SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- Roberto Alomar has won 10 Gold Gloves, two World Series titles and made 12 All-Star teams. For the first time in his career, he'll get to play at home.

Baseball and the Montreal Expos formally announced Tuesday that the club will play 22 homes games in Puerto Rico next season. Puerto Rican-born players, including Alomar of the New York Mets, Atlanta's Javier Lopez, Anaheim's Bengie Molina and Juan Gonzalez of the Texas Rangers are looking forward to playing there, even as visitors.

"To me, this is a dream come true," Alomar said. "To wear a major league uniform and to play on my island is the biggest thing that has happened to me in my career."

The plan to bring the Expos to Puerto Rico depends on whether Hiram Bithorn Stadium will meet baseball's specifications, said Tony Bernazard, the players' union representative in Latin America. The union approved the plan earlier this month, but improvements to the stadium, including the quality of the playing field and clubhouses, must be completed before the games begin, Bernazard said.

"We hope these games are a great success," he said. "There are some things that need to be worked on, but we're confident that they'll be finished."

Major league baseball's executive vice president, John McHale, said the Puerto Rico games will be good for baseball.

"This is a giant step in the geographic development of the game," McHale said. "Puerto Rico was chosen for this event because of its rich baseball tradition, the interest of the Latin players and the success of the inaugural game in 2001," he said.

The Texas Rangers and Toronto Blue Jays opened that season in Puerto Rico.

The Expos will play the Mets (April 11-14); Atlanta Braves (April 15-17); Cincinnati Reds (April 18-20); Anaheim Angels (June 3-5); Texas Rangers (June 6-8); Florida Marlins (Sept. 5-7) and the Chicago Cubs (Sept. 8-10).

"This is going to be a great baseball party," Expos General Manager Omar Minaya said.

The Expos are being operated by the commissioner's office. Some games were moved to Puerto Rico because of lagging attendance in Montreal over the past few years.