On March 7, 2020, the Minnesota Twins and Detroit Tigers faced off for the first Spring Training game in the Dominican Republic in 20 years. Both teams put on a show in front of the sold-out crowd at famed Estadio Quisqueya Juan Marichal. Led by Dominican Republic natives, Nelson Cruz and Miguel Sano, the Twins beat the Tigers 7-6 in a close game that had the 15,000 fans on their feet from the first pitch through the last.
The back-and-forth battle between the Twins and Tigers in the Dominican Republic had everything. Legends Pedro Martinez and Vladimir Guerrero Sr. threw out the first pitches and native D.R. players from both teams put on a show with big hits and even bigger smiles.
In front of his hometown crowd, Miguel Sano blasts a two-run home run over the left-field wall, tying the game at in the top of the 3rd inning. Sano would later bring in another run with an RBI single in the 5th inning, sparking the Twins eventual comeback.
In the 1st inning, D.R. native Jeimer Candelario smashes an RBI double into left-field, bringing in the first run of the game for the Tigers. Candelario’s double sparked a 3-run 1st inning for the Tigers. The big 1st inning got the D.R. crowd energized from the start.
The 2025 MLB regular season will begin with the the Tokyo Series presented by Guggenheim at the Tokyo Dome, featuring the Los Angeles Dodgers against the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday, March 18 and Wednesday, March 19.
Tokyo, Japan
March 18-19, 2025
