22-19), Leones del Escogido (21-23), Gigantes del Cibao (18-24), Toros del Este (17-26). The top four teams move on.
The final regular season game is scheduled for 23 December 2024. The round-robin phase begins on 26 December 2024 to choose the playoff teams.
Read more in Spanish:
Lidom
Lidom Schedule
N Digital
16 December 2024