Ozzie Guillén discusses how tough it is to win the Caribbean Series

[Kevin Barral]

Ozzie Guillén has already managed a World Series champion, but his comparison between Major League Baseball and winter ball may surprise you.

MIAMI, FL—Following Venezuela's 4-2 win over Curacao, starting pitcher Luis Martinez, right fielder Ramon Flores and manager Ozzie Guillén spoke to the media and all had a lot to share in terms of the current state of the team as well as how difficult it is to play/manage and win it all in Caribbean baseball leagues.

Luis Martinez gave his team five innings of work, allowing two runs on three hits while striking out two and walking one. For both Martinez and Flores, they hadn't played baseball in about three weeks, so coming back the way they did was crucial for Venezuela. 

"I think that since the first inning that I got on the mound, I didn't have the confidence that I usually do," said Martinez. "As I got deeper into the game, I think that is where I began to find my confidence. About three weeks without being able to pitch due to a finger injury took me out of the Round Robin, but I think that was what resulted in being able to win today's game and keep going."

Ramon Flores was called upon to join the team for the Caribbean Series when La Guaira had to replace players due to visa issues. He had already been training in Miami at the time. Against Curacao, he went 2-for-2 with a two-run homer.

"It's been an honor to be able to represent the Tiburones and Venezuela," said Flores.

Ozzie Guillén has the opportunity to become the first Latin manager to ever win a World Series, winter league championship and Caribbean Series. He explained the differences between those experiences:

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"The work in the Caribbean is hard. It's a lot harder to manage in Venezuela than Major League Baseball. In MLB, you have a status, you have a lineup and in MLB, like they say in public relations, you get paid a lot more, but to manage in the Caribbean is difficult. You need ballplayers that are missing and you have ballplayers that can't come. There are times where times are hard, especially in December, and I think that the most important thing for me was to win in the country and win in my city."

Guillen was asked about the possibility of managing the Venezuelan national team in the 2026 World Baseball Classic, but he wasn't sure if that would be something he would do, especially since it is more than two years away and so many things can happen in the meantime.

Guillen and his Tiburones will take on Puerto Rico on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. and they will look to improve their Serie del Caribe record to 3-0.

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