Mexican Pacific League: Yaquis de Obregon 16, Aguilas de Mexicali 3

Wes Bankston did his part for Mexicali in this one, going 1 for 3 with a solo homer and a walk, but it was far too little and far too late as Obregon moved onto the Caribbean Series in resounding fashion with a blowout win. Batters number 1 to 5 in the Obregon order all had multiple hits and at least one extra-base hit, including 3-hit games by Alfredo Amezago and Barbaro Canizares and homers by Canizares and Jesse Gutierrez, but we’ll focus on the ex-Rays at the bottom of the Yaquis’ lineup, Iker Franco and Juan Miranda. Franco has been renowned for his handling of the Obregon pitching staff all winter, but he was able to have a nice game with the bat as well in this one, going 2 for 4 with 2 doubles, an RBI, and a run scored. It wasn’t just an offensive effort for Franco either as he was able to weather a tough outing from starter Roman Colon where he lasted just 3 innings to help this blowout from becoming a slugfest. Miranda, meanwhile, was the only Obregon hitter without an RBI after a bizarre game, going 1 for 2 with two hit-by-pitches and 2 runs scored. Miranda would prefer to get on base in less painful ways, but he has settled in nicely as the Yaquis’ first baseman since joining them for the MPL playoffs. Jon Weber, meanwhile, went 0 for 3 for Mexicali, seeing an incredible MPL regular season conclude with a disastrous playoff experience, and that especially stings for Weber because he was going to need to continuously come up huge to even think of getting a minor league contract from a big league organization and have the slightest chance of fulfilling his dream of playing in the major leagues. Rooting for the Rays players in this game, it was a bittersweet experience as Franco, Miranda, and the Yaquis move on but Bankston, Weber, and the Aguilas have been sent packing as Obregon sweeps the MPL Championship Series and will play in the Caribbean Series versus the winners of the leagues in the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, and Puerto Rico.

Unfortunately joining the ranks of the ex-Rays is a pitcher that was beloved by Rays fans for years and years and was a central part of the Rays’ success, James Shields. Traded by the Rays to the Kansas City Royals this offseason, Shields talked to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times about leaving the area for the final time.

“There’s a lot of memories, so many memories, good memories,” Shields said. “There’s just a lot of stuff. It’s amazing to sit here and think about how many years and how many things I’ve done. It’s awesome.”

Sad a bit, too. Amid the obligatory excitement Shields shares about joining the Royals thanks to the December trade, he admits there is pain in leaving, especially of someone else’s volition.

“It’s just bittersweet for me,” he said.

Even when Rays fans saw what the Rays were going to be getting in return for Shields- a group of the Royals’ top prospects headlined by outfielder Wil Myers- it was a major shock for Rays fans to realize that Shields, the most dependable pitcher the Rays have even seen, the pitcher they stuck with through all his ups and downs in 2010 and were rewarded with a huge 2011 and second half of 2012, and the pitcher they had dubbed “Big Game” for his ability to always come through when it mattered most was gone.

A move is hectic for any family with young kids, including a pro ball player with a $10 million salary. They’ve been packing for weeks, planning to sell the Clearwater house they had built four years ago and move to a new home base near San Diego, then figure out where James will live during spring training in Arizona and eventually get a house to rent for the season in Kansas City.

So when James, now 31, and Ryane took a break the other night, all they wanted was a quick bite at Carrabba’s — but came home with much more.

“We had people passing us notes like we were in high school again,” he said. “They didn’t want to bother me at dinner, but they said they were going to miss me and that I’ve done a lot in this community.

“I think that’s great. That’s the stuff I’m going to miss. A lot of people say, ‘Yeah, you did a great job. You’re doing great with the team.’ But what I’m most proud of is that a lot of people are going to miss me in the community and some of the things I’ve done.”

