La Guaira ( Spanish: [la ˈɣwajɾa] ) is the capital city of the Venezuelan state of the same name (formerly named Vargas) and the country's main port. It was founded in 1577 as an outlet for Caracas , 30 kilometres (19 mi) to the southeast. The town and the port were badly damaged during the December 1999 floods and mudslides that affected much of the region.
37-676: The city hosts its own professional baseball team in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League , the Tiburones de La Guaira . They have won eight national championships since their founding in 1962 and won the Caribbean Series in 2023-24 After the founding of Caracas by Spanish in 1567, toward the turn of the 16th century, the Port of La Guaira emerged on the coast and, since that time, has been
74-574: A round robin format where a total of 63 games are disputed by each of the eight teams that made up the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League, meaning that each team faces every other team a total of 9 times, 5 times as home club and 4 times as away team; the number of games as home club between any 2 clubs alternates year by year. At the end of the regular season, the teams are ranked from first place to last in their division depending on their win–loss record, and
111-522: Is considered one of the top sport fishing destinations in the world due to the unusually high numbers of Atlantic blue marlin , white marlin , sailfish , and spearfish that congregate at different seasons, and are available year-round. 10°36′00″N 66°55′59″W / 10.60000°N 66.93306°W / 10.60000; -66.93306 Venezuelan Professional Baseball League The Venezuelan Professional Baseball League (Spanish: Liga Venezolana de Béisbol Profesional , or LVBP )
148-602: Is the second port by importance in Venezuela after Puerto Cabello . In 1998, when La Guaira state (then named Vargas) was created from parts of the former Federal District of Caracas, it became the state capital city. La Guaira Bank ( Spanish : El Placer de La Guaira ) is an underwater ridge that is approximately 12 miles off the coast from the city of La Guaira. The bank is approximately 12 miles (19 km) long from east to west and 4 miles (6 km) wide from north to south, and it rises from 50 fathoms (90 m) in
185-710: Is the top-level professional baseball league in Venezuela . The league's champion takes part in the Caribbean Series each year. Baseball exploded in Venezuela in 1941, following the world championship in Havana . By then, the appearance of professional baseball in Venezuela attracted many ball players from the Caribbean and the United States to the country, showing a more integrated sport there than it
222-764: The Commissioner of Baseball . Operating outside the Minor League Baseball organization are many independent minor leagues such as the Atlantic League , American Association , Frontier League , and the feeder league to these the Empire Professional Baseball League . Japan has had professional baseball since the 1930s. Nippon Professional Baseball consists of two leagues, the Central League and
259-730: The Pacific League , each with six teams. South Korea has had professional baseball since 1982. There are 10 teams in KBO League . Taiwan has had professional baseball since the 1990s. The Chinese Professional Baseball League absorbed Taiwan Major League in 2003. There are currently 6 teams in the CPBL. Other Asian leagues include three now defunct leagues, the China National Baseball League , Israel Baseball League , and Baseball Philippines . During
296-415: The 1952-1953 season of the league started, with the first game of Leones del Caracas vs. Venezuela BBC. Leones del Caracas ended their season as champions for the first time. The next season, alongside the start of limited television coverage of the league, would see the departure of the teams Sabios de Vargas and Venezuela BBC due to economic problems, being replaced by two teams (Gavilanes and Pastora) from
333-537: The 1968-1969 tournament, the Industrymen left the city of Valencia and relocated to Acarigua with a new name: Los Llaneros. This left Valencia without a team, prompting the move of Navegantes del Magallanes from Caracas to Valencia, and their return to their original name for the 1969-1970 tournament. In 1969, Las Águilas del Zulia (Zulia Eagles) joined the VPBL to replace Industriales de Valencia . The 1970s saw
370-649: The 2007–08 season, with the move of the Pastora team from the western city of Acarigua to the eastern city of Porlamar , the Western Division and the Eastern Division were merged into a single division of eight teams, with the top five teams advancing to the semifinals. The 2015–2016 season saw a new change in format, with a regular season divided in two rounds, which ranked the teams by their record and assigned points depending on their position in
407-583: The Battle of La Guaira, the port was attacked without success by another English squadron of 19 ships under the command of Admiral Charles Knowles. The coastal batteries, led by Gabriel de Zuloaga, José de Iturriaga and Don Mateo Gual, counterattacked and managed to put the English to flight. This period also saw the trading monopoly of the Royal Gipuzkoan Company of Caracas , which controlled
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#1732776646627444-454: The Caribbean Series eight times, most recently in 2024 by the Tiburones de La Guaira , after having won the LVBP title during the 2023–24 season. Professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout
