Dominican Professional Baseball League

The Dominican Republic Professional Baseball League (Spanish: Liga de Béisbol Profesional de la República Dominicana or LIDOM) is a professional baseball winter league consisting of six teams spread across the Dominican Republic; it is the highest level of professional baseball played in the Dominican Republic. The league's players include many prospects that go on to play Major League Baseball in the United States while also signing many current MLB veterans. The champion of LIDOM advances to play in the yearly Caribbean Series.

Dominican Professional Baseball League

Sport	Baseball
Founded	1951 1955 official
President	Vitelio Mejía Ortiz
No. of teams	6
Country	Dominican Republic
Confederation	CPBC
Most recent champion(s)	Tigres del Licey (2023-24)
Most titles	Tigres del Licey (24 titles)
TV partner(s)	Dominican Republic Águilas (CDN Deportes) Estrellas, Toros (Coral 39) Licey, Escogido (Digital 15) Gigantes (Channel 4RD) Outside the D.R. MLB.TV[1]
Related competitions	Caribbean Series
Official website	lidom.com

Each team plays a fifty-game round-robin schedule that begins in mid October and runs to the end of December. The top four teams engage in another round-robin schedule with 18 games per team from the end of December to the end of January; the top two teams in those standings then play a best-of-nine series for the national title. The league's champion advances to the Caribbean Series to play against the representatives from Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia, Panama and Puerto Rico.^[2]

Current teams

Águilas

Estrellas

Gigantes

Leones

Tigres

Toros

Dominican Professional Baseball League team locations

Team	City	Stadium	Capacity	Founded
Águilas Cibaeñas	Santiago	Estadio Cibao	18,077	1933
Estrellas Orientales	San Pedro de Macorís	Estadio Tetelo Vargas	8,000	1910
Gigantes del Cibao	San Francisco de Macorís	Estadio Julián Javier	12,000	1996
Leones del Escogido	Santo Domingo	Estadio Quisqueya	14,469	1921
Tigres del Licey	Santo Domingo	Estadio Quisqueya	14,469	1907
Toros del Este	La Romana	Estadio Francisco Micheli	10,000	1983

Former teams

• Azucareros del Este, 1983–2008, a former name of the current Toros del Este
• Caimanes del Sur (San Cristóbal), during 1983–1989
• Delfines del Atlántico (Puerto Plata), this team was never officially in the league and did not play
• Pollos del Cibao / Pollos Nacionales / Pollos Béisbol Club (San Francisco de Macorís) during 1999–2002, previously Gigantes del Nordeste, currently Gigantes del Cibao

History

For his close involvement in the Dominican league's establishment and early development, Pedro Miguel Caratini has been called "the father of Dominican baseball".^[3]

During the years 1930-1963, military dictator General Rafael Trujillo can be credited with furthering the sport of baseball in Dominican Republic. Trujillo encouraged many sugar refineries to create teams of cane cutting laborers to play baseball during the idle months of cultivation. Fostering high levels of competition, the organization structure continued to mature stimulating growth in the intensity and popularity of the game.^[4]

In 1937, teams of the Dominican Republic signed a large number of players from the Negro leagues of the United States. These players were given large salaries by Dominican men with money and political power. Among these players were baseball stars James Thomas "Cool Papa" Bell and Satchel Paige. However, these contracts exhausted team finances, leading to a decline of Dominican baseball until 1950.^[4]

Founding teams

In the early 1900s, four Dominican teams formed. These teams still exist today, and form the foundation of Dominican professional baseball:

• Tigres del Licey (1907)
• Estrellas Orientales (1911)
• Leones del Escogido (1921)
• Sandino, later renamed Águilas Cibaeñas (1937)

Cultural impact

Baseball was first brought to the Dominican Republic by Cubans fleeing the Ten Years' War.^{[citation needed]} At first, it struggled to gain popularity, being confined mostly to the Cuban exiles, but its popularity grew as more and more native-born Dominicans took it up.^{[citation needed]} The growing popularity of the sport led to the formation of LIDOM. The formation of the new domestic baseball league allowed Dominican players to flourish and public interest to grow. The sport's domestic popularity and the new league increased the bond that many spectators felt with their teams; even today, many Dominicans feel tightly connected to the sport.

