An Update on the 2026 Caribbean Series in Jalisco, Mexico

Image Credit: @beisboldelcaribe on Instagram/2026 Caribbean Series

CABO ROJO, PUERTO RICO — While many of us baseball enthusiasts have been following the trades and the ups and downs of the upcoming World Baseball Classic (WBC) and the possibility of Puerto Rico pulling out of the WBC due to the lack of star players that were not insured to play, which was resolved as Puerto Rico will be playing, there is another exciting tournament taking place in Jalisco, Mexico—the 2026 Caribbean Series.

The following is a brief recap that we translated and edited from Puerto Rico’s daily, El Vocero for our readers.

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The Leones del Escogido overcame an explosive performance from the Federales de Chiriquí to win 16-15, securing their place in the Caribbean Series semifinals.

The Dominican Republic advanced to the next round after winning their first three games of the tournament. Later, the Charros de Jalisco also secured their spot in the semifinals.

Franchy Cordero went 2-for-4 with a home run and four RBIs, while Marco Hernández went 4-for-5 with three doubles, three runs scored, and four RBIs, leading the powerful Dominican offense.

Gustavo Núñez went 2-for-4 with two RBIs, and Erick González went 2-for-6, also with two RBIs, contributing to the Leones’ attack. “Nobody likes to break records like that, but the positive thing is that we got the win. It took all the players; it was a great team effort, and I’m happy because we won,” said Dominican manager Ramón Santiago after the game, which combined for 31 runs and set a Caribbean Series record for a nine-inning game.

“We need to rest some pitchers who have worked hard, and we still have one more game. For us, every game is important because of the format. Even though we’ve already qualified, we’re going to go out and win the last game because it’s important to finish in first place.”

For the Panamanian team, which has lost all three of its games in the tournament, Christian Bethancourt went 3-for-5 with a double, a triple, and four RBIs, while Jhonny Santos went 2-for-5 with a double, three runs scored, and a solo home run. “It was a great game. Unfortunately, we didn’t come away with the victory, but I’m proud of the guys, who gave it their all and fought until the very end,” commented Panamanian manager José Mayorga. “We know the situation we’re in; we have one game left, and we have to dig deep and get the result we’ve been trying for since day one.”

Mexico Red and Green also advance to the semifinals.

The Charros de Jalisco, champions of the Mexican Pacific League, defeated the Tomateros de Culiacán, the league’s runners-up, 4-2. With this result, both teams secured their place in the semifinals.

Mexico Red improved their record to 3-1 and guaranteed their passage to the next round, while Mexico Green fell to 1-2 but advanced to the semifinals despite losing their final game against the Leones del Escogido, thanks to other results.

“We need to win two more games, and the second one gives us the chance to be crowned champions. Our goal is to win the championship and lift the trophy on Saturday, whoever we face,” said Mexico Rojo manager Benjamín Gil. “I’m not making any promises or predictions, but I have a lot of confidence in my players.”

On the final day, if Puerto Rico defeats Panama, the Federales de Chiriquí would be eliminated with a 0-4 record, and Mexico Verde would advance. If Panama defeats the Cangrejeros de Santurce, the Mexicans would also qualify because they hold the tiebreaker advantage over Puerto Rico.

“We have to think of ourselves as already being in the semifinals. If we beat the Dominican Republic tomorrow, we’ll be in a slightly better position; if we lose, we’ll play against the number one seed,” said Tomateros manager Lorenzo Bundy. “I want to win every game, and we’ll go out there to win tomorrow as well.”

In the game, Rodolfo Amador put México Verde ahead with a sacrifice fly in the first inning, but the Charros responded with an RBI single by Mateo Gil and a solo home run by Reynaldo Rodríguez to take the lead.

Amador tied the game again for the Tomateros with an RBI double in the third inning, but in the fifth, a wild pitch by Braulio Torres-Pérez allowed Julián Ornelas to score the go-ahead run. In the seventh, Michael Wielansky hit an RBI single to seal the final 4-2 victory.

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