Many have speculated how baseball first came to Puerto Rico, but most historians agree it came from Cuba in the early 20th century. Things started much like they did in the Dominican Republic with Cubans fleeing their homes during the Ten Years War and War of Independence.

Once introduced, baseball rapidly garnered widespread interest from Puerto Rican natives. A formal winter professional league was established in 1938, featuring six teams with two to be added soon after. The Caribbean World Series was created in 1949, and Puerto Rico found itself up against teams such as Cuba, Panama and Venezuela - all nations with a significantly longer exposure to the game; however, Panama went on to secure the Caribbean World Series championship in four of the tournament's first seven years of existence.

Over 200 Puerto Rican-born players made the leap to the Majors, which include Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado and Bernie Williams in addition to the aforementioned Cepeda and Clemente. A wealth of talent and enthusiasm for the game makes Puerto Rico an intimidating rival for any country. The Puerto Rican National Team has experienced success in international competitions, including the World Baseball Classic where they have finished fifth overall in the 2006 and 2009 tournaments and finished as runner-ups in 2013.

Puerto Rico looked to be the unstoppable force in the 2017 tournament, entering the Finals with a perfect 7-0 record. But Team USA ended their magical run with an 8-0 win in the title game.