Vitilla: The Dominican Street Game That Shaped MLB Stars
With a broomstick and a plastic bottle cap, generations of Dominican kids have played a game that challenged some of baseball's future stars.
Athletes World
• Played with a broomstick and a plastic bottle cap, vitilla is a beloved Dominican street game that helped sharpen the skills of future MLB stars, including Rafael Devers and Pedro Martínez.
Before Rafael Devers was hitting home runs in Major League Baseball, he was swinging a broomstick at a plastic bottle cap.
The game is called vitilla, a Dominican version of stickball played in streets and neighborhood spaces. All you need is a broom handle, the cap from a large water jug and someone willing to pitch.
Sounds easy? Try hitting a spinning plastic cap that can curve, dip and change direction, using a stick much thinner than a baseball bat.
For generations of Dominican children, vitilla has been an inexpensive way to play baseball. For some future major leaguers, it also became an unexpected part of their development.
The game is called vitilla, a Dominican version of stickball played in streets and neighborhood spaces. All you need is a broom handle, the cap from a large water jug and someone willing to pitch.
Sounds easy? Try hitting a spinning plastic cap that can curve, dip and change direction, using a stick much thinner than a baseball bat.
For generations of Dominican children, vitilla has been an inexpensive way to play baseball. For some future major leaguers, it also became an unexpected part of their development.
