Caribbean Series
 | |
| Sport | Baseball |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1949 |
| Inaugural season | 1949 |
| Countries |
 Cuba Dominican Republic Mexico Puerto Rico Venezuela |
| Venue(s) | Havana Cuba |
| Most recent champion(s) |
Venados de Mazatlán (2016) |
| Most titles |
Tigres del Licey (10) |
| TV partner(s) |
ESPN Deportes ESPN Latin America ESPN3 MLB Network |
| Related competitions |
SNC LIDOM LMP LBPRC LVBP |
| Official website | seriedelcaribe 2015 |
The Caribbean Series (Spanish: Serie del Caribe), also called Caribbean World Series, is the highest baseball tournament at club level in Latin America, featuring the champions of Cuba, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela. The tournament location is rotated annually among the countries and is normally played in February after all of the leagues have ended their national tournaments.
The 2014 Caribbean Series was held at Estadio Nueva Esparta in Margarita Island, Venezuela. Cuba accepted an invitation to take part as a guest in the tournament. The Series would stay with the same five teams in 2015, which was held at Estadio Hiram Bithorn in San Juan, Puerto Rico and 2016 in Estadio Quisqueya in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
History
The competition was the brainchild of Venezuelan baseball entrepreneur Pablo Morales and Oscar Prieto Ortiz,[1] his business partner since 1936, who devised the idea after seeing the success of the now extinct Serie Interamericana in 1946, which featured the clubs Brooklyn Bushwicks from the United States, Cervecería Caracas from Venezuela, Sultanes de Monterrey from Mexico, and a All-Star team composed of Cuban players.
Inspired by the Serie Interamericana and his experience as a former president of the International Baseball Federation, Morales joined Prieto and presented the idea to baseball representatives of Cuba, Panama and Puerto Rico during a meeting held in Havana on August 21, 1948.[2] The representatives then agreed to stage a four-country, round-robin tournament 12-game to be known as the Serie del Caribe, to be launched in Cuba from February 20-25 of 1949.
The Series ran annually from 1949 through 1960, with Cuba winning seven times. However, the event was cancelled after Fidel Castro dissolved all professional baseball in Cuba in 1961. It was not until 1970 when the Caribbean Series was revived. Moreover, the 1981 Caribbean Series was not held due to a Venezuelan League player's strike.
Leagues participating
Current
| Country | Years |
|---|---|
| Puerto Rico | 1949–1960, 1970– |
| Venezuela | 1949–1960, 1970– |
| Cuba | 1949–1960, 2014– |
| Dominican Republic | 1970– |
| Mexico | 1971– |
Former
| Country | Years |
|---|---|
| Panama | 1949–1960 |
Series
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Championships by team
| Rank | Team | Wins | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tigres del Licey |
10 | 1971, 1973, 1977, 1980, 1985, 1991, 1994, 1999, 2004, 2008 |
| 2 | Cangrejeros de Santurce |
5 | 1951, 1953, 1955, 1993, 2000 |
| 2 | Águilas Cibaeñas |
5 | 1997, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2007 |
| 4 | Leones del Escogido |
4 | 1988, 1990, 2010, 2012 |
| 5 | Criollos de Caguas |
3 | 1954, 1974, 1987 |
| 6 | Tigres de Marianao |
2 | 1957, 1958 |
| 7 | Alacranes del Almendares |
2 | 1949, 1959 |
| 7 | Elefantes de Cienfuegos |
2 | 1956, 1960 |
| 7 | Navegantes del Magallanes |
2 | 1970, 1979 |
| 7 | Águilas del Zulia |
2 | 1984, 1989 |
| 7 | Indios de Mayagüez |
2 | 1978, 1992 |
| 7 | Tomateros de Culiacán |
2 | 1996, 2002 |
| 7 | Leones del Caracas |
2 | 1982, 2006 |
| 7 | Yaquis de Obregón |
2 | 2011, 2013 |
| 7 | Naranjeros de Hermosillo |
2 | 1976, 2014 |
| 7 | Venados de Mazatlán |
2 | 2005, 2016 |
| 16 |  Carta Vieja Yankees |
1 | 1950 |
| 16 | Leones de la Habana |
1 | 1952 |
| 16 | Leones de Ponce |
1 | 1972 |
| 16 | Vaqueros de Bayamón |
1 | 1975 |
| 16 | Lobos de Arecibo |
1 | 1983 |
| 16 | Águilas de Mexicali |
1 | 1986 |
| 16 | Senadores de San Juan |
1 | 1995 |
| 16 | Tigres de Aragua |
1 | 2009 |
| 16 | Pinar del Río |
1 | 2015 |
Championships by country
| Rank | Country | Wins | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dominican Republic |
19 | 1971, 1973, 1977, 1980, 1985, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1994, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012 |
| 2 | Puerto Rico |
14 | 1951, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1978, 1983, 1987, 1992, 1993, 1995, 2000 |
| 3 | Mexico |
9 | 1976, 1986, 1996, 2002, 2005, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016 |
| 4 | Cuba |
8 | 1949, 1952, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 2015 |
| 5 | Venezuela |
7 | 1970, 1979, 1982, 1984, 1989, 2006, 2009 |
| 6 | Panama |
1 | 1950 |
Undefeated teams
| No. | Team | Record | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Tigres del Licey |
6–0 6–0 5–0 |
1971 1977 1991 |
| 2 | Cangrejeros de Santurce |
6–0 6–0 |
1953 2000 |
| 1 | Alacranes del Almendares |
6–0 | 1949 |
| 1 | Leones de la Habana |
5–0 | 1952 |
| 1 | Elefantes de Cienfuegos |
6–0 | 1960 |
| 1 | Senadores de San Juan |
6–0 | 1995 |
| 1 | Águilas Cibaeñas |
5–0 | 1998 |
| 1 | Leones del Caracas |
6–0 | 2006 |
| 1 | Venados de Mazatlán |
6–0 | 2016 |
See also
- List of baseball players who have played in the Caribbean Series
- Caribbean Baseball Hall of Fame
- Caribbean Series Most Valuable Player
- Asia Series
- European Cup
- Serie Latinoamericana
Notes
- ↑ Salón de la Fama y Museo del Béisbol de Venezuela Exaltados 2008 – Oscar Prieto Ortiz (Spanish).
- ↑ Bjarkman, Peter (1994). Baseball with a Latin Beat: A History of the Latin American Game. McFarland & Company. ISBN 978-0-89950-973-0.
Sources
- Antero Núñez, José. Series del Caribe. Jefferson, Caracas, Venezuela: Impresos Urbina, C.A., 1987.
- Gutiérrez, Daniel. Enciclopedia del Béisbol en Venezuela – 1895–2006. Caracas, Venezuela: Impresión Arte, C.A., 2007.
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Serie del Caribe. |
- Béisbol en Cuba (Spanish)
- Caribbean Baseball Hall of Fame
- Cuban Teams in the Caribbean Series
- Historia de las Series del Caribe (Spanish)
- Las Series del Caribe (Spanish)
- Sobre el Diamante (Spanish)
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