This story was excerpted from Ian Browne’s Red Sox Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
Rafael Devers is already living out the childhood dream he had while growing up in the Dominican Republic: playing Major League Baseball for a living.
In March of 2024, Devers will feel like he is in a dream when he suits up for the Red Sox in his homeland for the first time.
MLB announced last week that the Red Sox and Rays will play a Spring Training series in Santo Domingo, D.R., at Estadio Quisqueya from March 9-10.
It will mark the first time the Sox have played in the D.R. since 2000, when Pedro Martinez was at the height of his powers.
Devers, who was born on Oct. 24, 1996, is too young to remember. But he is thrilled that to have the chance to give aspiring ballplayers an up-close glimpse at one of the best hitters in the world come March. Fans young and old will be thrilled, too, as they will get to see Devers and Tampa Bay’s Wander Franco up close.
“I’m very happy about this,” said Devers. “Like a lot of the kids there, I grew up with the dream of playing baseball, and it'll be nice for the kids down there who are 10, 11,12 years old who have never seen a big league baseball player to see them in person. I know I didn't have that chance to see a big baseball player in person [when I was younger], but to be able to be that for them is going to be really, really exciting.”
While games in the Grapefruit League and Cactus League typically have a chilled atmosphere, Devers knows that the action between the Red Sox and Rays in Santo Domingo is going to feel more like the playoffs.
“Yeah, the Dominicans, they really enjoy their baseball,” said Devers. “We live it and breathe it, and sometimes it gets a little bit exaggerated with how loud we can get, but that's just how we are.”
Bring on the noise, say the Red Sox.
“I know Raffy’s looking forward to it. Hopefully we can go to his kingdom over there in Samaná and have a blast,” said manager Alex Cora. “But I think it's great for baseball. It is. Obviously the Dominican Republic, what they’ve done the last 30, 40 years at this level, it's amazing, the impact of their players.
“It's going to be loud, it’s going to be fun. With 14,000 or 15,000 people at Quisqueya, that's going to be great.”
For Devers, Franco and the other Dominicans on the trip, the request for tickets is going to be a challenge.
“Yeah, you know, the tickets aren’t even out yet and people are asking, ‘Where is my ticket?’” said Devers. “It’s still a year away, so it’s crazy.”