Tigres del Licey

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Tigres del Licey
League Dominican Winter League
Location Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Ballpark Estadio Quisqueya
Year Founded 1907
League championships 1951, 1953, 1959, 1964, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1977, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1991, 1994, 1999, 2002, 2004, 2006
Caribbean World Series championships 1971, 1973, 1977, 1980, 1985, 1991, 1994, 1999, 2004, 2008
Uniforms
Team colors
Team colors Team colors Team colors
Team colors
Team colours
　
Home
Team colors
Team colors Team colors Team colors
Team colors
Team colours
　
Away

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 second most winning team in Dominican league, having won 19 Dominican titles and 10 Caribbean World Series as of January, 2008. Some of their best players have been Pedro González (number 2), Alonso Perry (5), Manuel Mota (7), Guayubín Olivo (9), César Gerónimo (80), Elvio Jiménez (11). Many of the best Dominican baseballers and Major League Baseball players have taken part in the long history of the Tigres, including Tom Lasorda, baseball hall-of-famer who took the team to the 1973 Caribbean World Series title. The Licey logo is a cursive “L”.

Contents

[edit] History

Circa 1900, baseball in Dominican Republic was only a minor pastime, due to the heavy political turmoil surrounding the country back then. But by 1907, baseball was increasing in popularity with two amateur teams ("Ozama" and "Nuevo Club") being the most popular. Licey was the first attempt to team up as an antagonist for these two teams.

The Licey team was founded as the result of a meeting that took place in the house of Vicente María Vallejo, in the Conde street, in Santo Domingo's Colonial Zone, on November 7, 1907. Founder 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 15 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, comprised of their best players, in order to beat Licey. That team, the Leones del Escogido, became everything Licey is not. They were the Lions to Licey’s tiger. Their colors would be red, to oppose the Licey blue. They would even play 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.[citation needed]

[edit] Current Standing

The team, nicknamed "El Glorioso", has a passionate fan base. Their main rivals are the Águilas Cibaeñas of Santiago, and in 2006, a huge face off between the two occurred when they met each other in the league playoffs. Each team had won an equal number of league titles, and whoever won this season would have the most national titles. Licey won this battle over las Águilas, but they lost in the Caribbean Series. El Glorioso had then won 19 Dominican championships.

In 2008, Licey lost the championship series against "Las Aguilas", and now Las Aguilas have 20 Dominican Championships to Licey's 19.

In spite of Licey's second place in the Dominican championship series they replaced Puerto Rico which was absent from the Caribbean Series. Licey won the championship 5-1 against Mexico, Venezuela and in a twist of irony, the Aguilas Cibaeñas. Licey has now won 10 Caribbean Series.

[edit] Players and Managers

[edit] 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 Muffet 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
2001-2002 Tigres del Licey Bob Geren Águilas Cibaeñas
2003-2004 Tigres del Licey Manny Acta Gigantes del Cibao
2005-2006 Tigres del Licey Rafael Landestoy Águilas Cibaeñas

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

[edit] Notes and references

[edit] Cited references

  1. ^ Foundation of the Tigres Del Licey (Spanish): http://www.licey.com/fundacion.asp
v • d • e
Dominican Winter Baseball League
Languages