All-Star teams from two of the Caribbean's biggest baseball powers will square off at Estadio Hiram Bithorn in San Juan, Puerto Rico on Dec. 5.
The game, titled "Duelo del Caribe," or "The Duel of the Caribbean," will feature a team of star players from Puerto Rico against a similar team representing the Dominican Republic.
"The sporting rivalry between Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic has a very special history in Caribbean baseball," said LBPRC President Juan A. Flores Galarza in a press release announcing the game. "The Duelo del Caribe gives us the opportunity to revive that tradition and bring together the best players from our islands. For the players, wearing the uniform of Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic always represents a great source of pride.”
The press release issued by Puerto Rico's professional winter league, the LBPRC, and LIDOM, the professional winter league in the Dominican Republic, said that Puerto Rico's team will include New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor, Los Angeles Dodgers reliever Edwin Díaz and outfield Enrique Hernández, while the Dominican Republic squad will feature 18-year Major League Baseball vet Robinson Canó, Kansas City Royals outfielder Starling Marte, St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Joshua Báez and Boston Red Sox pitcher Brayan Bello.
It's likely that more MLB players could appear in the Duelo del Caribe game, as it is scheduled for after the potential start of an MLB lockout, which would begin when the current Collective Bargaining Agreement expires at 11:59 p.m. ET on Dec. 1. Without a CBA in place between MLB and the Major League Baseball Players Association, MLB teams wouldn't be able to limit or nix a player's participation in winter ball.
“LIDOM is very pleased to be part of this initiative and to celebrate the opportunity to work together with the Roberto Clemente Professional Baseball League, FENAPEPRO, and the other institutions involved," said LIDOM President Vitelio Mejía Ortiz. "This meeting represents an excellent opportunity to continue strengthening the ties of cooperation between both islands and opens the door to future joint initiatives and events that will continue to promote our sport.”
This is the third such All-Star Game between the two leagues, with the first having been played at Estadio Cibao in Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic in 2023. The second was played last year at Citi Field in New York, with the LIDOM All-Stars beating the LBPRC All-Stars 6-2 on a cold November day.
Estadio Hiram Bithorn, opened in 1962, is the home of the Senadores de San Juan and Cangrejeros de Santurce of the LBPRC. It was used as a temporary home for the Montreal Expos in the 2003 and 2004 MLB seasons, and has hosted pool play games in the 2006, 2009, 2013, and 2026 World Baseball Classics.