Lakeland, Fla. — Ivan Nova grew up in San Cristobal, about an hour south of Santo Domingo. He’s pitched at Juan Marichal Stadium before, but never as a big-leaguer.
Imagine his delight then when he learned, just a short time after signing a one-year deal to pitch in Detroit, that the Tigers would be playing a Grapefruit League game against the Twins in his home country, the Dominican Republic.
“I told Gardy that I wanted to pitch in that game,” Nova said Friday morning.