A look at the playoffs in the Caribbean Leagues.
VENEZUELAN WINTER LEAGUE
STANDINGS
Anzoategui, 9-4
Magallanes, 9-4
Zulia, 5-8
Aragua, 5-8
La Guaira, 4-8
Each team plays sixteen games in the round-robin playoff, which means it's basically between Anzoategui and Magallanes for the league championship. The playoffs end on Thursday.
MEXICAN PACIFIC LEAGUE
SEMI-FINALS
Jalisco defeats Obregon, 4-2
Mexicali and Culiacan are tied 3-3
The league championship series begins Thursday.
DOMINICAN WINTER LEAGUE
ORIENTE 7, CIBAO 3 IN CIBAO (GAME 1 OF CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
Oriente: Jordany Valdespin (Miami) was 2-for-4 with a walk and a two-run homer, scoring twice. Mike Bianucci was 2-for-4 with a home run. Edgar Garcia (Arizona) pitched two shutout innings, giving up one hit with one strikeout.
Cibao: Carlos Peguero (Texas) was 1-for-4 with a two-run homer. Maikel Franco (Philadelphia) was 2-for-3 with a walk and a run. James Hoyt (Houston) retired all five batters he faced with one strikeout.
The game: Bianucci hit a solo homer and Valdespin hit a two-run shot, both in the second inning, to put Oriente up 4-1. There were no runs scored after the fourth inning.
Oriente leads the series one game to none. Game two will be played tonight.
PUERTO RICAN LEAGUE
STANDINGS
Santurce, 8-4
Mayaguez, 8-5
Carolina, 7-6
Caguas, 2-10
Each team plays twelve games in the round-robin playoff, but Mayaguez and Carolina tied for second and so had to play an extra game. Santurce and Mayaguez begin play for the league championship Tuesday.
February 4, 1957: Mickey Mantle, the big gun of the New York Yankees, is getting some jubilation out of his system by batting snowballs at Yankee Stadium. Mickey's jubilation came form signing his 1957 contract with the Yankees for approximately $60,000.
Still more than I make but I have awesome benefits.
$60,000 in 1957 is worth $505,000 in today's dollars. The major league minimum now I think is $515,000.