Raúl Valdés at his 46 years of age has made 14 starts in the Serie del Caribe and to many is a legend in this tournament. The crafty lefty from Mariel, Cuba either owns or is at the top of the list for the majority of pitching records in the Caribbean Classic.
In 80 innings of work in the tournament the Cuban hurler has struck out 54 batters, has an ERA of 3.49 and boasts a 1.02 WHIP. The left-hander has also won five games in the series one shy of tying his countrymen Camilo Pascaul for the all-time lead, Valdés is also two punch outs shy of the SDC record.
The numbers of Cuban @RaulValdes56 in the @beisboldecaribe with the Dominican Republic. The lefty is pitching in his 9th tournament.
#CubanBaseballDigest #LIDOM #SerieDelCaribe2024 pic.twitter.com/XT05zURFFm
— Cuban Baseball Digest (@CBaseballDigest) February 4, 2024
Valdés who has won over 50 games in the Dominican Winter League is arguably the league’s best pitcher over the last 15 years and could possibly start another game for the Caribbean nation in either the semifinals. The transplanted Cuban also has the distinction of having pitched for every team in the Dominican circuit.
Valdes also pitched the Olympic baseball bronze medal match against South Korea, helping the DR secure their first medal in the nation’s history in the sport. If the Antillean has one more win in him it will propell him into Serie del Caribe immortality. But regardless when one talks about pitching in the LIDOM or the Caribbean Series believe it that Raúl Valdés’ name is brought in that conversation.