– , Our Great Passion

Here, the game is simply called “ball.”

From the grandmother in the rural farming village to the world-famous professional player on television to the fisherman on the North Coast to the schoolchildren in the Colonial City, everyone in the Dominican Republic (DR) shares in the national passion and pride of baseball. “Ball” truly transcends social status, gender and age.

History

Opinions differ on the date baseball began in the Dominican Republic. There are versions that say it was introduced into the country by the Cuban brothers Ignacio and Ubaldo Alomá in September 1886, at San Pedro de Macorís. Others say that it began between the years 1894 and 1896, through Cuban citizens residing in the country and that the first teams were Ozama and Cauto. There is yet another version which indicates the date as Sept. 25, 1886 when some Cuban sailors gave a demonstration of the game on a plot of land near the port in the city of San Pedro de Macorís and who then left behind the bats and balls used when they departed. There is also an opinion that differs from the preceding theories: that baseball was introduced by Americans when they installed the first beer factory in , but the year is not specified.

Regardless of which version might be the truest, what is clear is that the sport definitely took off starting in 1916, due to the first American intervention in the country. After several games played between Dominicans and the American Marines, Dominicans began to show pride in being great, competitive players.

Amateur baseball began to develop during the 1940s through the tournaments held in honor of the dictator Rafael L. Trujillo. Also important to baseball’s development was the construction of the first baseball stadium in 1946 next to the Escuela Normal (Normal School) of Santo Domingo, with a capacity of 4,000 fans.

Organized and professional Dominican baseball started in 1955 with the creation of the League of the Dominican Republic (LIDOM) and its incorporation with U.S. (MLB). The Dominican league's first president was Dr. Hipólito Herrera Billini. The following year was when baseball was first played at night, in the new Quisqueya Stadium, now named after pitching great .

If your visit the DR during baseball (mid-October to end of January) and would like to attend a baseball game, go to the Dominican Baseball League Internet site www.lidom.com, or visit any Dominican team's websites for all the necessary information, such as game schedules, stadiums, ticket prices, etc.

If you visit the DR during baseball season – October - January Ten Fun Facts

1. The first broadcast of a Dominican baseball game took place on October 21, 1917, in La Vega, and it was carried out by telephone.

2. In 1928, the first baseball game between Licey and Escogido was broadcast by radio station HIJK.

3. In 1936, the were the first MLB team to visit the Dominican Republic, as part of its tour through the region.

4. The first national baseball tournament was organized that same year with the Licey, Escogido, and Sandino teams. The Sandino team subsequently changed its name to Águilas Cibaeñas.

5. The Dominican Republic made its debut in an amateur in 1941.

6. A little over 50 years after the first Dominican player debuted in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the , the country has produced more than 500 professional players, making it the biggest producer of MLB players outside of the United States.

7. Many players have raised the Dominican flag high in MLB. More than 65 players have been selected as MLB All-Stars, including Manny Ramírez, Juan Marichal, , , , Pedro Martínez, , , and Tony Fernandez.

8. Four players from the country have won MLB MVP honors: Sammy Sosa (, 1998), Miguel Tejada (, 2002), Vladimir Guerrero (American League, 2004), Albert Pujols (National League, 2005, 2008, 2009).

9. The Dominican Republic's professional winter baseball tournament is held between the months of October and January. The regular season ends - in late December and then there is an elimination or “round-robin” series for the entire month of January. The season concludes in the Final Series, which designates the championship team that will represent our country in the annual .

10. The Caribbean Series is a competitive event between , Dominican Republic, , , and . Teams from Dominican Republic have won 19 times, more than any other country. Puerto Rico ranks second with 14 wins. Tigres de Licey (from Dominican Republic) has won 10 times, the most of any team.

Dominican Professional Baseball League

Six professional teams currently participate in the Dominican Republic Professional Baseball League, often referred to as LIDOM, its Spanish-language acronym (Liga de Béisbol Profesional de la República Dominicana). This is the highest-level professional baseball league in the country.

