Inspection finds bat used in clutch LIDOM HR was not corked
David Venn
@DavidVennMLBThe Leones del Escogido, managed by first-year skipper Albert Pujols, were one out away from winning the Dominican League (LIDOM) title Sunday evening against the two-time defending champions, Tigres del Licey, at Santo Domingo¡¯s Estadio Quisqueya Juan Marichal.
But with Escogido winning, 4-2, Licey¡¯s Gustavo N¨²?ez tied Game 6 at 4 with a home run off Leones closer and veteran MLB reliever Rafael Montero with two outs in the top of the ninth. The Tigres would go on to to win the contest, 7-4, in 13 innings, forcing a decisive Game 7 scheduled for Monday evening at the Santo Domingo clubs¡¯ shared home park, named after the Dominican Republic¡¯s first Hall of Famer.
The game¡¯s drama, however, did not end with Sunday¡¯s final out. After N¨²?ez¡¯s home run, Escogido alleged that his bat was corked, prompting the game¡¯s umpiring crew to secure it for inspection. On Monday, the league carried out the inspection and sent a press release stating that they found the bat was not corked and it did meet specifications.
The bat was cut and inspected by league officials, including LIDOM president Vitelio Mej¨ªa and Dominican Republic Commissioner of Baseball Junior Noboa, as well as club officials from both Escogido and Licey.
In Monday¡¯s decisive Game 7, Licey will be trying to win its third consecutive Dominican League title and become the first team with a threepeat since the ?guilas Cibae?as from 1996-98 -- clubs managed by future MLB skippers Terry Francona, Mike Quade and Tony Pe?a, respectively.
On the Escogido side, Pujols, in his first foray into managing, will try to lead his squad to its first championship since 2016. The winner will then represent the Dominican Republic in the 67th Caribbean Series in Mexicali, Mexico. The tournament, starting this Friday and running until Feb. 7, also includes clubs representing Venezuela, Mexico, Puerto Rico and, for the first time in the tournament, Japan.