Mexico, DR battle for Caribbean Series championship (10 ET: MLB Network, MLB.TV)

The stage is set for an intriguing championship game matchup in the 67th Caribbean Series on Friday at 10 p.m. ET on MLB Network and MLB.TV, between the Leones del Escogido (Dominican Republic) and the Charros de Jalisco (Mexico) at Mexicali¡¯s Nido de las ?guilas Stadium.

After sweeping its four-game round-robin schedule in the elimination stage, the host country¡¯s Charros defeated Puerto Rico¡¯s Indios de Mayag¨¹ez, 3-1, in Wednesday¡¯s semifinal round to reach the championship game. Also on Wednesday, the Leones outlasted Venezuela¡¯s Cardenales de Lara in the other semifinal, a 5-4 victory in 11 innings for the Dominican club.

Friday¡¯s game presents notable contrasts in the teams¡¯ route to the championship round, its managers and countries¡¯ history in the tournament.

Familiar names with differing experience

The biggest name in the tournament on or off the field is Escogido manager and likely future Hall of Famer Albert Pujols. In his first experience managing, Pujols led the Leones to the team¡¯s first Dominican League (LIDOM) title since 2016, and finds himself one win away from completing the championship journey in winter ball.

¡°We still haven¡¯t achieved our goal, which is to try to bring the crown to the Dominican Republic,¡± Pujols said after Wednesday¡¯s semifinal win. ¡°For me, as a manager, it¡¯s about putting the guys in a situation where they¡¯re going to have success. After that, I give the credit to them.¡±

Pujols¡¯ path to this point, however, has been uneven. After a hot start in LIDOM¡¯s regular season, the Leones suffered skids in November and December, limping into the playoffs as a fourth seed. Pujols was not immune to criticism from fans or the media during that time. But the team righted the ship in the postseason and won a memorable seven-game championship series in the D.R. over Tigres del Licey. In Mexicali, the club has won three of its five contests in the Caribbean Series.

Charros skipper Benji Gil has won five Mexican Pacific League championships and is a winter ball veteran. The former MLB infielder was a mainstay as a player in Mexican Pacific League, forming part of a Tomateros de Culiac¨¢n team -- the same one he managed to four league championships from 2015-21 -- that won the Caribbean Series in 1996. With the Charros this year, Gil seeks his first Caribbean Series crown as a manager.

Gil also led Team Mexico to the 2023 World Baseball Classic semifinals at Miami¡¯s loanDepot park.

D.R. with the bats, Mexico on the mound

In this Caribbean Series, the Dominican squad led the round-robin field in runs scored with 21, adding five more in Wednesday¡¯s semifinal. It also leads the tournament in team average, OBP and slugging.

The Leones¡¯ offense has been led by former big league outfielder S¨®crates Brito, the club¡¯s extra-inning hero on Wednesday with his decisive run-scoring double in the 11th. Brito leads the tournament with 10 hits, a .476 average and a .500 OBP. Kelvin Guti¨¦rrez (.357 AVG) and Yamaico Navarro (.316) have also been key contributors.

On the other side, the Charros' pitching has gotten them this far. The host club has a team ERA of 1.00 and has allowed just five runs in its five games. In the first matchup of the Dominican and Mexican clubs, the Charros shut out the powerful Leones lineup on three hits during a 2-0 win on Sunday in the round-robin stage.

Starting pitchers

For the Charros, left-hander Manny Ba?uelos will get the start, his second of the tournament. In his first outing, Saturday vs. Venezuela, the former big league hurler allowed just one run in six innings in a no-decision.

On the Dominican side, former MLB standout Johnny Cueto was lined up to start the championship game after he threw six scoreless innings on Saturday in a win over Japan Breeze (Japan). But Pujols announced after Wednesday¡¯s semifinal that Cueto is suffering from the flu and will not start. Right-hander Esmil Rogers will go for the Leones in his place after he allowed two runs in six frames against the Charros on Sunday. Pujols added that if Cueto¡¯s condition improves, he could be available out of the bullpen.

Championship history by team and country

With the Leones¡¯ appearance in Friday¡¯s championship game, the Dominican Republic has now had a team in the Caribbean Series final for six consecutive years, a tournament record. The D.R. is the all-time leader in championships by country, with 22. The Leones have won four, with their last one coming in 2012.

As a nation, Mexico has nine titles, but none since 2016 (Venados de Mazatl¨¢n). The Charros have never won a Caribbean Series. With a win Friday, the club would be the first undefeated champion since 2021 (?guilas Cibae?as, Dominican Republic).