People of the Dominican Republic capital and its patron saint, Saint Dominic. Hence the residents were called "Dominicanos" (Dominicans), which is the adjective form of "Domingo", and the revolutionaries named their newly independent country "La República Dominicana". It was often referred to as the "Republic of San Domingo" in English language 19th Century publications. The first recorded use of the word "Dominican" is found in a letter written by King Phillip IV of Spain in 1625 to the inhabitants of the Captaincy General of Santo Domingo. In this letter, which was written before the arrival of French settlers on the Western side of the island,
Sport in the Dominican Republic and soon after teams from the MLB began sending scouts to watch Dominican Republic players play. Between 1955 and 1980 there were 49 players from the Dominican Republic who played in the MLB. However, in the 1980s hundreds of players started coming to the United States as there became "working relationships between North American and Dominican teams." The first great pitcher from the Dominican Republic who starred in the United States was Juan Marichal who is nicknamed the "Dominican Dandy". He began his playing career in the MLB in 1960 after he was signed from the Dominican Republic by the