• (Licey Tigers) o Founded in 1907 o Santo Domingo o (16,500 capacity) o www.licey.com

• Estrellas Orientales (Eastern Stars) o Founded in 1910 o San Pedro de Macorís o Estadio Tetelo Vargas (8,000 capacity) o www.estrellasorientales.com.do

• (Escogido Lions) o Founded in 1921 o Santo Domingo o Estadio Quisqueya (16,500 capacity) o www.escogido.com

• Águilas Cibaeñas (Cibao Eagles) o Founded in 1936 o Santiago o Estadio Cibao (18,077 capacity) o www.aguilas.com.do

• (Eastern Bulls) o Founded in 1983 o La Romana o Estadio Francisco Micheli (8,838 capacity) o www.lostorosdeleste.com

• (Cibao Giants) o Founded 1996 o San Francisco de Macorís o Estadio Julián Javier (12,000 capacity) o www.gigantessfm.com

Dominican Republic Professional Baseball League Championship History

1922 Leones del Escogido 1924 Tigres del Licey 1929 Tigres del Licey 1936 Estrellas Orientales 1937 Dragones Ciudad Trujillo 1951 Tigres del Licey 1952 Águilas Cibaeñas 1953 Tigres del Licey 1954 Estrellas Orientales 1955-56 Leones del Escogido 1956-57 Leones del Escogido 1957-58 Leones del Escogido 1958-59 Tigres del Licey 1959-60 Leones del Escogido 1960-61 Leones del Escogido 1961-62 Season not finished 1962-63 No season 1963-64 Tigres del Licey 1964-65 Águilas Cibaeñas 1965-66 No season 1966-67 Águilas Cibaeñas 1967-68 Estrellas Orientales 1968-69 Leones del Escogido 1969-70 Tigres del Licey 1970-71 Tigres del Licey 1971-72 Águilas Cibaeñas 1972-73 Tigres del Licey 1973-74 Tigres del Licey 1974-75 Águilas Cibaeñas 1975-76 Águilas Cibaeñas 1976-77 Tigres del Licey 1977-78 Águilas Cibaeñas 1978-79 Águilas Cibaeñas 1979-80 Tigres del Licey 1980-81 Leones del Escogido 1981-82 Leones del Escogido 1982-83 Tigres del Licey 1983-84 Tigres del Licey 1984-85 Tigres del Licey 1985-86 Águilas Cibaeñas 1986-87 Águilas Cibaeñas 1987-88 Leones del Escogido 1988-89 Leones del Escogido 1989-90 Leones del Escogido 1990-91 Tigres del Licey 1991-92 Leones del Escogido 1992-93 Águilas Cibaeñas 1993-94 Tigres del Licey 1994-95 Azucareros del Este 1995-96 Águilas Cibaeñas 1996-97 Águilas Cibaeñas 1997-98 Águilas Cibaeñas 1998-99 Tigres del Licey 1999-2000 Águilas Cibaeñas 2000-01 Águilas Cibaeñas 2001-02 Tigres del Licey 2002-03 Águilas Cibaeñas 2003-04 Tigres del Licey 2004-05 Águilas Cibaeñas 2005-06 Tigres del Licey 2006-07 Águilas Cibaeñas 2007-08 Águilas Cibaeñas 2008-09 Tigres del Licey 2009-10 Leones del Escogido 2010-11 Toros del Este 2011-12 Leones del Escogido 2012-13 Leones del Escogido 2013-14 Tigres del Licey 2014-15 Gigantes del Cibao

News releases, images and the press kit also can be accessed from the official DR Ministry of Tourism website: www.GoDominicanRepublic.com. For additional photos, b- roll and more specific needs, please contact Annie Holschuh ([email protected]) or AJ Trela ([email protected]), BVK Word for the Dominican Republic Ministry of Tourism. ###