Detroit Tigers outfielder Victor Reyes played some of his best baseball in the Venezuelan Winter League championship series.
The 27-year-old, competing for Caribes de Anzoategui, reached the best-of-seven final round and faced Navegantes del Magallanes. The teams met for Game 7 on Tuesday at Estadio Alfonso Carrasquel in Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela.
Reyes’ team lost, 3-2.
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Combining Venezuela’s regular season and postseason, Reyes hit .302 (38-for-126) with seven doubles, three triples, six home runs, 27 RBIs, 16 walks and 21 strikeouts in 32 games for Caribes de Anzoategui.
Reyes, a right fielder, finished 0-for-4 with one walk and one strikeout in Tuesday’s Game 7 loss.
Caribes de Anzoategui squandered the game in the eighth inning, when right-handed reliever Yohan Pino (MLB in 2014-15) gave up a solo home run to 26-year-old outfielder Angel Reyes on the second pitch he tossed.
Navegantes del Magallanes took a 3-2 lead. Reyes had a chance to counter with one out in the bottom of the ninth, facing ex-Tigers reliever Bruce Rondon (MLB in 2013, 2015-18), but he lined out in foul territory near third base.
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Reyes posted a .379 batting average (11-for-29) with one home run, two RBIs, four walks and six strikeouts in the seven-game championship series.
Two of his teammates with MLB experience were successful in the final series, too. Willians Astudillo (MLB in 2018-21) hit .345 with four homers; Asdrbual Cabrera (MLB in 2007-21) hit .259 with two homers.
In Game 2 on Jan. 19, Reyes crushed a solo home run off righty reliever Wilking Rodriguez (MLB in 2014) during the seventh inning. His blast over the right-field wall served as the decisive run in a 5-4 win for Caribes de Anzoategui.
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Reyes hit .295 (13-for-44) with two doubles, one triple and four homers in 12 games in the Venezuelan Winter League regular season. As for the round-robin semifinals, he hit .264 (14-for-53) with five doubles, two triples and one homer in 13 games.
For the Tigers in 2021, Reyes hit .258 with 10 doubles, four triples, five home runs, 22 RBIs, eight walks and 55 strikeouts in 76 games. He had a .325 batting average with four homers in his final 49 games.
A right groin strain sent Reyes to the injured list Sept. 26 and ended his season.
Rony Garcia drops Game 4, loses final series
Right-hander Rony Garcia cruised through his first three postseason starts for Estrellas de Oriente in the Dominican Winter League but stumbled in his final two outings. His fifth and final start was Jan. 21 for Game 4 in the championship series against Gigantes del Cibao.
Garcia didn’t make it out of the third inning in his team’s 5-3 loss. He allowed two runs (one earned) on one hit and four walks over 2⅓ innings. Throwing 30 of 59 pitches for strikes, the 24-year-old racked up three strikeouts.
Although Oriente took a one-run lead in the first inning, Cibao responded in Game 4 by scoring two runs in the second inning.
Garcia struck out Richard Urena to begin the second, but Cibao loaded the bases with Jose Siri (MLB in 2021; walk), Hanser Alberto (MLB in 2015-16, 2018-21; throwing error) and Henry Urrutia (MLB in 2013, 2015; intentional walk).
The next batter, Kelvin Gutierrez (MLB in 2019-21), doubled to right field for a 2-1 lead. That’s when Estrellas de Oriente removed Garcia from the game.
In Game 5, Gigantes del Cibao earned an 8-3 victory to win the best-of-seven championship.
Garcia had a 3.24 ERA with 13 walks and 14 strikeouts in 16⅔ innings across five playoff games. He also made one start in the regular season, delivering two scoreless innings in his first game back from a season-ending left knee injury in June at Comerica Park.
Another Tigers pitcher, righty reliever Gerson Moreno, played for Estrellas de Oriente. (The Tigers re-signed the 26-year-old on Monday to a minor-league deal.)
Moreno had a 1.52 ERA with 16 walks and 23 strikeouts in 23⅔ innings over 28 relief appearances in the regular season (17 games), round-robin semifinals (eight games) and championship series (three games).
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