Also the general manager, the manager is still pending; the Dominican Republic is in group D; Nelson Cruz and Juan Núñez ponder
The Dominican Republic already has a general manager for the World Baseball Classic, it also knows its first round opponents, the third big step would be the designation of the manager.
Yesterday Major League Baseball announced the four groups that will be playing in what will be the sixth version of the Classic, an event that will begin on March 5 in Japan.
The Dominicans are in Group D, along with Venezuela, the Netherlands, Israel and a team that will enter via qualification. The venue for this first round will be Miami’s Loan Deport Park.
The 2026 version will be the fourth in which the Dominicans will appear alongside their arch-rival Venezuela in at least the first round of the great event that brings together the major baseball nations.
In the event held in 20023 at the Marlins Park, the Vinotinto defeated the Dominicans with a score of 5-1 in which Sandy Alcantara allowed Anthony Santander a home run, while Martin Perez and Luis Garcia pitched superbly.
The Dominicans were unable to advance from the first round, which was the second time in five events. After this failure, the Dominican-Venezuelan matchups are now 4-1, favoring the former.
“It is comfortable to be in an environment like Miami, where many fans will give great support to the Dominican team,” said Nelson Cruz, who for the second consecutive tournament will be the general manager.
He said that for several weeks he has been contacting important people in baseball with the purpose of integrating him.
He considered that all the groups are well balanced, highlighting that of the Dominicans.
Juan Núñez Nepomuceno, president of the Dominican Baseball Federation, considered the group in which the country was left as excellent, while highlighting the fact that they will return to Loan Depot Park.
He also pointed out that the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico will not see each other’s faces in the first round and emphasized the expectations that could be generated by both teams having to meet in the next round. “All the groups are very even, in our group there are strong teams like Venezuela and the Netherlands, but we will always be a tough nut to crack,” he said.
He maintains that for a long time he has been working with Nelson Cruz and other members in the possible structures that they would have ahead.
The groups
The other groups announced by MLB are as follows: Group A is made up of Puerto Rico, Cuba, Canada, Panama and a team to be classified. It will be held from March 6 to 11 at the Hiram Bithorn Stadium in Puerto Rico.
Source:Listindiario.com
