Venezuelan, Domican Republic baseball teams to face off at Marlins Park
MIAMI -- Serie de las Americas will pit four top teams from the Venezuelan and Dominican Republic winter leagues against each other from Nov. 21-22 at Marlins Park, it was announced Friday afternoon.
The inaugural baseball tournament, which is scheduled for at least three years, will welcome Navegantes del Magallanes and Cardenales de Lara of Venezuela as well as Los Tigres del Licey and Las Aguilas Cibaenas -- the Yankees and Red Sox of the Dominican Republic -- for official games played in doubleheaders.
The winners from Day 1 will then play for the title on the second day. It was said during the press conference that this will mark the first time the Dominican Republic and Venezuela play interleague games in the United States.
Pending a finalized deal, ESPN Deportes will televise the games in the United States. The contests will also be broadcast live in the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Colombia, Panama and Puerto Rico.
Tickets will go on sale Saturday morning online and at the Marlins Park box office. Ticket holders will be able to attend both games of the doubleheader.
"It's a great opportunity for Latin America to be in a stadium in the United States," said Miguel Angel Fernandez, president of Licey. "I think the community is going to have a great opportunity to watch Dominicans, Venezuelans, players at a very, very high level. We look forward to being with you here on Nov. 21-22. I think this is a beginning of something very great to come."
Roberto Ferrari, president of the Magallances ballclub in Venezuela, hopes it brings about a better relationship between Caribbean and American baseball. His organization has been around since 1917 and owns 12 titles in the Venezuelan League and two in the Caribbean Series.
Humberto Angrisano, the vice president of the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League, which is celebrating its 70th year, believes it will fill a void during the calendar year. Just as the NBA has preseason games around the world, Caribbean baseball can expand globally.
"History's going to be made here," said Manny Acta, former major-league manager and current general manager of Licey. "We can't wait for that to happen. To tell you the truth, as a baseball fan, I don't hide it. I don't watch any other sports, don't care about any other sports except baseball. I was watching baseball from home and I know a lot of people who follow baseball and don't have the opportunity to watch baseball in November because there's no baseball in November, especially at that date. Lucky us we live here in the Sunshine State, it's not going to be under snow. We can't wait."
Marlins Park has hosted several sporting events outside of the Major League Baseball schedule.
-- Last December, Memphis beat BYU in the inaugural Miami Beach Bowl. The next installment is scheduled for Dec. 21.
-- In May 2012, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, the United States and Italy competed in second-round games of the World Baseball Classic.
-- In November 2012, Nigeria beat Venezuela 3-1 in a soccer friendly.
Juan Francisco Puello Herrera, the commissioner of the Caribbean Baseball Confederation, recalls back-to-back years (1990-91) when the Caribbean Series was played in Miami at the Orange Bowl and Bobby Maduro Stadium. When he began his current position, he vowed to bring Caribbean baseball back.
"As a result of those series there was a bitter taste that was left," Herrera said through a translator. "I don't want to get into the particulars, but I left with the feeling that there was really an interest in bringing Caribbean baseball to the United States. In '91, when I became commissioner of the confederation, we began to have discussions about the possibility of bringing these games back here to the United States. 'It will be a reality.' The reality is here today.
"... That's always been the interest of the confederation to project itself in a global manner. You're going to have the best talent from both those countries here in November."
You can follow Christina De Nicola on Twitter @CDeNicola13 or email her at cdenicola13@gmail.com.
