SAN PEDRO DE MACORIS, Dominican Republic--This is where the fantasy begins, the town that produced so many major leaguers. And for local kids with a glove and a bat, inspiration comes nightly on TV as they watch one of their own slugger Sammy Sosa.

"He's our hope," said Jose Richardson, caressing a baseball bat Tuesday night as he waited in vain for Sosa to hit home run No. 63. "When we see what Sammy has done, things seem possible."

Against the San Diego Padres, Sosa went 1-for-5 on Tuesday, a night after striking out four times, and again trailed Mark McGwire in the chase for the single-season home run record.

But in the town where he once shined shoes and now owns a mall, Sosa's still No. 1.

San Pedro de Macoris overflows with dreams of baseball greatness. U.S. and Japanese teams run a dozen baseball camps here, and players like Mariano Duncan, Julio Franco, Jose Offerman and Joaquin Andujar all played on the ragged diamonds.

It seems almost everyone has a relative trying to make it big in baseball.