Community-level impact

People in Estadio Quisqueya of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

As a cultural icon of the Dominican Republic, baseball holds a strong presence in many parts the country. Surrounded by working class neighborhoods, baseball stadiums in larger Dominican cities are routinely maintained. Owners of big businesses like sugar refineries funded the construction of these fields to benefit from the games. Games in these stadiums attract major crowds and a sense of community can be observed.^[5] Like their American counterparts, these "latinized" games exude free-spiritedness, social cohesion, and festivity from the fans and players alike.^[6] In the Dominican Republic, baseball players are regaled as sports heroes and function as role models to their fan base. This idolization is covered by the media more so than in the United States.^[4]

The Dominican Republic has the largest economy in the Caribbean and Central American region. The country has the fastest growing economy in Latin America, and a growing middle-class population.^[7] However income inequality persists in this developing nation, according to statistics in 2016, 30.5 percent of Dominicans lived below the nation's poverty line, while 5.5% of Dominicans were unemployed.^[8] With poverty preventing certain segments of the Dominican population a chance to get a higher education, many look up to the success of those who become famous baseball players, and see baseball as an escape from poverty.^{[citation needed]} Because of this, children begin playing organized baseball as early as six years old,^[6] and compete with others in leagues with the hopes of being recognized by baseball scouts.

Some argue that the perception of baseball as economic salvation is in reality detrimental to the youth of the Dominican Republic, as it promotes seeking baseball success at all costs, at the expense of pursuing higher education.^[6]

American hegemony inside Dominican baseball

After Fidel Castro's revolution in Cuba and the subsequent U.S. blockade, scouts of the majors turned their sights towards the Dominican Republic.^[4] Posed with the opportunity to acquire quality talent at a reasonable price, major league teams established "working relationships" with Dominican professional teams.^[9] Since the 1950s, all 30 MLB franchises have established baseball training academies in the Dominican Republic^[10] which are tasked by their respective teams to condition and prepare young Dominican prospects for a chance at further developing in the United States. Having produced many successful athletes from these academies, these academies undercut the reliance of U.S. teams on Dominican baseball organizations.^[9]

Championship history

Pre-LIDOM era (1922–37)

Season	Champion	Manager	Runner-up
1922	Leones del Escogido	Luis Alfau	Tigres del Licey
1923	Season not completed
1924	Tigres del Licey	Charles Alexander Dore	Leones del Escogido
1929	Tigres del Licey	Charles Alexander Dore	Leones del Escogido
1936	Estrellas Orientales	Enrique Mejía	Aguilas Cibaeñas
1937	Dragones de Ciudad Trujillo	Lázaro Salazar	Aguilas Cibaeñas

Modern era (1951–present)

