Figure that in its first season, professional winter ball in Panama would be dominated by Panamanians.
It's not that we don't have foreigners playing here. The four teams in the PROBEIS league have players from the United States, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Colombia, Nicaragua and elsewhere. However, the major league players who come here to sharpen their skills in the off-season are all Panamanians. We don't get the very best, because the Yankees aren't willing to risk the possiblity of losing their multi-million-dollar investment to Mariano Rivera to a winter ball injury. Still, most of Panama's major leaguers played in the PROBEIS league in its first season.
The PROBEIS All-Star Game, played on January 18, pitted the best Panamanians in the league against the best foreigners. That meant a team entirely composed of minor league prospects from several countries against a Panamanian team in which most of the starters were major leaguers. The advantage would naturally be in Panama's favor.
Having lived many years in the Detroit area, I'm a Tigers fan. Here in Panama City they don't broadcast very many games featuring my favorite team, but for a very modest investment I can go down to the National Stadium and see Detroit infielder José Macías in the flesh. He hit .333 in the PROBEIS regular season, and led off for the Panamanian all-stars with a double to left center in the top of the first. Ah, but they left him stranded on third base --- wasn't that a very Tiger-like thing to do, considering Detroit's performances in recent seasons? Rubén Rivera, who played for the Reds last season, struck out, then the As' Olmedo Sáenz hit a high hopper to the shortstop that moved Macías over to third, then the Chicago Cubs' Carlos Lee grounded out to end the inning.
The foreigners, with people from the Mariners, Marlins, Rangers, Yankees, White Sox, Athletics and Cardinals organizations, were the team to score first, in the top of the fourth, just after Panama City's Carnival Queen, Her Majesty Jannesy I, strolled around the stadium with her murga. The Seattle organization's Jamal Strong singled through the middle, stole second, went to third on an error, and was driven home with a sacrifice fly by the Chixox organization's Ryan Hankins.
In the bottom of the fourth the Panamanians evened things, and then some. Olmedo Sáenz got things going with a solo shot over the left field wall. Then Carlos Lee singled, Roberto Kelly walked, Julio Moquera singled to load the bases and Earl Agnoly and Ariel Durango each picked up an RBI on a fielder's choice. It was 3-1 in favor of the Panamanians.
The foreigners picked up another run in the top of the fifth when they loaded the bases and the Cards organization's Covelli Crisp hit a sacrifice fly that sent catcher Koyie Hill across the plate.
The Panamanians exploded for four more runs in the bottom of the sixth. Two walks, a passed ball, a wild pitch and two throwing errors moved the rally along, but a two-run double by Earl Agnoly and a two-run single by Rubén Rivera were the factors that made the foreigners pay for their mistakes.
After that, both teams rotated in their benches and the relief pitchers took command. It ended with a 7-2 victory for the Panamanians.
Though ticket prices ranged from $1 to $4, the stadium was only about one-third full. It seems that the weak economy is affecting Panama's sports scene as well. Still, those of us who made it out to the ballpark surely got our money's worth, and then some.
