At Estadio Tetelo Vargas, one might compare the intimate confines to Wrigley Field, where Waveland Avenue hugs the Chicago landmark’s northern edge. Except everything feels closer together at the venue named after a famous Dominican.



No such street separates the ballpark from the rest of San Pedro de Macorís, the birthplace of Sammy Sosa, Robinson Canó and dozens of other major leaguers. Stadium and community have been intertwined since 1959. Houses scrape up against the outfield walls, leaving the crowds to squeeze into the grandstand. A particularly well-struck drive could dent a rooftop.



These days, those in attendance harbor new hope. The snakebitten local team, Estrellas Orientales, is five wins from its first championship in half a century. And a young shortstop who sprouted in this city of more than 200,000 is practically the mayor.



“Everybody in the grandstand has known him since he was a kid,” said Enrique Rojas, a...