This weekend, instead of their usual spring routine in Fort Myers, the Red Sox will go to the Dominican Republic to play two games against the Tampa Bay Rays in Santo Domingo.
The exhibition series is the first part of MLB’s World Tour, which will also have regular season series in Seoul, Mexico City and London in the next few months. The games this weekend will be at Estadio Quisqueya, starting at 5:05 p.m. ET on Saturday and 1:05 p.m. ET on Sunday.
On Saturday, the Red Sox will be the visiting team and on Sunday, they will be the road team. Both games will be televised by NESN and WEEI 93.7 FM.
This weekend will be a special time for current Red Sox stars like Rafael Devers and Brayan Bello, who are both from the Dominican Republic. It will also show the strong connection between the team and the baseball-loving nation. Four of the five Dominican-born players elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame have played for the Red Sox, including David Ortiz, Pedro Martinez, Adrian Beltre and Juan Marichal.
Before Game 1 on Saturday, Ortiz and Martinez will throw the first pitch, and Dominican artist El Alfa will do so before Game 2.
Many other Dominican celebrities and performers will also be part of the weekend. Natti Natasha, an award-winning recording artist, will be the Series Ambassador. Jhoel Lopez and Gabi Desangles will be in-game hosts for both games. Manny Cruz and Zacarias Ferreira will perform the Dominican Republic’s national anthem before Games 1 and 2, and a mixed chorus from Santo Domingo will perform “The Star Spangled Banner” before both games.
Before Saturday’s game, players from the Red Sox and Rays will take part in a Play Ball event for local youth from the Nike RBI Dominicana league in Santo Domingo.
Locally, the Red Sox will have a free community watch party at Terra Luna Cafe in Lawrence, a local Dominican-owned restaurant. According to the Red Sox, the event will include photo opportunities with the World Series trophies, free food and non-alcoholic drinks, music and other activities. All fans will also get two free tickets to a Red Sox game at Fenway Park on April 10 or April 11, when the club plays the Baltimore Orioles for the first homestand of the season.
