Dominicans celebrate Classic title with parade

Eight months after winning the World Baseball Classic, members of the Dominican Republic team were honored Thursday with a parade in the streets of Santo Domingo.

The Dominican team, along with manager Tony Pena and general manager Moises Alou, also joined Dominican president Danilo Medina for a lunch reception at the National Palace, where the players received their championship rings.

The Dominican Republic beat Puerto Rico, 3-0, on March 18 for the Classic title. The win capped an 8-0 tournament for the D.R., the first country to go undefeated in the event.

"To play for my country is the biggest thing for me," said Robinson Cano, who was named the Classic MVP. "This wasn't about money or contracts. This was in name of this country. Nothing compares to this."

After the ceremony at the National Palace, the players hit the streets of Santo Domingo for a parade beginning at Estadio Quisqueya and continuing through Villa Maria and Don Bosco before returning to Estadio Quisqueya. The event lasted three hours with thousands estimated in attendance.

Some of the other players in the parade were Hanley Ramirez, Nelson Cruz, Miguel Tejada, Francisco Pena, Wandy Rodriguez, Edinson Volquez and Fernando Rodney.

Once the parade ended, the players returned to Estadio Quisqueya, where the president of the Dominican Baseball Federation, Hector Pereyra, made an important announcement.

"Moises Alou will be back as the general manager for the next WBC edition in 2017, if he agrees with this decision," Pereyra said.