Home run for Dominican Get-togethers in the Big Apple: Baseball superstars expected at April 16 Event!

This is to serve as a reminder to please join us at tonight’s night”s film screening of The Republic of Baseball: The Dominican Giants of the American Game, by Dan Manatt at the School of Visual Arts’ Beatrice Theatre, 333 West 23rd St, between 8th and 9th Avenues at 7:00PM.  

Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (GFDD/FUNGLODE) will be hosting this event which
will be followed by a discussion and cocktail reception to meet with superstar major leaguers past and present and the Film’s Director Dan Manatt and Producer, Rob Ruck.

The Baseball Almanac lists well over 200 active players from the Dominican Republic and for a relatively small country that is a major accomplishment. Baseball is the national pastime of the D.R. – just like the United States – and both countries share the same heroes. Major League
superstars Sammy Sosa, Robinson Cano, Eduardo Núñez and Hector Noesi are just a few of the superstars turned icons that have been produced by the D.R. and all of these extraordinary talents have been invited to this evening’s festivities.

Sammy Sosa quickly emerged as one of the sports most beloved athletes of the baseball game.  During his career, he was selected as a member of the National
League All-Star team seven times. Sosa has scored 588 home runs and has a career batting average of .274. In 1992, Sosa went to play for the Chicago Cubs. He continued to rack up the home runs, but he took his game to a whole new level in 1998. Sosa was caught in a race with Mark McGwire of the St. Louis Cardinals to beat Roger Maris” record of 61 home runs in a single season. The nation watched as the two battled it out, keeping count of each run. McGwire broke the record first and ended
the season with 70 runs while Sosa had a total of 66 runs. That same year Sosa was selected as the National League Most Valuable Player (MVP). He has officially announced his retirement from baseball and awaits his eligibility into the hall of fame for the year 2013.

Baseball player Robinson José Canó currently plays as second baseman for the New York Yankees.  Canó ranked in the top ten among
players in the American league in hits, extra base hits, total bases, at bats, doubles, batting average, runs scored, and triples
Canó hit .343 with 4 home runs and 6 RBIs in the 2010 postseason. He finished the season with a .996 fielding percentage the best for a second baseman in MLB, committing only 3 errors in 158 games. He turned 114 double plays and recorded 341 putouts. Canó won the American League Gold Glove Award for second basemen in 2010, and
also won the American League Silver Slugger Award for second basemen with a batting average of .319, 29 home runs and 109 runs batted in.

Eduardo Núñez was called up to the majors for the first time on August 19, 2010. Nunez debuted on the same day, replacing Derek Jeter in the 7th inning and fouling out in his only plate appearance. On August 21, Núñez recorded his first major league hit, a
go-ahead RBI single into right field. Nunez hit his first career home run versus the Chicago White Sox on August 28, 2010. He also stole his first career base the same day. Núñez was named Yankee’s minor league player of the year for 2010.

Hector Noesi is a monster talent and one to watch. Signed as an undrafted free agent in 2005, but he missed a good portion of 2007 with Tommy John surgery. After
rehabbing in 2008, Noesi found success in 2009 posting a 2.25 FIP across 2 levels and carried that into 2010.  He made his way into Baseball America’s top 10 Yankees prospects this season, and highly touted for his command, he walked 28 batters in 160.1 innings last year.

Dominican Get-togethers in the Big Apple is part of GFDD’s mission to promote the understanding and appreciation of the Dominican culture,
values and heritage, and to create opportunities for discussions of contemporary issues relevant to the Dominican society in the homeland and abroad, GFDD reaches out to the Dominican community living the New York Metro Area and to all those interested in the Dominican culture by organizing ongoing events.