In most countries, baseball is seen as just a game.
People might like it, and even love it, but they are not obsessed with it.
In the Dominican Republic, however, this obsession exists.
Then again, the Dominican Republic is not like any other country.
You could say that instead of getting regular toys like cars, stuffed animals, or musical instruments, babies are given a bat, a ball, and a glove there.
Baseball, in the Dominican Republic, is much more than just a game: it’s a way of living.
One of MLB’s most productive sluggers in the last decade, Nelson Cruz, knows this.
“Spending a little time with the Dominican Republic @WBCBaseball team today. ‘Baseball is in our blood as a nation,’ says Nelson Cruz,” MLB insider Pete Abraham tweeted.
Spending a little time with the Dominican Republic @WBCBaseball team today. “Baseball is in our blood as a nation,” says Nelson Cruz. pic.twitter.com/KyFk9QbOL2
—Pete Abraham (@PeteAbe) March 7, 2023
It’s exactly like that: baseball is in their blood.
It’s everything they talk about, and everything they do.
Big leaguers are heroes, and the league is one of the strongest (if not the strongest) in the Caribbean area.
That’s why the World Baseball Classic is so important there.
That’s why some of the game’s biggest stars, like Juan Soto, Manny Machado, Sandy Alcantara, Cristian Javier, Teoscar Hernandez, Gary Sanchez, Wander Franco, Rafael Devers and many more are suiting up and traveling to Miami to play for the national team.
The country’s obsession is to win their second WBC title and tie Japan with the most in the history of the tournament.
The Dominicans won in 2013.
The ten-year anniversary of that date would be a fitting time to conquer the second title.
NEXT:
The Cardinals Have Some Competition For Important Role
