The R.D. Platano Power Celebration

The Dominican Republic's 2013 WBC run is remembered as much for the celebrations as for the baseball. After every victory, the Dominican players erupted into choreographed dances, merengue music blasted from speakers, and the phrase 'Platano Power' — a reference to the plantain that is a staple of Dominican cuisine — became the rallying cry of the tournament.

The celebrations were not performative. They were authentic expressions of Dominican culture — a country where baseball and music are inseparable, where every neighborhood has a diamond and a boombox. The Dominican players turned the WBC into a party because that is how Dominicans celebrate everything. The joy was contagious. Even opposing fans found themselves dancing.

MLB initially worried that the celebrations were 'too much' and might violate the unwritten rules of baseball. But the fans loved it. The media loved it. And the players from other countries started celebrating more, too. The Dominican Republic's 2013 celebrations changed the culture of the WBC permanently — from a stiff, corporate tournament to a genuine celebration of baseball's global culture.