Caribbean Series final score, results: Dominican Republic blanks Venezuela to win championship

The 2023 Caribbean Series is in the books, with the Dominican Republic having extended its record with a 22nd championship.

The Tigres del Licey, representing the DR in the tournament, shut out the Leones del Caracas, representing host nation Venezuela, 3-0 on Friday night. Angels right-hander Cesar Valdez started and allowed three hits over 6 1/3 innings. He threw 54 of his 78 pitches for strikes and was hardly ever in a stressful situation.

Venezuela starter Erick Leal turned in a valiant effort, but an elevated pitch count and an apparent injury on a comebacker from Robinson Cano limited him to 4 2/3 innings. He allowed two runs.

Luis Barrera scored on an error in the ninth inning to top off the Dominicans' victory.

MORE: Caribbean Series 2023: Full list of results

In addition to the pitching, what set the Dominican Republic apart was its defense. Cano made a tremendous play in the hole at second, Mel Rojas Jr. made a difficult catch in the outfield, and Kelvin Gutierrez ended the game by charging a grounder and throwing out a streaking Hernan Perez at first base.

Things didn't always go cleanly for the Tigres, but they still managed to look dominant. That's the mark of a championship team.

FAGAN: World Baseball Classic 2023: MLB team-by-team roster breakdown

The Sporting News provided live scoring updates and highlights from the final game of the 2023 Serie del Caribe. Follow below for what you may have missed.

Venezuela vs. Dominican Republic score

Venezuela vs Dominican Republic live updates, highlights from 2023 Caribbean Series

(All times Eastern)

10:28 p.m. -- In poetic fashion, the Dominican Republic wins on a terrific defensive play. Tigres del Licey win for the Dominican over Venezuela's Leones del Caracas in a shutout, with Urrutia, Barrera and Nuñez scoring the game's runs.

10:26 p.m. -- Asencio gets Tovar, and Perez is the last hope for Venezuela.

10:24 p.m. -- Tovar grounds out to Cano at second for the first out of the inning, leaving Venezuela with two left. Vasquez is up next. He's 0 of 3 on the night.

10:20 p.m. -- Jairo Asencio is on the mound to close things out for the Dominican Republic.

10:16 p.m. -- Vizcaya gets the third out via popout from Bonifacio. Venezula has three outs left with Tovar-Vasquez-Perez due up.

10:13 p.m. -- GUTTING mistake at third, as Nuñez grounds to third and Perez, who has been strong at the plate, fires into the dugout to put Nuñez at second and plate Barrera. It was a tough play, but sometimes the best thing to do is tuck it and live to fight another day. Dominican Republic 3, Venezuela 0.

10:10 p.m. -- De La Cruz strikes out swinging as he chased a pitch in the dirt for the second out. Nuñez is up next with Barrera still on second with two out.

10:07 p.m. -- Barrera gets a terrific jump to swipe second as De La Cruz swings through a fastball. Francisco Arcia double-clutched behind the plate and didn't have a chance.

10:06 p.m. -- Vizcaya walks Barrera on after the count goes full, and that will bring up De La Cruz.

10:03 p.m. -- Gutierrez flies out to right for the first out, as Luis Barrera comes up. He's 1 of 3 on the night.

10:01 p.m. -- Vizcaya takes the mound for Venezuela against Kelvin Gutierrez of the Dominican Republic, as he tries to keep the Leones within two.

9:59 p.m. -- Castillo grounds out to Cano at second, and it's another zero on the board for Venezuela. They have three outs left as the Dominican Republic gets ready for its top of the ninth.

9:57 p.m. -- Reyes came in as a pinch-hitter for Ramos, but he goes down swinging on a high fastball for the second out. So it rests on Castillo against Abad.

9:53 p.m. -- Arcia gets walked on and tentatively takes first after getting called out last time. Ramos is up next with Castillo on deck. Ramos represents the tying run with one down.

9:50 p.m. -- Good swing there from Tejeda, but he flies out to Rojas in deep left for the first out of the inning. Orlando Arcia is up with five outs left.

9:50 p.m. -- As an aside, this strike zone has stretched outside while being tight inside all night.

9:49 p.m. -- The lefty Fernando Abad takes the mound for the Dominican Republic, as he seeks a hold against Tejeda, Arcia and Ramos.

9:45 p.m. -- After yet another lengthy at-bat, Rojas flies out to the shortstop in shallow left. Venezuela has two chances left. One is coming up next.

