LIDOM: Starlin Castro and Jerar Encarnación Homer in Águilas Cibaeñas Win Against Gigantes del Cibao 

Águilas Cibaeñas 8, Gigantes del Cibao 4 (Estadio J. Javier)

Designated hitter and 12-year MLB veteran Starlin Castro led Águilas Cibaeñas with three RBI in their 8-4 win against Gigantes del Cibao on October 16. Castro also hit a two-run home run in the fifth against Anderson Pillar, putting the game out of reach at 8-4. Castro, 34, last played in MLB in 2021 for the Washington Nationals and is a four-time All-Star. Castro went 1-3 and also had a sacrifice fly.

Águilas Cibaeñas right fielder Jerar Encarnación gave the team a jolt with a two-run home run in the first against starting pitcher Solomon Bates to put them in front 2-0. Encarnación, 26, went 3-for-4 with a double and two RBI last night. Encarnación is currently on the San Francisco Giants and had five home runs in 113 at-bats last season. He was signed as an international free agent by the Miami Marlins out of the Dominican Republic in 2015. He made his MLB debut with them in 2022.

Gigantes del Cibao Cuban designated hitter Henry Urrutia hit an RBI single to cut the deficit to 2-1. Second baseman Hanser Alberto tied the game up with an RBI single in the first against starting pitcher Tyler Visa. Urrutia was 3-for-5, and Alberto added an RBI double in the third. Visa was chased out of the game in the third after giving up four runs on the night.

Managers- Águilas Cibaeñas is managed by former Kansas City Royals manager and five-time MLB All-Star Tony Peña. Peña was an MLB catcher and bench coach with the New York Yankees from 2006-2017.

Wellington Cepeda is the manager for Gigantes del Cibao. He was a minor league pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks and currently serves as the bullpen coach for the Miami Marlins.

Estrellas Orientales 3, Toros del Este 1 (Estadio F. Micheli)

Third baseman Emmanuel Rivera had an outstanding debut, going 3-for-4 with three hits and an RBI. His single in the third against starter Andy Ortero was the only run of the game for Toros del Este. Rivera, 28, is a four-year MLB veteran playing for the Baltimore Orioles.

Toros del Este starting pitcher Matt Demordy had a strong outing with four scoreless innings and four strikeouts. The score stayed 1-0 until Estrellas Orientales exploded for three runs in the eighth against Joel Peguero.

Right fielder Abraham Almonte tied the game up with an RBI single, and they took the lead with an RBI single from designated hitter Rainer Nuñez. Outfielder Ramiel Tapia added an RBI single of his own to make it a 3-1 lead for Estrellas Orientales. Tapia, 30, played in MLB for eight seasons, and his last MLB appearance was with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2023.

Former Texas Rangers closer Neftalí Feliz got the save with a scoreless ninth and two strikeouts. Feliz, 36, also pitched for six other MLB teams and ended his career with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2021.

Managers—Jose Offerman is in his first season as manager for Toros del Este. He has extensive managerial experience with Tigres del Licey and won manager of the year last season with the Conspiradores de Querétaro in Liga Mexicana de Béisbol. Offerman played 15 MLB seasons, mainly for the Dodgers, and was a two-time All-Star.

Fernando Tatis Sr. is the manager for Estrellas Oreitnales. His son Fernando Tatis Jr. played for the team last year and is still on their roster. Tatis Sr. made history in his MLB career by hitting two grand slams in an inning and driving in eight runs against the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1999, both records for one inning.

Leones del Escogido 3, Tigres del Licey 2 (Estadio Quisqueya)

Leones del Escogido left fielder Junior Lake hit a solo walk-off home run in the ninth against Tigres del Licey reliever Jario Asencio to give Leones del Escogido a 3-2 win. The right-handed hitting Lake, 34, was 0-4 entertaining the ninth, but it didn’t matter because he got the biggest hit of the night. Lake played four MLB seasons from 2013-2016, mainly with the Chicago Cubs.

Junior Lake with a walk-off ???? to kick off the LIDOM season for @EscogidoBBClub pic.twitter.com/8kc1WlezV4

— World Baseball Network (@WorldBaseball_) October 17, 2024

The pitching was solid on both sides, with the starting pitchers giving up one run each.

Leones del Escogido starter Elian Leyva pitched four innings of one-run ball with two strikeouts. His only blemish was a solo home run from shortstop Jordan Lawlar in the fourth.

Lawlar is the Arizona Diamondbacks’ top prospect on MLB Pipeline.com and ranks ninth on their top 100 list. Lawlar made his MLB debut in 2023 and had a difficult year in 2024 with a UCL injury and thumb surgery. He only played 12 games for the Diamondbacks, Triple-A affiliate, the Reno Aces.

Tigres del Licey starting pitcher Nico Tellache pitched 3.2 innings of one-run ball with five strikeouts. Third baseman Luis De Los Santos hit an RBI single against Tellache in the fourth. First baseman Ramon Hernandez gave Tigres del Licey a 2-1 lead in the sixth with an RBI single off reliever Ralph Garza.

Leones del Escogido pinch hitter Sandber Pimental came through with an RBI groundout to tie the game 2-2 in the sixth against reliever Ben Heller.

Shortstop Erik Gonzalez also had a big day for Leones del Escogido. He went 3-for-3 with two runs scored. Gonzalez, 33, was a seven-year MLB veteran and last played with the Miami Marlins in 2022.

Managers- Dominican MLB legend Albert Pujols is the manager for Leones del Escogido. Pujols mainly played for the St. Louis Cardinals and is fourth on the all-time home run list with 703. Pujols also played for the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. He is also currently a special assistant for the Angels.

Tigres del Licey manager Gilbert Gomez returns after winning the LIDOM championship last season. Gomez, 32, was a former New York Mets’ prospect and became the youngest manager in their history to manage their high-a affiliate, the Brooklyn Cyclones, last season.

LIDOM Schedule October 17: 

Toros del Este 0-1 vs Águilas Cibaeñas 1-0 at 7:30 p.m. EST in Estadio Cibao 

Gigantes del Cibao 0-1 vs Licey de Tigres 0-1 at 7:30 p.m. EST in Estadio Quisqueya

Photo Credit: Starlin Castro #13 of the Washington Nationals warms up before a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Nationals Park on July 3, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)