How did baseball become a national passion in the Dominican Republic?

Baseball’s status as a national passion in the Dominican Republic stems from a combination of early introduction and later professional success. While two Cuban brothers first brought the sport to the country in the 1880s, it was further popularized during the United States occupation (1916–1924), when U.S. Marine Corps personnel introduced baseball to the local population.1234

The sport’s popularity grew steadily over the following decades, but it reached a turning point in the 1960s. The emergence of prominent Dominican players in the U.S. major leagues—such as Juan Marichal and the Alou brothers—dramatically increased the sport's profile. This success encouraged North American teams to invest heavily in local scouting and recruitment, leading to a surge in Dominican talent in the major and minor leagues by the 1990s. Today, the country maintains a professional league, and the sport remains deeply embedded in the national identity.51