Season	Champion	Manager	Final Series	Runner-up
1951	Tigres del Licey	Félix Delgado	4–1	Leones del Escogido
1952	Águilas Cibaeñas	Rodolfo Fernández	4–3	Tigres del Licey
1953	Tigres del Licey	Oscar Rodríguez	4–1	Águilas Cibaeñas
1954	Estrellas Orientales	Ramón Bragaña	4–1	Tigres del Licey
1955–56	Leones del Escogido	Frank Genovese	4–3	Águilas Cibaeñas
1956–57	Leones del Escogido	Red Davis	5–2	Tigres del Licey
1957–58	Leones del Escogido	Salty Parker	5–1	Estrellas Orientales
1958–59	Tigres del Licey	Joe Schultz	5–4	Leones del Escogido
1959–60	Leones del Escogido	Pete Reiser	5–1	Estrellas Orientales
1960–61	Leones del Escogido	Pepe Lucas	5–2	Águilas Cibaeñas
1961–62 season not completed
1962–63 season not held
1963–64	Tigres del Licey	Vernon Benson	5–3	Águilas Cibaeñas
1964–65	Águilas Cibaeñas	Al Widmar	5–0	Leones del Escogido
1965–66 season not held
1966–67	Águilas Cibaeñas	Pete Peterson	5–3	Leones del Escogido
1967–68	Estrellas Orientales	Tony Pacheco	5–3	Leones del Escogido
1968–69	Leones del Escogido	Andy Gilbert	5–2	Estrellas Orientales
1969–70	Tigres del Licey	Manny Mota	5–1	Águilas Cibaeñas
1970–71	Tigres del Licey	Manny Mota	6–1	Leones del Escogido
1971–72	Águilas Cibaeñas	Ozzie Virgil	5–3	Tigres del Licey
1972–73	Tigres del Licey	Tom Lasorda	5–2	Estrellas Orientales
1973–74	Tigres del Licey	Tom Lasorda	5–2	Águilas Cibaeñas
1974–75	Águilas Cibaeñas	Al Widmar	5–4	Estrellas Orientales
1975–76	Águilas Cibaeñas	Tim Murtaugh	5–3	Tigres del Licey
1976–77	Tigres del Licey	Buck Rodgers	5–2	Águilas Cibaeñas
1977–78	Águilas Cibaeñas	Johnny Lipon	5–2	Tigres del Licey
1978–79	Águilas Cibaeñas	Johnny Lipon	5–0	Leones del Escogido
1979–80	Tigres del Licey	Del Crandall	5–1	Estrellas Orientales
1980–81	Leones del Escogido	Felipe Rojas Alou	5–4	Águilas Cibaeñas
1981–82	Leones del Escogido	Felipe Rojas Alou	5–1	Estrellas Orientales
1982–83	Tigres del Licey	Manny Mota	5–2	Águilas Cibaeñas
1983–84	Tigres del Licey	Manny Mota	4–3	Águilas Cibaeñas
1984–85	Tigres del Licey	Terry Collins	4–1	Azucareros del Este
1985–86	Águilas Cibaeñas	Winston Llenas	4–1	Tigres del Licey
1986–87	Águilas Cibaeñas	Winston Llenas	4–1	Estrellas Orientales
1987–88	Leones del Escogido	Phil Regan	4–3	Estrellas Orientales
1988–89	Leones del Escogido	Phil Regan	4–0	Tigres del Licey
1989–90	Leones del Escogido	Felipe Rojas Alou	4–1	Águilas Cibaeñas
1990–91	Tigres del Licey	John Roseboro	4–1	Leones del Escogido
1991–92	Leones del Escogido	Felipe Rojas Alou	4–0	Estrellas Orientales
1992–93	Águilas Cibaeñas	Miguel Diloné	4–2	Azucareros del Este
1993–94	Tigres del Licey	Casey Parsons	4–1	Águilas Cibaeñas
1994–95	Azucareros del Este	Art Howe	4–2	Águilas Cibaeñas
1995–96	Águilas Cibaeñas	Terry Francona	4–1	Estrellas Orientales
1996–97	Águilas Cibaeñas	Mike Quade	4–0	Leones del Escogido
1997–98	Águilas Cibaeñas	Tony Peña	4–2	Tigres del Licey
1998–99	Tigres del Licey	Dave Jauss	5–4	Leones del Escogido
1999–00	Águilas Cibaeñas	Tony Peña	4–3	Estrellas Orientales
2000–01	Águilas Cibaeñas	Félix Fermín	4–2	Leones del Escogido
2001–02	Tigres del Licey	Bob Geren	4–3	Águilas Cibaeñas
2002–03	Águilas Cibaeñas	Félix Fermín	4–0	Leones del Escogido
2003–04	Tigres del Licey	Manny Acta	4–1	Gigantes del Cibao
2004–05	Águilas Cibaeñas	Félix Fermín	4–3	Tigres del Licey
2005–06	Tigres del Licey	Rafael Landestoy	5–2	Águilas Cibaeñas
2006–07	Águilas Cibaeñas	Félix Fermín	5–1	Tigres del Licey
2007–08	Águilas Cibaeñas	Félix Fermín	5–3	Tigres del Licey[lower-alpha 1]
2008–09	Tigres del Licey	José Offerman	5–0	Gigantes del Cibao
2009–10	Leones del Escogido	Ken Oberkfell	5–4	Gigantes del Cibao
2010–11	Toros del Este	Dean Treanor	5–0	Estrellas Orientales
2011–12	Leones del Escogido	Ken Oberkfell	5–4	Águilas Cibaeñas
2012–13	Leones del Escogido	Audo Vicente	5–0	Águilas Cibaeñas
2013–14	Tigres del Licey	Jose Offerman	5–2	Leones del Escogido
2014–15	Gigantes del Cibao	Audo Vicente	5–3	Estrellas Orientales
2015–16	Leones del Escogido	Luis Rojas	5–1	Tigres del Licey
2016–17	Tigres del Licey	Audo Vicente	5–4	Águilas Cibaeñas
2017–18	Águilas Cibaeñas	Lino Rivera	4–3	Tigres del Licey
2018–19	Estrellas Orientales	Fernando Tatis	5–1	Toros del Este
2019–20	Toros del Este	Lino Rivera	5–3	Tigres del Licey
2020–21	Aguilas Cibaeñas	Felix Fermin	4–3	Gigantes del Cibao
2021–22	Gigantes del Cibao	Luis Urueta	4–1	Estrellas Orientales
2022–23	Tigres del Licey	Jose Offerman	4–1	Estrellas Orientales
2023–24	Tigres del Licey	Gilbert Gomez	4–3	Estrellas Orientales

