Kevin Barral

After 19 seasons in the Major Leagues, Yadier Molina decided to hang up the cleats, but he went right back into the dugout to manage in the World Baseball Classic, the Puerto Rican Winter League and now the Caribbean Series. Molina's decision-making already stands out. MIAMI, FL—Currently, Puerto Rico's Criollos de Caguas find themselves with a 3-1 record in the 2024 Caribbean Series. The most famous person on the team isn't an active player: it's former St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina, who is serving as manager. For Molina, this is his third managerial experience. First, leading Puerto Rico in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, then going to the Puerto Rican Winter League, and now, the Caribbean Series. In the WBC, Molina led Puerto Rico to the quarterfinals where they fell to México. They had the third-best pitching staff by ERA and 10th-best offense in terms of OPS amongst all teams that participated in the classic. His Caribbean Series group lacks offensive star power. They only rank sixth out of seven teams in OPS, but Molina is getting contributions from all parts of his lineup, creating a lot of opportunities to score. The bottom of the order has been dominant, with a 1.267 OPS from the No. 7 spot, a .833 OPS from the No. 8 spot and a .857 OPS from the No. 9 spot. "Well, we offensively have confidence in everybody," said Molina after the game. "We have a lineup that has a very good offense. We have Emmanuel Rivera batting eighth, I mean, I feel good with this lineup right now." As for the pitching, starter Daryl Thompson struggled in Saturday’s contest against the Dominican Republic, but even including that, the staff has combined for a 2.25 ERA to lead the tournament. At 41 years old, Molina has the chance to possibly make the jump to the MLB level soon with his experience and what he can provide in terms of knowledge of the game. Puerto Rico catcher/first baseman J.C. Escarra praised his current manager. "One of the great minds in catching and all-time," said Escarra. "I stay asking questions every day." Center fielder Johneshwy Fargas said he's "super confident that we have his name on our team." "That's been super important for us," added Fargas. "Just super confident with him out there as our manager." One of the biggest praises for Yadier Molina came from Venezuela's manager, Ozzie Guillén. "The accolades are there," said Guillén. "With the career that he has had, I think that Yadier was a manager when he wasn't a manager—when he was playing. He knows a lot about baseball. I think that he is preparing himself well...I think that he is showing it [in the Caribbean Series] his ability and knowledge of the game." Molina and his ballclub are back at it on Monday at 8:30 p.m. to play against Panamá, the only undefeated team left in the Caribbean Series (3-0 record). View full article

Final score: PUR 6, VEN 2 A big win for Puerto Rico in front of a big crowd at LoanDepot Park. MIAMI, FL—Venezuela had to immediately go off script on Sunday when scheduled starter Jhoulys Chacín was a last-minute scratch after suffering a right biceps strain. In his place, Venezuela manager Ozzie Guillén went with Tiago Da Silva, who struggled early on. Puerto Rico took advantage and never looked back, winning 6-2. Puerto Rico vs. Venezuela box score and play-by-play Da Silva would only go 1 ⅓ innings and give up three runs (two earned) and then would be followed by four relievers. Between all four relievers, Venezuela allowed five hits and three runs. The Puerto Rico offense, who struggled against the Dominican Republic's pitching staff on Saturday came back on Sunday and quickly scored three runs in the first inning. Leadoff hitter Bryan Torres began the game with a base hit up the middle followed up with a Vimael Machín ground out that moved Torres to second. J.C. Escarra, who was at first base on Sunday, drove in the speedy Torres on an RBI single to give Puerto Rico the early 1-0 lead. Left fielder Danny Ortiz would follow with a base hit. Catcher Jonathan Morales was about to ground out, but a bad throw by Venezuela shortstop Ehire Adrianza allowed Escarra to score, extending Puerto Rico's early lead to 2-0. A groundout in the top of the second inning by Bryan Torres would drive in Emmanuel Rivera who had a double in his at-bat and moved nine hitter Jack Lopez to second base as he had a base hit in his at-bat. Puerto Rico once again extends their lead, 3-0. Puerto Rico was able to tack on two more runs thanks to the bottom of the lineup, which has been the best in the Caribbean Series. Nelson Velazquez began the inning with a triple hit to left, which was followed up with Emmanuel Rivera grounding out, but Jack Lopez hit a sac fly to drive in Velazquez. The final run that Puerto Rico would score came in the top of the fifth inning when Danny Ortiz drove in Vimael Machín. Ortiz continues to be one of Puerto Rico's most productive bats in the lineup. In the bottom of the fourth inning, Venezuela scored their first run of the game off of an Alexi Amarista sac fly, which drove in Hernan Pérez. The second run that scored for Venezuela was off of a Ramon Flores RBI single which drove in Alexi Amarista to make it a 5-2 game. Venezuela would continue to pressure the Puerto Rico pitching staff throughout the entirety of the game, but they just never were able to find the big hit. Venezuela now goes to a 2-1 record while Puerto Rico goes to 3-1. On Monday, Venezuela is set to take on México at 3:30 p.m. In the press conference following the game, Ozzie Guillén mentioned that they will go with his "best starter," Ricardo Antonio Pinto. At 8:30 p.m., Puerto Rico takes on the only remaining undefeated team, Panamá. View full article

