Baseball is an American tradition, but over the years, Dominicans have started to claim the sport as their own as more and more players have been recruited from the small island. And, rightly so, as twenty percent of professional baseball players in the United States, in the minor and major leagues combined, come from the Dominican Republic.
“They play it because it’s their only option. They don’t have other choices. They don’t have jobs that they could get if they went to high school or college,” Paley said.