Tigres del Licey
Tigres del Licey | |||
---|---|---|---|
League | Dominican Winter League | ||
Location | Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic | ||
Ballpark |
Estadio Quisqueya President: Miguel Angel Fernández Vice-President: Ricardo Ravelo | ||
Year founded | 1907 | ||
League championships | 1924, 1929, 1951, 1953, 1959, 1964, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1977, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1991, 1994, 1999, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2009, 2014 | ||
Caribbean Series championships | 1971, 1975, 1977, 1980, 1985, 1991, 1994, 1999, 2004, 2008 | ||
Colors |
Royal Blue, White | ||
Uniforms | |||
|
Tigres del Licey is a professional baseball team founded in 1907 based in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. It is one of the two franchises of the Capital city of the country, the oldest and the most successful team in the Dominican league, with 23 overall titles (21 actual LIDOM titles) and 10 Caribbean Series as of January, 2014. Some of their best players have included Alonzo Perry, Pedro González, Manuel Mota, Guayubín Olivo, César Gerónimo, and Elvio Jiménez. Many of the best Dominican players and Major League Baseball players have taken part in the long history of the Tigres, including Tommy Lasorda, baseball hall-of-famer who took the team to the 1973 Caribbean World Series title. The Licey logo is a cursive "L". The team, nicknamed "El Glorioso" has a passionate fan base.
History
Circa 1900, baseball in the Dominican Republic was only a minor pastime, due to the heavy political turmoil surrounding the country back then. By 1907, baseball was increasing in popularity.
The Licey team was founded as the result of a meeting that took place in the house of Vicente María Vallejo, on el Conde Street, in Santo Domingo's Colonial Zone, on November 9, 1908. Founding members were: George and Cuncún Pou, Luis and Federico Fiallo, Luis and Pinchán Valejo, Luis Castillo, Salvador Piñeyro, Alvaro Alvarez, Tutú Martínez, Angel and Chichí Mieses, Arturo Perdomo, Bi Sanchez, Virgilio Abreu, Alberto Peña, Arturo Nolasco and Tulio Piña. Many of the founding members of the original team were also part of the first roster.[1]
Over the next 16 years Licey became so dominant that an agreement was made among the three other competing teams (Los Muchachos, San Carlos and Delco Lite) to form a new team, composed of their best players, in order to beat Licey. This team, called "Leones del Escogido" ( Lions of the Chosen one ), still exists and the teams share the same stadium in Santo Domingo.
During what Dominicans call the "first stage" of the country's baseball history, the game was only played during the day. The game's "second stage" didn’t begin until dictator Rafael Trujillo built the capital's Estadio Quisqueya in 1955, a brilliantly designed and built stadium for the time. With the stadium came lights and what is considered the Dominican's golden age of baseball.
Current standing
Licey has won the "Serie del Caribe" 10 times. In an unusual situation during the 2008 season Licey finished second in the Dominican championship (and would not qualify for the series) but replaced Puerto Rico, which was absent (Puerto Rico canceled their winter league for financial reasons). Licey won the series defeating Mexico, Venezuela and their Dominican rival the Aguilas Cibaeñas. Licey is the only team to have won the series on every venue celebrated.
