The Dominican Republic is the heart of winter baseball.This, of course, could be a bonus. When your other half starts getting antsy just drop some of these facts on him and you may be spending a little time in the DR soaking up the sun while he sits and yells at the umpire.

Major League Baseball or beisbol as it is called here in the Dominican Republic is a passion. With over 410 Dominican born players in the major leagues between 1958 and 2004 it is no wonder the sport of baseball is the top sport of this country and with Every city, town and village has a field dedicated to playing the game and every Sunday work clothes are replaced by uniforms and everyone heads to the game directly after church service. Pro players here are worshiped as heroes and recognized everywhere they go when they come home. Ask a kid who he would like to be when he grows up and the answer will likely be Sammy Sosa, Pedro Martinez or his favorite member of the Alou family. Here on the island the game is played for the love of the sport and young men aspire to play in the big leagues.

Ozzie Virgil was the first Dominican to play for a Major League baseball team in the United States and by the mid-50's,driven by the success of Juan Marichal and the three Alou brothers, Major League Baseball in the Dominican Republic had become internationally recognized as the home of Winter Baseball. Today Sammy Sosa, Pedro Martinez, Alex Rodriguez, Manny Ramirez and many others, proudly carry the Dominican Flag in the international arena.

The game was brought to the island by their Cuban neighbors and it began to gain international attention in the early 50's. U S Marines were surprised to find pro teams already in action when they landed here. Now there are 5 pro teams, Santo Dominigo has two teams, Tigres del Licey, and Leones de Escojido; San Pedro de Macoris has Estrellas Orientales; Santiago has Aguilas del Cibao; and La Romana has Azucareros del Este. Each team play a sixty game schedule that begins the end of October and runs to February; the season ends in a round-robin play-off with the two finalist advancing to the Caribbean Series to play against the champions of Mexico Venezuela and Puerto Rico.