Final score: DR 5, PUR 2 The Dominican Republic would never look back after the 41-year-old's home run. MIAMI, FL—The crowd of nearly 36,000 that spent their Saturday night enjoying Caribbean Series baseball did not leave disappointed. Although the Dominican Republic got out to an early 4-0 lead over Yadier Molina and Puerto Rico—propelled by Robinson Canó's two-run homer in the top of the third inning—Puerto Rico kept it close until the end. The D.R. bullpen was able to close it out. Dominican Republic vs. Puerto Rico box score and play-by-play After an Emilio Bonifacio base hit up the middle to begin the game, Puerto Rico starter Daryl Thompson struck out both Gustavo Nuñez and Canó which was then followed by catcher and FIU alum J.C. Escarra caught Emilio Bonifacio stealing second for the third out of the inning. A fairly quick inning by Dominican Republic starter César Valdez would not see Puerto Rico get much going despite a base hit from Heliot Ramos. The last time Robinson Canó hit a home run at Marlins/LoanDepot Park was for the American League in the 2017 All-Star Game. On Saturday, Canó extended the D.R. lead to 3-0 in the top of the third with his first-ever Caribbean Series home run, taking Thompson 372 feet deep. Canó would end the night going 2-for-5. He is slashing .364/.429/.636/1.065 during this tournament. After the home run, Molina made a pitching change and went with experienced big leaguer Alex Claudio, but Ramon Hernández got to him first with a double which was followed up with a Dawel Lugo RBI single to make it a 4-0 game. The first run for Yadi's club came in the bottom of the fourth inning thanks to a Danny Ortiz RBI double to center field which drove in Heliot Ramos. For Ortiz, he ended the night going two for four with an RBI and a double. This is Ortiz's ninth Caribbean Series. Puerto Rico added another run on a Johneshwy Fargas sacrifice fly, which drove in Ortiz. The fifth and final run for the Dominican Republic came in the top of the seventh inning. Cuban Yadiel Hernández got the inning started with a leadoff base hit which was then followed up with a Michael De La Cruz sac bunt. Hernández scored on an RBI single by Gustavo Nuñez to make it a 5-2 ballgame. Starter César Valdez gave the Dominican Republic length, which is something they weren't able to get out of starter Brooks Hall on Friday against Nicaragua who only went 3.2 innings. On Saturday, Dominican Republic manager Gilbert Gómez only had to go with three relievers. The veteran right-hander went five innings, allowing two runs off of six hits and struck out two while walking one. Between relievers, Cameron Gann, J.C. Mejia and Jairo Asencio they allowed one hit and struck out three, limiting Puerto Rico's offense to only seven hits on the night. This matchup broke the record for the most-attended Caribbean Series game ever, even outdoing the finals of past tournaments. Paid attendance was 35,972, which was a sellout. For both teams, they now have a 2-1 record. Puerto Rico takes the field next against Venezuela at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday. As for the Dominican Republic, they take on 0-3 México in what will be a must-win game for Naranjeros de Hermosillo to avoid elimination. That's expected to draw a big crowd as well as both teams' fanbases have showed up well throughout the tournament. View full article

