Tournament News Flash Day 3 (5/25/09): The rains continued Monday morning, but the 2009 Miami Open pushed on. With players from the remaining four playoff teams showing up to Coral Gables High School at 10am along with the league commissioner, the “SFBL Grounds Crew” was able to get a flooded field playable by 12:15pm and the Semi Finals were played Sunday afternoon under the Miami Sun!!!! The work was worth the wait as both games would prove to be memorable ones!
In Game 1, the Dade Tigers took on the Fort Myers Hitmen. This game would prove to be a pitching duo for the ages as Rolando Viera (Tigers) battled it out with AJ Reyes (Hitmen). The Hitmen struck early on Viera as Glenn Morris gave his team a lead with a bomb to left center. This, however, would prove to be the only blemish on Viera’s day as the veteran held the Hitmen in check for the remainder of the game en route to a 2-1 victory. This was Viera’s third start of the weekend as he pitched Game 1 of the tournament versus the Hitmen and pitched a 9-inning shut-out. He then filled obligations to another team in Miami on Sunday before returning for Monday’s Semi-Final. A memorable performance. The Tigers took the lead in the 7th on Reyes, who also pitched a complete game and struck out 11 batters. Freddy Bermudezdelivered a single to left field to score the Tigers first run and ended up scoring on an error by the Hitmen second baseman. This would prove costly as the Tigers advanced to the Championship Game with a 2-1 win. Congratulations to both teams on an incredible game!
The second semi-final game proved to be as exciting as the first as Team USA hosted the Coral Gables Athletics in a rematch of a round robin game. The result would not be the same as the first game as the A’s defeated USA 4-2 behind an incredible pitching performance from Matt Stubbs. Stubbs, who delivered the game winning hit in last year’s Championship game for the A’s, pitched a 9-inning complete game and struck out 11 while only giving up 5 hits. One of the hits was a big fly from SFBL veteran and All-Star, Jim Eddy who provided the only offense for USA. The A’s got their clutch hit from team captain, Albert Jardines who drove in the decisive 2 runs with a single to left in the 5th inning. Once the A’s took the lead, they never looked back as they played great defense turning 3 double plays in the game and took advantage of some errors from the USA squad. Team USA starter, Joe Coto ended the game with the loss despite 7+ innings with only 1 earned run.
Because of the delayed starts to the Semi Final games and only having one playable field, the Championship Game between the Dade Tigers and the Coral Gables Athletics was postponed. A rescheduled date has yet to be established. Please stay posted the league website for updates.
Tournament News Flash Day 2 (5/24/09): Despite game delays and schedule changes due to heavy rains and lightning, the Miami Open pushed on. TheDade Tigers started the day by winning another game in dramatic fashion as they defeated the Cape Coral Tigers 5-4 behind strong pitching from Alex Arteaga and a clutch HR from Freddy Bermudez. With the win, the CC Tigers were eliminated from the tournament and the Dade Tigers clinched 1st place in their bracket. In the National division, the Fort Myers Hitmen were led by Steve Mason on the mound and HRs from Glenn Morris and Chris Landry to defeat the Atlantic Twins 12-4 and eliminate them from the playoffs. The final two games would prove to be played for seeding purposes in the National division. Team USA continued their winning ways with a 7-4 win over the Coral Gables Athletics, who advanced to the Semi’s as they defeated the CC Tigers head to head in Game 1 of the tournament. Team USA would play the Hitmen in their final round robin game for top seeding in the bracket and played to a 4-4 tie.
The Semi’s are set: Game 1: Coral Gables Athletics vs Team USA
Game 2: Fort Myers Hitmen vs Dade Tigers.
Both games are scheduled for 9am at Braddock High School and Coral Gables High School, respectively.
Tournament News Flash Day 1 (5/23/09): The Coral Gables Athletics and the Dade Tigers staked early wins in a rain-soaked opening day. The A’s took out the Cape Coral Tigers 3-2 behind strong pitching from Jason Privett, while the Dade Tigers shut out the Fort Myers Hitmen 5-0 with a gem from Rolando Viera. Team USA scored 3 late runs to take down the Atlantic Twins in the final opening game of the 2009 Miami Open.
