CIBAO CLINCHES DOMINICAN FINAL BERTH

The Cibao Gigantes have clinched a slot in the Dominican League finals by registering an 11-5 record in the opening four-team, 36-game round robin playoff series.
With two games left in the first round, Cibao is three games ahead of 8-8 Escogido, defending champion Licey has a 7-9 mark, while Del Este is out of the running at 6-10.

Escogido won the regular season title with a 25-17 record, two games ahead of both Licey and Este. Cibao came in fourth at 23-21, but the Gigantes have turned it on in January to qualify for the Dominican Series.

Licey’s Timo Perez won the LiDom batting title with a .356 average while Cibao’s Juan Francisco led the league with 11 homers and 42 RBIs. Jose Capellan of Cibao had a great regular season, leading Dominican League pitchers with seven wins and a 2.15 ERA. His 41 strikeouts were one behind leader Ben Jukich of Cibaenas' 42 whiffs.