LIDOM: J.C. Escarra Pushing Aguilas Cibaenas To The Top

The Águilas Cibaeñas have jumped to the top of the ​Liga de Béisbol Profesional de la República Dominicana standings with a record of 8-1 as of November 4. The Leones del Escogido are in second place with a 5-5 record. They received some reinforcements with infielder Gio Urshela and pitchers Trevor Kelly and Leal Lockhart on Nov. 4. 

​The Toros del Este are tied for second place with a 5-5 record, followed by the Tigres del Licey with a record of 4-5. The Tigres del Licey had Santiago Matias throw out the first pitch before their game against the Águilas Cibaeñas was postponed on November 3. Matias is the CEO of the Alofoke Media Group. 

Subió la libra ???? @matiasgarciard presente en el Quisqueya hoy ???? pic.twitter.com/NDtWJhgEde

— Tigres del Licey (@TigresdelLicey) November 3, 2025

​The Gigantes del Cibao are 3-5 and are in fifth place in the LIDOM standings and the Estrellas Orientales dropped to last place at 4-8. 

​Águilas Cibaeñas – The Águilas Cibaenas went 5-0 this past week, and catcher J.C. Escarra hit a two-run triple in their 6-5 win against the Estrellas Orientales on Oc. 27. He also added another hit and RBI in the game and went 2-for-5 with three RBIs. 

Escarra, 30, made his MLB debut with the New York Yankees last season. He has an OPS of .867 in 20 LIDOM at-bats this season. 

​He had two home runs, 11 RBIs, and an OPS of .629 in 84 at-bats with the Yankees in 2025. 

A two-run triple from @jcescarra in the @aguilascibaenas 6-5 win against the @EOBASEBALLCLUB in #LIDOM last night!
pic.twitter.com/8oNe7At3Hg

— World Baseball Network (@WorldBaseball_) October 28, 2025

​Leones del Escogido – Gio Urshela, 34, previously played in LIDOM with the Tigres del Licey in 2018-19, and he is the most notable reinforcement for Leones del Escogido. Urshela spent this last season with the Athletics and has 10 years of MLB experience. Urshela’s best season came with the New York Yankees in 2019 with a career-high 21 home runs and 74 RBIs. 

​He also had a career-best slash line of .314/.355/.534 in 442 at-bats. Urshela was born in Cartagena, Colombia, and played for them in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. 

​Toros del Este – Bryan De La Cruz, 28, hit a grand slam against the Tigres del Licey on October 29 that made the difference in the Toros del Este’s 6-3 win. De La Cruz leads the Toros del Este with seven RBIs and has an OPS of .874 in 33 at-bats. He signed with the Houston Astros as an  

international free agent out of the Dominican Republic in 2013. In 2021, he was traded to the Miami Marlins, and he made his MLB debut with them that same season. 

​De La Cruz also played with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2024 and appeared in 16 games for the Atlanta Braves in 2025. 

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​Tigres del Licey – Cesar Valdez has been the best pitcher on the Tigres del Licey, throwing 7 1/3 innings with eight strikeouts, and an ERA of 2.45 thus far. Valdez, 40, started in their 8-2 win against the Toros del Este on October 28 and pitched 3 1/3 of a one-run ball with three strikeouts. Valdez is a LIDOM veteran, having made his debut in 2008-2009 with the Tigres del Licey. Valdez pitched in five MLB seasons in 2010, 2017, and 2020-2022. His last MLB appearance was with the Los Angeles in 2022, and his best stretch came with the Baltimore Orioles in 2020 and 2021. 

​Gigantes del Cibao – Carlos Franco hit a three-run home run in the Gigantes del Cibao’s 8-6 win against the Estrellas Orientales on Nov. 3. Franco leads their team with two home runs, seven RBI, and an OPS of 1.194 in 16 at-bats in LIDOM. Franco, 33, was signed by the Atlanta Braves out of the Dominican Republic in 2009 but never made it to MLB. He was in the Braves’ minor league system for 10 seasons and rose as high as their Triple-A affiliate, the Gwinnett Braves. 

​He last played for them in 2018, and had 70 home runs, 435 RBIs, and a slash line of .244/.326/.364 in 3,291 career at-bats. 

https://x.com/WorldBaseball_/status/1985502698427335027

​Estrellas Orientales – One of the lone bright spots for the Estrellas Orientales during their eight-game losing streak has been Miguel Sano. The former Minnesota Twins’ slugger still leads LIDOM with six home runs, 16 RBIs, and a slugging percentage of .783 in 46 at-bats. His OPS of 1.209 is second amongst all LIDOM hitters this season. 

https://x.com/WorldBaseball_/status/1985751398533759104

Photo: J.C. Escarra speaks during a press conference before an opening-day baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers, Thursday, March 27, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Ronald Blum)