Miami, US.- Before the clash between the Criollos de Caguas of Puerto Rico and the Tigres del Licey of the Dominican Republic at loanDepot Park in Miami, Puerto Rican manager Yadier Molina declared: ‘Every time we face our Dominican brothers, it is a classic.’ The anticipated match, which unfolded on Saturday, lived up to the expectation as the Dominican team secured a 5-2 victory.
This encounter has now etched its place in the record books of the 75-year-old tournament, attracting a remarkable attendance of 35,972 spectators. As announced by the Miami Marlins, this Saturday’s game stands as the most attended Caribbean Series game in the history of the event, surpassing the previous record set last year during the match between Venezuela and Panama, which drew 35,691 spectators at the Simón Bolívar Stadium in Caracas.
The average attendance per game during the first three full days of this edition of the Caribbean Series has been an impressive 13,528 people, closely mirroring the Marlins’ average attendance in the 2023 season (14,356).
Friday’s duel echoed the atmosphere of the loanDepot Park from a year ago when both teams clashed in the World Baseball Classic. On March 15, 2023, Puerto Rico emerged victorious against the Dominican Republic with the same 5-2 scoreline. The game, remembered for Edwin Díaz’s injury at the end, drew an attendance of 36,025 fans, just 53 more than the record-setting Caribbean Series match.
The current record attendance at loanDepot Park also ties with the Dominican Republic’s game against the United States in the 2017 World Classic, where 37,446 people gathered — the official capacity of the loanDepot Park being 37,442.”