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38-592: The league was formed in an effort to increase the quality of Cuban baseball, to bring it closer to the other professional winter leagues of the Caribbean. Professional baseball was abolished in Cuba in 1961. A desire to bring together the best players from the National Series, as well as address the drain of Cuban talent from the island to more competitive foreign leagues, contributed to the change of format in

76-531: A .361 average and a league-leading 3 home runs and 3 triples. The next two winters (1892–93 and 1893–94), Habana finished second (11–12) and third (13–11), despite strong offense from Arcaño, Valentín González , and Miguel Prats . The winter of 1894–95, with the Cuban War of Independence underway, the Spanish government halted the season after violence broke out at a game between Habana and Almendares. Habana

114-552: A fully professional institution. These changes did not occur without opposition and controversy. At least one team owner sold his interest rather than invest in an integrated enterprise. Several of the players from the upper classes moved to amateur leagues, which continued to compete behind walls of racial segregation. The next major change came in 1907 when the Fe team began loading up with black American stars, such as Rube Foster , Home Run Johnson , Pete Hill , and Bill Monroe . Soon

152-660: A modern, new stadium opened in Havana, Gran Stadium (now known as Latin American Stadium ), with a capacity for 35,000 spectators. In the aftermath of the Mexican League 's efforts in 1945 to sign major league players, U.S. organized baseball engaged in an effort to control the flow of players in Cuba and the other Caribbean leagues. This effort culminated in a 1947 agreement between the Cuban League and

190-585: The Cincinnati Reds for 25 consecutive innings, including a 1-hit, 9-strikeout shutout. In 1910 the Cuban teams beat the World Series champion Philadelphia Athletics , 6 games to 4, leading the embarrassed Commissioner to issue a ban on post-season exhibition games by the reigning World Series champion. During the 1910s a number of white Cuban players began to break into major league ranks, including

228-591: The Cuban National Series , as the government reformed the system to focus on national goals. Habana (Cuban League) The Habana B.B.C. also known as the Habana Reds or, later, the Leones del Habana was one of the oldest and most distinguished baseball teams in the old Cuban League , which existed from 1878 to 1961. Habana, representing the city of Havana , was the only team to play in

266-604: The National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues to bring top minor league and new major league players to Cuba for winter league play. The next season a second league—the Players' Federation —was formed, consisting largely of players who were outlawed by organized baseball for their play in the Mexican League. This new league, however, proved not to be viable and lasted only one season. Throughout

304-523: The 1880s and 1890s echoed the development of professionalism in the United States two decades earlier in the National Association of Base Ball Players , which ultimately led to the formation of the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players . In Cuba, however, the clubs that wished to remain amateur broke off from the Cuban League. Baseball in Cuba became associated with Cuban identity and nationalism. González Echevarría notes, "Baseball

342-537: The 1901 season, Carlos Royer emerged as Habana's new pitching ace with a record of 12–3, leading Habana back to the championship. The following season, Royer set a new standard as he pitched complete game victories in all of the 17 games played by Habana, including 3 shutouts, and never allowing more than 5 runs. His teammate, Luis Padrón , led the offense, leading the league with a .386 batting average, 4 triples, and 2 home runs. The next season, Habana won its third straight championship with Royer going 21–12. The season

380-629: The 1950s baseball flourished under the new arrangements. Cuba performed very well in the annual Caribbean Series , and also fielded a summer team, the Havana Sugar Kings , at first in the Florida International League , and later in the International League . Stars of the 1950s included Minnie Miñoso, Pedro Formental , Rocky Nelson , Camilo Pascual , Sandy Amorós , and Pedro Ramos . However, with

418-512: The 1959 Cuban Revolution , however, tensions rose with the new Communist government, and in March 1961 the government decreed the abolition of professional baseball. The first game in what became known as the Cuban League took place in Havana on December 29, 1878. Esteban Bellán , the first Latin American to play professionally in the United States, was captain (playing manager) of Habana while

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456-408: The 19th century the Cuban League remained a segregated, whites-only institution. However, black Cubans were developing their baseball skills playing for semi-professional and sugarmill teams. The Cuban War of Independence brought Cuban blacks and whites together in a common cause and created the pressures that ultimately brought integration. The other great legacy of 19th century Cuban League baseball

494-606: The 2023–24 season. These six occupied the top spots in the 2023 Cuban National Series . In the Elite League's third season, out of the 16 teams that form part of the Cuban National Series , only six of them qualified into the new league. These six teams occupied the top spots in the 2024 Cuban National Series. In the Elite League's inaugural 2022-23 LEB season, the 16 teams of the Cuban National Series were grouped into six regional teams. However, this format

532-491: The Cuban Revolution in 1959, the days of professional baseball in Cuba were numbered. In March 1961, one month after the end of the 1960–61 Cuban League season, the government decreed the abolition of professional baseball. Many of the professional players became exiles in the United States or other Latin American countries. In Cuba baseball lived on in the form of an amateur Cuban national baseball league including

