This article appeared in El Vocero de Puerto Rico. It has been translated and edited for our English dominant readers
By Jarniel Canales Conde, EL VOCERO
The Cangrejeros defeated the Leones in the local tournament final and secured their participation in the 2026 Caribbean Series
The Santurce Cangrejeros returned to the top of winter baseball tonight, winning their seventeenth championship in the history of the Roberto Clemente Professional Baseball League (LBPRC), after defeating the Ponce Leones 5-1 in the sixth game of the local tournament final series.
With the victory, the capital city team earned the right to represent Puerto Rico in the 2026 Caribbean Series, which will be held in Jalisco, Mexico, from February 1-7.
Santurce won the best-of-nine series 5-1.
The Cangrejeros will thus return to the Caribbean Series, a tournament they haven’t participated in since 2020. The historic franchise was the first team to win the Caribbean championship, a feat achieved in Caracas in 1951 with Roberto Clemente as its iconic figure.
Their trophy case also boasts four other titles, won in Havana in 1953, Caracas in 1955, Mazatlán in 1993, and Santo Domingo in 2000. Former manager Mako Oliveras was the last manager to guide the Cangrejeros to a Caribbean crown.
To date, the Cangrejeros have a 41-31 record in the Caribbean Series and, along with the Criollos de Caguas, are the most successful franchises in the tournament’s history, with five championships each. The game, scheduled for 7:00 p.m., was briefly delayed to make way for a historic moment when former Puerto Rican outfielder Carlos Beltrán was announced as the sixth Puerto Rican to have his plaque in Cooperstown.
Before a packed stadium, with fans even left outside after security personnel closed access when the general admission section reached maximum capacity, Santurce struck first. Nelson Velázquez reached base on an error by third baseman Emmanuel Rivera, allowing Rubén Castro to score the first run of the game.
Inside the stadium, the celebration began immediately. Pleneros (a type of Puerto Rican folk music) enlivened the festivities after the first run, scored in the bottom of the third inning. In the following inning, Jack López extended the lead with a line-drive double to left field, driving in Brian Navarreto to make it 2-0 for the home team.
Emotions ran high in the third inning when a scuffle between both teams heated things up, followed by a brief rain shower that forced a momentary delay.
Ponce threatened in the fifth inning by loading the bases with no outs, but the Santurce pitching staff managed to contain the opposing offense and preserve the lead. In the sixth, a ground ball by William Simoneit led to a double play with runners on first and third, eliminating the Leones’ chance to cut into the lead.
The decisive blow came in the eighth inning when Brian Navarreto hit a single to center field that drove in Shed Long Jr., extending the lead to 3-0 and bringing the Cangrejeros closer to the championship, in front of a crowd already celebrating the title. Johneswhy Fargas drove in two more runs to make it 5-0. In the ninth, Aldemar Burgos scored the first run for the Lions, but Santurce closed the game with a sensational play by Andrew Velázquez for the final out.
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