SANTIAGO, D.R.–It certainly brought back memories to the Carolina League in 2004 watching Licey (and Rockies) righthander Jose Capellan battle with command issues, get angry with himself and circle the mound a bunch, work himself into a bases-loaded one-out jam . . . and then work out of it with two straight strikeouts.

Licey put the first two runs of the Series on the board in the top of the third, as Ronnie Belliard drilled a fastball from Aragua righthander Jose Santiago over the 365-foot marker in left. Always one for a good show, Belliard knew it as soon as he hit it, and literally walked 12 steps before going into his celebration trot around the bases.

Aragua scored its first run in the bottom half, as Luis Maza doubled and Alberto Callaspo–who has been on fire since the Venezuelan League semifinals–drove him in with an RBI single.

After three innings: 2-1 Licey.