Baseball in the Dominican Republic

It is a major sport in the country, and was introduced in the late-19th century in the city of San Pedro de Macorís by Cuban immigrants.

By the 1930s, it had developed into a major source for gifted players whose guardians frequently worked at sugar refineries.

Dominican players initially began migrating to the U.S. to play for Major League Baseball, starting with utility infielder Ozzie Virgil.

The rise of baseball in the Dominican Republic has also had a massive impact on the economy of the country as a whole, generating around $1 billion per year via training facilities and professional games.

[6] The Dominican Republic's Professional Baseball League [7] LIDOM by its acronym in Spanish, hosts yearly winter games across the country.

In 1987, the Los Angeles Dodgers were the first MLB club to establish a baseball academy in the Dominican Republic when they opened the doors to Campo Las Palmas.

The baseball academies in the Dominican Republic offer many young boys what may be their and their family's only chance of overcoming poverty, and as a result many boys as young as age 10 drop out of school to focus all of their attention on baseball and someday playing for an MLB team.

[11]Because of this, many baseball academies in the country have made efforts to incorporate educational programs that teach English and financial skills to their recruits, to better prepare them for the future.

He played for five teams and was best known for his tenure with the Boston Red Sox, joining with Ortiz to help them win the World Series in 2004.

He won three Cy Young Awards and was the first Latin American pitcher to achieve at least 300 strikeouts in a season and 3,000 in a career.

He joined with Martinez to lead the Boston Red Sox to their first World Series Championship in 86 years.

[21] Robinson Canó is a professional second baseman baseball player, born on 22 October 1982 in San Pedro de Macorís.