Tigres, ?guilas bring Dominican rivalry to Citi Field
Nathalie Alonso
@NathalieMLBNEW YORK -- Dominican baseball¡¯s biggest rivalry is shifting to New York City starting Friday, with the start of a three-game exhibition series between the Tigres del Licey and the ?guilas Cibae?as at Citi Field in Queens, home of the Mets.
The first game of the series, dubbed Titans of the Caribbean, is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET on Friday, followed by 1 p.m. starts on Saturday and Sunday.
The starting rotations are as follows:
Friday: C¨¦sar Valdez, RHP (Tigres) vs. Ronnie Williams, RHP (?guilas)
Saturday: Nabil Crismatt, RHP vs. Ari¨¦l Miranda, LHP
Sunday: Radham¨¦s Liz, RHP vs. Tyler Viza, RHP
The rosters for both teams feature players and coaches with Major League experience, plus ties to the Big Apple. Licey's squad includes right-handed reliever Hansel Robles, who pitched for the Mets from 2015-18, and infielder Miguel And¨²jar, who spent parts of six seasons with the Yankees from 2017-22.
On the ?guilas side, manager Tony Pe?a was part of the Yankees¡¯ coaching staff from 2006-17, while infielder Starlin Castro is a former member of the Yankees. Infielder Jonathan Villar and outfielder Juan Lagares each played for the Mets.
Also on the ?guilas roster is Rockies infielder Elehuris Montero, as well as two current members of the Cubs' organization: infielder/outfielder Christopher Morel and outfielder Alexander Canario. Licey's roster includes Blue Jays No. 2 prospect, shortstop Orelvis Mart¨ªnez.
The Tigres, with 23 titles, and the ?guilas, with 22, are the two winningest franchises in the Professional Baseball League of the Dominican Republic (known by its Spanish acronym, LIDOM). The games will not count toward the official results of the circuit¡¯s championship season, however, the ?guilas -- who have lost eight consecutive games and find themselves in last place with a 5-13 record this season -- will surely look to use their time in New York to get on track.
Meanwhile, the Tigres, reigning LIDOM champions and winners of the 2023 Caribbean Series in February, find themselves in second place with a 10-8 record.
The Dominican government announced this week that the country¡¯s vice president, Raquel Pe?a, will throw out the ceremonial first pitch prior to Friday¡¯s game. According to the LIDOM website, Hall of Famer David Ortiz will catch the pitch.
Although it¡¯s their first meeting in New York City, the two archrivals have faced off in the United States before. In November 2015, both participated in the Series de las Am¨¦ricas, a two-day event at Marlins Park (now loanDepot park) in Miami, which also featured two teams from the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League: the Navegantes del Magallanes and Cardenales de Lara. The ?guilas won the tournament.
The Titans of the Caribbean series is dedicated to Osvaldo ¡°Ozzie¡± Virgil, who became the first Dominican-born player in Major League history in September 1956.
A portion of the profits from ticket sales for the series will go to the Sports Dream Foundation, a nonprofit that supports youth baseball and related activities in the Dominican Republic and the United States.