Juan Lagares played in eight different MLB seasons for the New York Mets. He appeared in 718 games, had over 2100 plate appearances, and played probably the best center field in Mets history.
He was a National League champion in 2015 and won a Gold Glove in 2014. Those are some of the moments he remembers the most from his time with the Mets, up there with his first big league callup and of course, all the great plays he made out in center field.
“It feels like yesterday,” Lagares said. “It’s just special.”
On November 10, Lagares returned to Citi Field for one more series. He was sitting in the home dugout, but he was not wearing a Mets logo across his chest, he was wearing Águilas.
“I was waiting for this day,” Lagares said. “Coming back to this stadium, for me, is something very special.”
Las Águilas Cibaeñas, a team in LIDOM, the Dominican Winter League, were in town to take on fierce rivals Los Tigres del Licey. Lagares was with them, batting second and playing center field.
“To come back here after all this time, and with my team from the Dominican, it’s a dream,” Lagares said.
Lagares signed with the Mets in 2006 when he was just 17 years old. He made his MLB debut in 2013, almost a full seven years later, as a 24-year-old. However, He made his Águilas debut a lot sooner, appearing in one game during the 2009-10 winter ball season as a 20-year-old.
He’s gone on to appear in almost 200 games for the Águilas over parts of 12 seasons with the team. Tony Peña, former MLB player, and newly appointed manager of the Águilas (and lifelong fan) called him one of the leaders of the team.
The passion Lagares has for his team is visible. To him, the Águilas are the only Dominican team he’ll ever play for.
Jonathan Villar, another former Met playing for the Águilas, shared a similar passion for the Águilas.
“It’s unbelievable,” Villar said. “When you play for the Águilas Cibaeñas, it’s very important.”
Even though he only spent one season with the Mets in 2021, Villar said he feels like he’s home when at Citi Field, and like Lagares, expressed his love for the city.
“When you play in Citi Field, it’s unbelievable,” Villar said. “When you play in New York, not everybody can play here.”
One more thing the two agreed on: The rivalry between Águilas and Licey. Villar said coming back to Citi Field with his Dominican team to play Licey is very personal. The rivalry runs deep.
Gabriel Saldivar, a fan at the game, said the rivalry is like the Red Sox and Yankees. An Águilas fan since he was a kid, Saldivar said it felt special to be able to support his team in person.
Jose Sanchez, a Licey fan, also compared the rivalry to the Red Sox and Yankees. From Baní, a town in the south of the Dominican Republic, Licey is his home team. The Águilas are in the north, hence the rivalry.
The opportunity to watch the rivalry in person, without having to be in the Dominican Republic, is unique.
“It’s pretty cool,” Sanchez said. “It’s pretty cool because you normally don’t have that here. You normally gotta be over there to see it. So to not have to take a flight to see them is pretty cool.”
The Águilas won Game 1 of the Titans of the Caribbean series 3-0. Lagares exited in the third inning after swiping second base on the back end of a double steal with Villar. Peña said he was fine, and just felt a little tight. In the cold weather, it’s understandable.
Despite that, this November 10 game in 40-degree weather drew an announced attendance of 25,233, the largest in LIDOM history. Even MLB Hall-of-Famer and Dominican Republic legend David Ortiz was at Citi Field to catch the ceremonial first pitch — and enjoy the postgame concert.
“It makes me proud to see how far the Dominican league has gone,” Sanchez said. “To be able to come to New York and play for their country here in New York, and for the Dominicans in New York to be able to see them. A lot of times, Dominicans can’t go back to the Dominican Republic freely or when they want, you got work, you got other responsibilities, so to be able to come to see them in New York is a good thing.”
