During the late stages of the MLB Offseason, the always-intriguing Caribbean Series is ready to kick off in winter.
Since its inception in 1949, the Caribbean Series, or Serie del Caribe in Spanish, is an annual tournament organized by the Caribbean Professional Baseball Confederation. The tournament is usually held in late January and will go into the first week of February. Consistent participants are the winter league champions from Venezuela, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic. The 2024 edition held in Miami also featured teams from Panama, Nicaragua, and Curacao. In the most recent tournament held in Mexicali, Mexico, the confederation invited the Japan Breeze, a team composed of Japanese industrial and independent minor leaguers. With just over a week from its conclusion, I review the tournament’s history, the 2025 results, my experience there in person, and the future of the tournament.
Quick History
Venezuelan counterparts Pablo Morales and Oscar Prieto Ortiz were the men who devised the plan, and thus the Caribbean Series was established. It’s no surprise that the Latin American superpower, Dominican Republic, is the country that has won the most editions of the tournament. In total, Dominican teams have won 23 total championships. The winningest Dominican team are the Tigres del Licey, who have contributed 11 titles to the 23. Puerto Rico trails the Dominican Republic with 16 titles and Mexico follows with 9 total championships. Cuba and Venezuela split even at 8 titles each.
2025 – Mexicali, Mexico
The Cardenales de Lara defeated the Bravos de Margarita to represent Venezuela. The Venezuelan team finished in fourth place this year. OF Alexi Amarista, INF Ildemaro Vargas, INF Hernan Perez and Manager Henry Blanco were former major leaguers who defended their native country’s colors. The Japan Breeze was a special invitee this year. Their performance was well-below average as their team was not up to par with the level of competition. They went winless in the four games they participated in. Former big league infielder, Munenori Kawasaki, was the lone familiar face on the team.
The Puerto Rican reps were the Indios de Mayaguez. The Indios earned their Caribbean Series berth after defeating the Senadores de San Juan. The Puerto Rican champs finished in third after edging Venezuela in a game for third place. Notable players that suited up for team Puerto Rico were INF Emmanuel Rivera, OF Eddie Rosario, and pitchers Jose De Leon and Dereck Rodriguez. The 2025 Caribbean Series runner-up was Charros de Jalisco. The Mexican Pacific League Champions were led by former major leaguer, Benji Gil. The Charros beat Gil’s former club, the Tomateros de Culiacan in their local championship series. The Mexican squad went undefeated in their first 5 games until the championship, beating Puerto Rico for a second time to advance to the final. Notable players on the Mexican team were SP Manny Banuelos, SS Jack Mayfield, CF Billy Hamilton, RP Jesus Cruz, and RP Stephen Nogosek.
Tampa Bay Rays prized prospect, SS Junior Caminero, was instrumental in helping the Leones del Escogido conquer the Dominican League title over Tigres del Licey in a thrilling seven-game championship series. However, Caminero did not participate in the Caribbean Series. Notables on the Escogido team were 2B Robinson Cano, SP Esmil Rogers, SP Johnny Cueto, C Francisco Mejia, RP Fernando Abad, and RP Alex Colome. The Albert Pujols-led Leones beat the Charros in a nail biter to win the 2025 edition in a game that was dominated by the pitching staffs.
The Experience
The first Caribbean Series I attended was in 2021. The tournament was held in Mazatlan, a coastal city in the Mexican state of Sinaloa. The lone game I attended was the action-packed affair between the Tomateros de Culiacan (MX) and Caribes de Anzoategui (VEN). The Mexican team won in extras, 4-3. Boston Red Sox All-Star OF Jarren Duran was a standout performer for the Criollos de Caguas (PR) in that year’s tournament. C Yadier Molina also played for his native country and 2B Robinson Cano represented the Aguilas Cibaenas (DR).
The next tournament I attended was the 2022 edition held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Aside from the baseball games being absolute parties due to the passionate Dominican fans, the experience and the friendships formed made this series unforgettable. If you like baseball and beautiful beaches, you will love the Dominican Republic. The native folks live for the great game and are phenomenal hosts. During the 2022 series, I experienced my first ever Dominican Republic versus Puerto Rico game. There was quite an atmosphere in Estadio Juan Marichal, the rivalry was alive and well.
Miami’s LoanDepot Park played host in 2024. The series being held on American soil was a huge success for the confederation and MLB. Miami is a Latin American hotbed and the attendance reflected it. The 2024 edition was record-breaking as the game between Criollos de Caguas (PR) against Tigres del Licey (DR) set a Caribbean Series attendance record. 35,972 spectators were at the stadium that night. At the end of it all, Tiburones de La Guaira (VEN) defeated Tigres del Licey (DR) in the championship game. The final game broke the previous attendance record. 36,677 fans were cheering on their respective teams.
In 2025, the tournament returned to Mexico. The host city was Mexicali, a short two-hour drive from my hometown of Coachella, CA. This series was special to me as this is a city that I frequent and have a good number of friends there. The Charros de Jalisco (MX) played well from the start. Their style of play relied heavily around strong pitching efforts and manufacturing runs on the basepaths. They faced off against the Leones del Escogido (DR) in the championship game. The Mexican team unfortunately had a clunker of a game, only putting up one hit in a lackluster offensive effort. The Leones raised the championship trophy in Mexicali behind a single run.
Between the experience and the different people you meet, every trip and tournament is different but well worth it. If you like baseball with some extra flair, the Caribbean Series is definitely for you.
On the Horizon
As of this moment, the 2026 edition is tentatively set to take place in Caracas, Venezuela. Next year’s tournament is shaping out to be the first of its kind. Per the confederation, the Japan Breeze will be invited back. Teams from South Korea, Italy, and Cuba are also invited to participate. Whether or not every invitee makes it remains to be seen, but it would be Italy’s and South Korea’s first ever participation in the tournament. Cuba was an original participant, but the team consistently faces off-the-field challenges.
2027 is set to return to Mexico, but this time in Hermosillo, Sonora, and in 2028 the Dominican Republic will be the host country. Those are back-to-back tournaments that I plan on making the trip for. I believe that holding the Caribbean Series in either New York stadium will be a huge success, just like Miami. In terms of baseball quality, the tournament is a full step below the World Baseball Classic, but the ongoing growth is the best thing that can happen to our great game of baseball.
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