Tigres del Licey

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Tigres del Licey
League Dominican Winter League
Location Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Ballpark

Estadio Quisqueya President: Miguel Guerra

Vice-President: Ricardo Ravelo
Year Founded 1907
League championships 1951, 1953, 1959, 1964, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1977, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1991, 1994, 1999, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2009, 2014
Caribbean Series championships 1971, 1975, 1977, 1980, 1985, 1991, 1994, 1999, 2004, 2008
Uniforms

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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 the most successful teams in the Dominican league, with 21 Dominican titles and 10 Caribbean Series as of January, 2014. Some of their best players have included Alonzo Perry, Pedro González, Manuel Mota, Guayubín Olivo, César Gerónimo, and Elvio Jiménez. Many of the best Dominican players and Major League Baseball players have taken part in the long history of the Tigres, including Tommy Lasorda, baseball hall-of-famer who took the team to the 1973 Caribbean World Series title. The Licey logo is a cursive "L". The team, nicknamed "El Glorioso" has a passionate fan base. Their current main rivals are the Águilas Cibaeñas of Santiago.

History

Circa 1900, baseball in the 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, on el Conde Street, in Santo Domingo's Colonial Zone, on November 7, 1907. Founding 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, composed of their best players, in order to beat Licey. This team, called "Leones del Escogido" ( Lions of the Chosen one ), still exists and the teams share the same stadium 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 of baseball.[citation needed]

Current standing

Licey has won the "Serie del Caribe" 10 times. In an unusual situation during the 2008 season Licey finished second in the Dominican championship (and would not qualify for the series) but replaced Puerto Rico which was absent (Puerto Rico canceled their winter league for financial reasons). Licey won the series defeating Mexico, Venezuela and their Dominican rival the Aguilas Cibaeñas.

Famous players and managers

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
2001–02 Tigres del Licey Bob Geren Águilas Cibaeñas
2003–04 Tigres del Licey Manny Acta Gigantes del Cibao
2005–06 Tigres del Licey Rafael Landestoy Águilas Cibaeñas
2008–09 Tigres del Licey José Offerman Gigantes del Cibao
2013-14 Tigres del Licey José Offerman Leones del Escogido

See also

  • Professional baseball in the Dominican Republic
  • Caribbean World Series

External links

Notes and references

Cited references

  1. ↑ Foundation of the Tigres Del Licey (Spanish): http://www.licey.com/fundacion.asp
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