largely remained intact, although an expansion team in San Francisco de Macorís was founded in 1996. Licey and Aguilas have been the most successful teams in the Dominican Winter League, and the Caribbean, Licey with 22 National Championships, and Águilas with 21. Their fierce rivalry reflects the competition between the countries two main cities, the capital of Santo Domingo and Santiago, the largest city and unofficial capital of the northern part of the country. Leones del Escogido have won sixteen titles and are reigning Dominican Republic champions in the 2015–2016 season. Definitely to say, that the Dominican Winter League is the most respected baseball league in the Caribbean. The Dominican Republic in the 2020 Caribbean tournament, won their 20th Caribbean Title, more than any other country in the world, this title was won by La Romana team, Toros Del Este against the team representing Puerto Rico , Cangrejeros de Santurce. On an international level, the Dominican Republic is currently the world's largest exporter of baseball players. In every season since 1999, Dominicans have comprised at least 9% of active MLB rosters, more than any other nationality except Americans. More recently, many Dominicans have also begun to play in the Nippon Professional Baseball leagues in Japan and the Mexican League, the largest summer leagues outside of the United States and Canada. Nevertheless, the success of the Dominican Republic national baseball team has never matched the promise held by the island country's production of baseball talent. In 2013 they made up for the 2009 loss by eliminating the Netherlands at the semifinals and becoming the first undefeated champion of the event with a score of 8–0 in the world Baseball Classic tournament of 2013, defeating their baseball rivals, the Puerto Rican national Baseball team. Puerto Rico See: :Category:Baseball in Puerto Rico. Baseball began in Puerto Rico in 1896. A Puerto Rican that was born in Brooklyn, Amos Iglesias Van-Pelt, started practicing a group of men, some of them Cuban students who already knew the game from back home. Two years later, January 9, 1898, the first official game was held at the Velodromo, Stop 15, Santurce. The Cubans formed a team known as Almendares and the Puerto Rican ball club was named Borinquen with Amos Iglesias Van-Pelt on the mound. After three innings, the game was postponed by rain. Games kept going until March of that year because of the advent of