Indians, Twins to play series in Puerto Rico next April

Major League Baseball is returning to the island of Puerto Rico.

The Cleveland Indians and Minnesota Twins will play a two-game series in San Juan at Hiram Bithorn Stadium on April 17 and 18 of next year, MLB announced Wednesday. Minnesota will be designated as the home team for both games.

The games will mark the first regular-season contests in San Juan since the New York Mets and Florida Marlins faced each other at the venue in 2010.

Both the Twins and Indians feature several Puerto Ricans on their rosters, perhaps none bigger than Francisco Lindor, the Indians' star shortstop who was born in Caguas, Puerto Rico.

"It is a dream come true for me to play in Puerto Rico," Lindor said in a statement released by MLB. "These will be the most memorable regular-season games of my career, for sure."

Hiram Bithorn Stadium, built in 1963, has hosted several regular-season MLB games in the past, including the 2001 season-opening series between the Texas Rangers and Toronto Blue Jays. From 2003-04 it served as a secondary home for the Montreal Expos, who played a portion of their schedule in San Juan before relocating to Washington, D.C. The stadium has also hosted several World Baseball Classic games.

The Marlins and Pittsburgh Pirates had been scheduled to play a series in San Juan last year, but concerns about the Zika virus forced the games to be moved to Marlins Park.

This will mark the first time both the Indians and Twins have played in Puerto Rico.