To the People of the Dominican Republic

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Querida República Dominicana,

I am writing this to you with a full heart. 

Wearing the jersey of the República Dominicana and playing for our national team in the World Baseball Classic is one of the proudest achievements of my life. 

Just having the chance to represent my country — to represent you — in front of the whole world is something that is hard to describe. It hits different, on a deeper level. If you grew up in the Dominican Republic, then you know what I mean, because to us this isn’t just a game. Baseball … it is part of who we are.

Baseball is in our blood. 

I know that as well as anyone. When I was very little, I watched some of the greatest athletes in the world at Quisqueya Stadium, hitting long home runs and making diving catches in the outfield. I saw them giving everything they had. Expressing joy and passion on the baseball diamond. Working together. As brothers.

I would lay in bed at night and close my eyes and see myself winning the Winter League championship. I’d see the crowd, and hear the musicians and bands playing their drums and trumpets. I’d see the flag, our flag, waving everywhere I looked. The songs and chants from the crowd ringing in my ears. I could hear them as though they were real.

And I’d see myself lace a line drive into the gap. People screaming and yelling, jumping up and down. I saw that every time I closed my eyes. But also … I believed.

I believed that one day I could be great, too. Because those around me showed me the way.

It started in the late ’60s with my grandfather, Fernando Antonio Tatis, grinding through the Houston Astros system all the way to Triple-A. He passed his passion on to my father, Fernando Tatis Sr., who made it to the big leagues and put our family name in the record books one crazy night in 1999 with two grand slams in the same inning. (He is still the only guy to ever do that in the majors!) My dad’s hard work and hustle on the field was the model for me and my brothers Elijah and Daniel, and each of us chose to wear the number 23 just like our dad. Generation after generation, living out a love for the game.

That’s Dominican baseball.

My dreams of playing professional baseball started early, way back in San Pedro de Macorís, when I was just eight years old. 

I remember the first actual field I played on in my hometown, it had a lot of rocks on the infield. Lots of little pebbles, but also, in places, some pretty big stones. I still slid into second anyway. Every time. I always played with so much energy. So much spirit. 

Me and my friends wore scraped knees and bruised elbows like badges of honor. Proof that our dreams of pro ball were still alive. 

To us, it was all about playing with emotion and passion at the maximum level. And right from the very start, I always felt like I was bringing our culture to the game — a way of playing that was very unique to being Dominican. That excitement of our music, our songs, the way we dance, how we feel the rhythm, the food that is available everywhere we look, always prepared with the best seasoning and spices, but also with love. 

I feel like all of that was reflected in how I played baseball, even as a young boy. 

My days back then always started with school in the morning — because Dad made sure I stayed in class and got a solid education — followed by late afternoons running the bases with my cousins. Dusty fields, no fancy equipment, just a hunger to keep playing. We played with so much energy, diving for every line drive.

For me and my friends, baseball was everything. We were always dreaming about the game, and where it might take us. 

And I was lucky enough to get to see those dreams up close, hanging around big league clubhouses, or taking a few grounders from an All-Star like Robinson Canó. I’d see my dad round the bases wearing a big smile, and the crowd going crazy, and I’d say to myself, That’s going to be me one day. I knew I was blessed to be raised with such a deep love for baseball, and the only way I knew to honor the game was to keep playing better, playing harder, and playing with the type of joy and excitement that’s hard to find anywhere except at those neighborhood ballfields in the D.R.

That type of baseball — our baseball — is unique. It’s not small. It’s not quiet. It’s a whole town shutting down to watch a game. It’s radios blasting Merengue típico between innings. It’s kids playing until the sun is so low that they can’t even see the ball anymore … and then staying late to argue over who has the best swing. It’s that distinct feeling that when you’re holding a bat, you’ve got hope in your hands. Sammy Sosa, Pedro Martínez, David Ortiz, Hanely Ramírez, José Reyes, and so many more — those heroes didn’t just play the game … they carried with them the dreams of our country and the beauty of our culture. With just one swing they could lift an entire nation. 

This isn’t just sports. It is who we are. It’s how we get past the bad times, and it’s how we celebrate the good ones. Baseball is the rhythm of our lives.

These days, after a big win, I’ll often get asked by the media where my passion for the game comes from — where my bat flips, dugout dances, and constant push for the next clutch play comes from. The answer is easy … it comes from you, from República Dominicana. 

My mom gave me our joy and energy; my dad gave me our respect and grind. Without a doubt, our country made me who I am, on and off the field. 

Playing in the World Baseball Classic has brought all of that to the surface. I’m feeling things I’ve never felt before. And I think that’s unlocked another level of my game. More than ever, I’m thinking of the kids in San Pedro, La Romana, and Santo Domingo, everyone back home who’s chasing their dreams like I did. I can’t wait to see what that next generation brings to the game. How they will once again prove that hard work and determination can make anything possible. 

And that dreams still come true on the diamond.  

So when you see me step on the field, know that I am playing for you. I am playing with the joy that our country has given me, and the passion that my family has passed down. I’m playing to show the world what Dominican baseball is really all about. 

Con todo mi corazón,

Fernando Tatis Jr. #23