If you love baseball, then you will love being in the Dominican
Republic. Considered the national sport, baseball has become the
biggest past time in the
country, and for some, a ticket to riches.
Some of the biggest baseball stars in the MLB are from the Dominican
Republic. Professional baseball players such
as Manny Ramirez, David
Ortiz, Sammy Sosa and Albert Pujols are only some of the
Dominican-born players in the MLB.
Even though you're traveling to the Dominican Republic to visit one of the erotic resorts, you should try watching one of the games.
It's an exhilarating
experience, as you'll see first hand the
devotion to this game, which can easily rival any fan base in the US.
A Little History about Dominican Baseball
Baseball in the Dominican Republic was introduced by the Cubans
during the second half of the 1800s. Cubans had to flee from the ten
year war in Cuba and
some chose the Dominican Republic as their
refuge. Baseball was introduced to the Cubans by the Americans in the
1860s. Since the 1880s, the game spread
like wildfire and a baseball
team was established in the DR as early as the mid-1890s.
The Dominican Winter Baseball League
The biggest baseball league is held from October to December. The
Dominican Winter Baseball League is considered as a qualifying league
wherein the winner
will represent the country in the Caribbean
Series. The Caribbean Series is another baseball league that features
the champions from Puerto Rico, Mexico and
Venezuela. The league has
been in existence since 1951. The finalists in this league will go on
to represent the country. This league is considered the breeding
ground for future baseball stars as scouts from the MLB frequent the
country to observe and discover possible players. There are currently six teams that
participate in this league:
The oldest team is Tigres del Licey which was founded in 1907 and
they are regarded as the biggest rival of Aguilas Cibaeñas
(founded 1937). Although these teams
usually end up in the finals
(thus qualifying for the Caribbean Series), winning the league is
essential for their fans. The league is an 18-round robin with the
best
records going on a best-of-nine series. From October to
December, you can feel the anticipation of fans.
Notable Stadiums
The following are the must visit stadiums in the league:
Estadio Quisqueya - the home of Tigres
del Licey and Leones del Escogido, it's the busiest ballpark and was
renovated in 2007 to improve the facilities and
expand the seating
to 16,500.
Estadio Cibao - the ballpark for
Aguilas Cibaeñas, the stadium can accommodate more spectators
(18,000). The ballpark is located in Santiago
Estadio Tetelo Vargas - located in San
Pedro de Macoris (southeast of the country), the ballpark is
relatively small as it can only accommodate 8,000 spectators.
Estadio Francisco Micheli - home of the Azucareros del Este, the
baseball stadium was established in 1979 and can hold up 10,000
spectators.
Enjoying Baseball in the Dominican Erotic Vacation