Famous players and managers
- Burt Hooton
- Jurickson Profar
- Eric Plunk
- Luis Castillo
- José Offerman
- Ronnie Belliard
- Pedro Martínez
- Tommy Lasorda
- Manny Mota
- Rico Carty
- George Bell
- Tony Fernández
- Joaquín Andújar
- Ramón Martínez
- Alejandro Peña
- Henry Rodríguez
- César Gerónimo
- Rafael Landestoy
- Orel Hershiser
- Steve Garvey
- Tony Oliva
- Mike Piazza
- Bob Gibson
- Al Hrabosky
- Steve Yeager
- Bobby Valentine
- John Wetteland
- Jesús Alou
- John McNamara
- Grady Little
- Mike Scioscia
- Mickey Hatcher
- John Roseboro
- Terry Collins
- José Rijo
- Doug Rau
- Steve Howe
- Buck Rodgers
- Del Crandall
- Leon Durham
- Pedro González
- Erik Griggs-Demin
- Alonzo Perry
- Diomedes Olivo
- Frankie A. Cornielle
- Federico Olivo
- Charlie Hough
- Pedro Borbón
- Rick Rhoden
- Rick Sutcliffe
- Mike Norris
- Édgar Rentería
- Bill Russell
- Darrin Fletcher
- Kelly Gruber
- Teodoro Martínez
- Dave Stewart
- John Tudor
- Joe Ferguson
- Mark McGwire
- Terry Steinbach
- Eric Plunk
- Félix José
- Tony Phillips
- Willie Wilson
- Juan Guzmán
- Sid Fernandez
- Eric Byrnes
- Mark Bellhorn
- Mariano Duncan
- José Canseco
- Kurt Bevacqua
- Bruce Bochte
- Jim Lefebvre
- Kevin Kennedy
- Luis Pujols
- Chico Walker
- John Patterson
- Steve Sparks
- Vladimir Guerrero
- José Guillén
- Timo Pérez
- Pascual Pérez
- Mélido Pérez
- Carlos Pérez
- Félix Rodríguez
- Salomón Torres
- José Mesa
- Ramón Ortiz
- Manny Aybar
- José Jiménez
- Jorge Sosa
- Carlos Peña
- Aramis Ramírez
- Deivi Cruz
- D'Angelo Jiménez
- Von Joshua
- Clete Boyer
- Dave Hansen
- Alex Ochoa
- Rudy Law
- Alberto Martínez
- Jim Beauchamp
- Butch Hobson
- Mark Little
- Cristian Guzmán
- Byron Browne
- Mike Torrez
- Pedro Astacio
- Reggie Cleveland
- Andy Abad
- Ubaldo Jiménez
- Anderson Hernández
- Chuck Carr
- Elijah Dukes
- Sil Campusano
- Mickey Rivers
- Juan Herrera
- Greg Brook
Final Series and championships
Season | Champion | Manager | Sub-Champion |
---|---|---|---|
1951 | Tigres del Licey | Félix Delgado | Leones del Escogido |
1953 | Tigres del Licey | Oscar Rodríguez | Águilas Cibaeñas |
1958-59 | Tigres del Licey | Joe Schultz | Leones del Escogido |
1963-64 | Tigres del Licey | Vernon Benson | Águilas Cibaeñas |
1969-70 | Tigres del Licey | Billy Muffett | Águilas Cibaeñas |
1970-71 | Tigres del Licey | Fred Hatfield | Leones del Escogido |
1972-73 | Tigres del Licey | Tom Lasorda | Estrellas Orientales |
1973-74 | Tigres del Licey | Tom Lasorda | Águilas Cibaeñas |
1976-77 | Tigres del Licey | Buck Rodgers | Águilas Cibaeñas |
1979-80 | Tigres del Licey | Del Crandall | Estrellas Orientales |
1982-83 | Tigres del Licey | Manny Mota | Águilas Cibaeñas |
1983-84 | Tigres del Licey | Manny Mota | Águilas Cibaeñas |
1984-85 | Tigres del Licey | Terry Collins | Azucareros del Este |
1990-91 | Tigres del Licey | John Roseboro | Leones del Escogido |
1993-94 | Tigres del Licey | Casey Parsons | Águilas Cibaeñas |
1998-99 | Tigres del Licey | Dave Jauss | Leones del Escogido |
2001–02 | Tigres del Licey | Bob Geren | Águilas Cibaeñas |
2003–04 | Tigres del Licey | Manny Acta | Gigantes del Cibao |
2005–06 | Tigres del Licey | Rafael Landestoy | Águilas Cibaeñas |
2008–09 | Tigres del Licey | José Offerman | Gigantes del Cibao |
2013-14 | Tigres del Licey | José Offerman | Leones del Escogido |
See also
External links
Notes and references
Cited references
- ↑ Foundation of the Tigres Del Licey (Spanish): http://www.licey.com/fundacion.asp