David Martínez leads Caribbean starters

👉 The Party Starts Today! Check Your Calendar of the Caribbean Series Mazatlán 2021

David Martínez was appointed by manager Mike Álvarez to open the first meeting of the Caribbean Series, which begins this Sunday in Mazatlán.

“I am ready to take on the challenge and happy to be the one to start the tournament,” said the right, minutes before boarding the charter flight, which would transfer Caribes de Anzoátegui to Mexican lands this Saturday, from the Arturo Michelena International Airport in Valencia.

“I am fully recovered from the ailments (pull on my right leg) that affected me days ago and that prevented me from shooting in the Semifinal,” said Martínez, who took the ball in the first challenge of the Final Series, against Cardenales de Lara, and he left without decision.

Martínez, 33 years old, will face the Federales de Chiriquí, representing Panama, the least known team of those attending the Caribbean Classic, but he will not go blind.

“I played with them during the previous season (of the Panamanian league) and I know them well. They have good equipment. I’ve been reviewing his roster and I know who I’m going to face. I don’t know if it will be a surprise for them when I face them, but it will surely be a good game, ”Martínez added.

The Cumanés will go to his second Caribbean Series. In 2020, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, he won his only opening, as a member of Lara. His rival was the Canalean team Astronautas de Chiriquí and he isolated eight hits in six solid scoreless innings, in which he did not allow walks and struck out two.  

“I am healthy and rested. So I hope to do a good job, as in the previous series, ”said Martínez, who in the Final against the Red Birds did not allow annotations in 4.2 innings .

They will be followed in the order of the rotation by Andrés Machado (vs Criollos de Caguas), Guillermo Moscoso (vs Barranquilla caimans), Raúl Rivero (vs Águilas Cibaeñas) and Williams Pérez (vs the Mexican champion, who decided on Saturday night) .

Martinez and Machado would be the arms of the Caribes in an eventual semifinal and then in the deciding title game, respectively.

“I trust that we will get there and thus enjoy opening a game of that importance,” Martinez said.