After burning the bats in the finals of the winter baseball season in Puerto Rico, the Cangrejeros de Santurce were limited to one hit to lose in the opening match of the tournament on Monday, 3-1, against the Dominican Republic in the National State Stadium, Rod Carew in the capital of Panama.

The champions of the Professional Baseball League Roberto Clemente (LBPRC) arrived in the Panamanian capital with 39 undisputed consecutive hits connected in their sweep of four games against the Mayagüez Indians.

However, on Monday only designated hitter David Vidal was able to connect against pitching of the Dominican Republic after the impeccable work of the starter Néstor Cortés (winning pitcher) and the relievers Jenry Mejía and Román Méndez. The trio combined for 1.80 ERA with nine strikeouts in eight innings.