9:37 p.m. -- Urrutia goes down swinging and the ball gets away from Ramos, but he's able to get him at first. Rojas steps up with two down in the top of the eighth.

9:35 p.m. -- After Hernandez got the count full Arcia makes a solid sliding catch in right to rob Navarro of a base hit. That's one down with Urrutia up next.

9:32 p.m. -- Hernandez retakes the mound against Navarro after ending the last inning with a pickoff. Navarro quickly goes to 3-0 as he avoids a high fastball.

9:30 p.m. -- Aro makes the pitch of the game, a high fastball that gets Rondon swinging! Rondon throws his bat down in frustration as De La Cruz celebrates. Massive moment in this game, and tremendous composure by Aro.

9:25 p.m. -- Aro walks Arcia on a full count, bringing the tying run to the plate in Rondon. The entire stadium comes to its feet for what could be a game-defining AB.

9:20 p.m. -- Jonathan Aro gets Perez swinging to end the inning and close the book on Valdez. Strong work to keep the AB short. Oswaldo Arcia steps up next with two down.

9:17 p.m. -- Fascinating gamesmanship, as the Dominican Republic takes Valdez out with an 0-2 count on Perez. Definitely a moment to circle on your scorecards if things start to go sideways.

9:15 p.m. -- Defense continues to rule the day for the Dominican Republic. This time, Mel Rojas Jr. makes a terrific catch, somehow keeping the ball above the grass. Venezuela's 1 through 3 hitters are now 1 for 9 at the plate. Perez, the one player who seems to have a clue against Valdez, steps up.

9:11 p.m. -- After review, I stand corrected! The tag was applied on Bonifacio's upper arm just before his fingers hit the bag. Great move by Hernandez, and he got an out without facing a batter. We hit the seventh inning stretch with Venezuela trailing 2-0.

9:09 p.m. -- Hernandez nearly picked off Bonifacio at first, but Bonifacio barely made it back. Solid move, and it's being reviewed, but Bonifacio looks to be safe.

9:07 p.m. -- It will be on Hernandez for Venezuela, as Navarro looks to break this game open.

9:05 p.m. -- That spells the end for Gomez, who turned in a solid two innings of work. He comes out in favor of the righty-righty matchup.

9:04 p.m. -- Tough play for Gomez as Bonifacio hits one up the middle, perhaps not as hard as Gomez thought. It careens off Gomez's glove and stays in the infield, and Bonifacio reaches. Cano comes up first-pitch swinging and flies out to center on good contact. So it's Navarro coming up with two outs and a runner on first.

9:01 p.m. -- Nuñez tries to push a bunt down the line but gets too much on it, and he's tagged out on his way to first. The order now turns over for Bonifacio.

9 p.m. -- Gomez takes the mound again for Venezuela, and Nuñez digs in after scoring his last time up.

8:56 p.m. -- Tovar flies out to right to end the inning, complete with a questionable slide from Barrera. Another clean inning from Valdez.

8:55 p.m. -- Castillo goes down with Tovar up next. The top three batters for Venezuela are now 1 for 7 tonight, with Tovar yet to hit.

8:51 p.m. -- Cano shows he still has some range up the middle! Ramos grounds one toward center, but Cano makes a twisting throw to get Ramos at first. Good play to start the inning for the 40-year-old. Castillo comes up now as the order turns over.

8:49 p.m. -- Gomez gets De La Cruz swinging out of his cleats, but De La Cruz is a good sport and checks on Ramos catcher to catcher. That ends the inning for Venezuela, rather stress free.

8:44 p.m. -- Good swing from Barrera to take one right back up the middle for a base hit. De La Cruz comes up with a man on and two out.

8:42 p.m. -- Gutierrez also is aggressive, and he puts a good swing on one but flies out to right. Gomez has thrown five pitches in three batters with Barrera due up.

8:41 p.m. -- Rojas squared to bunt on the first pitch against Gomez, but he looked like he wanted to take one. A lot of weird mechanics to get used to with Gomez on the mound. On the second pitch, Rojas grounds to Arcia at short for the first out of the inning. Kelvin Gutierrez is up next.

8:38 p.m. -- Arcia goes down looking on a full-count pitch that looked outside and he is nothing short of livid. He had teammates between himself and the umpire as he yelled, but the result is the same. Valdez strikes out the side.

8:35 p.m. -- Tejeda goes down swinging as Valdez really finds his groove. Some nasty punchout punches these last two batters. It falls on Orlando Arcia to keep this inning from being 1-2-3.

