When the Dominican Republic steps on the diamond of loanDepot Park, the team that is stacked up with pure elite talent and future Hall of Famers, managed by one in Albert Pujols, are not playing baseball.
They are literally having a party in this edition of the World Baseball Classic.
From one swing of the bat or sensational highlight with the glove paired along to an epic celebration, continuing to top the previous one.
A clear display of just how much it means for professional players to represent their country on the grand stage of the World Baseball Classic with some who have already earned hundreds of millions in their career on the field and have a World Series ring, among other accolades.
“I mean, I been on many great teams. 2019 and 2024, those were really fun teams that I played with, but this has gotta be top of the top. You have the whole family, the whole Dominican Republic cheering for you. Being right there for you and I don’t think there’s anything better than that.” -Juan Soto, a two-time LatinoMVP Award winner
Oh, and stationed in the Dominican Republic dugout, but being used often, is a customized Dominican Republic styled home run jacket, stamped with the country’s flag, and several designs paying homage to the D.R. as well as the lettering of players on the 2026 WBC roster.
So far in their first two games of Pool D WBC Play in Miami, Florida, a pair of beatdowns—winning 12-3 vs. Nicaragua and 12-1 vs. the Netherlands—Junior Caminero (2x), Julio Rodríguez, Oneil Cruz, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Austin Wells and Juan Soto each went on to have the home run jacket put on them by their Dominican teammates outside the dugout upon arriving.
And the way it’s looking, expect much more in the near future as the Dominican Republic faces Israel on Monday, March 9th, before their showdown against Venezuela on Wednesday night, March 11th.
“We haven’t achieved anything yet, our goal is to win this tournament,” said Dominican Republic’s skipper Pujols. “We have to face important teams, and our goal is to stay focused on winning and to obtain the victory for our country.”
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