Baseball in The Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic has a national baseball team that is one of the strongest in international baseball. This team represents the Dominican Republic in global tournaments. The team were champions in 2013. They were also undefeated that season, becoming the first team to achieve that in the tournament. Baseball is the most popular sport in the Dominican Republic and is tied to the country’s identity.

A lot of kids grow up playing baseball in small town academies. I spoke to my brother Danny, a player for the Manhattan College Jaspers, about growing up playing baseball.

He told me that around 12 or 13 is when trainers in New York City and DR start noticing you. “In the mornings I went to school, but after that I trained. Fielding drills, hitting drills.”

The author's brother, Danny

“You train for years hoping a scout from a team like the New York Yankees or the Boston Red Sox shows up to watch you.”

I also spoke to my uncle Elvis, who is a major fan, about the World Classic Dominican Republic team. "The Dominican team is amazing! They always have so much talent. When they play in the World Baseball Classic, the whole country gets excited,’’ he told me.

"Baseball is huge in the Dominican Republic. So many great players come from there. The passion and energy they bring is incredible.’’

I asked Forsyth physical education teacher Sam who is his favorite player right now he said Juan Soto because he’s unstoppable when it comes to batting. 

Sam also said he prefers to watch baseball in person because "watching it on tv just sitting on your couch gets pretty boring. Also you can do more stuff with your friends and get food, drinks."

I asked him what was the best game he's ever seen in person. He said, "I remember being at a playoff game, the Yankees, also when Shohei Ohtani came to the United States I watched him played in person and people were wondering if he can actually play and his expectations were really different."

According to Baseball Blog Extra Innings, “400-500 Dominican prospects sign entry-level contracts with MLB teams every year. That means that nearly a quarter of all professional, MLB-affiliated baseball players are Dominican!’’

“Baseball has been present in the D.R. long before the academies. When Cuban refugees fleeing the Ten Years’ War (1868–78) came to the D.R., they brought baseball, already popular in Cuba, with them.’’

The Dominican baseball fields evolved into more than recreational spaces; they became banks of professional talent. In the early 1900s, the Dominicans established the Dominican Professional Baseball League, a milestone in Dominican baseball history.