Congratulations to Jesmuel Valentin and the Puerto Rico team for winning the Caribbean Series championship over Mexico on Tuesday night.
Puerto Rico won 1-0 in 10 innings. In that 10th, Yadiel Rivera doubled to lead off, setting up Valentin, who sacrifice bunted him to third. Rivera would score the winning run on a Jonathan Morales sacrifice fly. Miguel Mejia pitched a perfect 10th to seal the championship.
As a side note, the Mexican team’s leadoff hitter is a real blast from the past … Chris Roberson. A backup outfielder for the Phillies in 2006 and ’07, Roberson has carved out quite a career in Mexico (last year hitting .320/.376/.457 for Sultanes de Monterrey). This year in the Caribbean Series, Roberson hit .409/.480/.545 with a big home run in 22 at bats.
Valentin, meanwhile, hit .250/.286/.333 in the Series.
Tim MalcolmTim first found the Phillies as a little infant at Veteran’s Stadium, cheering on a Juan Samuel game-winning home run in his very first game. With the pinstripes in his blood, he witnessed Terry Mulholland’s 1990 no-hitter, “Steve Carlton Night” at the Vet, game three of the 1993 World Series, countless games during the charmed 2008 championship season and various road excursions. Since November 2007 Tim’s been writing about them daily at Phillies Nation, becoming one of the world’s most popular Phillies scribes. You can catch him on Twitter and Facebook, as well. When he’s not talking about the Phils he’s relaxing with a St. Bernardus ABT 12 or one of his many favored brews.
