Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
DON'T MISS
PLAY BALL!
Baseball is king in the Dominican Republic, so it would be a travesty not to take in the national pas-
time live if you're visiting during the winter baseball season from mid- November to February. A
great spot to do so is in San Pedro de Macorís, located 70km east from Santo Domingo between Juan
Dolio and La Romana. The city's most prominent building,
Estadio Tetelo Vargas
on the north side
of Hwy 3, is home to the
Estrellas Orientales
(
www.estrellasorientales.com.do
) or the Eastern Stars.
During big games you'll get cheerleaders and marching bands through the stands - quite a contrast for
those used to Major League Baseball in the USA!
Despite being ridiculed as the Chicago Cubs of the six-team Dominican Winter Baseball League
due to their prolonged drought without a championship (their last was 1968), San Pedro is a baseball
prodigy factory, a centerpiece of a country that has given birth to more Major League Baseball players
than any other country outside the US (perhaps explaining their sad track record - all the great players
bolt for the big leagues).
To attend a game, pre-order tickets from the
ticket hotline
(
809-529-3618; admission
RD$450-400) or at the box office before the game.
In other baseball news, the New York Yankees announced in 2013 the construction of a US$120
million 'Latino Baseball Town,' a tourism complex that will include the Major League Base-
ball-quality Latin Center Stadium in Benerito, 20km east of La Romana.
