Friday - 2.17.23

The early morning departure from Edgemont was a success! Everyone was on time and excited to get to the airport. Everyone received their Edgemont shirts on the bus and we made it to JFK without much traffic. 

Once we got some food and settled in at the airport it was time to board. Everything went smoothly and we boarded, excited to embark on our journey.

Trying to take off, however, was a different story. Our flight was delayed a few hours and although sitting on a grounded plane for 3 hours was less than ideal, it did give everyone the opportunity to catch up on some sleep.

Although we had an issue retrieving some of our bags after we landed in Santo Domingo, we finally left the airport and were on our way to the NY Yankees baseball academy! What an incredible experience it was to see where the Yankee prospects train. Everyone there was so amazing and they provided us with a delicious lunch (especially considering how hungry we were after traveling).

Melissa gave us a very informative tour of the facility and explained to us the role of the baseball academy in the pipeline to the major leagues. It was so interesting to hear how the players begin their journeys to the major leagues starting with the academy. The tour was amazing and really gave us some insight into what it is like to make it to the major leagues and how much work goes into it.

After the Yankee academy, we got on the bus and went into la zona colonial in Santo Domingo to check into the hotel. The check in process went smooth and everyone got settled in before heading to our first dinner. As I mentioned before, there was an issue with some of the bags arriving to Santo Domingo, so while everyone got ready for dinner and went to the restaurant, Señor Thoren and I (Chesterson) went back to the airport to get the luggage that came in late. Everyone now has their luggage and we are ready to continue this awesome adventure!