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Orlando Hernández Pedroso, nicknamed "El Duque", is a Cuban-born right-handed former professional baseball pitcher. He pitched for the Industriales of the Cuban National Series, the New York Yankees, Chicago White Sox, Arizona Diamondbacks, and New York Mets of Major League Baseball, and the Cuban national baseball team in international play.
José Ariel Contreras Camejo, is a Cuban former professional baseball pitcher, who played in the Cuban National Series (CNS), Major League Baseball (MLB), and internationally for the Cuban national baseball team. He also played in the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) for the Chinatrust Brothers.
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." It was always a small league, generally 3 to 5 teams, and was centered in Havana, though it sometimes included teams from outlying cities such as Matanzas or Santa Clara. 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 black Northern American players competed in Cuba alongside native black and white Cuban stars such as José Méndez, Cristóbal Torriente, Adolfo Luque, and Martín Dihigo. After 1947, the Cuban League entered into an agreement with Major League Baseball and was used for player development. Following 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 Cuban National Series is the primary domestic baseball competition in Cuba. Formed after the dissolution of the Cuban League in the wake of the Cuban Revolution, the Series is a part of the Cuban baseball league system.
The inaugural season of the Cuban National Series was won by Occidentales, composed largely of players from Pinar del Río.
Industriales began to make a habit of Cuban National Series titles during the 1964-65 season, the fourth installment of Cuba's new post-revolutionary amateur baseball league. The team, representing Havana, won its third straight title.
In the seventh season of the Cuban National Series, Habana won the title, outdistancing Industriales by five games. The season saw a significant expansion of the league, from six to 12 teams. Additionally, each team's schedule grew from 65 to 99 games.
The 15th Cuban National Series was won by Ganaderos, representing the province of Camagüey. They finished the season with all other teams more than five games behind. The length of schedule and the teams within the league remained the same as the prior season.
The 17th season of the Cuban National Series saw Vegueros of Pinar del Río Province win the title, finishing with a slim lead over Industriales of Havana. The makeup of the league was directly influenced by the administrative restructuring of the provinces of Cuba. The league expanded from 14 to 18 teams, and the regular season increased from 39 to 51 games.
In the 19th season of the Cuban National Series, Santiago de Cuba won its first title, edging Villa Clara, Forestales, and Vegueros, each of which finished within two games of the champion. The league's 18 teams and 51-game schedule remained unchanged from the prior season.
In the 21st season of Cuban National Series, Vegueros, from Pinar del Río Province, repeated as champions, finishing with a one-game lead over Citricultores, from Matanzas Province. Metropolitanos finished well ahead of its Havana rival, Industriales. The league's teams and length of schedule remained unchanged from the prior season.
The 24th Cuban National Series saw Vegueros of Pinar del Río Province win the title, outdistancing Camagüey by seven games. The Vegueros roster included notable players Luis Casanova, Omar Ajete, and Omar Linares. Forestales, also from Pinar del Río, again finished atop the second division.
The silver jubilee 25th season of the Cuban National Series was the first to feature a scheduled postseason, as the first-place and second-place teams from each of the new Eastern and Western divisions qualified for a round-robin tournament to determine the league champion. The 18 teams in the league remained unchanged from recent seasons, but each team's regular-season schedule was reduced from 75 games to 48 games.
The 32nd season of the Cuban National Series saw a slight contraction of the league. Two of the Cuban provinces that had been fielding two teams each since the 1977–78 season, Pinar del Río Province and Matanzas Province, began fielding one team each. Vegueros and Forestales became the Pinar del Río team, while Henequeneros and Citricultores became the Matanzas team. Ciudad de La Habana Province continued to field two teams, Industriales and Metropolitanos.
The 31st season of the Cuban National Series again featured a four-team postseason bracket tournament, with the semifinal round increased to best-of-five series. Two-time defending champion Henequeneros of Matanzas Province advanced to the championship series, but lost to Industriales of Havana in five games. The league makeup of 18 teams, each with a 48-game schedule, was unchanged from recent seasons. This was the final time the league fielded 18 teams.
The 26th Cuban National Series was the second season the league held a postseason round-robin tournament to determine a champion. The four teams that qualified were the same as in the prior season: Vegueros from Pinar del Río Province, Industriales of Havana, Santiago de Cuba, and Villa Clara. Vegueros captured the championship by winning five of their six postseason games. The league's 18 teams and 48-game regular-season schedule were unchanged from the prior season.
In the 27th season of the Cuban National Series, Vegueros, from Pinar del Río Province, repeated as champions. La Habana and Santiago de Cuba both won at least 80% of their regular-season games, but Vegueros, with an all-star lineup including Luis Casanova and Omar Linares, prevailed in the postseason. Camagüey advanced to the four-team round-robin tournament for the first time, but lost all but one of their games. The 18 teams within the league, each playing a 48-game regular-season schedule, remained unchanged from recent seasons.
The 28th season of the Cuban National Series saw a three-way tie atop the Eastern division, with Granma and Santiago de Cuba advancing to the postseason, along with Industriales and Henequeneros from the Western division. The ensuing round-robin tournament was won by Santiago de Cuba, who won five of their six games. This was the final season with the postseason structured as a round-robin tournament. The 18 teams of the league, each with a 48-game regular-season schedule, was unchanged from recent seasons.
In the 29th season of the Cuban National Series, the postseason format was changed. The league directly matched its two division winners in a best-of-seven series for the league championship, while the two division runners-up played a best-of-five series for third place. A four-team round-robin tournament had previously been used, since the 1985–86 season. The 18 teams of the league, and the regular-season schedule of 48 games, remained unchanged.
The 30th season of the Cuban National Series featured a postseason bracket tournament for the first time, with the top two teams from each division qualifying. Semifinals were played as best-of-three series, followed by a best-of-seven final series. Both semifinals were won by division runners-up, with Henequeros then defeating Camagüey to repeat as league champions. The 18 teams of the league were unchanged from recent seasons, as was each team's regular-season schedule of 48 games.
References
- ↑ "Las 40 primeras Series Nacionales". Granma (in Spanish). Archived from the original on December 27, 2014.
