Dominican Republic baseball is religion and way of life

The Dominican Republic has thoroughly dominated the World Baseball Classic, turning each contest into less of a game than a celebration of Dominican baseball and spirit. The team has smashed a tournament-best 14 home runs, hitters launching their bats with a joyous expulsion as the rest of the team spills out of the dugout to celebrate as each ball soars over the wall.

“It starts with who we are,” Fernando Tatis Jr. said. “It starts with our culture. In the Dominican Republic, it’s what we grow with and what we’ve seen, and how we feel, how we dance. It’s all a credit to the Dominican Republic, and who we are as a person.”

“That’s why we have guys that are really emotional — because they play for their countries and they’re having fun and they see the crowd and everything,” Juan Soto said. “I think it brings everything out of you.”

When the Dominican Republic takes on the USA on Sunday evening at Miami’s loanDepot park, it won’t just be a ballgame: It will be a showcase of country pride that borders on religious fervor.

“There are three things [in the Dominican Republic],” Vladimir Guerrero Jr. said. “Our homeland, baseball and the bible.”

“To us, baseball is like a religion,” team general manager Nelson Cruz said.

Cruz represented the nation in four tournaments as a player from 2009 to 2023. “It’s a way of life to escape poverty, to have fun. In the Dominican Republic, there are no political issues or economic issues. The whole country is focused on one thing. They are united to support this team, and this is what we are, as a country. We love the game. And the game is not just a game, it is a way of life.”

The team has put that emotion on display in every play and in every game. Whether it’s when another home run rises high over the wall or when Guerrero or Soto have to race around the bases and leap for home plate, just avoiding the tag.

“Maybe they are not the fastest runners,” manager Albert Pujols said, “but they were so aggressive on the bases. When you have this kind of team that can [do] damage, not only with a bat, but the way they play so aggressively, they know about the importance of this tournament for themselves, for the country, for our homeland.”

The team has a collective 1.090 OPS — essentially an entire lineup of Shohei Ohtanis, who posted a 1.014 OPS last year, at the dish. They’ve scored 51 runs, 11 more than the U.S. and Italy, who are tied for second-most. The team has a 1.98 ERA, lowest in the tournament, too. This is not a ballclub that relies just on the long ball, they succeed in every facet of the game — and even have their own minister of defense.

“We have a very good offense, a good bullpen and a very good defense — both in the infield and the outfield. When you play this kind of a short tournament, you have to take advantage of all the mistakes made by the opponent. You try to minimize your own mistakes,” Pujols said. “Our team has shown great defense, including our captain, [Manny] Machado. We call him the ‘Minister of Defense.’ He’s been making great plays on the third base.”

The nation last took home the World Baseball Classic trophy in 2013, becoming the first team to go undefeated in the process. Now that they’re in the semifinals, they’ll need to be perfect again. One loss, one slip up and the dream will be over. But even in the pursuit of perfection and global baseball domination, the team remembers why they began playing baseball in the first place: It’s fun.

“We enjoy the game. We’re going to show our emotions out there. This is a part of it. I think everybody wants to show their emotions,” center fielder Julio Rodríguez said. “We play a kids’ game, and we’re doing it at the highest level representing our country. It doesn’t get better than that.”

“I feel more Dominican every day,” Wells said after the game.

They’ll need to knock off a superpowered USA team — perhaps the only team along with Japan who has the offensive firepower to go toe-to-toe with the D.R., a country whose baseball talent shines brighter than anywhere else on earth. No other nation outside the United States has had as many players in the Major Leagues and its manager should soon become its fifth Hall of Famer.

When asked what people should know about Dominican baseball, Pujols was clear.

“We have been a blessed country, a blessed people by God, and the talent of our players, the Hall of Famers and the examples given by those former players,” Pujols said when asked. “And to be honest, we were players, and we are very proud to represent our country.”

When they take on the United States in Miami, the crowd may very well make it feel like a game played in Santo Domingo, La Romana or Santiago. There will be flags, horns and drums carried by the thousands of fans who will be in attendance for a game that will feel more like a festival.

“Our country means baseball. When we wear this uniform, we are not playing for ourselves, but representing our whole country — and they are supporting us as never before,” Machado said. “They support us when they are here at this stadium, so we all feel that energy, that support. And bottom line, not for me but the whole team, we are playing for them, as well.”

The game may be fun and the experience of playing in this tournament a once-in-a-lifetime experience, but the goal is simple.

“Winning the World Baseball Classic would be the dream of the entire country,” Cruz said.

“[It would be] the best thing that could happen in my professional career,” Junior Caminero said. “I’d cry.”