In the late games, the Dade Tigers defeated the Coral Gables Athletics in dramatic fashion as Ulpi Puente hit a 2-run HR in the bottom of the 10th to leave the A’s on the field leading the Tigers to a 5-3 win. The teams saw an old fashioned pitcher’s duo between Mark Horowitz, Tigers and Jay Burnett, A’s. The Cape Coral Tigers kept their playoff chances alive as they came from behind to defeat the Atlantic Twins 6-5 in their final at bat.
The only game that was not played on Saturday, because of weather, was Team USA vs the Fort Myers Hitmen. This game will be played at Flamingo Park on Sunday at 12:15pm.
Because of the weather, the Semi Final games have been pushed back to 3:45 at Flamingo Park and Coral Gables High School on Sunday, 5/24/09.
Tournament Summary
Florida Hardball is proud to present the 12th Annual 2009 Miami Open Baseball Challenge. This tournament, which is open to any and all teams in the region regardless of affiliation, takes place in Miami, Florida on Memorial Day weekend, May 23 – 25, 2009. The tournament features some of the best competition in Florida with teams coming from various leagues including the South Florida Baseball League, Fort Myers Hardball, the Orlando – Central Florida Baseball League, the Federal League and the Liga Nica. The winner-take-all tournament is highlighted by a tournament trophy for the championship team. The registration fee is $850 per team, regardless of player count. The deadline for team registration is Friday, May 15, 2009. All interested teams and players are urged to contact the tournament director immediately.
Tournament Contact Number – 305.663.2521 – Mickey Filippucci
Tournament Teams
| Seeding | Team |
| 1 | Coral Gables Athletics |
| 2 | Team USA (Fort Lauderdale) |
| 3 | Fort Myers Hitmen |
| 4 | Cape Coral Tigers |
| 5 | Dade Tigers (Miami) |
| 6 | Atlantic Twins (West Palm Beach) |
Tournament Brackets
| AMERICAN | NATIONAL |
| Coral Gables Athletics | Team USA |
| Cape Coral Tigers | Fort Myers Hitmen |
| Dade Tigers | Atlantic Twins |
Tournament Standings
American Division:
| Team | W | L | T | Points | R Allowed | R Scored | Net Runs |
| Dade Tigers | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 7 | 15 | 8 |
| Coral Gables Athletics | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 14 | 10 | -4 |
| Cape Coral Tigers | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 12 | -1 |
National Division:
| Team | W | L | T | Points | R Allowed | R Scored | Net Runs |
| Team USA | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 5 |
| Fort Myers Hitmen | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 13 | 16 | 3 |
| Atlantic Twins | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 11 | -11 |
Tournament Schedule
American Division:
Coral Gables Athletics
| Day | Date | Time | Field | Opponent | Home/Vis | Score |
| Saturday | May 23, 2009 | 1000am | Coral Gables | Cape Coral Tigers | Home | W 3-2 |
| Saturday | May 23, 2009 | 200pm | Coral Gables | Dade Tigers | Visitors | L 5-3 |
| Sunday | May 24, 2009 | 1:30pm | Coral Gables | Team USA | Home | L 7-4 |
Cape Coral Tigers
| Day | Date | Time | Field | Opponent | Home/Vis | Score |
| Saturday | May 23, 2009 | 1000am | Coral Gables | Coral Gables Athletics | Visitors | L 2-3 |
| Saturday | May 23, 2009 | 500pm | Coral Gables | Atlantic Twins | Home | W 6-5 |
| Sunday | May 24, 2009 | 900am | Coral Gables | Dade Tigers | Home | L 5-4 |
Dade Tigers
| Day | Date | Time | Field | Opponent | Home/Vis | Score |
| Saturday | May 23, 2009 | 900am | Miami Beach | Fort Myers Hitmen | Visitors | W 5-0 |
| Saturday | May 23, 2009 | 200pm | Coral Gables | Coral Gables Athletics | Home | W 5-3 |
| Sunday | May 24, 2009 | 900am | Coral Gables | Cape Coral Tigers | Visitors | W 5-4 |
National Division:
Team USA
| Day | Date | Time | Field | Opponent | Home/Vis | Score |
| Saturday | May 23, 2009 | 145pm | Miami Beach | Atlantic Twins | Home | W 4-2 |
| Sunday | May 24, 2009 | 1:30pm | Coral Gables | Coral Gables Athletics | Visitors | W 7-4 |
| Sunday | May 24, 2009 | 3:45pm | Coral Gables | Fort Myers Hitmen | Home | T 4-4 |
Fort Myers Hitmen
| Day | Date | Time | Field | Opponent | Home/Vis | Score |
| Saturday | May 23, 2009 | 900am | Miami Beach | Dade Tigers | Home | L 0-5 |