Dominican Winter League Championship Series Game 3: Leones de Escogido 3, Aguilas Cibaenas 0

Aguilas third baseman, 3-hole hitter, and one-time Rays Rule 5 Draft pick Hector Luna has pulled an Alex Rodriguez this postseason for the Aguilas, hitting under .200 just about the entire time. But the Aguilas decided to stick with him, and he finally came through on Tuesday night with a 3-hit game… and of course the Aguilas still lost. Luna went 3 for 4 in the game- the rest of the team, including fellow ex-Ray Manny Ramirez, went a combined 2 for 26 with a pair of walks. It was a tough day for them against former Boston Red Sox first round pick Kris Johnson, who went 6 innings allowing just 4 hits, striking out 5 while walking 1, followed by three Escogido relievers who have seen time in the big leagues including two of the best in the game: Octavio Dotel, ex-Rays minor leaguer Jhonny Nunez (who like Dotel appeared in the big leagues with the White Sox), and of course Fernando Rodney. The trio allowed just 1 hit and 1 walk while striking out 4 in their 3 innings of shutout relief to end it. Also appearing for the Leones was Julio Lugo, who went 1 for 4 with a run scored, Jesus Feliciano, who went 1 for 5, Jorge Cantu, who went 0 for 4 but scored a run, and Leslie Anderson, who went 0 for 3 but actually drew a walk! Anderson is only hitting .211 in the postseason, but at least he’s taking his walks, something Rays fans have been waiting for him to do since the moment he signed. Probably just a fluke, but hey, a man can dream. Recent Rays signee Juan Sandoval also got into the game for Cibaenas, throwing 1.2 perfect innings of relief to follow 4.1 one-run innings for Lorenzo Barcelo, but 7 innings by the Aguilas’ bullpen allowing just one run went to waste as their offense (other than Luna) could not get anything.  The good news for the Aguilas is that the DWL Championship Series is a best-of-nine series. The bad news is that they’re down 3-0 now, and it’s going to be awfully hard to come back.

Mexican Pacific League Championship Series Game 1: Yaquis de Obregon 5, Aguilas de Mexicali 3

It the MPL Championship Series opener, and it quickly became apparent how important starting pitching is in the playoffs. This game was over pretty quickly after Mexicali’s starter Jorge Campillo allowed 4 runs in just 2.2 innings while the Royals’ Luis Mendoza went 6 innings for Obregon allowing 2 runs on 5 hits, striking out 11 while walking 3. Guided by former Rays catcher Iker Franco, Obregon pitching struck out 14 by the time the game was through. Franco isn’t hitting at all, but he’s catching so well that the Yaquis almost couldn’t care less (could the Rays or someone offer him a minor league deal?). Wes Bankston did have a solid game in the loss for Mexicali, going 1 for 3 with a double, a walk, and a run scored, while Jon Weber went 1 for 5.

Mexican Pacific League Semifinals: Algodoneros de Guasave 8, Aguilas de Mexicali 7

Mexicali looked to have this game well in hand, holding a 7-2 lead heading into the bottom of the fifth. Then in the bottom of the frame, Guasave began their comeback, scoring three times to pull within 7-5. After trimming the lead to 7-6, Jesus Lopez led off the bottom of the eighth with a double to put the tying run aboard. Jose Felix dropped down a sacrifice bunt, but Mexicali pitcher Mike Benacka threw the ball away, allowing Felix to reach. Felix would eventually score the winning run for Guasave in their comeback victory. Jon Weber, who had been a mainstay of these updates, went 2-5 with a double and a two run home run. Wes Bankston was 2-4 with a walk and a run scored before being lifted for a pinch runner in the top of the ninth.

Venezuelan Winter League Postseason: Cardenales de Lara 6, Navegantes del Magallanes 3

Lara had jumped out to a 6-0 lead heading into the bottom of the sixth inning, as Magallanes had only managed two hits off starter Maximo Nelson. However, their offense came alive in the bottom of the frame, as they scored three runs, keyed by a two run home run by Eliezer Alfonzo. Lara’s bullpen managed to shut down Magallanes the rest of the way, holding on for a 6-3 victory a battle between the top two teams in the Round Robin playoffs. Erold Andrus was 1-4 for Magallanes in the loss.