This weekend launched Major League Baseball’s newest initiative called MLB World Tour. It is a four-part adventure creating opportunities for fans to experience baseball outside of the US and Canada. Part-one takes place in the Dominican Republic as the Rays take on the Red Sox. A two-game series is scheduled for Saturday (March 9) and Sunday (March 10). The second part will be in Seoul, South Korea as the Dodgers play against the Padres on March 20-21. Next month, April 27-28, the Rockies and Astros will play in Mexico City. The final leg of the tour is in London as the Mets take on the Phillies in June. Over the past 30 years the MLB has played over 200 international games in 11 different countries. This is the first time the Rays participated in such an endeavor.
Kevin Cash and the Rays were honored to be part of this opportunity. Baseball is no stranger to the Dominican Republic. Dominicans are proud of the baseball heritage. There are three Dominican Republic born players in the Baseball Hall of Fame: Juan Marichal (1983), Pedro Martinez (2015), and David Ortiz(2022). Cash found a way to insert seven players into the game that were born in the Dominican Republic. Maybe, one day, these players will be added to this list of Dominican Republic-born Hall of Famers.
Much of the media surrounding this first game focused on the Red Sox and Rafael Devers and I found it disappointing. First, the MLB app on my TV would only let me watch the Red Sox broadcast of the game. Strike one. Then, Martinez and Ortiz threw out the first pitch. Fine, it is their home country. Strike two. Then, the article posted on MLB.com written by Ian Browne, does not mention anything about the Rays other than naming them as opponents in the game. Well, my fine Sir, the Rays’ starting pitcher and lead-off batter were born in the Dominican Republic, as well.
Honestly, it was not a good game for the Rays. The young Yoniel Curet started the game wildly on the mound. Free passes he issued in the first inning came back to haunt him. It was a long first inning. Curet threw over 30 pitches. The Red Sox scored two runs in the first. Another run by the Red Sox was tacked on the third. Dominican-born Edwin Uceta came in on the fourth inning and provided relief. Although Uceta allowed the only homer in the game, he also struck out six batters in two innings. Valdez’s homer in the fourth inning was the last run the Red Sox would score. Unfortunately, the Rays forgot their hitting shoes and the Rays were shut out 4-0. They managed to reach base four times. Infielder Jonathan Aranda raised his average to .400 with two more hits. Island natives Caminero and Siri each had a hit.
The second game of the series is set to start at 1pm on Sunday. Although the Rays lost the first game, baseball and the fans in the Dominican Republic won. The pregame for game one showed how the teams interacted with the local community. Maybe a future Hall of Famer was sitting in the stands watching the game. These types of events are great for the game and it shows good will between nations and aids economically. In 1969 the MLB expanded to add its first team outside of the US border with the Expos in Montreal. It is 853 miles from Santo Domingo, DR to Miami. It is 830 miles from Los Angeles to Denver. Expansion is possible.