| Sunday | May 24, 2009 | 900am | Sunset Park | Atlantic Twins | Visitors | W 12-4 |
| Sunday | May 24, 2009 | 3:45pm | Coral Gables | Team USA | Visitors | T 4-4 |
Atlantic Twins
| Day | Date | Time | Field | Opponent | Home/Vis | Score |
| Saturday | May 23, 2009 | 145pm | Miami Beach | Team USA | Visitors | L 2-4 |
| Saturday | May 23, 2009 | 500pm | Coral Gables | Cape Coral Tigers | Visitors | L 5-6 |
| Sunday | May 24, 2009 | 900am | Sunset Park | Fort Myers Hitmen | Home | L 4-12 |
Playoffs – Semi-finals
| Day | Date | Time | Field | Winner | Loser | Score |
| Monday | May 25, 2009 | 12:15pm | Coral Gablesl | Coral Gables Athletics | Team USA | 4-2 |
| Monday | May 25, 2009 | 3:30pm | Coral Gables | Dade Tigers | Fort Myers Hitmen | 2-1 |
2009 Miami Open Championship Game
| Day | Date | Time | Field | Score | ||
| TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD | Dade Tigers | Coral Gables Athletics |
Tournament Format
The tournament will be limited to 8 -12 teams using an open-division format (18+). All teams are guaranteed a minimum of three games played in round robin format against teams within their respective division. Two games are played on Saturday, May 23 with the third game played on Sunday morning, May 24.
The top two teams with the most points in each bracket after the 3-game elimination round will advance to the semi-finals. All ties are resolved based on tie-breaker rules listed below.
Playoff Qualifiers: Teams qualify for the playoffs based on the following point system:
Points: Win = 2 points, Tie = 1 point, Loss = 0 points.
Tie Breaker Rules: Tie breakers are applied in the following order:
1. Head-to-head result
2. Fewest Runs Allowed: If no head-to-head result, the team with the fewest runs allowed will win the second tie breaker.
3. Net Runs: In case of another tie, an equation of net runs will be employed and the team with the greatest number of net runs wins the third tie breaker. Net Runs = (Runs Scored – Runs Allowed).
4. Coin Toss: In case of a third tie, a best-of-three coin toss will determine the final tie breaker.
Playoffs: The two semifinal games are scheduled to play Sunday afternoon, May 24. The winners of the two semi-final games advance to the championship game to be played Monday morning, May 25 at Flamingo Park on Miami Beach. The winner of the American Division will play the second place team in the National Division in the first semi-final game, while the winner of the National Division will play the second place team in the American Division in the second semi-final game.
Tournament Rules
The Miami Open is played under the rules undertaken by the South Florida Baseball League. A copy of the SFBL Official Rules and Regulations will be provided to each participating team. To access the rules immediately, click on the underlined reference. Some imperative rules are as follows:
1. In each team’s offensive line-up, a minimum 10 batters must be used. You may add to this minimum at any time during the game but you may not shrink the line-up once expanded.
2. Free defensive substitution. As implied, no restrictions on defensive changes except for the pitcher re-entry rule.
3. Pitcher re-entry rule: In the case of a pitching change, once a pitcher is removed, he can only be re-entered as a pitcher after one complete inning has been played. This move can only be done once per game.
4. No deliberate physical contact between base runners and defensive players, i.e. NO BARRELING INTO THE CATCHER, SECOND BASEMAN, etc. Automatic ejection penalty.
5. Elimination round games are subject to a 3 hour time limit = no inning shall start after 3 hours has elapsed. Tie games are permitted – see tie breaker rules. However, all playoff games will play without time limits.
6. In case of rain, official game only after 5 full innings completed. Games started but not registering 5 complete innings will be suspended and completed later. Offensive line-ups remain frozen and the suspended game must pick up where it left off.
7. All team managers must call in game results – win or lose- to the SFBL office 305.663.2521 within 10 minutes of game completion or suspension. All results will be posted to this website page live throughout the tournament.
Tournament Locations
The Miami Open will be played at (Links to Yahoo Maps):