Florida wins Double A baseball title after 42-year drought

Florida Titans owner Héctor Rivera hoists the Double A baseball championship trophy on Monday night. (José Espinal)

By The Star Staff

The Florida Titans were crowned on Monday night as the new champions of the Double A Superior Baseball League after beating the Yabucoa Azucareros, 9-5, at Pedro Román Meléndez Stadium in Manatí.

It was Florida’s first championship in 42 years. The new monarchs won the series 4-1, ending a string of four finals that went the maximum of seven games.

“It has been a dream season, having my family present throughout the season,” Titans manager Antonio “Tony” Vega said at the end of the game. “This is a dream come true. For me it is a privilege to bring this championship to the people of Florida, who deserve it so much and who have waited so long for it for so many years.”

A single by Gabriel “Gaby” Ayala and an infield ground ball by Ángel Guzmán gave Florida a 2-0 lead in the first inning. The offensive production continued in the second inning when hits by Daniel Figueroa and Ayala fueled a three-run rally. In the fourth inning, the Titans extended their lead to 7-0 with a single by Juan Carlos Martínez and a sacrifice fly by Guzmán.

Martínez was named Most Valuable Player of the series. His batting average in the five games was .500 with eight hits, six runs scored and four RBIs. He also shone on defense at second base.

Yabucoa’s first run came in the fifth inning with a wild pitch by right-hander Guillermo Gelpi, who notched the win for the Titans, going 5.2 innings. Florida’s mound work was completed by relievers Jonathan Castellanos and Pedro Rodriguez.

In the sixth inning, a home run by Juan Silva added two runs for the Azucareros and in the bottom of the same inning, the Titans responded with two runs of their own to make it 9-3. Yabucoa plated two more runs in the eight for the final tally.

Taking the loss was left-hander Alberto Rosario, who gave up Florida’s first five runs in just 1.1 innings.

At the end of the game, Puerto Rico Baseball Federation President Dr. José Daniel Quiles, presented the championship trophy to team owner Héctor Rivera. He was accompanied by executive director Efraín Williams and the vice president of Brava Lubricants, Julio Rosa.