570-500: The Reds eked out their eighth victory in nine seasons, with a 14–3 record that placed them 2 games ahead of runner-up Fe. The following winter, 1890–91, brought Habana's first losing season, when they lost several of their star players to other teams as professionalism crept into the league. The next year Habana was able to lure back its deserters and regained the championship (their ninth in 11 seasons). Alfredo Arcaño led their hitters with

608-466: The cream of Negro baseball with the best Cuba had to offer, and a few white major leaguers to boot." Only Almendares was able to remain competitive for a while without American reinforcements, relying on its strong core of Cuban-born pitchers including Hall-of-Famer José Méndez , Eustaquio Pedroso, and José Muñoz. As the Cuban League strengthened, it began doing much better in its now regular competitions against major league teams. In 1908 Méndez blanked

646-438: The first Latin American league to join the fold of " Organized Baseball ". The league became racially integrated in 1900, and during the first half of the 20th century the Cuban League was a premier venue for black and white players to meet. Many great African American players competed in Cuba alongside native black and white Cuban stars such as José Méndez , Cristóbal Torriente , Adolfo Luque , and Martín Dihigo . Following

684-417: The following season, pitching another 5 victories as Habana won its sixth consecutive championship in 1887. The next season Habana was finally dethroned, as they finished in second place to Fe . In 1889 Habana came back and regained the championship, going 16–4 in a season that had grown to 20 games. Luján pitched 10 victories, including a shutout over Progreso to clinch the pennant. The next winter, 1889–90,

722-439: The league every season of its existence and was one of its most successful franchises. In their early history they were known by their colors as the Reds; later they adopted the names of Leones or Lions. Throughout their existence they had a famous rivalry with Almendares . Habana won 30 Cuban League championships (more than any other club) and one Caribbean Series (in 1952 ). In the first Cuban League season, played during

760-569: The league's second season (2023-24). In 2023, the winner of the 2022-23 Elite League ( Agricultores ) represented Cuba at the 2023 Caribbean Series in Venezuela . However, in part due to fallout from the Cuban national team 's appearance at the 2023 World Baseball Classic , the 2023-24 league champion was not invited to the 2024 Caribbean Series in Miami. The 2023-24 LEB champion was invited to

798-419: The league. Led by promoters and entrepreneurs such as Abel Linares and Tinti Molina , the league integrated in 1900 with the admission of an all-black club, San Francisco, and the admission of non-white players to some of the other clubs. When San Francisco easily took the pennant, the other clubs quickly began bidding for the top black players. These changes also marked the recognition of the league's status as

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836-473: The new sports ministry (Spanish: Dirección General Nacional de Deportes , or DGND). Under Mariné and Galíndez, the league was restored to its former glory and financial stability. Before the 1930s had ended, the league had enjoyed dramatic play from Dihigo, Josh Gibson , Willie Wells , Ray Brown , Roberto (Bobby) Estalella , Lázaro Salazar , Alejandro Carrasquel , Ray Dandridge , and Sam Bankhead . During World War II, travel restrictions cut off most of

874-568: The next winter, and the following winter the season was terminated early without a champion. Thus, the next full season was 1882–83, and Habana again won the championship. After another winter without play, Habana won its fourth consecutive championship in 1885, with Ricardo Mora replacing Bellán as manager. The following winter, 1885–86, brought Habana its fifth consecutive championship, this time with an undefeated record of 6–0 and with Francisco Saavedra as manager. Adolfo Luján emerged as their ace pitcher, with 5 complete-game victories. He kept it up

912-409: The opposing Almendares was captained by Carlos Zaldo. (Almendares was a suburb just outside old Havana.) Habana won the first game, 21-20. The only other team in the league was Matanzas. In that first season, only four games were scheduled for each team, with the season lasting through February. Habana won the first championship with a record of 4-0-1. Early baseball in Cuba, as in the United States,

950-457: The other teams were also bringing in the Negro league stars, culminating in the 1912 Habana , which easily took the title with a team featuring Hall-of-Famers Joe Williams , John Henry Lloyd , and Pete Hill , as well as Home Run Johnson and Cuban stars Julián Castillo, Carlos Morán, and Luis Padrón. According to González Echevarría, "These teams were clearly of major-league quality, combining

988-724: The outstanding Cincinnati Reds pitcher Dolf Luque , catcher Mike González , and outfielder Armando Marsans . Black Cuban players competed regularly in the Negro leagues, where Cristóbal Torriente and José Méndez became stars. During the 1920s the Cuban League reached its apex in quality, as top Negro league stars such as Oscar Charleston , Jud Wilson , John Henry Lloyd , Cool Papa Bell , Mule Suttles , Satchel Paige , Bill Foster , and Willie Wells played alongside great Cuban stars such as Martín Dihigo , Cristóbal Torriente , Alejandro Oms , Bernardo Baró, Dolf Luque , and Manuel Cueto . Researchers have estimated that for several seasons