A two-hit night for the Miami Marlins catcher was key in Panamá's ninth-inning rally against México to remain undefeated in the 2024 Caribbean Series. MIAMI, FL—Panamá was able to stay undefeated in the 2024 Caribbean Series thanks to a ninth-inning rally that included one of the newest members of the Miami Marlins in Christian Bethancourt. Panamá was down 3-1 to México entering the bottom of the ninth inning before scoring three runs for a walk-off win. Bethancourt contributed to the rally with a hard-hit double. México vs. Panamá box score and play-by-play The pitcher trying to pick up the save for México was Jake Sánchez. Trouble started when he faced Iván Herrera, who was hit by a pitch after working up a full count. Bethancourt followed Herrera by smacking the second pitch of his at-bat for a double (104.8 mph exit velocity). Another former big leaguer, Johan Camargo, hit an RBI double to drive in Herrera and make it a one-run deficit. To tie the game, Jean Arnaez battled out of a two-strike count to drive in Bethancourt on an RBI single to left field. Finally, to walk it off, Jhonny Santos hit an RBI triple. Through his first nine plate appearances of the tournament, Bethancourt is slashing .375/.444/.500/.944 with one walk and two strikeouts. He has been the starting catcher for Panamá in both of their games. Bethancourt should soon enough see time as the designated hitter, just to keep his bat in the lineup every day. Panamá (2-0) is set to take on Nicaragua (0-2) on Sunday at 10:30 am. and should be favored, although Nicaragua has held a lead in both of their games against Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. View full article

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: 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. View full article

Final score: VEN 4, CW 2 Venezuela was able to limit Curacao's strong lineup to just two runs and the bullpen itself didn't allow a single run. MIAMI, FL—Game one on day three of the 2024 Caribbean Series turned out to be a close contest as Curacao took on Ozzie Guillen and the Tiburones de La Guaira. After a first-inning home run from Venezuela gave them an early 2-0 lead, they led the rest of the way in beating Curacao, 4-2. Venezuela vs. Curacao box score and play-by-play On the mound for Curacao, Scott Prins got off to a tough start, allowing a single to lead-ff hitter Alexi Amarista. After Wilfredo Tovar flew out, Prins surrendered a two-run shot to right fielder Ramon Flores which left the bat at 99.9 miles per hour and went 359 feet into the air. That gave the Tiburones an early 2-0 lead. Prins would only go 2 ⅓ innings in his start, allowing two more runs in the top of the third inning. Prins walked two and gave up a single to set up Yasiel Puig up with one out. Puig drew a walk on a full count, driving in Ehire Adrianza, who Prins walked earlier. The second run for Venezuela would come in with Wilson Ramos up at the plate as he grounded into a force out. That allowed Wilfredo Tovar to score and make it a 4-1 game going into the bottom of the third. Curacao's offense is the strong suit of this team and it certainly didn't back down, responding each time Venezuela would score. In the bottom of the second inning, Wladimir Balentien was hit by a pitch and following a wild pitch, he advanced to second base. An Ademar Rifaela groundout advanced Balentien to third base, where then Jonathan Schoop drove in Balentien on a groundout. Curacao's second run of the ballgame came in the bottom of the third inning. Hendrik Clementina led off the inning with a triple and a wild pitch from starter Luis Martinez would score Clementina in to make it a 4-2 game. Venezeula's bullpen kept Curacao scoreless through the remainder of game. Martinez gave Venezuela five strong innings, allowing two runs on three hits and striking out two. Between all relievers, they struck out four batters and made their way to a 2-0 record. For Curacao, their first win against Mexico certainly helps them to stay alive in this tournament. Pitching has been the issue. Even with Cody Mincey giving Curacao some length on Thursday, he gave up back-to-back home runs and they have had to rely on the bullpen, which has been strong in the Mexico and Venezuela games. Curacao has a day off on Sunday and will be back at it on Monday. Venezuela takes on Puerto Rico Sunday in the 8:30 p.m. game. Watch every Caribbean Series game in English on Bally Sports Florida/Bally Sports Sun or in Spanish on ESPN+/ESPN Deportes. View full article

