Everything You Need to Know About Cuban Baseball Teams - Part 1
Occidental (Western) League
by Sadie Keller
Baseball is considered the national sport of Cuba, acting as a symbol of national pride while drawing unwavering and passionate support from followers across the country. The sport is played obsessively, and fans have a deep emotional connection with it. Locals play pickup games at city parks or streets, where children swing bats or pieces of wood to hit balls and bottle caps. These young fans have a heroic admiration for the country’s players and often mimic their stance, swings, and throwing motion. Lively conversations are frequently heard on street corners as fans gather to discuss the sport. These discussions get more intense inside of the country’s many stadiums where boisterous crowds are known to be deafening as they cheer on their team with feverish excitement.
The Cuban National Series, founded in 1962, is currently the primary baseball competition in Cuba and runs from late fall to spring. A major restructuring before the 1977-78 season led to the formation of new teams and tournament style but the play itself remained consistent throughout. Players typically compete for the province in which they were born and very few roster changes occur throughout the season. Presently, 16 teams represent each of the 15 provinces of Cuba and the special municipality of the Isla de la Juventud. Baseball clubs are uniquely without “official” nicknames, but several have emerged from fans. The teams are divided into two zonas (leagues) known as the Occidental (Western) and Oriente (Eastern) Leagues. At the end of the regular season, the top four teams from each league advance to a playoff.
Is the West Really the Best?
The Occidental (Western) League is made up of eight teams and spans seven provinces from Pinar Del Río, the most western of the provinces, to Sancti Spíritus, located at the center of the island. Isla de la Juventud, the special municipality island located just south of the mainland, adds the eighth baseball club to the competition. The Industriales of the La Habana province, perhaps the most popular and well-known Cuban team, play their games as part of the west. Reigning National Series champions, the Matanzas Crocodiles, were the first team from the league to win the title since the 2013-14 season. Historically, the Occidental League has won 18 total championships. Let’s dive in to gain a better understanding of each Western team’s unique history!
Artemisa Cazadores (Hunters)
Artemisa is home to one of the newest squads in the National Series. The ball club was founded in 2011, the same year the Artemisa Province was created from the former La Habana Province. With the release of the new roster, the team was expected to boast the best pitching of any team in the National Series, but was also anticipated to be weak offensively. This largely has remained true and Artemisa’s roster has featured excellent arms like Yadier Pedroso, José A. García, and Miguel Lahera. Even with a notably strong pitching staff, Artemisa has yet to reach the playoffs.
Cienfuegos Elefantes (Elephants)
The Elefantes have represented the province of Cienfuegos since the 1977-78 season. They play inside Estadio Cinco de Septiembre, a concrete ballpark, with a giant statue of an elephant standing guard outside. The team and mascot was once known with the slogan, “El paso del Elefante es lento, pero aplastante”, or “The pace of the elephant is slow, but crushing.” While Cienfuegos has yet to win a championship, their most promising campaigns came in the early 2000s with an insurgence of talented players like Yasiel Puig, José Abreu, and Yoan Moncada. The best showing of the Cienfuegos team came in the 2010-11 campaign where Abreau led the club to a 3rd place ranking with a 59-31 record. In recent years, Cienfuegos has fallen back to the bottom of the standings.
Industriales Leones (Lions)
The Industriales is one of the most prominent teams that compete in the National Series. Representing the city of Havana since its inception in 1962, the Industriales play their home games in Estadio Latinoamericano. Due to its location in the capital city, some locals feel that the team has an advantage over smaller teams in other parts of the country. The Industriales have greater access to resources and, because players in the league typically play for their home province, a larger population to selectively build their team with. They have won 12 league championships, more than any other team, and are typically projected to finish on the top of the standings each season. Just a quick look at past rosters can show why the Industriales has been so successful. Current MLB stars Yunel Escobar, Yulieski Gurriel, and Kendrys Morales have all played in the blue and white for the Industriales. Today, the team is one of the great symbols of Cuban baseball and is known as the “New York Yankees” of the island. Fans, both local and international, flock to their home turf of Estadio Latinoamericano where the atmosphere is electric anytime there is a game being played.
