ORLANDO – World Baseball Classic, Inc. announced today that the Dominican Republic National Team will play a two-game series with the Detroit Tigers as part of the 2026 Spring Training schedule, with the March 3rd-4th games at Santo Domingo’s Estadio Quisqueya Juan Marichal preceding the start of the 2026 World Baseball Classic. The announcement was made on the first day of the Baseball Winter Meetings, where a press conference was held earlier today with Commissioner of Baseball Robert D. Manfred, Jr.; seven-time All-Star, Dominican Republic National Team General Manager and MLB’s Special Advisor for Baseball Operations Nelson Cruz; and 11-time All-Star, three-time Most Valuable Player and Team DR manager Albert Pujols among those in attendance. This event took shape when Cruz brought the idea to Commissioner Manfred and the President of the Dominican Republic, Luis Abinader. In turn, Pujols and others were fully supportive of participating in this series.
This event will mark the first time ever that the DR National Team will host a Major League Club for exhibition games in the country. These games will be played in memory of the victims of the April 8, 2025 tragedy at the Jet Set nightclub in Santo Domingo. As part of the event, MLB and UEPA will donate to Cruz Roja Dominicana (i.e., the Dominican Red Cross) to honor the memory of the victims of the April 8th tragedy in Santo Domingo.
Commissioner Manfred said: “The tragedy in the Dominican Republic claimed the lives of more than 200 people and impacted countless others, including many members of the Baseball family. Playing these two games gives us an opportunity to honor the lives of those tragically lost last April and raise funds for the Dominican Red Cross in their memory. We appreciate the efforts of President Luis Abinader and the leadership of our colleague Nelson Cruz, who was instrumental to this initiative. I also want to thank the Detroit Tigers, who will share the field with the DR National Team in front of their home fans as they prepare for the most anticipated World Baseball Classic yet.”
Nelson Cruz, General Manager of the DR National Team for the 2026 World Baseball Classic and MLB’s Special Advisor for Baseball Operations, said: “I thank Major League Baseball and President Abinader for working together to celebrate the Dominican National Team with the great fans of our country in a series with the Detroit Tigers. We will use the platform provided by our game to remember the lives we lost last April and to honor their legacies through our donation to Cruz Roja Dominicana. We are proud to shine a light on what baseball means to our country, how it brings us together, and all the good that it can accomplish.”
President Abinader of the Dominican Republic said: “Baseball is a passion for our country. We are thrilled for our citizens that Major League Baseball will be returning in March as our National Team meets the Detroit Tigers in preparation for the World Baseball Classic. These games will be even more meaningful because of our commitment to Cruz Roja Dominicana and the opportunity to pay tribute to all the victims of last April’s tragedy. We appreciate the support of Major League Baseball and the great players who call the Dominican Republic home.”
Scott Harris, President of Baseball Operations for the Detroit Tigers, said: “All of us with the Tigers are honored to compete against the Dominican Republic National Team on its home soil. It's a unique and meaningful opportunity to play on a global stage in memory of those who lost their lives in a horrific tragedy nearly a year ago. We thank Major League Baseball, President Luis Abinader, Nelson Cruz and everyone else involved for arranging the series, and inviting us to play a part in it. We hope these games provide a sense of joy and happiness to the community, while raising funds for the Red Cross in support of an important cause.”
The 2026 series will follow the 2024 Spring Training two-game set between the Boston Red Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays, also at Estadio Quisqueya Juan Marichal. Major League Clubs have a long history of visiting the Dominican Republic, dating back to a trip by the Cincinnati Reds in 1936, followed by trips made by the Brooklyn Dodgers (1948), the Pittsburgh Pirates (1967), the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Mets (1977), and the Philadelphia Phillies and the St. Louis Cardinals (1978). Prior to the 2024 Red Sox-Rays series, MLB last held an event in the Dominican Republic in 2000, when Boston, led by reigning Cy Young Award winner Pedro Martínez, played against All-Star Moises Alou and the Houston Astros, a series preceded by the Mets facing manager Felipe Alou, Vladimir Guerrero and the Montreal Expos in 1999.
The Dominican National Team is slated to begin its 2026 World Baseball Classic schedule against Team Nicaragua in Pool D action on Friday, March 6th at loanDepot park in Miami. Team DR, which prevailed in the 2013 World Baseball Classic with a perfect 8-0 record, is one of only three countries to have won one of the first five editions of the global tournament, along with Team Japan (three-time champions; 2006, 2009 and 2023) and Team USA (2017 champions).
The Dominican Republic has produced the most Major League players on Opening Day rosters outside of the United States annually since at least 1995, when such data began to be formally released. An even 100 players who were born in the Dominican Republic were on 2025 Opening Day rosters.