Final score: PUR 2, MEX 0 After Alex Sanabia came out early due to an injury, Puerto Rico's bullpen was untouchable the rest of the way. MIAMI, FL—The final game of day two of the 2024 Caribbean Series was a flashback for all Marlins fans. Alex Sanabia took the mound for Puerto Rico while Odrisamer Despaigne stood opposite of him for México. The two pitching staffs combined to allow only one extra-base hit in what was the lowest-scoring game of the tournament thus far. Both starters had familiarity with pitching at LoanDepot Park. They spent three seasons each with the Marlins at the major league level (Sanabia in 2010, 2011 and 2013; Despaigne from 2016-2018). For Sanabia, his outing was cut short due to a possible groin injury. Before that, he threw three innings, struck out one and only allowed three hits. The defense behind Sanabia was a difference-maker as shortstop Jack Lopez and center fielder Bryan Torres made big plays, which robbed hitters of potential extra-base hits. Through the first two innings, Despaigne was perfect, not allowing a single hit and striking out two. In the top of the third, Jonathan Morales led off the inning smacking a base hit right down the middle, but then, Emmanuel Rivera grounded into a double play and Jack Lopez hit an inning-ending grounder to short. The only runs of the game came in the top of the fifth inning. The inning began with back-to-back base hits, one from Danny Ortiz and the second from Heliot Ramos. A sac bunt from Jonathan Morales moved up both Ortiz and Ramos. Emmanuel Rivera, with a 2-2 count, drove in both Ortiz and Ramos on a single. For Despaigne, he would end the night going six innings, giving up two runs on four hits, striking out four and walking two. He kept Puerto Rico's hitters guessing with a six-pitch mix, led by his 40% sinker usage. He averaged 92.8 mph with his sinker, which is very similar to the velocity he had during his MLB career. Puerto Rico's six relievers combined to allow only one hit. Lincoln Henzman, who threw two innings, struck out the side in the bottom of the sixth inning and K'd four batters overall. México's bullpen stayed strong as well, but it wasn't enough. Puerto Rico improves to 2-0 in the Caribbean Series, while México's hope is beginning to fade as they are now 0-2. Puerto Rico takes on the Dominican Republic on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. México takes on Panamá at 3:30 p.m. Watch every Caribbean Series game in English on Bally Sports Florida/Bally Sports Sun or in Spanish on ESPN+/ESPN Deportes. View full article

Final score: DR 5, NCA 4 Nicaragua was on the verge of an upset win, but couldn't contain the Tigres del Licey offense and the ageless Bonifacio. MIAMI, FL—Although this game had the expected outcome, there was a surprising amount of back and forth between Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic on Friday afternoon. Thanks to the eighth-inning heroics of Emilio Bonifacio, D.R. pulled off the 5-4 win, their first of the 2024 Caribbean Series. Dominican Republic vs. Nicaragua box score and play-by-play Nicaragua wasted no time getting on the board to take a 1-0 lead. Center fielder Jarius Richards had a base hit and then stole both second and third, but a bad throw at third gave Nicaragua run number one of the ballgame. However, the game would tie up at one apiece due to Leury Garcia grounding into a forceout that saw Dawel Lugo score. Lugo hit a double in his at-bat to get on base. The bottom of the fourth inning saw Nicaragua extend their lead after Francisco Peguero and Raudy Read both had base hits. Third baseman Cheslor Cuthbert drove in Peguero on an RBI single to make it a 2-1 lead, which was then followed up by a wild pitch to move up Read to third. Melvin Novoa reached base via a fielder's choice when Read made a bad read (hehe) and was tagged out at home. Despite that, Omar Mendoza was able to drive Cuthbert home and make it a 3-1 lead over the Dominican Republic. That would be the final hitter that starter Brooks Hall would face. He ended the night going 3 ⅔ innings, giving up three runs off of six hits and striking out two while walking zero. Just like we saw in Nicaragua's first game against Puerto Rico, their bullpen is shaky to say the least. In the top of the fifth inning, Nicaragua went with reliever Pedro Torrez who gave up a base hit to Robinson Cano and then Ramon Hernandez grounded out, but Nicaragua second baseman Emmanuel Garcia bobbled the ball, which allowed Bonifacio to score, as he was at third base and it moved Gustavo Nunez up to third. The Nicaragua lead was now just by a run at 3-2. In the bottom of the fifth inning, Nicaragua second baseman Emmanuel Rivera, who had bobbled the ball that allowed Bonifacio to score in the top of the inning, hit a 387-foot solo home run to give Nicaragua a two-run lead, 4-2. In the top of the seventh inning, a defensive error on Nicaragua's end allowed Cano to score and make it a 4-3 game. Nicaragua was unable to respond in the bottom of the seventh. To begin the top of the eighth, Webster Rivas was hit by a pitch (Sergio Alcantara entered as a pinch-runner), but Leury Garcia dropped a sac bunt to move Alcantara to second, setting up Emilio Bonifacio at the plate with one out and a man in scoring position. In Bonifacio's four years as a Marlin, he slashed .271/.332/.345/.677 with seven home run and 84 RBIs. He had 20 triples with the Marlins and if he were with Miami in 2024, then it would've been 21. On a 1-0 count, reliever Euclides Leyer went with his changeup, which Bonifacio took advantage of and tied it up on an RBI triple. The go-ahead run would come off of a Ramon Hernandez RBI single to make it 5-4. Nicaragua wasn't able to get anything else going and it would end the game. Nicaragua falls to 0-2 in the Caribbean Series. The Dominican Republic earns win number one and manager Gilbert Gómez, at age 31, becomes the second-youngest manager to win a Caribbean Series game. This was also win No. 200 for the Dominican Republic in international competition. View full article

