Washington Nationals' second baseman Ronnie Belliard, playing second for the Tigres del Licey of the Liga de Beisbol Dominicano this winter, hit .273 in the Caribbean Series, going 2 for 5 with a double and a run scored in the deciding game of the Series Thursday night, where the participants in the Liga de Beisbol Dominicano Championship Series, Tigres del Licey and the team that beat them for the Dominican Championship, Aguilas Cibaenas, battled to an historic conclusion, with Licey becoming the first team ever to win the Caribbean Series without having won their own Winter League's title.
Ronnie Belliard actually cost the Tigres a chance at an unbeaten Caribbean Series with an error in the ninth inning of Wednesday's game against the Mexican entry in the Caribbean Series, Yaquis de Obregon...
...Belliard apparently, (according to MLB.com's Gameday) couldn't come up with a grounder from former Minor Leaguer Reggie Taylor, which allowed a run to score, making it 4-2 and opening the flood gates, with a run scoring triple from Yaquis de Obregon second baseman Carlos Valencia following to make it 4-3, and a ground ball from San Diego Padres infielder Oscar Robles that rolled just out of Belliard's reach at second scoring the tying run to make it a 4-4 game in the ninth.
After Yaquis de Obregon rallied from a 4-1 deficit to tie the game in the top of the ninth, they won their first game of the Caribbean Series with three more runs in the top of the tenth that kept Licey fans waiting one more day before the Tigres would beat Dominican rival Aguilas Cibaenas Thursday night to win what was, according to MLB.com' Jesse Sanchez's article, "08 Caribbean Series made history":
"...the club's(Licey's) 10th Caribbean Series title since the
country began participating in 1970 and the 17th overall
for the Dominican Republic."
Ronnie Belliard spent the entire Caribbean Series batting in the bottom third of the Licey order, where most preseason prognosticators have him batting in the DC lineup in '08, and over the six game Series, Belliard collected six hits in 22 at bats for a .273 AVG with 1 double, 1 home run, 4 RBI's and 3 runs scored.
So...I guess the whole firing of "Nationals' coach Tim Tolman thing" worked out for Licey. Good for them.
*Belliard/Caribbean Series Links*
mlb.com's "Gameday" coverage of the Caribbean Series finale:
http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/y2007/gd.html?2008_02_07_dorwin_domwin_1
mlb.com's Jesse Sanchez's article, "'08 Caribbean Series made history" at mlb.com: