The Cardenales de Lara will face the Tiburones de la Guaira in the Grand Final of the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League.
The first pitch will begin this Tuesday, January 23 at the University Stadium in Caracas. It will be played in the traditional seven-game, win-four format.
In an unprecedented event, La Guaira and Lara will face off in the final. It will mark the first instance in the history of Venezuelan baseball where these two specific teams will compete directly for the championship title.
Route to the final
The Tiburones de La Guaira were the first to qualify for the grand final.
The Cardinales de Lara recovered from a bad start in which they lost the first four games of the Round Robin stage.
The Leones del Caracas, who are the current champions, Bravos de Margarita and Tigres de Aragua were eliminated.
What to expect from the two teams
Two different styles will face each other in the final. Tiburones are characterized by a conservative and powerful game. The Cardenales’ game plan is designed around an aggressive and fast game.
The managers of both teams are highly recognized in the world of baseball.
Oswaldo Guillen, manager of the Tiburones de La Guaira, had an outstanding career as a baseball player. MLB teams he played for included the Chicago White Sox, Baltimore Orioles, Atlanta Braves and Tampa Bay Devil Rays. He is also the first Latino to win a World Series with the Chicago White Sox in 2005.
Henry Blanco, of the Cardenales de Lara, is the first manager in the LVBP to head to two consecutive finals with different teams. He was manager of the Tiburones last season. Blanco also poses an outstanding career in the Major Leagues with Los Angeles Dodgers, Colorado Rockies, Milwaukee Brewers and Atlanta Braves, among others.
An even final is expected, with similar options and a disputed series to define the representative of Venezuela, in the Caribbean Series to be played in Miami, USA.
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