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Nicaraguan Professional Baseball League

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Nicaraguan Professional Baseball League
SportBaseball
Founded1956
No. of teams5
CountryNicaragua
Most recent
champion(s)
Gigantes de Rivas
(5th title)
Most titlesIndios del Bóer
(9 titles)
Official websitehttp://lbpn.com.ni/

The Nicaraguan Professional Baseball League (Spanish: Liga de Béisbol Profesional Nacional or LBPN), known as the Campeonato Claro for sponsorship purposes, is the professional baseball league of Nicaragua. The league consists of five teams with a 30-game regular season schedule that runs from November to December, followed by a four team playoff round robin; the two best teams advance to a best of seven championship series.

History

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Inaugurated on March 30, 1956 at the Estadio Nacional Anastasio Somoza (the modern Estadio Nacional Soberanía), the first game was between San Fernando and Indios del Bóer. The Nicaraguan public's excitement for baseball grew as foreign professional teams and foreign players came to play in their country's winter league circuit. The teams from Bóer and León were the most successful teams in those years with three championships each. Due to economic difficulties, the league had to shut down in 1967, though baseball continued to be played in an amateur format.

Professional baseball was re-established in Nicaragua in 2004. Since then, Bóer has led the league in championships with six, their most recent victory coming in the 2022–23 season.

Current teams

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Team City Stadium Capacity Founded
Indios del Bóer Managua Estadio Nacional Soberanía 20,000 1905
Tigres de Chinandega Chinandega Estadio Efraín Tijerino 8,000 1956
Gigantes de Rivas Rivas Estadio Yamil Ríos Ugarte 6,000 2013
Leones de León León Estadio Héroes y Mártires 8,000 1939
Tren del Norte Estelí Estadio Rufo Marín 1,200 1961
Nicaraguan Professional Baseball League team locations

Defunct teams

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Defunct stadiums

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  • Estadio Roberto Clemente, Masaya
  • Estadio Roque Tadeo Zavala, Granada

Champions

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Season Champion
1957–58 Leones de León
1958–59 Oriental
1959–60 Leones de León (2)
1960–61 No champion
1961–62 Marlboro
1962–63 Indios del Bóer
1963–64 Cinco Estrellas
1964–65 Indios del Bóer (2)
1965–66 Indios del Bóer (3)
1966–67 Cinco Estrellas (2)
No professional baseball from 1967 to 2004
2004–05 Leones de León (3)
2005–06 Tigres de Chinandega
2006–07 Indios del Bóer (4)
2007–08 Indios del Bóer (5)
2008–09 Season suspended
2009–10 Leones de León (4)
2010–11 Indios del Bóer (6)
2011–12 Indios del Bóer (7)
2012–13 Tigres de Chinandega (2)
2013–14 Gigantes de Rivas
2014–15 Indios del Bóer (8)
2015–16 Gigantes de Rivas (2)
2016–17 Tigres de Chinandega (3)
2017–18 Tigres de Chinandega (4)
2018–19 Leones de León (5)
2019–20 Leones de León (6)
2020–21 Gigantes de Rivas (2)
2021–22 Leones de León (7)
2022–23 Indios del Bóer (9)
2023–24 Gigantes de Rivas (3)
Team Titles
Indios del Bóer 9
Leones de León 7
Tigres de Chinandega 4
Gigantes de Rivas 3
Cinco Estrellas 2
Oriental 1
Marlboro 1

International competition

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From its inception, the Nicaraguan professional league sought to participate in international club competition. It hosted a tournament billed as the Serie Panamericana, or Pan-American Series, in 1958, inviting the champions of the Colombian and Mexican Pacific Leagues.[1] This tournament, won by Leones de León, was a success; Nicaraguan organizers hoped it would allow them to join the Caribbean Series, but such an invitation was not forthcoming.[2]

The LPBN did participate in the Interamerican Series three times[a] in the 1960s, while the Caribbean Series was suspended. It hosted the 1964 edition, which was won by Cinco Estrellas.

Nicaragua was an inaugural member of the Latin American Series, winning the tournament four times in the 2010s.

The LPBN would not participate in the Caribbean Series until 2024, when it was invited to participate in the tournament in Miami.[3] Their entry was controversial, because it was alleged that the regime of Daniel Ortega offered $1 million to the Caribbean Professional Baseball Confederation to secure the participation in the tournament.[4][5]

Interamerican Series champions

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Season Winner
1964 Cinco Estrellas

Latin American Series champions

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Season Winner
2016 Gigantes de Rivas
2017 Tigres de Chinandega
2018 Tigres de Chinandega
2019 Leones de León

