SAN PEDRO DE MACORÍS. – The
Estrellas Orientales started on the right foot the
2025-2026 season of the Dominican Republic Professional Baseball League (LIDOM) by defeating
7-3 the Toros del Este, in the
inaugural game held at the
Tetelo Vargas Stadium, in a tournament dedicated to the Cooperstown Immortal
Juan Marichal.
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The Petromacorisano team had a solid mound performance by
Esmil Rogers (1-0, 3.60 ERA), who pitched five innings with two runs, one walk, and six strikeouts, while
Patrick Weigel earned his first save of the season. The loss fell to the left-hander
Matt Dermody (0-1, 18.00 ERA), punished with six runs and six hits in three innings of work.
The green offensive was commanded by
Rodolfo Castro, who hit a home run and drove in five runs, and
Josh Lester, who contributed a home run, a double, two RBIs and a run scored.
Raimel Tapia also shone with the bat by going 2-3 with two runs scored.
For the
Toros del Este, the young prospect
Felnin Celestén had a memorable debut in the LIDOM by hitting his
first home run in the league, in addition to driving in two runs and scoring one.
Gilberto Celestino and
Yairo Muñoz each had two hits, while
Félix Reyes drove in one with a double.
The races came early for the Stars, who took control of the game with a
three-run homer by Rodolfo Castro in the third inning, followed by a solo home run by
Josh Lester. The greens extended their lead with an RBI single by Castro and a run-scoring double by Lester in the eighth inning.
The Toros scored with a double by
Félix Reyes that brought
Gilberto Celestino to the plate, a solo home run by
Celestín in the fifth inning and a sacrifice fly by Celestín himself in the seventh that allowed
Marco Luciano to score.
Inaugural Act
Prior to the start of the game, an emotional
inaugural ceremony was held, led by
Senator of San Pedro de Macorís, Aracelys Villanueva, who made the honorary pitch. The godmothers
Davianny Castro (Toros del Este) and
Jazmín Rodríguez (Estrellas Orientales) performed the traditional exchange of flowers, accompanied by executives from both franchises.
Next commitment
The
Estrellas Orientales (1-0) travel this Thursday to
La Romana, where they will face the
Toros del Este (0-1) at
7:30 at night at the
Francisco A. Micheli Stadium, in a match that marks the debut of the taurinos before their fans.