Following Venezuela's win over the Dominican Republic on Thursday, manager Ozzie Guillén said the former MLB All-Star is still a special talent. MIAMI, FL—As Venezuela took down the Dominican Republic by a final score of 3-1, left fielder Yasiel Puig put the finishing touches on what was an electric night of Caribbean Series baseball at loanDepot park. His solo home run in the eighth inning left the bat at 107.6 miles per hour and went 436 feet. The hottest hitter during the Venezuelan Winter League's 2023-24 season, Puig's power is translating to U.S. soil. As Yordano Carmona of Pelota Cubana mentioned to Puig in the postgame press conference, the first-year Tiburones de La Guaira player had gone 1,630 days since he hit his last major league home run. The Cuban veteran was in shock to hear the number, but glad about the situation that his homer came in. "For me, all home runs and all hits are special," said Puig. "What's special to me is that we're here in the Caribbean Series. I've always wanted to play in a Caribbean Series or World Baseball Classic and I've been given the opportunity to play the Caribbean Series with the Tiburones de La Guaira and with Venezuela. They were the country that gave me an opportunity and anything that I can do on the field for this team is special for me." Following Puig's response, manager Ozzie Guillén then expanded on the question and spoke highly of Puig: Since Puig joined the Tiburones, he has slashed .351/.441/.656/1.097 with 12 home runs and 30 RBIs in 44 games played. On Thursday, Puig went 1-for-3 with a walk and the aforementioned home run. He has not played in Major League Baseball since 2019 and doesn't have a contract in place for the 2024 season. Puig and Venezuela have an off day on Friday, but will be at Florida International University to practice for their game on Saturday, which is at 10:30 a.m. against Curacao. View full article

Entering the Caribbean Series, new Marlins catcher Christian Bethancourt (Panamá) talks exclusively to Fish On First about his participation in the tournament and his expectations for the 2024 regular season. View full video

Former Marlins minor leaguer Cody Mincey speaks to Kevin Barral following Curacao's 6-5 victory over México. View full video

