Culiacan, Mexico - Mexico is playing Cuba and Venezuela, Puerto Rico in the semifinals today of the Caribbean Baseball Series in the New Stadium of the Culiacan Tomateros (Tomato Growers).

Mexican, Cuban and Venezuelan finished tied the qualification round-robin with equal balance of 3-1, and the Puerto Rican qualified with 1-4, so the organizers used the Team Quality Balance formula to determine which nine finished first, runner-up and third place.

The complex calculating formula left the Venezuelan champion, the Zulia Eagles, first, with the Mexican Mexicalli Eagles, as runner-up, and the Cuban Granma Chestnuts, third. So, in the semifinal the first place plays the fourth (Puerto Rican Caguas Creoles), and the runner-up the third.

Closing the round-robin, Cuba beat Mexico 4-0 and Venezuela defeated 4-3 the Dominican Republic that has lost eight consecutive games in two Caribbean Series.

The tournament brings together the champion teams of the respective professional leagues of Dominica Republic, Puerto Rico, Venezuela and Mexico, while Cuba is the invited nation for the fifth consecutive times. It has won one championship.

The Cuban Pinar del Río Vegueros (Tobacco Growers) won the 2014 Series.