Mexico steps in as host of Caribbean Series amid US-Venezuela tensions

GUADALAJARA, Mexico (AP) — Mexico will take over as host of the Caribbean Series because of uncertainty about whether the event could be held in Venezuela as planned, given the geopolitical tensions in that country.

Mexican Pacific League president Salvador Escobar confirmed on Thursday that the Caribbean Professional Baseball Confederation decided to move the tournament to Mexico.

The tournament, scheduled for Feb. 1-7, will be held in Zapopan, a suburb of Guadalajara, after the Mexican Pacific League offered the country as an alternate host.

Three days earlier, the Caribbean Professional Baseball Confederation announced that Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Mexico had decided not to attend the tournament in Venezuela due to tensions between that country and the United States.

On Thursday, U.S. President Donald Trump ordered a blockade of sanctioned oil tankers off Venezuela’s coast.

“It was a surprising and somewhat rushed decision,” Escobar said. “We have little time, but we have great organizational capacity. We are very pleased that the Confederation and the other countries have accepted this proposal.”

It will be the 17th time Mexico has hosted the event, including last year.

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