Emilio Bonifacio’s physical strength does not seem to have an end, much more when it comes to the great moments of the game, a scenario for which it seems to have been designed.
The Tigres del Licey have maintained an overwhelming pace during the course of the semifinals of the Dominican League with their record of nine wins and six losses, a brilliant mark that could not be possible without the immense contributions of Bonifacio, who, at 37 years of age acts as the main spark plug for the combo.
Among many things, including a homer with the bases loaded that defined a victory for Licey over the Gigantes del Cibao, the so-called “blue captain” went from hitting seven extra-base hits and holding a .228 average in his 35 regular season games, to Kick things up a notch with 10 multi-base hits and a .306 batting average in 15 round robin games.
This characteristic of being ready for high-profile stages is what keeps the switch-hitter within the main core of the capital team, serving on a day-to-day basis as the first man in their lineup.
Bonifacio has shown completely opposite versions of himself in the regular round and round robin, holding a hitting streak in his last 12 games played in this last mentioned stage.
The native of Santo Domingo has participated by scoring or towing in 36.7 percent of the laps produced by the Tigres in the semifinals, a great example of the value that this has had for the team in its current course.
The captain of the triple
Bonifacio has boosted his name in the record books with his excellent performance in the current round robin, mainly with his number of triples, adding a total of 13 to his record, placing him in second place of all time in said stage, only behind Luis Polonia (14).
In the same way, he is positioned among the ten batters with the highest number of doubles connected in the second part of the competition, collecting 23 tubeyes that place him under a tie with Félix José and Junior Lake.
between leaders
After hitting two homers in the semifinals, the outfielder is in second place in that lead, which is led by Lewin Díaz (3). Following this, Bonifacio is the leader of towed (13) and stolen bases (5).
Thanks to his percentage records, he walks as second in the important section of slugging percentage (.581), while dispatching third for his OPS (combined slugging and on base) of .949.
This performance is the one that leads the blue captain to gain a presence in public opinion, since there are many comments that elevate him as the best performer in the semifinal.
Bonifacio’s clockwise challenge will return this Wednesday when the Blues host the Gigantes del Cibao at the Quisqueya Juan Marichal Stadium.
