Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Take Me Out to 'El Partido de Beísbol'
The Dominican professional baseball league's season runs from October to January, and is
known as the Liga de Invierno (Winter League; the winner of the DR league competes in
the Caribbean World Series against other Latin-American countries). The country has six
professional teams. Because the US and Dominican seasons don't overlap, many Dominic-
an players in the US major leagues and quite a few non-Dominicans play in the winter
league in the DR as well.
Needless to say, the quality of play is high (the DR went undefeated in winning the
World Baseball Classic in 2013), but even if you're not a fan of the sport, it's worth check-
ing out a game or two. It's always a fun afternoon or evening. Fans are decked out in their
respective team's colors waving pennants and flags, as rabidly partisan as the Yankees-Red
Sox rivalry, and dancers in hot pants perform to loud merengue beats on top of the dugouts
between innings. Games usually don't start on time and the stands aren't filled until several
innings have passed. The best place to take in a game is Estadio Quisqueya (
Click here
) in
Santo Domingo. For tickets, head to the stadium with time to spare before the start of play
(as early as possible for big games).
From June to August there is also a Liga del Verano (Summer League) if you're in the
DR outside of regular season. Various major-league franchises - the San Francisco Giants,
the Toronto Blue Jays, the Arizona Diamondbacks and the New York Yankees, to name a
few - maintain farm teams in the DR, and summer-league play is a semiformal tournament
between these teams. Games are held at smaller stadiums around town.
The Eastern Stars: How Baseball Changed the Dominican Town of San Pedro de Macorís
, by Mark Kurlansky,
is a comprehensive history of baseball in the DR, with a focus on San Pedro de Macorís, known
as the 'city of shortstops'.
