HERMOSILLO, SONORA. – The "Yaquis" from Ciudad Obregon represented Mexico against a team from the Dominican Republic in what ended 4-3, and became the longest game ever played in the Caribbean Series of baseball, in which in the end the Mexican team were crowned as the champions.

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The game was played in front an incredible crowd at a newly constructed baseball stadium in Hermosillo Sonora.

Throughout the first two innings of the game there was not a lot of action, where both teams played patiently and calm. But in the third inning, Abraham Almonte scored for the Dominican Republic and put them up on the score board first.

It wasn't long after when Mexico would score, when the third baseman Luis Jimenez made a mistake that allowed Agustin Murillo to get to home plate and evened up the match at 1-1.

Jose Felix of the team from the Aztec country would put Mexico ahead by hitting a long drive down the right part of the field, where Jordany Valdespin couldn't catch and control the ball which allowed a runner to get to home plate and score.

Now at the bottom of the ninth inning, Ricardo Nanita, would emerge as the hero from the Dominican Republic when he hit a home run that would tie the game and send it to extra innings.

In the fourteenth inning the Mexican player, Karim Garcia, on his turn at bat sent a ball flying into the stands for a home run and put the team once again ahead, but this home run only encourage the Dominican players to also score, where Valdespin was able to get to home plate and put the game at 3-3 at the bottom of the fourteenth inning.

Douglas Clark in the eighteenth inning would break the tie game, by hitting a home run towards the right side of the field to put Mexico up 4-3.

The Dominican Republic could not come back to try to even up the score again, and instead in the last attempt when Linares was at bat, who was their last hope, he struck out which ended the game and Yaquis would turn Mexico now into a tree times champion of the Caribbean Series.

In the eighteenth inning is where the record for the longest game was broken, where previously it was held by a team from Venezuela "Tigres" and the "Aguilas " from the Dominican Republic in a game that lasted 18 innings (6 hours and 14 minutes) and was played in Carolina, Puerto Rico.

The new record now between the Yaquis of Mexico vs. Dominican Republic, is the same number of innings (18) but played for more than 7 hours.

The M.V.P award was given to the pitcher, Luis Alonso Mendoza, previous to the start of the game by the commissioner of the Caribbean Baseball Confederation, Juan Francisco Puello Herrera.

Two very important key elements were also Oscar Robles and Agustin Murillo from Tijuana, who both contributed to the Yaquis victories all season long.

Manuel.Medina@sandiegored.com

Omar.Martinez@sandiegored.com