Sharks clinch Baseball Philippines VII crown

Charlie Labrador pitched a no-relief game and got offensive support as the Manila Sharks blanked the Batangas Bulls, 7-0, in Game 2 of the Baseball Philippines Series VII finals on Saturday at the Rizal Memorial Ballfield. “The boys really wanted to win today, and we played a perfect game, from our pitching to our hitting, and even our defense," said team manager Jhoel Palanog. The Sharks became the first team in the league to win back-to-back titles. They defeated the Cebu Dolphins, 2-1, to win the Series VI crown. Labrador limited the heretofore explosive Bulls to three hits while giving up two walks, and had three strikeouts as Manila wrapped up the best-of-three title series with a two-game sweep. He also held the Bulls' power-hitting slugger Virgilio Roxas to a 0-of-4 stint at the plate. Jon Jon Robles, the winning pitcher in Manila’s 8-2 win in Game 1, played at right field and scored a run in a five-run sixth inning for the Sharks to surge to a 7-0 lead. Palanog said their lone loss against Batangas in the elimination round served as a wake-up call for his team. “That was a wake-up call for us as we took notice of our weaknesses and improved on our defense." Labrador’s impressive showing in this series netted him the Best Pitcher and Finals MVP awards, while teammate Marvin Malig and Taguig’s Ernesto Binarao were named as the league’s co-Home Run Kings. Binarao also took the Best Hitter and Most Runs Batted In (RBI) awards, while Roxas bagged the Most Stolen Bases award and the regular season MVP award. The Bulls’ team manager Randy Dizer, who assembled a young team that reached the Finals, was named the Best Manager, while Buddy Junio was declared as the Best Umpire. – JVP, KY, GMANews.TV