Juan Soto and Fernando Tatis Jr. are making headlines after showcasing a new choreographed home run celebration during an exhibition game against the Detroit Tigers that served as warmup. The Dominican “Dream Team” won the first of two games, 12-4, fueling massive local expectations just two days before the World Baseball Classic officially begins on 6 March, with the Dominican team playing in Miami, Florida.
MLB in its coverage of the Detroit mentioned the remembrance ceremony for those who died in the tragedy of the early morning of April 8, 2025, when the roof of the popular Jet Set nightclub collapsed, leaving 235 people dead, including former Major League pitcher Octavio Dotel.
Nelsy Cruz, the sister of former Major League All-Star Nelson Cruz, who is the general manager of the Dominican team, also perished in the early hours of that Tuesday morning when merengue singer Rubby Pérez sang and delighted his audience for the last time.
The second game of the Detroit Tigers vs DR WBC Classic Team is scheduled for 4 March at 3pm at the same Quisqueya Ball Park in Santo Domingo.
President Luis Abinader received the team players at the Presidential Palace and shared his wishes for all the efforts that had gone into building the best team ever would result in the team bringing the trophy home. The DR has only won the 2013 WBC trophy.
Some of the Dominican Republic’s best baseball players of all times are backing the team, including pitcher Pedro Martinez and slugger David Ortiz. During the Detroit Tigers exhibition game, David Ortiz alerted the DR Team at the WBC to be aware that this is a short series so players instead of trying to hit home runs should put the ball in play, as reported in El Nacional.
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Panorama
Panorama
N Digital
El Caribe
El Dia
El Nacional
El Nacional
Listin Diario
DR1 News
MLB
4 March 2026