Caribbean baseball pits powerhouses Dominican Republic, Cuba

San Juan, Puerto Rico.- Dominican Republic’s representatives for the 57th annual Caribbean Series have their first showdown on Tuesday, against Cuba’s Pinar del Rio in San Juan’s Hiram Bithorn Stadium, local media report.

The Gigantes of San Francisco will send lefty Rafael Perez for to the mound for the game slated for 1:05pm, broadcast live by the local network, CDN, Channel 37.

Dominican team owner Audo Vicente will lead the Dominicans against the Cuban team, which lost its first match to Mexico’s Tomateros of Culiacan 2 to 1.

"We’re happy with the team we have. Manager René Francisco was able to form a good group of young players and veterans, with great desire to win," said Vicente.

The team from San Francisco arrived in Puerto Rico noon Monday.