A recap of action over the last three days in the five winter leagues currently playing, along with news from the U23 World Cup tournament going on in Mexico. The league in Colombia begins play on November 4th, then Australia starts up later in the month.
Saturday
In Venezuela, Elvis Escobar went 1-for-4 with a single and a walk. He also struck out twice. The walk was just his second in 19 games.
Joe Osuna went 1-for-3 with a single, walk and an RBI.
In Mexico, Luis Heredia threw a shutout inning, retiring the side in order while striking out two batters. He needed just 13 pitches, with nine going for strikes. In 7.2 innings, he has allowed seven runs (8.22 ERA) on seven hits, six walks and he has ten strikeouts.
In Puerto Rico, Danny Ortiz went 3-for-5 with three singles and a run scored.
In the U23 World Cup tournament, Sam Kennelly went 0-for-4 in Australia’s 6-5 win over Nicaragua. Victor Ngoepe went 0-for-2 with an RBI against Korea.
Sunday
In Venezuela, Elvis Escobar went 2-for-4 with two doubles and a run scored. He had two doubles through his first 19 games. Escobar is hitting .367/.387/.550 through his first 20 games. He ranks eighth in the league in OPS. First place in the league is none other than Jose Tabata.
Jose Osuna went 2-for-5 with two singles and he drove in four runs. His two-run single in the bottom of the ninth was a walk-off hit.
Jhondaniel Medina threw 1.1 scoreless innings, with no hits, one walk and no strikeouts. He has a 2.70 ERA through his first six appearances.
In the Dominican, Willy Garcia went 0-for-1 after coming into the game as a defensive replacement in the seventh inning. He replaced the right fielder, who moved to first base after the first baseman was ejected.
Edwin Espinal went 0-for-4. He is 3-for-29 through his first eight games, posting a .454 OPS.
Kelvin Marte allowed one run over six innings. He gave up six hits, no walks and had three strikeouts, to go along with an 8:2 GO/AO ratio.
Miguel Rosario retired all four batters he faced, two by strikeout. In four appearances, he has allowed two runs over 5.2 innings.
In Mexico, Carlos Munoz went 0-for-3 with a strikeout. He is hitting .152/.264/.174 through the first 15 games, with ten strikeouts in 46 at-bats, and no runs scored.
In Puerto Rico, Danny Ortiz went 0-for-4.
In the U23 World Cup tournament, Victor Ngoepe went 1-for-5 with a stolen base and a run scored. He had a tough day otherwise, striking out three times and committing an error at second base.
Sam Kennelly went 0-for-4 with a walk, while his team remained undefeated after three games. He started a 4-6-3 triple play in a huge spot, keeping the score 7-6 at the time. His team scored the final two runs for the 8-7 victory. See video below.
Monday
It was a light day on the schedule all around. In Venezuela, Jose Osuna went 0-for-4 with a walk and a strikeout. Through 20 games, he has a .304 average, with five doubles, one homer and a 12:10 BB/SO ratio. On Monday morning, he was named the Venezuelan league Player of the Week (Oct 24-30), topping Jose Tabata, who finished second in the voting.
In the Dominican, Willy Garcia went 1-for-4 with a single and a strikeout. He is 3-for-12 through six games.
In the U23 World Cup tournament, Sam Kennelly played first base and went 0-for-1 with a walk, a hit-by-pitch and a sacrifice fly, as his team won for the fourth straight day. He is 0-for-12 in the tournament.
Victor Ngoepe walked as a pinch-hitter and finished the game on defense at second base. He is 2-for-10 through the first four games, with a .733 OPS.
In Nicaragua, Anderson Feliz is on fire through the first three games. He is 6-for-11 with a double, three walks and two HBP, giving him a .688 OBP and a 1.324 OPS.
