Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico move their baseball rivalry to NY
Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico will face each other at the Mets’ Citi Field in a game that is dedicated to Dominican second baseman Robinson Canó.
NEW YORK — The fiery baseball rivalry between Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic It moves 2,500 kilometers from its natural geography, on Saturday, to New York, where the two Caribbean islands have a large population representation.
Some of the best players who are participating in the winter leagues of Quisqueya and Isla del Encanto will face each other in the Citi Field of the New York Mets in a game that is dedicated to the Dominican second baseman Robinson Cano and which the organizers named “ShowDown: RD vs PR.”
Both squads will have many familiar faces in Queens from having played with the Mets. Canó will be in the Dominican starting lineup, which will be led by the former outfielder Carlos Gomez. Carlos Delgado and Carlos Beltrán They will be part of the Puerto Rico coaching staff.
Special guests such as former players Roberto Alomar, Bartolo Colón and Alfonso Soriano and the artist and businessman Jay Z, president of the sports agency that represents Canó, have confirmed their participation in the celebration.
“We are very excited to host this celebration of Caribbean baseball at Citi Field. The energy in the stadium will be amazing. Queens will be vibrating to celebrate Latin pride,” said Alexandra Cohen, owner of the Mets.
Mrs. Cohen, whose maiden name is García, is the daughter of Puerto Rican parents, born in Harlem, where Puerto Rican “El Barrio” is, and raised in Washington Heights, a predominantly Dominican area in Manhattan.
An American Community Survey study published two years ago showed that Latinos are the second largest racial and ethnic group in New York, representing 19% of the total population. Latinos in “The City That Never Sleeps” are diverse in terms of ethnicity, with Puerto Ricans being the largest group (29%), followed by Dominicans (23%), according to the analysis.
So bringing the most intense baseball rivalry in the Caribbean and one of the most important in the world to New York seems logical, except for the date. The late fall days are usually cold and gray in the Big Apple. Nothing to do with the idyllic description made by the legendary band “El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico” in their legendary song “Un Verano en Nueva York”.
Fortunately, the weather forecast calls for Saturday to be a cloudy but rainless day, with a temperature of 48 degrees F. (9 degrees C) by 1 p.m., when the baseball game is scheduled to begin. For locals it is an improvement to the poor weather conditions recorded in recent days.
“That’s the idea: Bring a portion of the Caribbean warmth to our people in New York,” said Yamil Benítez, a former Major League outfielder who now heads the Puerto Rico Baseball Players Association, which organizes the event jointly with the National Federation of Professional Baseball Players of the Dominican Republic and the Mets.
“This is an achievement for Dominican and Puerto Rican players. It is great for us to bring that Caribbean heat to New York City, since we know that many Puerto Rican and Dominican fans cannot travel in November and December to participate in our tournaments,” added Benítez.
“For our entity it is a huge, historic achievement. I never imagined being able to bring our players to play in the fall in New York,” said Erick Almonte, president of the Dominican players’ union.
In addition to Canó, the Dominican roster at ShowDown has many players with experience in the Major Leagues. There are infielders Hanser Alberto and Christian Adames; the outfielders Gilberto Celestino, Sócrates Brito and Junior Lake, and the pitchers Cesar Valdez, Richard Rodríguez, Fernando Abad, Phillips Valdez, Esmil Rogers and Huascar Ynoa, among others.
The Puerto Rican roster includes catcher Martin Maldonado, outfielders Eddie Rosario and Danny Ortiz, infielders Emmanuel Rivera and Vimael Machin and pitchers Jose De Leon, Jorge Lopez and Jose Espada, to name a few.
All Dominican players will wear number 24 in honor of Canó, while Puerto Ricans will have Roberto Clemente’s legendary number 21 that Delgado wore in his years with the Mets. Delgado will serve as honorary manager of the Puerto Rican squad.
“It is a great honor and I feel very proud of such recognition from my baseball colleagues and friends,” said Canó. The eight-time All-Star in the Major Leagues and champion with the New York Yankees in 2009, has not played in the United States since 2022, but remains active in Mexico during the summer and in the Dominican Republic in the winter.
“Being part of all this and having the opportunity to contribute to spreading Caribbean baseball is something I take very seriously. I will enjoy it,” said Delgado, who accumulated 473 home runs and 1,512 RBIs in 17 years in the major leagues and is a candidate for the Cooperstown Hall of Fame, via the contemporary era committee that will vote in December.
When the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico play baseball the moment surpasses the sporting aspect, whether in the Caribbean Series, the World Classic or one of the World Sports Confederation events.
Before Saturday’s game, a party will be held starting at 10:30 am around Citi Field, with live music, typical cuisine and family activities.
The merenguero Héctor Acosta, better known as “El Torito”, will perform the anthem of the Dominican Republic, while Gilberto Santa Rosa, “El Caballero de la Salsa”, will perform the Puerto Rican “La Borinqueña”.
In the middle of filming the third season of the television series “Lioness,” the Oscar-winning Dominican actress, Zoe Saldaña, took advantage of a break to send a message to the Dominican team.
“Hello. From the set of Lioness, to the Dominican Republic: Up Quisqueya!” Saldaña said in a video posted on her social networks.
“The event is a way to show the power of our community in the city,” said Dominican model and actress, Celinés Toribio, who is the director of the Institute of Dominicans Abroad (INDEX).
“They both make me feel proud, the Dominicans and the Puerto Ricans, but obviously for that game I will be ‘full’ with Puerto Rico. This November 15 I will be supporting Puerto Rico. Let’s go with everything,” said “Residente”, one of the founders of the emblematic Puerto Rican rap band “Calle 13”.
