Estadio Quisqueya

Estadio Quisqueya Juan Marichal or simply Estadio Quisqueya, is a baseball stadium in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. It is often used as a multi-purpose stadium. The seating capacity is 13,186 people. Its field dimensions are 335 feet (102 m) at the foul poles, 383 feet (117 m) at the power alleys, and 411 feet (125 m) at center field. The Board of Trustees of the Estadio Quisqueya Juan Marichal is in charge of its management. The area surrounding the stadium includes the Coliseo de Boxeo Carlos "Teo" Cruz, the facilities of the Liga Deportiva Mercedes, and the offices of the Instituto Nacional de Tránsito y Transporte Terrestre (INTRANT). It is one of two stadiums in the Caribbean region to host two different baseball teams, the Tigres del Licey and the Leones del Escogido, the other one being Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico that hosts the Cangrejeros de Santurce and the Senadores de San Juan. While the stadium has never hosted the World Baseball Classic, it served as venue for two friendly games between the Dominican Republic national baseball team and the Detroit Tigers in preparation for the 2026 World Baseball Classic. The stadium is also used for other sports and concerts. Football club Atlético Pantoja used the venue for their inaugural 2016 CFU Club Championship match. Artists who have held concerts at the stadium include Marc Anthony, Shakira, Ricky Martin, Enrique Iglesias, and Bad Bunny. History The stadium was built in 1955 as Estadio Trujillo, during the Rafael Leónidas Trujillo dictatorship, taking the Bobby Maduro Miami Stadium as the design base. It was later renamed after the former Major League Baseball (MLB) player and Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Juan Marichal. The stadium began the modern era of organized Dominican baseball by introducing the lighting system to its circuit, which is why it is popularly said that it started the "era of games under lights". The stadium was inaugurated on October 23, 1955, with the first night game between the Tigres del Licey and the Estrellas Orientales. The first baseball events to occur at the stadium were: First hit: Alcibíades Colón (Licey) against Donald Elston (Estrellas), October 23, 1955 First double: Luis "Grillo" Báez (Licey), October 23, 1955 First triple: Bob Wilson (Licey), October 23, 1955 First home run: Emil Panko (Águilas), October 24, 1955 First out: Pablo Garcia (Licey), October 23, 1955 First run batted in (RBI): Pablo Garcia (Licey), October 23, 1955 The Caribbean Series (Spanish: Serie del Caribe) has been held at the stadium in: 1972, 1976, 1980, 1988, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2012, 2016 and 2022. During spring training for the 2024 MLB season, two games between the Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays were scheduled for March 9–10 at the stadium as part of MLB World Tour (MLB games held outside of the United States and Canada). The Red Sox defeated the Rays in both games, by scores of 4–0 and 7–6. Capacity Rebuilding projects In 2007, the stadium underwent a rebuilding job which expanded its number of seats and the overall look of the field. The bullpens are now enclosed and out of play. Former president Leonel Fernández also announced in 2009 that there were plans to turn the stadium and the adjacent area into a modern sports complex named the Centro Deportivo y Cultural Juan Marichal, in honor of one of the Dominicans in the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame, Juan Marichal. The construction of a five-star hotel at the end of the central garden that would consist of 150 rooms was also in the pipeline, in addition to a building that would house a casino and a sports museum. Due to the criticism received from many sectors for the way in which the remodeling was going to be financed, the Dominican State announced the suspension of the project. For the 2010–11 season, the bleacher area was reduced from 9,600 seats to 9,500 to expand the 'AA' boxes from 5,843 to 7,443 seats. For the 2014–15 season it was renewed again and the area of the bleachers was reduced from 9,500 to 8,015 and other areas as well. The President of the Dominican Republic, Luis Abinader, issued a decree No. 306-25 that creates a consultative commission with the objective of evaluating the feasibility of building a new stadium and a set of works around the Estadio Quisqueya Juan Marichal. The commission will have to report to Luis Abinader on the proposal for a public-private initiative. The order issued by the executive explains that the venue must meet all the requirements to host Major League Baseball (MLB) teams. Gallery Notable events See also Estadio Cibao Estadio Julian Javier Estadio Tetelo Vargas Notes External links Estadio Quisqueya English Travel Guide References