Things To Know Before You Go on a Baseball Vacation in the Dominican Republic

How to catch a ballgame in the Dominican Republic? If you're in the country between October and January, you can watch the Dominican Winter League and see numerous major league stars. Call Tigres del Licey (in Santo Domingo) or Águilas Cibaeñas (in Santiago) for tickets. You'll likely need a rental car or a taxi to reach the stadiums. Impromptu pregame festivities take place in the parking lots.

Between June and August, serious baseball addicts can watch the Dominican Summer League—the name for the games played between teenagers at the academies. These games can be a bit harder to see because the academies are remote and the schedules hard to find. Start at the league's Web site or flag down a motoconcho with good connections. Admission is usually free to anyone willing to stand along the baselines.

During the summer, you can watch virtually any Major League Baseball team on television in the D.R.'s many bars and sports books. (Fans of the Yankees, Mets, Red Sox, and Angels will have to go out of their way to avoid seeing their team play.) Game-watching is best accompanied by Presidente beer. After a late doubleheader, nurse your hangover with sancocho or mangu.

The author expresses sincere thanks to Adrian Burgos Jr., author of Playing America's Game: Baseball, Latinos, and the Color Line. If you want to understand the Latino experience in baseball, read this book.