President Fernández Throws the First Ball at Mets Baseball Camp in Boca Chica

President Leonel Fernández threw the first baseball at the opening of the New York Mets’ training camp in Boca Chica, in Eastern Dominican Republic .

At the opening ceremony the President said the baseball camp meets all the regulation baseball standards of the Big League and that it will help improve the quality of baseball in the DR.

At the opening ceremony the President said the baseball camp meets all the regulation baseball standards of the Big League and that it will help improve the quality of baseball in the DR.

The investment being made by the big leagues in the Dominican Republic is commendable, noted the President according to a press release from the Presidential Office of Information, Press and Publicity.

The modern New York Mets training camp, also referred to as a baseball academy, built with an $8 million-dollar investment, has two regular-size fields, one of which is a replica of the City Field. It was here in this field that President Fernández threw the first baseball to inaugurate the field.

The opening ceremony included the Mets Chief of Operations Jeff Wilpo, Mets Manager Omar Minaya, Robert Fannin the US Ambassador in the DR and Dominican Minister of Sports, Felipe “Jay” Payano.

At the event, two bleacher seats were designated for President Fernández in City Field which will be the home field for the Mets and will open next season.

Following the toss of the first ball inaugurating the baseball academy in Boca Chica, President Fernández toured the sports installations in the company of the Mets officials.

Omar Minaya, general manager of the New York Mets, said at the ceremony that “our academy will help attract, strengthen and encourage the development of the best baseball talent in the Dominican Republic and Latin America .”