WASHINGTON HEIGHTS, NY — Once you enter Peligro Sports, one thing becomes clear above all else. If you need a baseball cap, jersey or t-shirt for one of LA’s six teams. This is the Liga de Béisbol Profesional de la República Dominicana, the Dominican Winter Baseball League (or LIDOM as it is known).
And that’s rare.
When it comes to LIDOM gear, it doesn’t matter whether you’re a die-hard fan born and raised in the Dominican Republic, part of the Dominican American diaspora in the United States, married into a Dominican family, or a collector who can’t get enough of baseball caps. , finding merchandise, especially hats, is much more difficult than expected.
Product options are limited. Catch a live game, check out the stadium stores or try your luck at the Dominican Mall. you can visit LIDOM official websiteHowever, they are often sold out. Or, for something a little less fun than a trip to the Dominican Republic, you can head to Peligro Sports, a mecca for baseball merchandise centered around LIDOM, MLB, the World Baseball Classic, and Latino Pride. (Can’t make it to Washington Heights? Peligro is also available on Amazon. and ebay).
LIDOM is in full swing in the late fall and winter, between pitchers and catchers reporting for the World Series finals and MLB spring training. The six teams in the league — Tigres del Licey, Estrellas Orientales, Leones del Escogido, Toros del Este, Gigantes de Cibao and Águilas Cibaeñas — jockeys who aim to secure a top four spot in the standings to qualify for the round-robin tournament that determines the champion each season. The champion will represent the Dominican Republic in the Caribbean World Series. Generations of Dominican baseball players have played at LIDOM over the years, from Miguel Tejada (Águilas) to Elly De La Cruz (Licey), at the beginning and end of their professional baseball careers.
Before opening Peligro’s doors, customers are greeted by two mannequins in the display window dressed in the full uniforms of Dominican baseball greats Águilas and Licey, two of the island nation’s most popular teams and LIDOM’s fiercest rivals. Santo Domingo vs Santiago. A clash of blue and gold and titles galore between the two. Think New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox, San Francisco Giants vs. Los Angeles Dodgers, and sprinkle in a lot. seasoning thereto. Licey is the current LIDOM champion, having won back-to-back wins in 2023 and 2024, surpassing Águilas for the most in LIDOM history (as of now) with 24 to Águilas’ 22.
The mannequin speaks without saying anything. In Peligro Sports I use LIDOM..
Shop owner Jose Mateo moved to Washington Heights from his hometown of La Vega, Dominican Republic in 1989 and brought with him a love for Dominican winter baseball. He started his first business in 1991 as a prelude to Peligro Sports called Peligro Sandwiches. The most popular food was chimi, a grilled Dominican specialty, but there were also arcade games and baseball cards to buy and trade. Local high school baseball star and fellow Dominican Manny Ramirez was a regular customer and now a longtime friend of Mateo’s (an autographed, framed Ramirez jersey hangs in his office). When the music store next door to Mateo’s Sandwich Shop came up for sale, he bought it with the intention of turning it into a sporting goods store.
After years of innovation and investment, Peligro Sports was born between 2009 and 2010, offering a mix of LIDOM hats, jerseys and other memorabilia, baseball bats and gloves, shoes and WBC merchandise. Is that fire, light blue Mexico mounted at the WBC? Peligro did it.
Mateo remembers the pre-internet days of the early 90s when Dominicans in New York had to go to extreme measures for LIDOM game recaps and box scores. Some people waited days after the game for their Dominican newspapers to be delivered to New York. Others who couldn’t wait that long bought calling cards to make long-distance calls to relatives in the Dominican Republic, who would then provide live updates of the game over the phone.
LIDOM in New York The passion for baseball is undeniable then and now, and Peligro has an enduring purpose in Washington Heights’ vibrant Dominican community.
“(Peligro Sports) arose with a bit of business vision.” Mateo spoke in Spanish. “I saw that (Dominican fans in New York) needed (LIDOM) products. Because there was nothing like it anywhere else and the Dominican community (in Washington Heights) was growing. People ask where they can get this (hat) and that (t-shirt). “Not only am I a Dominican baseball fan, I realized that other people might like it (LIDOM merchandise) as much as I like it.”
Mateo is the LIDOM encyclopedia for anyone new to Peligro Sports who has questions about league products. And not just because LIDOM is a family affair for him. His cousin Wellington Cepeda is the manager of Gigantes de Cibao, the last team to win the LIDOM title before Licey’s current reign.
