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Miami Locks in Three-Year Deal to Host Caribbean Series at loanDepot Park in 2028, 2029 and 2030

Matt TallariniJun 14, 20258 MIN READ
Venezuela 2024 Caribbean Series

The Caribbean Series will be held in Miami at loanDepot Park for three consecutive years in 2028, 2029, and 2030, according to Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes on June 13.

Part of the agreement was successfully handled by the Miami Marlins and Confederación de Béisbol Profesional del Caribe under president Juan Francisco Puello Herrera.

The Dominican Republic will have the majority of the home games in 2028 and Puerto Rico will have their home games in 2029 at loanDepot Park.

The Liga de Béisbol Profesional de la República Dominicana also played a major role in helping finalize the agreement for 2028 with the Marlins and CBPC to host their home games for the Caribbean Series.

No decision has been made yet on which nation will receive the home field slot for the 2030 Caribbean Series.

The Caribbean Series will also be held at Estadio Fernando Valenzuela in 2027 in Hermosillo, Mexico.

Daniel Alvarez of El Extrabase and Baseball Writers Association of America card holder from the Miami chapter also reported on the Marlins and CBPC agreement to have the Caribbean Series at loanDepot Park from 2028-2030.

According to 8DeportivoTN8  in Nicaragua, there are possibilities that Nicaragua could return back to the Caribbean Series since their first appearance in 2024 at loanDepot Park. 

The 2026 Caribbean Series in Caracas, Venezuela will take place from January 30 until February 7, with the main venues being Estadio Simon Bolivar, Estadio Forum de La Guaira, and Estadio Universitario.

The winners from the 2025-26 seasons in the Liga Venezolana de Beisbol Profesional, the Liga de Beisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente in Puerto Rico, the Liga de Béisbol Profesional de la República Dominicana, and the Liga ARCO Mexicana del Pacifico will participate at the 2026 Caribbean Series.

The LAMP, LVBP, LIDOM and LBPRC are all part of the Confederación de Béisbol Profesional del Caribe (CBPC).

Last season, the Leones del Escogido under current Dominican Republic World Baseball Classic manager Albert Pujols won the 2024-25 LIDOM championship title, their 17th in franchise history, and beat their in-city rival, the Tigres del Licey in seven games at Estadio Quisqueya Juan Marichal in Santo Domingo and earned a trip to the 2025 Caribbean Series at El Nido de los Aguilas in Mexicali, Mexico.

Pujols helped the Leones del Escogido win their fifth Caribbean Series title, when they beat the 2024-25 Liga ARCO Mexicana del Pacifico champion, Charros de Jalisco 1-0 in the championship game last season.

The 2026 Caribbean Series will once again feature Japan Breeze, who appeared in the 2025 event, alongside Cuba’s 2025-26 Serie Nacional champion. South Korea will send a team composed of minor league and main roster players from the Korean Baseball Organization, forming an All-Star squad. Italy’s participation will be determined by either the 2025 Serie A1 champion or an assembled All-Star team, a scouting platform for 2026 World Baseball Classic roster additions.

Recap of loanDepot Park with the 2024 Caribbean Series Held at a Major League Stadium for the First Time

In the 2023–24 winter league season, the 2024 Caribbean Series was held at loanDepot Park, home of the Miami Marlins. It was the first time the event was played at an MLB facility and indoors. The 2023–24 LVBP champions, Tiburones de La Guaira, beat the LIDOM champion Tigres del Licey 3-0 in front of 36,667 fans—the largest crowd in Caribbean Series history.

CBPC Research on 30,000+ Fans at the 1955 Caribbean Series

CBPC press officer Nelson de la Rosa noted via the Confederation’s website on November 21, 2024, that the 1955 event held over 30,000 fans at Estadio Universitario in Caracas, Venezuela. The report appeared in Bohemia Magazine on February 20, 1955.

All attendance figures were referenced from the CPBC publication.

Nicaragua, Curacao and Panama did not get invited to the 2025 Caribbean Series after appearing at loanDepot Park.

Miami hosted the Caribbean Series for the third time last year, previously hosting in 1990 at the Orange Bowl and in 1991 at Bobby Maduro Stadium.

Tiburones de La Guaira starting pitcher Angel Padron threw a no-hitter against Nicaragua, winning 9-0. It was the first no-hitter at the event since the 1952 Caribbean Series in Panama City, Panama, when Leones del Habana pitcher Tommy Fine achieved the feat against Venezuela’s Cervecería Caracas, winning 1-0.

