The New York Mets get to play a different kind of game on Tuesday in Spring Training.
Opposing them won’t be another MLB team, but rather Nicaragua.
Nicaragua is preparing to play in the World Baseball Classic, and this will be one of 15 games on Tuesday pitting an MLB team against a WBC team.
It’s a cool opportunity for all involved, and there’ll be a familiar face managing Nicaragua, too.
Dusty Baker, the long-time MLB manager, is in charge of the Nicaraguan team that will be trying to shock some people at the upcoming international tournament.
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Why are the Mets playing Nicaragua?
The Mets are playing Nicaragua as part of the Central American nation’s preparations for the WBC.
Just like MLB teams need Spring Training to prepare for the regular season, it makes sense that these teams of players from all over would want to actually play together before they get into the games that count.
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It’s not clear why exactly the Mets and Nicaragua were matched up, but geography of where teams are training likely has a lot to do with it.
The most well-known player suiting up for Nicaragua is New York Mets slugging third baseman Mark Vientos.
That’ll create a fun added narrative for Tuesday’s exhibition game with Vientos going against his Mets teammates.
