ORLANDO, Fla. -- Nelson Cruz tormented the Tigers for years during his 19-year Major League playing career. Albert Pujols helped deny Detroit a World Series title in 2006 as the heart of the Cardinals. But Detroit is teaming up with those two for a good cause come Spring Training.
For the second time in six years, the Tigers will head to the Dominican Republic for part of their Spring Training. This time, they’ll play two games against the vaunted Dominican team as it prepares for the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
The two-game series is scheduled for March 3-4 and will be played in memory of the victims from the Jet Set nightclub tragedy in Santo Domingo last April. MLB will make a donation to the Dominican Red Cross as part of the event.
“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,” Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a release announcing the series. “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.”
The games will be played at Estadio Quisqueya Juan Marichal in Santo Domingo, the same site where the Tigers faced the Twins for a Grapefruit League game in March 2020. Other MLB clubs have played there in recent years, including the Red Sox and Rays in 2024, the Red Sox and Astros in 2000, the Mets and Expos in 1999, the Phillies and Cardinals in 1978 and the Dodgers and Mets in 1977. However, this marks the first time that the Dominican National Team will host a Major League club.
The idea came from a conversation between Cruz, the general manager of the Dominican team, and Yankees senior advisor Omar Minaya.
“We were talking about what happened in 2001, 9/11, and [how] baseball brought back the love for people,” Cruz said in a press conference. “That's the idea that we have behind these games, so we can at least give some joy to those people who lost their family in that tragedy on April 8.
“Today has been a few months [in the making].”
Pujols, who will manage the Dominican team in the World Baseball Classic, was on board from the first suggestion.
“We all dream about going to your country, playing in front of your fans, the people that really support you,” Pujols said. “When I found out about this event, I was really excited about it because for two things: One, being a manager and having the opportunity to lead a ballclub next year to hopefully win the World Baseball Classic, which is a lot of responsibility that we have. But the other thing is to have the opportunity to bring that joy back to those people, as well, that lost a lot of family and friends, teammates that I played with and against, which is really sad. I think that's what's so good about this game that, when things like this happen, we use this game of sport.”
More than 200 people died when the roof of the Jet Set nightclub collapsed during a concert last April. Among the victims was former Major League reliever Octavio Dotel, who pitched two seasons for Detroit at the end of his 15-year Major League career.
The Tigers already have a World Baseball Classic exhibition scheduled against Panama on March 4 at Joker Marchant Stadium. That game will be played as scheduled, essentially creating a split-squad day of exhibitions.
“All of us with the Tigers are honored to compete against the Dominican Republic National Team on its home soil,” Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris said in a release. “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, [Dominican Republic] 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 Tigers are coming off back-to-back postseason berths thanks in part to the contributions of Dominican native and homegrown Tiger Wenceel Pérez, who was born in Azua. Catching prospect Thayron Liranzo was born and raised in San Francisco de Macoris. The Tigers have made inroads in the Dominican Republic for international signings in recent years, including Santo Domingo native and Tigers No. 7 prospect Cris Rodriguez for a franchise-record $3,197,500 signing bonus as part of their most recent class.
“The Dominican Republic has a rich history of baseball talent,” Harris said. “My job, I'm trying to find talent wherever we can, and the opportunity to play in front of Dominican fans, I understand we're not going to be the most popular team on the field that's playing, but the opportunity to showcase our talent on Dominican soil in front of Dominican fans raises the overall brand and profile of the Detroit Tigers and hopefully will help persuade some young Dominican players who will eventually be playing for Nelson and Albert someday to want to be Tigers in the future.”