While Mexico and the Dominican Republic were battling in the opening semifinal of the 2014 Caribbean Series, Puerto Rico and Venezuela continued to make their final preparations ahead of their final four showdown. Both Puerto Rico and Venezuela moved out of the round-robin pool with Mexico and the DR thanks to piling up enough wins through the opening stage. With Cuba exiting the field following a 1-3 slate, the aforementioned teams completed a highly talented field preparing to make a run at the Caribbean Series title.
Venezuela is led by a talented group of offensive players in Alberto Callaspo, Ramon Hernandez, Eduardo Escobar with righties Carlos Zambrano and Tyson Brummett leading the pitching department. Callaspo, Hernandez and Escobar – three players currently connected to various Major League Baseball organizations – have combined to drive in 10 RBI for Navegantes del Magallanes, providing the Venezuelan team with timely and needed offense. Venezuela has won a total of 7 Caribbean Series titles, with the last one coming in 2009 and if they’re to recapture some of the countries past success, the effectiveness of Carlos Zambrano will certainly be a big piece.
Set to take on a Puerto Rico team that features Major Leaguers of their own, Venezuela is happy to have the services of the MLB veteran Zambrano, who said recently that he’s trying to get his emotions under control after charging out of the dugout to tackle an opponent this winter. “I'm feeling great and I feel I've worked hard to get to this point,” Zambrano said. “To pitch for Venezuela in the Caribbean Series is important for the country, but also to keep showing that I can pitch.
“My fastball, sinker and slider are all working. I thank God for the results,” he continued. “[My emotions] are something I have to work on. It's something I have to pray on. I'm a Christian, but I also believe forgiveness is part of this. That's why I ask for forgiveness from Venezuela first and the Caribes organization.”
2014 Caribbean Series Semifinals - Puerto Rico vs. Venezuela: DATE, TIME & TV INFO
DATE: Friday, February 7
TIME: 7:00pm, ET
TV COVERAGE: ESPN Deportes
LIVE STREAM: CLICK HERE
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