481-569: The Future", and even a Venezuela's League Stars vs. Dominican Republic's League Stars inter-league all star game during the 2007-2008 and 2011-2012 tournaments. The league houses eight teams in two divisions, the Occidental (Western) and the Central divisions. The tournament is divided into a regular season and a postseason consisting of a semi-final and final round. The regular season follows
518-540: The Navegantes del Magallanes team was purchased by advertisers Joe Novas and Joe Cruz and renamed as Oriente, leaving the league made of Leones del Caracas, Oriente, Pampero and Industriales de Valencia. In 1962, Los Tiburones de La Guaira (La Guaira Sharks) were brought into the league to replace Pampero. In 1965, the league expanded from 4 to 6 teams, with the addition of the teams Cardenales de Lara (Lara Cardinals) and Tigres de Aragua (Aragua Tigers). For
555-471: The Petroleros de Cabimas (Cabimas Oilers), who became Pastora de los Llanos (Llanos Shepherds), and from the 2007–08 season on, Bravos de Margarita (Margarita Braves). This led to a change in format, with the eight teams being organized in two divisions: the Eastern Division (División Oriental) with the teams Caracas, Magallanes, La Guaira and Oriente; and the Western Division (División Occidental) with
592-531: The Tiburones de La Guaira, with the team winning 3 championships. Also in the 1980s, the Águilas del Zulia won their first two championships, all the way to also winning their first two Caribbean Series in 1984 and 1989 . In 1991, the league expanded from six to eight teams, with the addition of the Caribes de Oriente (Eastern Caribbeans), who are now the Caribes de Anzoátegui (Anzoátegui Caribbeans); and
629-406: The United States and Canada. The minor leagues are divided into classes AAA, AA, High-A, A, and Rookie. These minor-league divisions are affiliated with major league teams, and serve to develop young players and rehabilitate injured major-leaguers. "Affiliated baseball" (archaically, " organized baseball ") is often applied as an umbrella term for all leagues — major and minor — under the authority of
666-402: The Venezuelan Professional Baseball League. The league was formally registered as an institution during January 1946, and in the same month organized its first tournament, starting on January 3, 1946. Sabios de Vargas, led by Daniel 'Chino' Canónico , became the first champion, with a record of 18 wins and 12 losses. During the first tournaments, games were played on Thursdays and Saturdays on
703-465: The afternoons, and Sundays in the morning. This was the norm until Cervecería Caracas' park — located in the San Agustín del Norte zone of Caracas — was fitted with electric lights, enabling its use during night games. Thus, a game was added on Tuesday nights. Eventually, the tournament was changed to accommodate two rounds, with the top team of each round having a best-of-5 play-off to determine
740-552: The champion. On August 8, 1952, Pablo Morales and Oscar Prieto Ortiz purchased the Cervecería Caracas team from Martín Tovar Lange , as the Caracas Brewery Co. was unable to continue sponsoring the team and it had the highest payroll of the league. The new owners renamed the team as Leones del Caracas (Caracas Lions), after the full name of the city, Santiago de Leon de Caracas . On October 17, 1952,
777-482: The city of Acarigua. Also in the 1970s, Tigres de Aragua won the first championships for the 1960s expansion teams. The 1980s saw the Leones del Caracas winning five tournaments, consolidating their lead as the most successful team in the league. Leones del Caracas also went on to win three championships in a row starting in the 1979–80 season, and their first Caribbean Series in 1982 . The decade also saw success for
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#1732776646627814-459: The first 2 teams in each division qualify. In the case of a tie between qualified teams, their position on the table is determined by the following criteria: In the case of a tie between teams where a position in the postseason needs to be determined, the tie will be solved with extra games. The postseason consists of a semi-final and final round. All the series are playoff series to the best of 7 games. In all of these single elimination series,
851-481: The first successes for Venezuelan teams outside of Venezuela since the amateur championships of the 1940s, with the Navegantes del Magallanes winning two Caribbean Series . It also saw problems for the league, in the form of the strike that prevented the 1973-1974 tournament, and the problems the Leones del Caracas and Tiburones de La Guaira had in 1975–1976 to secure a baseball park to play their home games. This resulted in both teams merged into one, and forced to move to
888-638: The gateway to Caracas. This coastal city, almost without land to develop and bathed by the Caribbean Sea, became an important harbour during the 18th century. Attacked by buccaneers and by the English , Dutch, and French armadas, La Guaira was transformed into a fortified, walled city. During the War of Jenkins' Ear (1739–1748), the first attack of the Royal Navy took place on La Guaira. In March 1743, in
925-594: The late 19th and early 20th centuries, players of black African descent were barred from playing the major leagues , though several did manage to play by claiming to be Cubans or Native Americans . As a result, a number of parallel Negro leagues were formed. However, after Jackie Robinson began playing with the major-league Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, the Negro leagues gradually faded. The process of integration did not go entirely smoothly; there were some ugly incidents, including pitchers who would try to throw directly at
