Baseball and the Dominican Republic

The Eastern Stars: How Baseball Changed the Dominican Town of San Pedro de Macoris

In San Pedro de Marcoris in the Dominican Republic, baseball is a way to dream; a passageway out of the impoverished life in a sugar plantation town. Baseball is a bit of an obsession, and by the year 2008, nearly 80 players in the Major Leagues came from San Pedro. In his book, The Eastern Stars: How Baseball Changed the Dominican Town of San Pedro de Marcoris, writer Mark Kurlansky chronicles the inspiring story of these boys and their breakthroughs into America’s pastime.

In San Pedro de Marcoris in the Dominican Republic, baseball is a way to dream; a passageway out of the impoverished life in a sugar plantation town. Baseball is a bit of an obsession, and by the year 2008, nearly 80 players in the Major Leagues came from San Pedro. In his book, The Eastern Stars: How Baseball Changed the Dominican Town of San Pedro de Marcoris, writer Mark Kurlansky chronicles the inspiring story of these boys and their breakthroughs into America’s pastime.

Mark Kurlansky will appear at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books as part of the panel Beyond Baseball: The Sport of Dreams, on Sunday, April 25 at 1:30 pm at Young Hall at UCLA.

Guest:

Mark Kurlansky, author of The Eastern Stars: How Baseball Changed the Dominican Town of San Pedro de Marcoris (Riverhead Books)