Dominican Rain Halts LIDOM Slate, Bauer Debut and U-18 Qualifiers

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic — Heavy rain across the Dominican Republic wiped out all three games on the Dominican Professional Baseball League (LIDOM) schedule for Tuesday, October 27, and disrupted the Super Round of the U-18 Pan-American Baseball Championship, where teams are competing for places at the 2027 U-18 Baseball World Cup.

LIDOM moved its entire Tuesday slate to Thursday, October 29. The cancellations also postponed former National League Cy Young Award winner Trevor Bauer’s anticipated first start for Estrellas Orientales, leaving the club to announce when he will make his Dominican winter-league debut.

Three LIDOM games moved to October 29

The postponed matchups were Leones del Escogido at Gigantes del Cibao in San Francisco de Macorís, Toros del Este at Tigres del Licey in Santo Domingo, and Águilas Cibaeñas at Estrellas Orientales in San Pedro de Macorís. The games had been scheduled at Estadio Julián Javier, Estadio Quisqueya Juan Marichal and Estadio Tetelo Vargas, respectively.

The weather has repeatedly affected Estrellas and Águilas. Their October 21 meeting in Santiago was halted with the score tied 0-0 in the second inning, and an attempted resumption on October 26 was also postponed. Tuesday’s cancellation prevented the teams from meeting in a separate scheduled game.

Bauer, 35, had been named the Estrellas starter for October 27. His debut remains pending rather than completed, and the team had not confirmed whether he would pitch in another game before Thursday’s rescheduled matchup. Estrellas entered the rainout at 5-2, leading the six-team league; Águilas were 2-5.

U-18 World Cup qualifying schedule disrupted

The same spell of bad weather also interrupted the U-18 Pan-American Championship in the Dominican Republic. USA Baseball confirmed that its Super Round game against Venezuela on Monday, October 26, was postponed, followed by its scheduled meeting with Panama on Tuesday, October 27. Panama’s game against Nicaragua had also been interrupted by rain.

Those delays matter beyond the tournament standings. The top four teams in the competition qualify for the 2027 WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup in China. The United States and Puerto Rico were both 2-0 in the Super Round in the latest published standings, with the medal round originally scheduled for October 29.

What comes next

LIDOM’s three postponed games are now set for October 29, while its regular Wednesday schedule remains subject to playing conditions. Organizers of the U-18 championship still face the task of accommodating interrupted and postponed games before the tournament concludes. No unconfirmed make-up times or new Bauer start date should be treated as final.