Vitilla

Vitilla (Spanish pronunciation: [βiˈtiʝa]) is a popular variation of stickball played primarily in the Dominican Republic and areas in the United States with large Dominican populations.

Overview

Overall rules and baserunning is roughly similar to basic forms of baseball, but there are only two bases in addition to home plate, only two or three fielders, a broomstick is used as a bat and a large plastic water bottle cap, called la vitilla, is used instead of a ball. The game also has aspects of Cricket, in that there are no walks or looking strike counts and strikeouts can be made by hitting a target behind the batter.

The vitilla disk is difficult to hit, since it can float like a disk and can spin wildly at very high velocity, making for unpredictable fielding. The skill and coordination required in vitilla is credited with giving Dominican Major League Baseball players an advantage in hitting and fielding. The game evolved from Dominican stickball in the 1970s, and had its first formal tournament in 2009.

General rules

As a young street sport, there are no formal rules or governing sports authority to set rules. Beteyah, a company that makes vitilla equipment has suggested rules, and another sources of rules derives from the Red Bull Clasico De Vitilla tournaments, and the LIDOVI. Terminology is generally in Spanish, the primary language of most players.

Here is a list of ways vitilla differs from ordinary baseball:

Field configuration Vitilla has a home plate and two bases, primera (first base) and tercera (third base); there is no second base. The base path is a triangle, 50 feet on a side.