With opening games in the capital city, San Francisco de Macoris and La Romana, the 2024-2025 Winter Professional Baseball Championship opens on Wednesday, 16 October 2024. The event is organized by the Dominican Baseball League (Lidom). The six participating teams will compete in a 50-game schedule. The regular season will conclude on Friday, December 22nd.
For the opening games, the two-time defending champion Tigres del Licey will visit the Leones del Escogido at Estadio Quisqueya. The Estrellas Orientales will do the same against the Toros del Este in La Romana, and Águilas Cibaeñas will travel to San Francisco de Macorís to face the Gigantes del Cibao.
The championship is dedicated to the memory of Don José León Asensio, who for decades was head of the marketing of cigarette and beer companies that were strong sponsors of professional baseball.
This year all eyes are on the Leones del Escogido, now under Albert Pujols. Pujols is expected to become a member of the Cooperstown Baseball Hall of Fame. Nicknamed “The Machine,” Pujols is a three-time World Series champion and six-time MLB All-Star. He is considered one of the greatest right-handed hitters in baseball history. He recently strengthened his ties to the DR when marrying Nicole, the daughter of former President Leonel Fernandez.
Diario Libre reports on the technological advances that will be used in the championship starting this year. Lidom has installed robotic cameras in all five stadiums. These cameras will focus on home plate and the bases. Equipped with higher resolution image capture, these devices ensure better quality slow-motion videos for play reviews.
The number of replay channels has been increased from seven to ten, promising a 30% increase in review angles. The league asserts that the use of artificial intelligence will allow for statistical prediction of play angles, thereby reducing the time umpires take to make decisions.
VAR (Video Assistant Referee) technology from Hawkeye has been integrated, enabling a comprehensive triangulation of the stadium and predicting the trajectory of batted balls. This allows for the capture of plays from multiple angles simultaneously.
Furthermore, the league is implementing an IP over Ethernet communication system, directly connecting the review center at Quisqueya Stadium with the other four parks.
Read more in Spanish:
Lidom Regular Season Calendar of Games
El Caribe
Listin Diario
Acento
Diario Libre
16 October 2024