Basic guide to Dominican winter baseball: teams, schedule, and rivalries

Santo Domingo.- Dominican winter baseball is preparing for another edition. The 2025-26 season of the Dominican Republic Professional Baseball League (LIDOM) starts on Wednesday, October 15, marking the beginning of a new battle for supremacy on the national diamond.

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The Leones del Escogido, current national and Caribbean champions, will seek to defend the crown against their eternal rival, the Tigres del Licey, who arrive reinforced and with a thirst for revenge. The Quisqueya Juan Marichal stadium will be the scene of the first clash between these two giants, reviving the final that paralyzed the country last season.

Meanwhile, in Santiago, the Águilas Cibaeñas will receive the Gigantes del Cibao in the northern classic, and in San Pedro de Macorís, the Estrellas Orientales will face the Toros del Este at the Tetelo Vargas stadium. All matches will begin at 7:30 PM.

Format and Calendar

The tournament maintains its traditional structure:

• Regular season of 50 games per team until the end of December.
• The top four advance to the semifinal round robin (18 games).
• The top two will play the Final Series best-of-seven in January, from which the Dominican representative for the Caribbean Series 2026 will emerge.

The Teams and Their Aspirations

The Escogido trusts in repeating the feat with a balanced roster of veterans and young prospects, under the same championship direction.
The Licey, for its part, has been reinforced with a view to recovering the title lost in the last inning of the seventh game of the last final. The Eagles have a new leader and are looking to regain prominence; the Stars, Toros and Giants are also betting heavily, with significant reinforcements and renewed strategies to conquer the trophy.

Season Updates

LIDOM announced improvements on several fronts:

• High-definition television broadcasts and real-time digital coverage.
• Reinforcement of stadium infrastructure for a better audience experience.
• Commercial alliances that promise greater international projection of the tournament.

In addition, the expectation regarding the signing of the Winter League Agreement (WLA) with MLB is maintained, which is essential to define the participation of active Major League players. The lack of this agreement caused the cancellation of the Serie del Tequila between Escogido and Charros de Jalisco, which was scheduled in Mexico.

Environment and passion

Winter baseball continues to be more than a sport: it is a national celebration. The rivalry between Escogido and Licey, the energy of the Cibao, and the enthusiasm of the fans in each stadium confirm that the LIDOM continues to be the most exciting sporting spectacle in the Caribbean.

The Cibao Series Comes to New York

For the first time, Dominican fans abroad will enjoy an official extension of the season: the Serie del Cibao, where Gigantes and Águilas will face each other in three games valid for the standings, from November 7 to 9 at Citi Field in New York.

Where to watch the matches

Each team will offer multiple options to follow the games:

• Tigres del Licey: Digital 15, Telemicro Internacional, LiceyTV and YouTube (LiceyTube).
• Leones del Escogido: Digital 15, Claro HD, Altice and MLB.tv.
• Águilas Cibaeñas: Tele Universo, CDN Deportes and their official platforms.
• Gigantes del Cibao: Telemedios, CCT, Telenord and GigantesTV.
• Estrellas Orientales: Teleantillas and Radio Dial.
• Toros del Este: Coral and Teleantillas, as well as La Voz de las Fuerzas Armadas.

All broadcasts will have radio coverage on their respective parent stations and regional frequencies.