Padron finished the game against Nicaragua with 57 strikes on just 88 pitches, walking one, striking out four, and facing 27 hitters—the minimum number a pitcher can face in a complete game.

Padron was the first Latin-born player to have thrown a no-hitter at the Caribbean Series. Former Tiburones de La Guaira manager Ozzie Guillen and former Tigres del Licey and Hall-of-Fame manager Tommy Lasorda are the only managers to have won the World Series and Caribbean Series in baseball history.

Venezuela also had a no-hitter from Cardenales de Lara pitcher Jesus Vargas in the final game of the pool round at the 2025 Caribbean Series. Venezuela won 10-0 against the Japan Breeze under the mercy rule, with Alexi Amarista hitting a game-ending home run in the eighth inning.

The Winter League Agreement (WLA) between CBPC and MLB plays a major role in determining player participation during the Major League Baseball offseason (PDF).

Without approval from MLB owners, players cannot participate in tournaments not covered under the WLA, such as Serie de las Américas. As a result, securing top prospects and major league talent for such events remains challenging. Unless all 30 MLB franchises and the commissioner’s office agree to allow players from 40-man and active rosters to compete in additional winter league games, these tournaments will struggle to attract top-tier talent—especially with spring training and pitchers and catchers reporting soon after.

The Tigres del Licey of LIDOM have the most Caribbean Series titles with 11. The Aguilas Cibaenas of LIDOM have six. The Cangrejeros de Santurce, the Criollos de Caguas of the LBPRC, and the Leones del Escogido of LIDOM each have five. These are the only teams with more than two Caribbean Series titles.

The CBPC was formed in Havana, Cuba on April 12, 1948, by representatives from the winter leagues of Cuba, Panama, and Puerto Rico. Venezuela joined soon after.

The creation of the CBPC was sponsored by National Association president George Trautman, who ensured the winter leagues were affiliated with MLB alongside all 16 Major League teams’ minor league affiliates.

The Caribbean Series started in 1949 in Havana at Estadio Latinoamericano, where the 1948-49 Cuban Winter League champion, the Alacranes del Almendares, went 6-0 to win the first event. Other participants included Cervecería Caracas from the LVBP, Refresqueros de Spur Cola from the Panama Probeis league, and the Indios de Mayagüez from the Puerto Rico Winter League.

The founders of the Caribbean Series were Venezuelan baseball entrepreneurs Pablo Morales and Oscar Prieto Ortiz, who developed the idea after the successful 1946 Serie Interamericana, which featured the Brooklyn Bushwicks, Cervecería Caracas, Sultanes de Monterrey, and a Cuban All-Star team.

Cuba and Panama were part of the CBPC until the Caribbean Series was suspended after the 1960 event. The Cuban Revolution, U.S. embargo, and Fidel Castro’s dissolution of professional baseball led to MLB barring American players from participating in Cuba. The 1961 Caribbean Series, scheduled to be held in Cuba, was canceled.

The Caribbean Series was not held from 1961 until 1969 due to the United States embargo with Cuba. The tournament resumed with its second era in 1970, when the Dominican Republic participated for the first time, alongside the return of Puerto Rico and Venezuela.

Historic Context, Did You Know?
The 1981 Caribbean Series was supposed to be the 12th edition of the second stage of the event but was canceled due to a Venezuelan players’ union strike. It was scheduled to be held in Caracas, Venezuela, in February 1981 at Estadio Universitario, with the Criollos de Caguas of the Puerto Rico Winter League, the Leones del Caracas from LVBP, the Leones del Escogido of LIDOM, and the Yaquis de Obregón of LMP expected to participate.

Other Winter League Events at loanDepot Park
The 2025 Choques de Gigantes event took place this past November at loanDepot Park, featuring the Navegantes del Magallanes, the Cardenales de Lara, and the Leones del Caracas from the LVBP; the Cangrejeros de Santurce and Criollos de Caguas from the LBPRC; and the Estrellas Orientales from LIDOM.

The first winter league club event hosted by the Marlins at loanDepot Park was the Serie de las Américas in 2015 during the 2015-16 regular season. That event featured the Navegantes del Magallanes and the Cardenales de Lara of the LVBP, as well as the Tigres del Licey and Águilas Cibaeñas from LIDOM.

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