Final score: VEN 3, DR 1 The main event of day one of the Caribbean Series ended up being everything we could've asked for. MIAMI, FL—Thursday's most anticipated Caribbean Series game turned out to be exactly what we expected: a rollercoaster of emotions with two good pitchers on the mound for their respective teams. Even while missing some of the players that they hoped to bring to the tournament, Venezuela defeated the Dominican Republic, 3-1. Venezuela vs. Dominican Republic box score and play-by-play The first two innings of play saw a lot of action from both sides, but no run production. That changed in the top of the third inning. Venezuela gained the momentum when the bottom part of the order got to work. Back-to-back singles by Ramon Flores first and then Leonardo Reginatto gave nine-hitter Adrian Adrianza the sac bunt opportunity which was successful. Leadoff hitter Alexi Amarista drove in Flores on an RBI single which just got out of the infield to give Venezuela a 1-0 lead. The Tiburones would then strike again in the top of the sixth inning after Wilson Ramos got a base hit which was followed by a Luis Torrens walk. The Tigres ended up taking out Williams Jerez and bringing in Pedro Payano who allowed an RBI single to Ramon Flores who drove in Wilson Ramos. That would make it a 2-0 game. In the bottom of the sixth, the Dominican Republic loaded the bases off of three straight singles, the second one coming from former Marlin Emilio Bonifacio, and with one out, Robinson Cano stepped up to the plate and on a 2-0 count, Tiago De Silva threw a sinker right down the middle that Cano hit, but wasn't enough to leave the ballpark. The sac fly to drive in Webster Rivas still got them on the scoreboard and made this a 2-1 ballgame. The Dominican Republic had another chance in the bottom of the seventh as with two outs, Dawel Lugo smacked a double to make himself the tying run. Webster Rivas worked a walk and a wild pitch from Silvino Bracho moved Lugo to third, but Hector Rodriguez lined out to Ramon Flores for the third out of the inning. Venezuela put the nail in the coffin in the top of the eighth inning when Yasiel Puig, who is playing in his first Caribbean Series, hit a 416-foot home run that left the bat at 107.6 miles per hour to extend the lead. It had the highest exit velocity and distance of the night. This was Puig's first home run of the Caribbean Series and likely the biggest moment of day one here from Miami. Venezuela would end up taking this one as the Dominican Republic was limited to six hits. Venezuela starting pitcher Miguel Romero went 5 ⅓ innings, gave up one run off of three hits, didn't walk anybody and struck out three. With that, Venezuela goes into their off day with a 1-0 record. The Dominican Republic will take on Nicaragua at 3:30 p.m. on Friday. Curacao vs. México notes Sandwiched between this game and the Nicaragua/Puerto Rico Caribbean Series opener, the Curacao Suns powered their way to a win over México by the final score of 6-5. Right-hander Cody Mincey was tagged for back-to-back home runs by Aaron Altherr and Julian Ornelas to lead off the second inning to give Mexico an early 2-0 lead. After those initial struggles, Mincey was able to give Curacao a total of 4 ⅓ innings of work, as he struck out one and just allowed one more hit after the two home runs. The Suns responded right away, loading the bases in the top of the third and clearing them with a triple by veteran Sir Didi Gregorius. Curacao took a 3-2 lead and never looked back. Kevin Kelly came on in relief and pitched 4 ⅓ innings on his own to bring the game almost to a close. Curacao went up 6-2 thanks to three solo home runs, but that shrunk to a 6-5 lead with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning. Anthony Herrera came in for the save and got the job done. View full article

See what both managers had to say following Puerto Rico's 5-2 win over Nicaragua in the first game of the 2024 Caribbean Series. MIAMI, FL—Following game one of the 2024 Caribbean Series, the managers of both teams, Yadier Molina (Puerto Rico) and Marvin Bernard (Nicaragua), addressed the media postgame giving their thoughts on the first game as well as previewing Friday's games. "We need to do two things," said Bernard. "We need to pitch very well and we need to play some clean defense. I think the pitching was sufficiently well with just a couple moments here and there that didn't go our way. It's just part of the game. We need to come out tomorrow and just play better defense." Throughout the game, Nicaragua had a couple moments where they had some defensive breakdowns, most notably when center fielder Jarius Richards and left fielder Juan Montes collided which ended up taking both players out for the remainder of the game. As for the pitching, Nicaragua was able to rely on start Luis Ramirez to give them 4 ⅓ strong innings, where he only allowed one run and struck out three. As for the bullpen, each reliever only allowed one run in the game. On the other end, this marked the 200th win in Puerto Rico's history of international competition, but Molina is looking to go for win 201 on Friday when they take on Mexico. "Very happy," said Molina. "When you find out about that news and to be a part of that, it's a joy and very happy with that." After trailing 1-0 through the first four innings of the game, Puerto Rico was able to tie things up thanks to a sac fly by Danny Ortiz who drove in Bryan Torres. Molina, who spent four years playing in the Venezuelan winter leagues, spoke about the experience that he gained with those teams and how he was able to use that now as he is a manager with the Puerto Rican teams in the World Baseball Classic and now in the Caribbean Series. "A lot of things that I learned." said Molina. "Winter ball is a lot more different from Major League Baseball. There's a lot of things that I need to learn and like I said at the beginning, we just need to continue to learn. There's going to be a lot of things that come up and you just need to continue to keep paying attention and I think that I am learning a lot about that." On Friday, Puerto Rico will take on México at 8:30 p.m. and Molina previewed what the matchup could look like. What stands out is the fact that Naranjeros de Hermosillo and Criollos de Caguas have the most championships in their respective domestic leagues. "I still remember them from the World Baseball Classic," said Molina, as México beat Puerto Rico in the WBC. "We always know that they have a well-built team and a great lineup, but I have confidence in this team's pitching and offense." View full article