Isla de la Juventud Piratas (Pirates)
The Isla de la Juventud ballclub was established in the 1977-78 season and received its nickname from the pirates that used to hide in its coves and used the island as a supply base. The team saw disappointing results during their early years. It was not until the 1993-94 season that the Piratas finished above .500. They appeared in the playoffs for the first time in 1998-99 and have returned to the postseason several times since. Isla de la Juventud’s best performance came in the 2015 postseason as they reached the finals series and were one win away from a title.
Mayabeque Huracanes (Hurricanes)
Like Artemisa, Mayabeque welcomed a team in the National Series as the second newly formed province from the former La Habana Province. The Hurricanes began play in 2011 and are currently led by the offensive production of sluggers Javier Carabeo and Yasniel Gonzáles. However, even the best hitters have not made enough of an impact to be successful. Mayabeque has never advanced to the second stage of the tournament and has typically finished the season with an under .500 record.
Matanzas Cocodrilos (Crocodiles)
The province of Matanzas is home to the most recent champions of the Cuban National Series. They hosted the pennant after defeating Camagüey in the finals, winning 4-2 overall in a best-of-seven series. The people of Matanzas are enjoying the newfound success, as their team has not been consistent in the past since they started playing in 1967. Even with inconsistencies and struggles, the Cocodrilos have been known to produce prospects. Recent talents include the likes of Guillermo Heredia, Yadiel Hernández, and Victor Victor Mesa. The team’s crocodile nickname pays homage to the Zapata Swamp and other areas in the Matanzas province that are extremely rich with many species of crocodiles, including the rare Cuban crocodile.
Pinar del Río Vegueros (Tobacco Farmers)
Historically, Pinar del Río is one of the more successful teams in the Cuban National Series, having won the championship in 1996-97, 1997-98, 2010-11, and 2013-14. Known as being the heart of Cuban tobacco-growing country, where some of the world’s highest quality cigar tobacco is farmed, the club from Pinar del Río quickly adopted the name of “Tobacco Farmers”. The team made its debut as part of the 1967 National Series expansion but was not successful in the early years. Due to transformations of the structure of Cuban tournaments from 1975 to 1991, Pinar del Río had two ball clubs competing: the Forestales and Vegueros. The Forestales struggled in league play but the Vegueros was a constant force in the playoffs, winning numerous championships. Then, in the 1992-93 season, another restructuring led to the current Pinar del Río Vegueros being reinstated as the sole team to represent the province in the National Series and the two previous teams ceased to exist. Pinar del Río created and then capitalized its greatness in the years that followed, reaching numerous title games. They have become a regular presence in the postseason thanks to notable talent such as José Contreras, Danys Báez, and Alexei Ramírez.
Sancti Spíritus Gallos (Roosters)
Sancti Spíritus debuted in 1977-78 with the restructuring of the National Series. They burst on the scene and, only a year after their debut, the Roosters won the championship in what is considered one of the most shocking victories of the National Series. They were led by sluggers Lourdes Gurriel and Antonio Muñoz. On the mound, Tony Simo and Roberto Ramos were dominant down the stretch. After the title, Sancti Spíritus had a few average seasons but ultimately fell back to a low level of play. The team began to re-establish itself in 2002 when former star Lourdes Gurriel, appointed manager and great talent, emerged in the form of his sons, Yulieski and Lourdes Jr. Sancti Spíritus advanced to the National Series semifinals in both 2004-05 and 2005-06, and most recently placed 3rd in the 2018-2019 season.
The teams of Occidental League have a rich history of achievement in the National Series, as well as developing some of the best ballplayers on the island. The most successful teams of the league include Cienfuegos, Industriales, Pinar del Río, and more recently, Sancti Spíritus. The two newest teams in the National Series, Artemia and Mayabeque, were welcomed to the West and are currently looking to make an impact. Matanzas found the highest level of success as they hoisted the championship trophy in the 2019-20 season. As each team represents the traditions and history of their area, the clubs produce a large sense of pride for the provinces and country.
Stay tuned for part 2 of this blog post, where we will continue to cover Cuban baseball by highlighting the traditions and triumphs of the teams in the Oriente (Eastern) League of the National Series. Continue to Part 2 of this blog post, where we cover the traditions and triumphs of the teams in the Oriente (Eastern) League of the National Series.