Mateo points out that LIDOM’s baseball cap situation is unique. If you want to wear the same hats that the players wear on the field (a common desire among all baseball fans), you need to be careful. As the official manufacturer of all MLB team caps, New Era currently has caps for four of LIDOM’s six teams: the Gigantes, Toros, Estrellas and eagle.
San Diego Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr. was seen wearing an Estrellas uniform in previous LIDOM seasons alongside his father, former St. Louis Cardinal Fernando Tatis Sr., who manages the team. Another former Cardinal and Puerto Rico World Baseball Classic team manager, Yadier Molina (recently named LIDOM Manager of the Year by the Sports Writers Association of Santo Domingo) now wears a black and yellow Águilas cap. That star power, combined with New Era’s brand recognition, made it the official cap. big league It’s a powerful combination for fans to consider purchasing.
“People’s favorites are the New Era caps,” Mateo said. “They have more flow.”
Licey and Escogido have hats manufactured by a Dominican company called 4Fans, and with Licey winning back-to-back titles and Escogido being managed by Albert Pujols, the local brand is on the rise.
“It could be 4Fans, it could be another company,” Mateo said. (LIDOM) fans will still get it.” “There was a time when every team (at LIDOM) used New Era as their cap. But just like here in the United States, sports teams in the Dominican Republic sometimes change the companies that make their uniforms. Escogido and Licey haven’t used New Era in a few years, but I think they’ll be back with New Era soon.”
Maintaining the business logistics of LIDOM cap manufacturing can sometimes be a complex task. Sometimes Mateo ordered directly from LIDOM. Other times, New Era. Having 4Fans in the mix means he always has to make more than one call to Peligro Sports if he wants every LIDOM cap in stock.
According to Mateo, ordering a LIDOM jersey is equally complicated. Mexican company Arrieta produces Estrellas’ uniforms. Aguilas and Gigantes. Escogido’s uniforms are manufactured by Wilson. Licey has uniforms manufactured by Wilson and Arrieta. Mateo hasn’t bothered to sell Toros jerseys because the team doesn’t have much of a following in New York, but you can buy Toros caps at Peligro.
What are the most popular LIDOM jerseys from Peligro Sports? Aguilas. Mateo attributes the team’s history of success to many of Washington Heights’ Dominicans from El Cibao, where Águilas fandom is common.
One jersey that could soon become Peligro’s best-seller is Juan Soto’s. But it’s not just his New York Mets uniform. Soto reportedly asked the Mets if he could play for Rishi in the future. If that happens, Mateo could see many Soto fans who bought Yankee caps from Peligro Sports when Soto was traded to the Bronx return for Soto Licey jerseys, considering his popularity in New York’s Dominican community. no see. Mateo said many Soto fans who bought Yankee caps have already returned to buy Mets caps.
Peligro Sports allows customers to personalize the jerseys they purchase by writing their name and number on the back. However, Mateo points out that the LIDOM team does not put players’ last names on the back of their jerseys (which is prime space for advertising). If a customer wants a Licey jersey with “Soto” emblazoned on the back, they can request one for the simple reason that their last name is Soto. However, Mateo is holding off on actively creating Juan Soto merchandise for now.
““Soto will probably play five to 10 games (for Rishi),” Mateo said. “Out of respect, we will not make Soto jerseys until a deal is made. Not all money is welcome money. But we will from the moment we can (legally) do so. I do not want to break the good relationship I have built with LIDOM. (The Soto Licey jersey) will have a huge impact on the league and on me as a businessman. Soto is in the moment. Many (superstar) Dominican players play for LIDOM at the end of their careers. “It would be incredible if something like that could happen.”
The winner’s family… A family of champions! @JuanSoto25_ 💙 #Rishi Family 😘 pic.twitter.com/dNBOq8fOKK
— Tigres del Licey (@TigresdelLicey) January 8, 2025
Mateo has been in Washington Heights for over 30 years and has been selling LIDOM products for more than half of that time. He said LIDOM continues to be good business for him because of the passion the Dominican Republic will always have for baseball, from the Titans to rivals and contenders, and the pride baseball fans share in their country.
“This is a way to identify where you come from,” Mateo said. “This is especially true for Latinos. Young people like to say ‘I am Dominican’ or ‘I am Puerto Rican.’ Everyone wants to represent their country. The Dominican League is so popular that people feel it in their souls. “People want to show where they come from and where their loyalties lie.”
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(All photos by David Betancourt)