1026-593: The prospective Intercontinental Series , to be held in Barranquilla in 2024, but the league declined the invitation, in part due to the inclusion of FEPCUBE , a team composed of Cuban expatriate and defected players . Pressure from the Cuban government eventually saw that tournament cancelled. Instead, LEB announced that it would take part a tournament labeled the "Copa Antillana" in Puerto Rico; however that tournament never materialized. Six clubs competed in

1064-408: The quality of play in the Cuban League probably equaled that of the major leagues. Following the death in 1930 of Cuban League owner Abel Linares , the economic depression of the early 1930s, and the 1933 political uprising that overthrew President Gerardo Machado , the Cuban League found itself in difficult circumstances. The 1933–34 season was cancelled, and when it returned the following season it

1102-625: The supply of U.S. players. However, Cuba's own talent flourished as players such as Manuel (Cocaína) Garcia , Alejandro Crespo , Silvio García , and Claro Duany starred. After the war, attendance flourished as several exciting pennant races took place, especially the 1946–47 campaign, which many consider to be the greatest pennant race in Cuban League history. American players, such as Dick Sisler , Lou Klein , Max Lanier , and Sal Maglie , returned to Cuba and participated alongside new Cuban stars such as Orestes (Minnie) Miñoso , Connie Marrero , Julio Moreno , and Sandalio (Sandy) Consuegra . In 1946

1140-589: The winter of 1878–79, the Habana'a captain (or playing manager) was Esteban Bellán , who had played professionally in the United States . At the time, Habana and other clubs in the league were amateur sporting clubs. Every team played 4 games (all played on Sundays and holidays). Habana went undefeated and was awarded a silk flag, also each of the winning players received a silver medal. Habana went on to repeat its championship in 1879–80. The league did not play

1178-592: Was a sport played in defiance of Spanish authorities, who viewed this American invention as vaguely secessionist and dangerously violent because of the use of sticks. A ban was issued in 1869, just as the Ten Years' War was starting." Several of the sponsors of early baseball teams were also supporters of the revolutionary cause. A number of ballplayers fought against Spain in the Cuban War of Independence (1895–98), and at least three lost their lives: Emilio Sabourín, Juan Manuel Pastoriza, and Ricardo Cabaleiro. During

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1216-626: Was an amateur sport first organized by gentlemen's athletic clubs. Games were played on Sundays and were typically preceded by a picnic and followed by a dance. A unique feature of early Cuban baseball is that teams played with 10 players per side. The tenth player was a "right shortstop", playing halfway between the first and second bases. By the mid-1880s, the best-known players were becoming celebrities and baseball began to become professional, as players jumped from team to team and Americans were sometimes brought in as reinforcements. The gradual development of professionalism that took place in Cuba during

1254-580: Was centered in Havana , though it sometimes included teams from outlying cities such as Matanzas or Santa Clara . Despite its name, it was not the only professional league active in Cuba during that time, nor was it always the most popular; Peter C. Bjarkman argues that amateur play drew far more interest due to its reach outside the capital. However, the Cuban League did join Major League Baseball 's National Association in 1947, becoming

1292-527: Was considered unpopular, and for the league's second season, the decision was made to include National Series teams. Cuban League The Cuban League was one of the earliest and longest lasting professional baseball leagues outside the United States, operating in Cuba from 1878 to 1961. The schedule usually operated during the winter months, so the league was sometimes known as the "Cuban Winter League ." The league generally comprised 3 to 5 teams, and

1330-445: Was declared. The next winter, peace had returned under the U.S. military occupation, and Habana won another championship, going 9–3 with Alberto Azoy as the new manager. Rookie pitcher José Romero went 5–2, and González led the league in batting (.414) and triples (3). The 1900 season brought integration to the Cuban League, as a new team, San Francisco, consisting of black players won the championship, beating Habana by 3 games. In

1368-434: Was leading the race by 4 games when the season was called. The next two winters, no baseball was held as war raged. However, in the winter of 1897–98, even though the war was still in full force, the Spanish government allowed the season to be played in the capital. The season again was terminated early, this time when the war broke out with the United States . Habana was in second place when the season ended, though no champion

1406-581: Was the enduring rivalry between Habana and Almendares. This rivalry began before the formation of the Cuban League and survived after its end, lasting for nearly a century. Growing up in Havana (and, indeed, in much of Cuba) meant choosing between Habana and Almendares. The year 1900 brought fundamental change to the Cuban League. In the aftermath of the Cuban War of Independence and the Spanish–American War , pressures mounted for racial integration of

1444-451: Was without American players or some of the biggest Cuban-born stars, such as Martín Dihigo . Gradually, though, the league regained its strength. Fulgencio Batista , who effectively ruled Cuba as dictator from 1933 onwards, considered the disarray of the Cuban League to be a national disgrace, and appointed fellow army officer Ignacio Galíndez as commissioner of professional baseball. He also named his aide-de-camp , Jaime Mariné , to head

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