MLB's 1st Dominican Umpire Debuts In Tigers-Indians Game
LARRY LAGE
AP Sports Writer
DETROIT (AP) — Ramon De Jesus has become the first Dominican-born umpire to be on the field in a Major League Baseball game.
De Jesus was the second base umpire Friday night in the Cleveland Indians-Detroit Tigers game.
The 32-year-old De Jesus had been in the minors since 2009, most recently as a staff member in the Triple-A Pacific Coast League. He joins three other umpires not born in the U.S., including Venezuelan Manny Gonzalez, Angel Hernandez of Cuba and Mexican Alfonso Marquez.
Opening-day rosters this season included 82 players from the Dominican Republic, which has produced the most players not from the U.S. every year since MLB started releasing data in 1995.
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