962-614: The major ports of La Guaira and Puerto Cabello and was instrumental in the development of large-scale cocoa production along the valleys of the coast. The English frigate HMS Hermione (1782) was delivered to the Spanish authorities at La Guaira after her crew mutinied in 1797. Another small naval battle was fought off La Guaira in 1812, between privateers of the United States and the United Kingdom . Now La Guaira
999-484: The most dominant team of the league, winning the crown seven times in the last fifteen years, including three times in a row from the 2006-07 season to the 2008-09 season and also winning the Caribbean Series in 2009 . On August 22, 2019, Major League Baseball banned its affiliated players from playing in the Venezuelan League to comply with President Donald Trump 's embargo on Venezuela. This ban
1036-471: The oldest continuous same-name, same-city franchise in both Major League Baseball and all of American professional sports. In addition to the major leagues, many North American cities and towns feature minor league teams. An organization officially styled Minor League Baseball , formerly the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues, oversees nearly all minor league baseball in
1073-570: The professional league of the Zulia State , from western Venezuela. In 1954 Sabios de Vargas was replaced by Santa Marta and Patriotas de Venezuela came back both only for that year. In 1955 a new team was added in the place of the departed Venezuela, named Pampero; while the Santa Marta BBC was moved out of Caracas, and renamed to Industriales de Valencia (Valencia Industrymen). The 1956-1957 tournament would see further changes:
1110-480: The second and fifth games. The play-off final is a series in a best-of-seven-format between the winners of the semifinal-series. The winner of this series goes on to play is the Caribbean Series . The Venezuelan champion moves on to the Caribbean Series to face the champions of the baseball leagues of the Dominican Republic , Puerto Rico , Mexico , Panama and Colombia . Venezuelan teams have won
1147-668: The surrounding area to 140 fathoms (260 m). The area provides the structure to deep-sea animals, and other organisms such as gorgonians , sponges , and coral , that require ocean currents to bring their food to them. Westerly currents flow off the coast of Venezuela, and the bank acts as a barrier to the current, creating an upwelling of nutrients to the ocean surface from deep-water stockpiles. These nutrients fuel an explosion of planktonic plant and animal growth, and attract larger animals such as whales , porpoises , seabirds , and large pelagics such as tuna , sharks , wahoo , dolphin fish , and four different types of marlin . It
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1184-410: The table at the end of each round. The total points from both rounds are added at the end of the regular season, and the teams are then ranked by points. Also part of the format change was the introduction of a sixth team qualified for the semifinals, and the change of the semifinal from a round robin format to two phases of play-offs to the best of 7 games. In recent years, Tigres de Aragua has become
1221-407: The team with better standing during the regular season has home advantage, playing the first two games as home club, then two games away, and if necessary, the fifth game is away and the last two games as home club. The semifinal round consists of two series in a best-of-seven format. The first team in one division faces the second team in the other division. There are rest days in both series after
1258-405: The teams Zulia, Lara, Aragua and Cabimas. The first two teams from each division by the end of the regular season of the tournament would qualify to the round-robin semifinals. The format would change again some years later, with the addition of a wildcard team in the semifinals: the best placed third-place from the two divisions would accompany the other four teams in a round-robin semifinal. For
1295-629: The world. Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada consists of the National League (founded in 1876) and the American League (founded in 1901). Historically, teams in one league never played teams in the other until the World Series , in which the champions of the two leagues played against each other. This changed in 1997 with the advent of interleague play . The Philadelphia Phillies , founded in 1883, are
1332-463: Was in the United States. This is evidenced in the hiring of stellar players like Ramón Bragaña , Martín Dihigo , Oscar Estrada , Cocaína García , Bertrum Hunter , Roy Campanella , Sam Jethroe , Satchel Paige , and Roy Welmaker . On December 27, 1945, the owners of Cervecería Caracas (Caracas Brewery), Sabios de Vargas (Vargas Wisemen), Navegantes del Magallanes (Magellan Navigators), and Patriotas de Venezuela (Venezuelan Patriots) created
1369-400: Was later limited to only Navegantes del Magallanes and Tigres de Aragua , and has since been lifted for all clubs. As of 2023, the LVBP has a limit of maximum five foreign players (known as imports) per team. The league has scheduled All Star Games most years, sometime featuring Criollos (Venezuelan) vs Importados (foreigners), Western Division vs Eastern Division or Stars vs "Stars of
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