Spanish
SANTO DOMINGO.- Héctor Rodríguez will return with the Leones del Escogido in search of the bicampeonato starting this Wednesday when the Final Series against the Toros del Este begins at the Quisqueya Juan Marichal stadium.
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This was confirmed this Tuesday at a press conference by the team's general manager, Carlos Peña, indicating that the outfielder's integration is a sign of his commitment to the reds. "Héctor Rodríguez is here again, demonstrating his commitment, willingness, and desire to be with the Escogido. We were finally able to get that permission and here he is from day one. He flew directly from Cincinnati to here to arrive on time and be part of the team," he explained. In the case of Jorge Mateo, who was unable to see action in the last game of the "melenudos" due to family matters, the manager of the "rojos" indicated that, like Rodríguez and the rest of the team, the infielder's level of commitment is incomparable, so he will continue to see action even though he has already signed a contract with a Major League team. "Despite having signed, which we are very proud of, he is here. Even his team asked him to go to the United States immediately, but Jorge said he has to finish the commitment with the Leones del Escogido. That shows that these guys are not playing for a contract, they care about their team. They are true Escogidistas," he declared.Regarding the integrations of pitchers Matt Foster and Luis Fernando Miranda, acquired in the import draft held this Tuesday, Peña explained that the baseball operations team considered these players to strengthen the pitching of the national and Caribbean champions.
“We chose Foster and Miranda because they can help us in the bullpen, strengthen us and help us close out games, especially late, specifically talking about Foster. Miranda comes with an arm that can pitch many innings. Obviously, as a starter he has been successful and also adds a lot of value to us”, he specified.
Lakins starts
Right-handed pitcher Travis Lakins will be the starting pitcher for the opening game of the Final Series, which will be played this Wednesday at 7:15 p.m. This was confirmed by manager Ramón Santiago, revealing that José Urquidy will be in charge of the second game in La Romana. "Lakins was one of our most consistent starters all season. He was someone who gave us many quality starts and the chance to win many games due to his effectiveness, especially giving us that depth in the starting pitching. We truly have full faith in him," he indicated. Regarding Rodríguez's integration into the team, who was a key player for the team during the season, especially when he rejoined the decisive game to obtain the classification to the Round Robin, Santiago had nothing but praise for the outfielder. "The truth is that Héctor Rodríguez changes the game. You could notice in that game (for the classification) that he made the difference. And I believe that when you have a player of his caliber on the team, it gives you incredible depth. When they gave me that news, it brought a smile to my face," concluded the foreman.Practices
After resting on Monday, the Leones del Escogido practiced at the Quisqueya this Tuesday from 5:00 in the afternoon. The LIDOM Final Series is scheduled for the best of seven games with three consecutive games starting on Wednesday and concluding with another four (if necessary), after a day of rest
