Roberto Enrique Clemente Walker was a Puerto Rican professional baseball player who played 18 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates, primarily as a right fielder. After his early and sudden death, the National Baseball Hall of Fame changed its rules so that a player who has been dead for at least six months will be eligible for entry. In 1973 Clemente was posthumously inducted, becoming the first Caribbean and the first Latin-American player to be honored in the Hall of Fame.
Carolina is a city and municipality located on the northeast coast of Puerto Rico. It lies immediately east of the capital San Juan and Trujillo Alto; north of Gurabo and Juncos; and west of Canóvanas and Loíza. Carolina is spread over 12 barrios plus Carolina Pueblo. It is part of the San Juan-Caguas-Guaynabo Metropolitan Statistical Area, and home to Puerto Rico's main airport, the Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport.
Carlos Juan Delgado Hernández is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball primarily as a first baseman, from 1993 to 2009, most prominently as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays, where he was a member of the 1993 World Series-winning team, won the 2000 American League (AL) Hank Aaron Award, and was the 2003 AL RBI leader. He was also a two-time AL All-Star player and a three-time Silver Slugger Award winner during his tenure with the Blue Jays.
Sports in Puerto Rico can be traced from the ceremonial competitions amongst the pre-Columbian Native Americans of the Arawak (Taíno) tribes who inhabited the island to the modern era in which sports activities consist of an organized physical activity or skill carried out with a recreational purpose for competition. One of the sports which the Taíno's played was a ball game called "Batey". The "Batey" was played in "U" shaped fields two teams; however, unlike the ball games of the modern era, the winners were treated like heroes and the losers were sacrificed.
Cangrejeros de Santurce is the name of several franchises sanctioned by the professional basketball league Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN) of Puerto Rico. Named after Santurce, all versions have played out of San Juan. The first franchise was founded in 1918 and began active play in the BSN in 1956, winning titles in 1962 and 1968 before folding. The second iteration of the Cangrejeros played their home games at the Roberto Clemente Coliseum under the ownership of music industry executive Angelo Medina, winning five championships in a six-year span and another in 2007. This version remained active for another decade after winning its last championship. In 2021, a new franchise was approved under the name of Cangrejeros under the ownership of artist Bad Bunny and urban music entrepreneurs Noah Assad and Jonathan García. Teams bearing the name of Cangrejeros have won 8 championships and appeared in 14 BSN finals.
Hiram Gabriel Bithorn Sosa was a professional right-handed pitcher who became the first baseball player from Puerto Rico to play in Major League Baseball.
Hiram Bithorn Stadium is a baseball park in San Juan, Puerto Rico, built in 1962 and designed by Puerto Rican architect Pedro Miranda. The stadium is home to the Cangrejeros de Santurce of the Puerto Rican Baseball League (LBPRC), and briefly was home to Major League Baseball's Montreal Expos during their final years.
José Rafael Santiago Fuentes is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. Listed at 6' 3" [1.90 m], 200 lb. [91 k], Santiago batted and threw right-handed. He was born in Fajardo, Puerto Rico.
The Puerto Rico national baseball team, also known as Team Rubio is the national baseball team of Puerto Rico. The men's senior team is currently ranked 13th in the world. Puerto Rico is the incumbent Pan American and Central American/Caribbean champion, as well as the World Baseball Classic runner-up. The team will compete against Israel, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela and Nicaragua in the 2023 World Baseball Classic in March 2023 in Miami, Florida.
Estadio Sixto Escobar is a multi-purpose stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The stadium was named after boxer Sixto Escobar, the first champion of Puerto Rico, in 1938.
The Estadio Francisco ("Paquito") Montaner is a multi-use stadium in Ponce, Puerto Rico. It is home to the Leones de Ponce team of the Puerto Rico Baseball League (LBPPR) and FC Leones of the Puerto Rico Soccer League (PRSL). The stadium has a capacity of 16,000 seats. Construction of the stadium began in 1947 and it opened on 15 October 1949. Montaner has the distinction of being the first stadium in Puerto Rico that installed an artificial surface field. The stadium lies next to the Juan Pachín Vicéns Auditorium, where the Ponce Lions (basketball) hold their games. The Stadium was named to honor Francisco "Paquito" Montaner, one of the greatest Puerto Rican pitchers of all times.
Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente (LBPRC) is the main professional baseball league in Puerto Rico; it is colloquially referred to as the Puerto Rican Winter League. Consisting of seven teams as of the 2020–21 season, the league's champion participates in the Caribbean Series.
The Indios de Mayagüez are a baseball team in Puerto Rico's Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente. Based in Mayagüez, the Indios have won 19 national championships and two Caribbean World Series. The Indios have participated in a league’s record 40 Finals. It is one of three teams remaining from the original six incorporated into the LBPPR at its founding on November 13, 1938.
The Gigantes de Carolina are a baseball team in the Puerto Rican Professional Baseball League (LBPPR). Based in the city of Carolina, Puerto Rico, the Gigantes play at Roberto Clemente Stadium. There is now an affiliated football club, Gigantes de Carolina, also playing out of the Roberto Clemente Stadium.
The Leones de Ponce is a baseball team in the Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente (LBPRC). The organization is based in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. The team plays at the Francisco Montaner Stadium. Contrary to popular belief, the name Leones comes from their team owner being photographed with a whip as if taming lions. At one time, the "legendary" team scored a continuous run of thirteen championships. The team's owner is Héctor “Tito” Gracia, and former baseball player with the Leones himself. The team's colors are black and red.
Atenienses de Manatí is a professional baseball team based in Manatí, Puerto Rico. Atenienses is the team name for most sport teams representing Manatí in state-level tournaments.
Club Atlético River Plate Puerto Rico is a Puerto Rican professional football team based in Fajardo, Puerto Rico. Founded in 2007 as a franchise of the Argentine club River Plate, the team plays in the Puerto Rico Soccer League, and is the reigning Supercopa DirecTV champion.
Carolina Giants are an association football club from Carolina, Puerto Rico. They were formed in 2008 as the football branch of the existing baseball side Gigantes de Carolina. They are founding members of the Puerto Rico Soccer League, the first nationwide football league on the island. They play their matches at the Roberto Clemente Stadium which is primarily a baseball venue.
Puerto Rico United is a Puerto Rican association football team based in Aguada, Puerto Rico founded in 2007. The team has played professionally in the Puerto Rico Soccer League (PRSL) and briefly in the American USL Professional Division. The team last competed in a professional league in 2011.
Baseball is the most popular sport in Puerto Rico. In terms of spectators and active participants, it is the premier sport on the island.
