Image Credit: Latino Sports
NEW YORK, NY — Seventy years ago today, on September 23, 1956, Ozzie Virgil Sr. made history by becoming the first-ever Dominican Republic-born player in American and National League history to step on a Major League diamond, paving the way for so many who came after him and still to this day.
Nearly 1,000 Dominican-born players have made an appearance in Major League Baseball since 1956 according to Baseball Reference and this year alone, the number is 138—the largest number for a country outside of the United States.
And it all started with Virgil Sr. becoming the first to open the doors for so many Dominicans and Latinos.
DYK: OTD in 1956, Ozzie Virgil became the first native of the Dominican Republic to appear in a Major League game when he debuted for the New York Giants.
Since Virgil’s debut, nearly 1,000 Dominican-born players have played in the Majors. In 2026, 93 Dominican-born players were… pic.twitter.com/KHixFhomQG
— MLB (@MLB) September 23, 2026
In September of 2018 on a day where Virgil Sr. served as the Mets’ honorary coach, with the opportunity of exchanging lineup cards at Citi Field, Latino Sports and the Latino Sports Writers and Broadcasters Association recognized him for his impact on the sport and millions of Dominicans and Latinos out there seeking to become a Major Leaguer over the span of the last 70 years.
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