8:32 p.m. -- Rondon goes down on a hard slider from Valdez. Tejeda is up next.

8:31 p.m. -- Venezuela seeks a spark as Rondon digs in against Valdez.

8:28 p.m. -- Gomez comes on for Venezuela and gets the final out of the inning quickly. Halfway through the Dominican Republic holds a 2-0 lead.

8:23 p.m. -- Navarro immediately makes Leal pay. He smokes one into left field, but Venezuela makes a heads-up play to get Navarro at second as Nuñez scores. That's going to all for Leal, who exits to applause from the Venezuela fans. Cano is now on third with two outs. Dominican Republic 2, Venezuela 0

8:21 p.m. -- Tough break there for Venezuela, as Cano again grounds to the pitcher but Leal this time throws the ball into center field. Nuñez advances to third while Cano reaches first, so one down with runners at the corners and Navarro up.

8:20 p.m. -- Bonifacio flies out to center, bringing Cano up. Leal is now at 72 pitches in the fifth inning, but whatever injury he dealt with seems to have subsided.

8:16 p.m. -- Now Nuñez is on to lead off the inning, with a single through the right side. Bonifacio comes up with a man on and nobody out.

8:14 p.m. -- Dominican Republic aligns its defense perfectly against Arcia, who grounds into a double play up the middle to end the inning. 

8:10 p.m. -- Vasquez is retired in short order by Valdez, but Perez has his number tonight. He goes the other way for his second hit of the night, two of the three Valdez has given up. One down, one on for Oswaldo Arcia.

8:06 p.m. -- The call is confirmed. Perfect throw from Vasquez to get Rojas and a great all-around play to keep it a one-run game.

8:04 p.m. -- HUGE play in this game. De La Cruz pokes one into left for a base hit and Rojas gets waved home. Vasquez throws Rojas out at the plate to end the inning. It's being reviewed, but it looks like an incredible play with a nice tag from Ramos at home.

8:02 p.m. -- Nasty work from Leal, as he gets Barerra swinging with the high heat for the second out. The inning now rests on De La Cruz.

8 p.m. -- Gutierrez walks, which moves Rojas to second with one out. Leal gets another mound visit, as his rope continues to shorten. Barrera comes up in a big spot.

7:57 p.m. -- Rojas grounds one up the middle and reaches on a fielder's choice, as Urrutia gets forced at second. Gutierrez is up now with a runner on first and one out.

7:56 p.m. -- Quick start here for the Dominican Republic, as Urrutia sneaks one past Castillo for a single. He continues his good start to the night, as Rojas steps up next.

7:52 p.m. -- A swinging bunt from Castillo gets him on first, but the inning ends with Tovar grounding out to third. Another quick inning for Valdez.

7:50 p.m. -- Ramos goes down swinging, turning the lineup over for Castillo. Leal, meanwhile, is being treated on the Venezuela bench.

7:48 p.m. -- Orlando Arcia leads off the inning with a flyout to center, bringing up Wilson Ramos in the nine spot.

7:45 p.m. -- Leal again works his way out of it as Navarro flies out to left for the third out.

7:41 p.m. -- They're still tending to Leal, who was drinking water on the mound while surrounded. It's difficult to tell exactly where he was hurt, whether it was hand or he got the wind knocked out of him. He's now throwing some warmup pitches. 

7:37 p.m. -- Leal helps himself out but looks like he's in a lot of pain in the process. Cano smoked one back up the middle but Leal snagged it to start a 1-6-3 double play. He was writhing on the ground in pain right after. Navarro will be up next, but we'll see what happens with Leal. It's unclear where he was hurt.

7:35 p.m. -- Bonifacio scorches one through the right side of the infield for a hit to bring up Cano.

7:34 p.m. -- Leal is back out for the third inning at 38 pitches, and he'll face the top of the order in Bonifacio, Cano and Navarro.

7:31 p.m. -- Brutal at-bat for Tejeda, as he took a pitch that looked outside for a strike, swung through Strike 2, and was rung up on a checked swing. Venezuela strands one, and the DR still holds the lead.

7:29 p.m. -- The review goes the Dominican Republic's way. Navarro did, in fact, stay on the bag. Rondon is out, and there is now a runner on second with two down. Isaias Tejeda is up.

7:27 p.m. -- Some controversy brewing here as Rondon reaches first on an error after Navarro is pulled off the bag. It certainly looks like he stayed on, but it's being reviewed.

7:26 p.m. -- On a weird delivery from Valdez, Perez gets a great jump and swipes second. Now Venezuela has a runner in scoring position down one with one out.

