The Estadio Latinoamericano (English: Latin American Stadium) is a stadium in Havana, Cuba. It is primarily used for baseball, and is the third largest baseball stadium in the world by capacity. The stadium, a spacious pitchers' park with prevailing winds blowing in and boasting a playing surface and lighting system of major-league quality, was built in 1946 as the top baseball park in Latin America.
The stadium opened with the name Gran Estadio de La Habana, known to English-language sportswriters as Gran Stadium, surpassing La Tropical Stadium as the largest stadium in Havana. It was also referred to as the Estadio del Cerro, or more popularly, "The Colossus of Cerro" (Spanish: El Coloso del Cerro), due to its location in the Cerro neighborhood.
The stadium debuted on October 26, 1946 before a crowd of 31,000 fans for a clash between the Almendares and Cienfuegos baseball teams, the largest crowd that had attended a sports event in Cuba. Almendares won the game 9-1. The Venezuelan Alejandro Carrasquel, who played for the Washington Senators in the Major League, threw the first pitch of the game.
In its 70 years, the stadium has been utilised for diverse spectacles including popular dance performances and boxing matches.
The stadium was renovated and expanded in 1971. Its stands were enlarged, increasing its capacity to 55,000 spectators, and its gardens were extended.
The stadium has also been used for political purposes. In 1956, it was the location of a student demonstration headed by José Antonio Echeverría, against the Government of Fulgencio Batista.
Today, baseball is a popular sport around the world with numerous countries practicing it at amateur and professional levels.
Adolfo Domingo De Guzmán "Dolf" Luque was a Cuban starting pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1914 to 1935. Luque was enshrined in the Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame in 1957 and the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in 1967, as well as in the Mexican Baseball Hall of Fame in 1985. Luque was not only the first White Hispanic pitcher in MLB, but also the first to win a World Series victory, and the first to lead the Leagues in wins and shutouts.
The Havana Sugar Kings were a Cuban-based minor league baseball team that played from 1946 to 1960. From 1954 until 1960, they belonged in the Class AAA International League, affiliated with Major League Baseball's Cincinnati Reds. Their home stadium was Gran Estadio del Cerro in Havana.
José Colmenar del Valle Méndez was a Cuban right-handed pitcher and manager in baseball's Negro leagues. Born in Cárdenas, Matanzas, he died at age 43 in Havana. Known in Cuba as El Diamante Negro, he became a legend in his homeland. He was one of the first group of players elected to the Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939. He was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in 2006.
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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."
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Estadio Nacional de Fútbol Pedro Marrero, the former home of CF Ciudad de La Habana, is a multi-purpose stadium in Havana, Cuba. It is now used primarily for football matches. The stadium holds 30,000 and was built in 1929.
The Almendares B.B.C., also known as the Alacranes del Almendares, was one of the oldest and most distinguished baseball teams in the old Cuban League, which existed from 1878 to 1961. Almendares represented the Almendares District on the outskirts of the old city of Havana—when the league was founded it was still considered a suburban area, but later became a district within the enlarged city. Almendares was one of the most successful franchises in the Cuban League. In their early history they were known by their colors as the Blues; later they adopted the name of Alacranes. Throughout their existence they had a famous rivalry with the Habana baseball club.
Baseball was popularized in Cuba by Nemesio Guillot, who founded the first major baseball club in the country. It became the most played sport in the country in the 1870s, before the period of American intervention.
The 1949 Caribbean Series was the first edition of the Caribbean Series. It was held from February 20 through February 25 with the champion baseball teams of Cuba, Alacranes del Almendares; Panama, Spur Cola Colonites; Puerto Rico, Indios de Mayagüez and Venezuela, Cervecería Caracas.
Conrado Eugenio Marrero Ramos, nicknamed "Connie", was a Cuban professional baseball pitcher. The right-handed Marrero pitched in Major League Baseball from 1950 to 1954 for the Washington Senators. Marrero made his major league debut when he was 38 years old, and was one of the oldest players in the league throughout the duration of his time in the major leagues. He was a popular star in his native Cuba, where he had a long and successful career in amateur baseball, pitching for Cuba in several Amateur World Series competitions, and playing several excellent seasons with the professional Cuban League and the minor league Havana Cubans. His nicknames in Cuba were "El Guajiro de Laberinto", reflecting his rural origins, "El Premier", and "El Curvo."
The Cal Ripken Sr. Collegiate Baseball League (CRSCBL) is a collegiate summer baseball league located in the Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, Maryland metropolitan areas. The CRSCBL is a member of the National Alliance of College Summer Baseball (NACSB).
Enrique Roberto "Hank" Izquierdo Valdés was a Cuban-born professional baseball catcher, coach, manager and scout for almost four decades. He made his playing debut in Major League Baseball at the age of 36 and in his 17th professional season as a member of the Minnesota Twins during their 1967 season, appearing in 16 games played. It was his only MLB playing opportunity.
The American Series was the name given to the exhibition baseball games played between Cuban and American teams in Cuba. Before the Cuban Revolution, American teams would regularly travel to Cuba and play various professional, all-star and/or amateur Cuban teams throughout the country. The series usually took place either in the fall, after the end of the American season, or during spring training before the season began. The first American Series took place in 1879, with then minor league Worcester team going 2–0 against its Cuban opponents.
The 1947 All-American Girls Professional Baseball League season marked the fifth season of the circuit. The teams Fort Wayne Daisies, Grand Rapids Chicks, Kenosha Comets, Muskegon Lassies, Peoria Redwings, Racine Belles, Rockford Peaches and South Bend Blue Sox competed through a 112-game schedule. The final Shaugnessy playoffs faced second place Grand Rapids against third place Racine in a Best of Seven Series.
The Leopardos de Santa Clara were a Cuban professional baseball team based in Santa Clara, Cuba. Founded in 1922, they played in the Cuban League from 1922 to 1925, from 1929 to 1930, and from 1935 to 1941. Although they competed for only 11 seasons, they won league championships in four regular seasons and in one "special season." According to Cuban League historian Jorge S. Figueredo, the 1923/24 team, which went 36–11 and won the championship by 11+1⁄2 games, is "considered as the most dominant team in the history of Cuban baseball."
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Eleno Agapito Mayor Valenzuela was a Cuban professional baseball pitcher. Listed at 5' 11", 185 lb., he batted and threw left handed.
The Estadio de Béisbol Monterrey, officially known as Estadio Mobil Super and popularly known as Palacio Sultán, is a baseball stadium in Monterrey, Mexico. It is the home venue of the Sultanes Monterrey Mexican League baseball team. It holds 21,803 people, making it the largest baseball stadium in Mexico and the third-largest in Latin America.
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