Red Sox Value Ever-Growing Connection To Dominican Republic

BOSTON -- The Red Sox benefitted heavily when Dominican-born stars David Ortiz, Pedro Martinez and Manny Ramirez joined forces, breaking the team's 86-year World Series title drought in 2004.

That connection to the Dominican Republic remains and isn't going anywhere, anytime soon.

Before embarking on the 2024 campaign, the Red Sox will take a trip to Santo Domingo as part of the MLB Dominican Republic Series to play the Tampa Bay Rays. It's not the first international trip Boston's taken -- the Red Sox faced the New York Yankees in London in 2019 -- but it'll still provide a special experience for the team's current Dominican-born players and the international fan base. Rafael Devers and Brayan Bello, two of Boston's key contributors, both are Dominican natives prepping for a homecoming.

Any Red Sox affiliate with Dominican origins likely will receive a roaring ovation from all those in attendance, indicative of the strength behind Boston's passionate fan base that spans far beyond Fenway Park.

"The Red Sox are a global brand," the team's senior multicultural and digital marketing manager, Beatriz Lopez, told NESN.com. "I think when you think of baseball, you think of a few teams and the Red Sox are top of mind. And from what I've seen, I work on our Spanish social accounts, so I interact and see what fans from other countries that really follow the Red Sox and are passionate Red Sox fans, and don't live in the United States, and follow the team and have been fans for years. And sometimes it goes deeper into family, their parents were fans and things like that. So, I think it's important for the Red Sox to acknowledge the fact that they are a global brand, that they have this fandom outside of New England and outside of the United States."

That salute to the foreign markets and fan bases has grown in recent years. The Red Sox have hosted various game nights celebrating a diversity of cultures, including those in Latin America, which resonate with both players and fans rallying around the team.

🗣️ ¡LA PALABRA DE ‘CARITA’!

En conversación con @ESPN_Beisbol, Raffy manifestó la emoción que siente por jugar en su tierra en la #DominicanRepublicSeries este 9 y 10 de marzo.

¡Nos vemos en el play, @MLBDominicana! 🇩🇴⚾️ pic.twitter.com/X84xAN8nwJ

— Red Sox de Boston (@RedSoxBeisbol) March 7, 2024

"I'm very happy about this," Devers said Thursday at spring training, per Ian Browne of MLB.com. "Like a lot of the kids there, I grew up with the dream of playing baseball, and it'll be nice for the kids down there who are 10, 11, 12 years old who have never seen a big league baseball player to see them in person. I know I didn't have that chance to see a big baseball player in person (when I was younger), but to be able to be that for them is going to be really, really exciting."

Behind the scenes, the Red Sox have done more giving back to the Dominican Republic communities aside from investing in their young up-and-coming prospects. In 2003, the organization launched its Dominican Academy, and it currently has two Dominican Summer League teams -- one of which Bello previously pitched for before rising in Boston's farm system.

Lopez, a member of the Red Sox for six years and a native of the Dominican Republic, was in the country's town of El Mamon when the preseason series was first announced. There, she helped give back to residents as part of Boston's annual "Lindos Sueños" program, which was birthed in 2004.

"Luckily, we got the Dominican Series. I think it was perfect timing," Lopez said. "I remember when we found out this was happening. I was also a part of the Lindos Sueños trip. ... It's a mission trip where we build a home for a family in the community of El Mamon, which is located five minutes away from the Red Sox Academy. And we take 10 young American boys and pair them with 10 Dominican boys. So, they help build a home and in the afternoon, they play baseball together."

Lopez added: "It just felt like it was the perfect time to have this celebration of baseball and the Dominican Republic happen."

Baseball is a cultural staple in several countries in the Caribbean, such as Puerto Rico, Cuba, Venezuela and the Dominican Republic. Those countries respectively have produced some of MLB's brightest stars, including 19 of baseball's current 342 Hall of Famers. Therefore, while Boston and Tampa Bay might not be playing games that count toward the regular-season standings this weekend, fans in attendance will treat the chance to watch an MLB game played in their community as more than a preseason exhibition.

Looking ahead, stressing the importance of faraway cultures and fan bases who are as passionate about the Red Sox as Bostonians won't be overlooked.

"I think this is just the -- not necessarily the start, but just us ramping up these efforts," Lopez explained. " ... I think this is just one way for us to tap into these communities and I think you can see that with the events that we're having at the ballpark. We are expanding upon those, where I think every year we have more and more. This season, you'll see that we've definitely added on. And we've added on new countries because we know there are more communities we want to tap into and reach out to and celebrate and connect to. So, I think it's definitely something we're gooing to continue doing and growing upon."

The Red Sox and Rays will play twice in the Dominican Republic, on Saturday and Sunday. Both games will air live on NESN.