7:24 p.m. -- Arcia makes good contact but Bonifacio tracks it down in center field for the first out of the inning. Jose Rondon, a key player in Thursday's game for Venezuela, will come up with a runner on first and one out.

7:20 p.m. -- Perez starts things off by reaching out and poking a pitch into center. Oswaldo Arcia is up next for Venezuela.

7:19 p.m. -- Perez will lead off for Venezuela against Valdez, who threw just eight pitches in the first inning.

7:16 p.m. -- Leal gets out with minimal damage as Núñez grounds out to first, but he's thrown a lot of pitches to this point. Venezuela will try to get him some support in the bottom of the frame. 

7:13 p.m. -- De La Cruz wins a long battle. He works the count full from 0-2 and then singles into center field. Barrera moves to third on the hit, and Venezuela takes a mound visit with two outs and Gustavo Núñez digging in with a golden oportunity.

7:07 p.m. -- Barrera goes up swinging, but hits into a fielder's choice as Rojas is forced out. De La Cruz comes up with two outs and a runner on first.

7:05 p.m. -- Gutierrez fights off a pitch in on the hands and sends it out to right for a sarcifice fly to drive in Urrutia from third. Rojas holds at first. Dominican Republic 1, Venezuela 0.

7:03 p.m. -- Following a cross-up that leads to a wild pitch and allows Urrutia to move to second, Rojas pushes him to third with a single up the middle. Kelvin Gutierrez comes up with a golden opportunity for the Dominican Republic: runners at the corners with nobody out.

7:01 p.m. -- Urrutia draws a walk after working the count full against Leal, who is at 18 pitches through four batters. Heartening plate appearance for him, to be sure. Mel Rojas Jr. steps up next.

6:59 p.m. --  Henry Urrutia, the DH, steps up in as the Dominican Republic's cleanup batter. He has struggled in this series, but he's looking to pick himself up with one swing.

6:54 p.m. -- Castillo and Tovar go down in quick succession against Cesar Valdez, who will represent the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic. Vasquez also goes down to complete a quick 1-2-3 inning.

6:50 p.m. -- Navarro grounds to third and a slick pick by Hernán Pérez leads to the end of the inning. Venezuela's bats will be up next.

6:48 p.m. -- Cano has worked the count full from Leal as he lays off a curveball in the dirt. He grounds the payoff pitch to first for the second out of the inning, with Yamaico Navarro up next.

6:45 p.m. -- We're underway with a strike on the outside corner from Leal, and Bonifacio follows up with a flyout to left field after just two pitches. Robinson Cano will dig in next.

6:43 p.m. -- Venezuela is taking the field as the home team, with the Dominican Republic ready to hit first. Emilio Bonifacio will lead off against Venezuela starter Erick Leal.

6:30 p.m. -- Mexico defeated Colombia 1-0 earlier Friday to earn third place in the tournament. Joey Terdoslavich drove in Irving Lopez for the game's only run.

6:25 p.m. -- This final will be played in Estadio de Rinconada in Caracas, about 45 minutes from where the Leones play normally.

6 p.m. ET -- This is a huge matchup for these two teams, with Leones del Caracas and Tigres del Licey being -- as Evan Woodberry points out -- the Yankees and Dodgers of the winter leagues. 

Dominican Republic (Licey) vs. Venezuela (Leones del Caracas) tonight in the title game of the Serie del Caribe.

This is basically like the Yankees vs. Dodgers of the winter leagues. Should be a great game and a great atmosphere. https://t.co/kQJ9wWbmSs

— Evan Woodbery (@evanwoodbery) February 10, 2023

What channel is Venezuela vs. Dominican Republic on tonight?

• Date: Friday, Feb. 10
• Channel: ESPN Deportes
• Live stream: ESPN+

Venezuela's Leones del Caracas and the Dominican Republic's Tigres del Licey will face off on ESPN+ and ESPN Deportes, with both broadcasts in Spanish.

Venezuela vs. Dominican Republic start time

• Date: Friday, Feb. 10
• Time: 6:30 p.m. ET

First pitch for Venezuela vs. the Dominican Republic is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET, 7:30 p.m. local time in Venezuela.

Caribbean Series 2023 schedule, results

Thursday, Feb. 2

Friday, Feb. 3

Saturday, Feb. 4

Sunday, Feb. 5

Monday, Feb. 6

Tuesday, Feb. 7

Wednesday, Feb. 8

Thursday, Feb. 9

Friday, Feb. 10