Expos to play 22 home games in Puerto Rico
next season.
Courtesy of Latino Legends in Sports, www.latinosportslegends.com
November 21, 2002 -- Once again, Major League Baseball
will be played on the beautiful island of Puerto Rico.
Major League Baseball announced yesterday that the Expos would play
three homestands at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan starting April 11th.
Commissioner Bud Selig made the announcement yesterday after the annual
one-day owner's meeting.
"We believe these games will generate considerable excitement in
Puerto Rico and throughout the Caribbean region," Selig said.
"We have attempted to balance the need for home schedule certainty
with this opportunity to stage attractive games in a city and region
renowned for its production of players and the enthusiasm of its
fans."
The other 59 home games will be played in Olympic Stadium in Montreal.
Subject to negotiations with the players' association, the Expos would
play a 10-game homestand in San Juan in April, with games against the New
York Mets (April 11-14), Atlanta (April 15-17) and Cincinnati (April
18-20).
The second homestand would include the World Series champion Anaheim
Angels (June 3-5) and Texas (June 6-8), and the last would have Florida
(Sept. 5-7) and the Chicago Cubs (Sept. 9-11).
"It doesn't affect me where we play," Expos manager Frank
Robinson said Tuesday after agreeing to come back for a second season in
Montreal. "It will be great to play in front of the people down
there. They're great fans. I spent nine years down there managing in
winter ball."
In 2001, the season kicked off Puerto Rico with games between the Texas
Rangers versus the Toronto Blue Jays at Estadio Hiram Bithorn in San Juan.
Hiram Bithorn Stadium is named after the first Puerto Rican-born player to
reach the major leagues. Bithorn, who was a pitcher, played four seasons
in the big leagues for the Cubs and the White Sox in the '40s.
San Juan has long been the home of Winter League Baseball and will be
the host of the 2003 Caribbean World Series, to be played the first week
of February.
