It was an exciting Monday evening at Quisqueya Stadium, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Leones del Escogido and Tigres del Licey were facing off in a pivotal Game 7 matchup, where the winner that evening would be crowned the Dominican Republic Professional Baseball League (LIDOM) champions and take home the honour. Tigres de Licey was trying to add a 25th championship trophy to their mantle while Leones del Escogido has 17 titles to their name, adding their latest last night in a thriller that came down to the wire.

With the score tied at 5-5 heading into the top of the ninth inning, Tampa Bay Rays prospect Junior Caminero drove a sinker over the centre field wall 454 feet to give the Lions the lead. What followed was an epic bat flip that sailed high into the night sky and a home run trot that lasted upwards of a minute, with multiple celebrations down the first base line. In the bottom half of the frame, the Tigers put some pressure on the Lions – posting runners on second and third with two outs – but a drive to right field was caught by a diving Socrates Brito to finish out the game, giving the Lions the win.

It was a back-and-forth affair all series long, with the Tigers forcing a Game 7 on Sunday that featured bat checks, looking for illegal corks or foreign objects and over-the-top celebrations that bring excitement with every at-bat.

The LIDOM is a winter league that plays across the Dominican Republic and features many current and former Major League players, as well as some of the games’ top prospects. For example, the starting pitcher for Leones del Escogido was 17-year veteran Johnny Cueto while others like Rafael Montero, Jean Segura, Francy Cordero, Jose Siri, Francisco Mejia, Jorge Alfaro, Wilmer Difo, and Pedro Severino (amongst others) littered the roster. Former big leaguer Albert Pujols was the manager for Leones del Escogido.

On both sides, a handful of current and former Blue Jays were represented.

Leones del Escogido featured former outfielders Junior Lake and Socrates Brito, who played sparingly for both Toronto and the Buffalo Bisons, as well as reliever Jimmy Cordero, while Tigres del Licey featured former outfield prospect Harold Ramirez and utility player Emilio Bonifácio, who was acquired from the Miami Marlins in the 2012 mega-deal and spent half a season with the Blue Jays in 2013.

While he wasn’t on the roster for the game and hasn’t played for the squad since December, Blue Jays outfielder Steward Berroa played in 30 games for Escogido this winter and has been playing on the team since the 2022/2023 season. Through 71 plate appearances, the outfielder posted a .226/.397/.226 slash line with 12 stolen bases, two RBIs, and a .624 OPS to go along with 15 walks.

Former Jays prospect Luis De Los Santos and Jays catcher Reese McGuire also spent some time alongside Berroa throughout the winter, while top prospect Orelvis Martinez suited up in four games for the Tigers, collecting two hits through 14 at-bats. Former Jays prospect pitcher Dany Jiménez also appeared in three games for the Tigers, allowing one run through 2 1/3 innings.