Pujols, Yadi clash as rival managers in DR
The World Series may be over, but there’s still plenty of exciting baseball action unfolding in Latin America’s Winter Leagues this offseason -- with one compelling storyline set to take the spotlight on Tuesday night.
Cardinals legends Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina, who spent nine seasons as teammates and won two World Series titles together in 2006 and ’11, will go head to head as managers in the Dominican Republic for the first time on Tuesday. Pujols' Leones del Escogido will take on Molina's Águilas Cibaeñas at Estadio Cibao in Santiago, with the game set for 6:30 p.m. ET.
Tuesday’s matchup and all Dominican Winter Leagues games can be streamed live on MLB.TV (Spanish language broadcast only) with the MLB.TV Offseason Package.
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Molina, 42, took over as the Águilas skipper when the team dismissed manager Manny García after going 2-7 to start the season. They have since improved to 6-8 under Molina’s leadership and are currently tied for fourth place in the six-team circuit.
The former catcher has been steadily building his managerial credentials. Molina helmed the Navegantes del Magallanes in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League during the 2022-23 season and led the Criollos de Caguas to the Roberto Clemente Professional Baseball League title in his native Puerto Rico in 2023-24. Molina also managed Team Puerto Rico in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.
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Meanwhile, Pujols, a first-time manager at age 44, has the Leones off to a strong start, as they currently lead the LIDOM standings with an 11-4 record heading into Tuesday’s matchup.
The Leones and Águilas will meet again seven more times after Tuesday during the LIDOM regular season as both teams vie for a ticket to the playoffs and the chance to represent the Dominican Republic at the 2025 Caribbean Series in Mexicali, Mexico.