MLB NEWS

Twins, Tigers to play exhibition in Dominican Republic

Field Level Media

February 05, 2020 at 9:53 pm.

The Minnesota Twins and Detroit Tigers will meet in the Dominican Republic on March 7 for a major league exhibition game, the first there in 20 years, MLB announced Wednesday.

The game will be played at Estadio Quisqueya Juan Marichal in Santo Domingo. The Boston Red Sox and the Houston Astros were the last MLB teams to play in the Dominican, meeting at the same stadium in 2000.

The Tigers will be the home team in a game of American League Central Division rivals.

“The Detroit Tigers are honored to be selected by Major League Baseball for this event in the Dominican Republic,” said Al Avila, Tigers executive vice president of baseball operations and general manager. “International growth — especially in Latin America — is a priority for many teams across the sport, and for me, personally, it means a great deal with my father, Ralph, having started the first baseball Academy in the Dominican Republic — Campos Las Palmas — and with his efforts starting the Dominican Summer League. It’s truly a country that has passionate fans and a rich history with baseball.”

According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the Twins have seven Dominican players on their 40-man roster: Nelson Cruz, Jorge Polanco, Miguel Sano, Fernando Romero, Jorge Alcala, Jhoan Duran and Gilberto Celestino.