Double-A ‘Carnaval de Campeones’ kicks off Friday with 8 teams

The Superior Double-A Baseball League’s “Carnaval de Campeones” (Tournament of Champions) begins this Friday featuring the eight sectional champions. It will follow a round-robin format running through July 4 to determine the four national semifinalists.

By THE STAR STAFF

The Superior Double-A Baseball League’s “Carnaval de Campeones” (Tournament of Champions) begins this Friday featuring the eight sectional champions.

The tournament will follow a round-robin format running through July 4 to determine the four national semifinalists.

“Starting this Friday, we enter one of the tournament’s most exciting stages,” Puerto Rico Baseball Federation President José Daniel Quiles Rosas said. “Of the 45 teams that began in February, eight remain with their sights set on the Puerto Rico championship.”

The round-robin phase brings together the Azucareros of Yabucoa, Pescadores del Plata of Comerío, Gigantes of Carolina, Libertadores of Hormigueros, Petateros of Sabana Grande, Mulos of Juncos, Tigres of Hatillo and Maratonistas of Coamo.

Juncos is the defending champion and aims to become the first team to repeat as national champions since 2013. The Mulos, the all-time leaders in Double-A history with 11 Puerto Rico titles, also hold 24 sectional championships.

Hatillo will be the only newcomer to the “Carnaval de Campeones.” The franchise, established in 2006, secured its spot by defeating the Titanes of Florida in five games in the North Section final.

Sabana Grande enters as the only undefeated team of the postseason, boasting a 7-0 record after sweeping Cabo Rojo and Yauco. The Petateros have not won a national championship since 1981.

Coamo returns to the Carnaval after a seven-year absence, having dethroned the Peces Voladores of Salinas, who had dominated the South Section for the past five seasons.

Hormigueros also pulled off one of the postseason’s biggest surprises by eliminating the Patrulleros of San Sebastián, a team that finished the regular season with a 19-1 record. Comerío returns to the tournament after overcoming a 0-3 series deficit against the Toritos of Cayey. The Pescadores are seeking their second Puerto Rican championship, following their 2003 title.

Yabucoa enters with the best overall record among the qualified teams -- 20-8 -- with two-time American League MVP and three-time MLB All-Star Juan “Igor” González at the helm. The Azucareros have not won the national championship since 1996.

Carolina, meanwhile, will compete in its second Carnaval and aim for the first national title in its history.

Opening day games begin at 8 p.m. Friday, featuring Coamo vs. Yabucoa in Humacao, Hatillo at Comerío, Juncos at Carolina and Sabana Grande at Hormigueros.

On Saturday, starting at 7:30 p.m., the matchups will be Yabucoa at Sabana Grande, Comerío at Juncos, Carolina vs. Hatillo in Florida and Hormigueros vs. Coamo in Santa Isabel.

The second weekend will feature three games per team, while the third will include two games. At the conclusion of the round-robin stage, the top four teams will advance to the national semifinals.

Tickets are available at EventosPR.com.