Leon Leones win dramatic finals series, repeat as Nicaragua Professional Baseball League champions
Defending champions Leon Leones defeated Rivas Gigantes after a dramatic seven-game series to win the 2025-26 Nicaragua Professional Baseball League (La Profesional). It's their seventh pennant, the most in the league's history.
Leon claimed the title after a 1-0 win at the Yamil Rios Ugarte Stadium in Rivas.
The game was a pitching duel between the top two hurlers in the league. Tiago Da Silva, the 40-year-old veteran who has starred internationally both for Italy and Brazil, pitched five scoreless innings for the Gigantes on a three-day rest. Alfredo Villa went six scoreless innings for the Leones.
Leon scored the games only run in the top of the eighth. Pinch hitter Norlando Valle reached on a wild pitch after swinging at the third strike thrown by reliever Dennis, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt and scored on a two-out single to shallow right field by clean-up hitter Benjamin Alegria. Leon third baseman swang at Juan Carlos Ramirez first offering and the ball dropped in front of right fielder Yusnier Diaz.
Reliever Cole Cook got the last out of the seventh and the first of the eighth, earning his third win in the series and the MVP Award. Cook, a 28-year-old left-hander, started Game Two and Game Six and entered Game Five and Game Seven from the bullpen, combining 14 innings pitched and allowing only two earned runs.
In the bottom of the ninth, Leon centre fielder Chase Dawson got the second out at home plate when he got Ronald Rivera, who was trying to score on Christian Sandoval's base hit off closer Samuel Adames, with a perfect throw to catcher Alberto Mineo. Adames intentionally walked former Big Leaguer Cheslor Cuthbert and struck out Luis Montealto to end the game and earn the save.
Finals Series Results
11.1 Gigantes-Leones 7-6
12.1 Gigantes-Leones 1-8
14.1 Leones-Gigantes 5-2
15.1 Leones-Gigantes 3-10
16.1 Leones-Gigantes 1-4
18.1 Gigantes-Leones 2-5
20.1 Gigantes-Leones 0-1
Leon skipper Sandor Guido, who managed Nicaragua at the WBSC U-23 Baseball World Cup 2020, celebrated his fifth title and became the league's manager with the most wins. "I'm delighted and really proud of the kids," he commented postgame. "We will celebrate and, after that, start over with the learning process."
Guido said that he had not planned to hand the ball to Cook in the seventh. "No, I hadn't. These are the decisions you need to take in a hurry."
The winning manager also credited Gigantes and their manager, Omar Vizquel, a former 11-time MLB Gold Glove shortstop. "They have an excellent team. It was a demanding season, and the final series was great. You know, when you win game seven 1-0, it means it was worth it."