Dodgers Stars Highlight Puerto Rico-Dominican Rivalry in New Film
Two Los Angeles Dodgers have made a documentary highlighting their homeland’s baseball culture and rivalry with another Caribbean squad.
Kike Hernandez and Edwin Diaz executive produced the film El Clasico del Clasico , which premiered on MLB Network.
El Clasico del Clasico is a Spanish-language documentary, but it’s available to watch for free on YouTube with English subtitles
The doc “looks at the small towns of Puerto Rico, eventual Major League players starting off in neighborhood parks, the drive to represent their country in the World Baseball Classic, the rivalry with the Dominican Republic, and an examination at each WBC played — including Díaz’s injury — and more,” an MLB Network spokesperson said.
Hernandez and Diaz are far from the only players to contribute to the film. In face, they’re not even the only Dodgers.
“The program includes Javier Báez , Carlos Delgado, Alexis Díaz , Francisco Lindor , current Puerto Rico players Christian Vázquez and Eddie Rosario , plus Puerto Rico manager Yadier Molina , Hall of Famer Iván Rodríguez, and historian Angel Colon,” according to MLB Network. “The Dominican perspective is touched on by Robinson Canó , Teoscar Hernández , and Hall of Famers David Ortiz and Vladimir Guerrero Sr.”
What Does the World Baseball Classic Mean to Players like Hernandez and Diaz?
Over the course of this most recent World Baseball Classic, Hernandez, Diaz and other players have made clear that they consider the tournament to be the pinnacle of the sport.
Hernandez has been around Diaz and the other Team Puerto Rico players, even as his recovery from surgery prevents him from taking the field.
“I’m still bummed that I don’t get to be a part of it, but I still support my people,” he said.
“For us this tournament is just as important or even more important than our work in the Major Leagues,” he adds in the documentary.
Even Americans like Yankees superstar Aaron Judge think the WBC is better than the World Series .
It’s no wonder, then, that Ortiz admitted that he’d trade a World Series title for a WBC championship.
“Truthfully, thinking about it. I think so. Because I’m very patriotic. I’m very Dominican. I am ‘team my people,'” he said.
Which do you think is better, the WBC or the World Series?
