People of the Dominican Republic has produced scores of world-class fighters and world champions. "Notes": People of the Dominican Republic Dominicans () are people who are ethnically associated with the Dominican Republic. "Dominican" was historically the name for the inhabitants of the Captaincy General of Santo Domingo, and was retained after the nation's independence. The majority of Dominicans reside in the Dominican Republic, although there is also a large Dominican diaspora, mainly in the United States and Spain. The population of the Dominican Republic in 2016 was estimated at 10.2 million by the National Bureau of Statistics of the Dominican Republic.. Historically the Dominican Republic
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