Play ball! Dominican baseball season opens today, with “Los Toros” starting in San Pedro

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Dominican baseball fever begins! Today starts the 56th Fall-Winter Baseball Championship 2013-2014, with games in San Pedro de Macoris, Santo Domingo and Santiago. And we can already the excitement and passion that characterizes the number one pastime of the Dominican Republic. It’s time to play ball!

The La Romana home team, “Los Toros del Este”, opens its 30th season in the Dominican League visiting Tetelo Vargas Stadium in San Pedro de Macoris, where they will face “Las Estrellas Orientales”, in the first game of “La Serie de la Caña”, from 7:00 in the evening.

The team manager Dave Miley has chosen pitcher Claudio Vargas as the starter in this opening game. Vargas a veteran of the Dominican League, is a good choice because of his large arsenal of pitches, which is crucial due to the quality of the “Las Estrellas” batsmen, who have planned to open with knuckleballer Charlie Haeger of the USA.

The first three games of “Los Toros” are tonight, Friday the 18th in San Pedro de Macoris with “Las Estrellas Orientales”, on Saturday the 19th in Santiago against “Las Aguilas del Cibao”, and Sunday the 20th back in La Romana receiving “Las Estrellas Orientales” in the newly remodelled Francisco Micheli stadium. The right-handed Adalberto Mendez will pitch against “Las Aguilas”, while the right-handed Elih Villanueva was choosen to stop “Las Estrellas”, in the home game on Sunday.

In the other opening games, “Los Leones del Escogido” will receive “Los Tigres del Licey” at the Quisqueya Stadium in Santo Domingo, while “Las Aguilas del Cibaeñas” will meet the Gigantes, in the Cibao stadium of Santiago de los Caballeros.

NO FAVORITES

Although “Los Leones del Escogido” maintain the same structure, which led them to victory in 3 out of 4 of the tournaments, it is noteworthy that this year, the Dominican League does not have a team that stands out enough to be considered the “favorite” for the title.

The six teams look closely matched due to the similar quality of the players on their payroll, so expect big battles for the first four positions of the regular season, in route to the playoffs.

“Las Aguilas Cibaeñas” show great potential, despite losing the last two finals versus “Escogido”, and seek to maintain their title as the team who has won the most games in the Dominican League (1547 victories of 2894 games played) besides break the tie they have with “Los Tigres del Licey” in championships won (20).

“Los Tigres del Licey”, now with Manny Acta as general manager, is second with 1525 wins of 2891 games played;  “Escogido” 1472 of 2896; “Los Toros” have gone successfully on 540 of 1162 games played. “Las Estrellas Orientales” is the team with the most lost more games (1524), having triumphed in 1304 of the 2841 they have played.

GAMES AT THE FRANCISCO MICHELI STADIUM

Attention “taurinos” of Casa de Campo! Our local team opens its 25-game schedule in the Francisco Micheli Stadium, this Sunday the 20th against “Las Estrellas Orientales”. The new leadership have prepared a series of activities for this Inaugural Day, including fireworks, raffles and promotions in order to please the hundreds of fans who will gather to support the home team – Los Toros!

This year we will have six Sundays at home, starting at 5:00pm, so it’s a great opportunity for the whole family to meet with their flags, hats and shirts of “Los Toros”.

“Los Toros” will play five games with each team, a journey that begins on October 20th and ends on December 22nd…

 25 games at Francisco A. Micheli Stadium (La Romana)