Individual leaders by year

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Hitting

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Season Player Team Player Team Player Team
Batting average Home Runs RBI
2004–05 Adolfo Matamoros Chinandega .378 Luis Iglesias Chinandega 4 Marlon Abea San Fernando 33
Marlon Abea San Fernando 4
2005–06 Bárbaro Cañizares Bóer .352 Michel Abreu Bóer 14 Wilson Batista Chinandega 42
2006–07 Justo Rivas León .377 Clyde Williams Bóer 16 Clyde Williams Bóer 40
2007–08 Ofilio Castro San Fernando .351 Luke Gorsett Chinandega 6 Danilo Sotelo San Fernando 32
Jimmy Hurts San Fernando 6
Marcos Sánchez San Fernando 6
2009–10 Jimmy González Granada .363 Lenín Aragón Bóer 6 Lenín Aragón Bóer 38
Edgard López León 38
2010–11 José Campusano Bóer .363 Brian Nichols León 10 Manuel Mejía Bóer 37
2011–12 Renato Morales Granada .387 Esteban Ramírez Chinandega 12 Wuillians Vasquez Bóer 51
2012–13 Yurendell DeCaster Chinandega .416 Yurendell DeCaster Chinandega 13 Yurendell DeCaster Chinandega 56
Ramón Flores Chinandega 13
2013–14 Wuillians Vasquez Chinandega .351 Ronald Garth Granada 8 Esteban Ramírez Chinandega 35
2014–15 Yurendell DeCaster Rivas .368 Rudy Van Heydoorm Rivas 6 Ramón Flores Rivas 38
2015–16 Jonel Pacheco Chinandega .427 Juan C. Torres Granada 6 Ronald Garth Chinandega 30
2016–17 Wuillians Vasquez Rivas .407 Wuillians Vasquez Rivas 11 Wuillians Vasquez Rivas 55
2017–18 Javier Robles Bóer .354 Curt Smith Chinandega 6 Elmer Reyes Rivas 34
2018–19 Elmer Reyes Bóer .360 Juan Silverio Bóer 6 Juan Silverio Bóer 19
2019–20 Ofilio Castro León .409 Alvaro Gonzalez Chinandega 10 Elian Miranda Chinandega 31
Alvaro Gonzalez Chinandega 31
2020–21 Ronald Garth León .400 Cheslor Cuthbert Rivas 9 Héctor Gómez Tren 41
Willy García Tren 9
2021–22 Alay Largo Tren .424 Willy García Tren 11 Alay Largo Tren 45
2022–23 Manuel Geraldo Bóer .355 Manuel Geraldo Bóer 7 Manuel Geraldo Bóer 31
2023–24 Omar Mendoza Chinandega .358 Jesus Lopez Chinandega 8 Omar Mendoza Chinandega 29

Pitching

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Season Player Team Player Team Player Team
ERA Win–loss record Strikeouts
2004–05 Julio Raudez San Fernando 1.46 Julio Raudez San Fernando 10–3 Miguel Pérez León 99
2005–06 Wilton López León 1.34 Julio Raudez Chinandega 10–0 Devern Hansack León 89
2006–07 José Luis Sáenz San Fernando 1.96 Wilton López León 8–2 Willy Lebrón San Fernando/León 89
2007–08 Wilton López León 1.45 Diego Sandino San Fernando 10–0 Juan Figueroa Bóer 60
2009–10 Wilfredo Amador León 1.95 Wilder Rayo León 7–2 Melvin Cuevas Granada 57
2010–11 Carlos Estrella Granada 1.19 Rodney Rodríguez Granada 8–5 Rodney Rodríguez Granada 93
2011–12 Eric Blackwell León 2.75 Wilder Rayo León 8–3 Juan Figueroa Granada 74
2012–13 Wilder Rayo León 2.06 Juan Figueroa Granada 7–1 Juan Figueroa Granada 79
2013–14 Carlos Estrella Rivas 1.62 Carlos Téller Bóer 7–0 Santos Hernandez Granada 71
2014–15 Rodney Rodríguez Bóer 2.29 Paul Estrada Chinandega 8–1 Rodney Rodríguez Bóer 58
2015–16 Austin Davis Bóer 1.12 Roger Luque Granada 5–2 Paul Estrada Rivas 52
Abraham Elvira Chinandega 52
2016–17 Gustavo Martínez Granada 1.95 José Rosario Rivas 7–1 Frankie de la Cruz Granada 58
2017–18 Jorge Bucardo Bóer 1.56 Manauris Baez Bóer 5–0 Paul Estrada Bóer 49
2018–19 Luis Angel Mateo León 3.29 Jorge Bucardo León 3–0 Luis Angel Mateo León 35
2019–20 Isaac Silva León 2.59 Carlos Sano Chinandega 4–0 Carlos Sano Chinandega 37
2020–21 Leónardo Crawford Rivas 2.65 Willy Paredes León 6-1 Alexander Santana Chinandega 47
2021–22 Bryan Torres Rivas 0.81 Ronald Medrano Rivas 5-0 Pedro Fernández Chinandega 71
2022–23 Edgard Martinez Tren 2.22 Yeudy García Bóer 5-0 Ronald Medrano Rivas 57
2023–24 Yeris Gonzalez Chinandega 1.69 Luis Ramirez Tren 6-2 Joanner Negrin Perez León 42

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ The champion of the merged 1961–62 Nicaragua-Panama league was invited to the 1962 tournament in Puerto Rico; the league was technically represented by Marlboro, a Panama-based team.

References

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  1. ^ "Colombia, Mexico sending champs to Managua series". The Sporting News. February 12, 1958. p. 25. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  2. ^ "Pan-American title captured by Nicaragua". The Sporting News. February 26, 1958. p. 26. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  3. ^ Enrique Rojas (July 24, 2023). "¿Por qué Colombia se quedó fuera de Serie Caribe 2024?". ESPN Deportes (in Spanish).
  4. ^ "Colombia no va a la Serie del Caribe por diferencias en pago" (in Spanish). Diario Libre. 25 April 2023.
  5. ^ "El régimen garantiza un millón de dólares para que Nicaragua participe en Serie del Caribe 2024". Despacho 505. 24 April 2023.
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