La República de la Pelota (6×30′), a documentary series made by High Score Media, with Nelson González, general manager of Ponlealma, as producer and creator, and distributed by Spanglish Movies, is traveling to every corner of the Dominican Republic looking for big baseball stories, turning the island into an endless pool of talent.
The series, where former major leaguers Carlos Peña and Plácido Polanco tell their stories, is directed by José María Cabral and is currently in the final phase of post-production. The series was shot in 2021 from April to June. Nacho Ruiz Capilla in Spain, with an outstanding career in editing, is responsible for its post-production.
“In two and a half months we will finish post-production with the audio mix and colorization. We are in the process of negotiating the series with streaming platforms and pay-TV,” says González. The project seeks to shed light on the entire process that makes the Dominican Republic the second talent pool of baseball players, after the United States.
A “dream team” was put together for the production of the series. Director Cabral (Carpinteros, Hotel Coppelia, Perejil) is “one of the most recognized in the country, who has a long and respected career in world cinema.” While the screenwriter, Miguel Yarull, is “a key figure in the project. He was the first to join and is one of the most important screenwriters in the Dominican Republic,” and Frankie Báez, Director of Photography.
“As a country, we are very proud of our players, but only the famous ones are known abroad. We wanted a series that told how the island is a baseball manufacturer, the ball machinery, how the system works, and the life of a coach. For us it was very important to generate a hopeful and positive tone; and also that the series showed how the ball works, but making us look good,” he said.
González emphasized that La República de la Pelota shows how baseball is working, “which is not an easy road, but a sacrifice where very few arrive.”
The series features Dominican baseball stars such as Tony Peña, Nelson Cruz, Bartolo Colón, Edwin Encarnación, Fernando Tatis senior, George Bell, and Moisés Alou, as well as other important figures like the Dominican baseball commissioner, Junior Noboa, also a former major leaguer; and the sports journalists Roosevelt Comarazamy.