Won Caribbean Series

Team	Championships
Tigres del Licey	24 (2)*
Águilas Cibaeñas	22
Leones del Escogido	16 (1)*
Estrellas Orientales	3 (1)*
Toros del Este	3
Gigantes del Cibao	2
Dragones de Ciudad Trujillo	0 (1)*
Caimanes del Sur	0

*Championships won before LIDOM (1951)

See also

• Baseball awards § Dominican Republic
• Dominican Summer League

Notes

1. Two Dominican teams participated in the 2008 Caribbean Series

References

1. "Watch every LIDOM game on MLB.TV". MLB.com.
2. HISTORIA DE LA SERIE DEL CARIBE Archived February 5, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. Accessed on 2011-01-12.
3. Van Hyning, Thomas E.; Valero, Eduardo (1995). Puerto Rico's Winter League: A History of Major League Baseball's Launching Pad. McFarland. p. 1.
4. Klein, Alan. "Baseball as Underdevelopment: The Political-Economy of Sport in the Dominican Republic". Northwestern University, 1989
5. Gordon, Dan. "Winter League Escapades: Dispatches from Ballparks in the Dominican Republic". University of Nebraska Press, 2001
6. Klein, Alan. "American Hegemony, Dominican Resistance, and Baseball". Dialectical Anthropology, 1988
7. "The World Bank In Dominican Republic".
8. "Central America :: Dominican Republic — The World Factbook - Central Intelligence Agency". www.cia.gov. Retrieved 2020-07-09.
9. Klein, Alan. "Culture, Politics, and Baseball in the Dominican Republic". Latin American Perspectives, 1995
10. Jessop, Alicia (March 19, 2013). "The Secrets Behind The Dominican Republic's Success In The World Baseball Classic And Major League Baseball". Forbes. Retrieved January 3, 2014.

External links

• About Dominican Republic Baseball