Colombian Professional Baseball League
 | |
| Sport | Baseball |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1948 |
| No. of teams | 6 |
| Country | Colombia |
| Most recent champion(s) | Caimanes de Barranquilla (11th title) |
| Most titles | Caimanes de Barranquilla (11 titles) |
| TV partner(s) | Claro RCN |
| Related competitions | Caribbean Series |
| Official website | lpbcol.com |
The Colombian Professional Baseball League (Spanish: Liga Profesional de Béisbol Colombiano) (LPB), is a professional baseball league based in Colombia. It is a six-team winter league that plays during the Major League Baseball offseason. The league's champion takes part in the Caribbean Series.
History[]
Colombian Professional Baseball League is commonly divided into three eras: from 1948 to 1958, from 1979 to 1988, and from 1993 to the present. In the middle of 2004 the Colombian Professional Baseball League was accepted in the , but were not allowed to participate in the Caribbean Series until the level of play and the quality of baseball facilities improved.[1] They joined the series in 2020.
The league added two teams for the 2010–11 season: the (Medellín Colts), based in Medellín, Colombia, and the (Bogotá Eagles), based in Bogotá, Colombia. Additionally, the Toros (Bulls) moved from Sincelejo to Cali for economic reasons.
Two new teams were added to the league for the 2019-2020 season. The Gigantes de Barranquilla, and The Vaqueros de Montería. The Vaqueros went on to become league champions in their inaugural season, becoming the first team to represent Colombia in the Caribbean Series.
The LPB made their Caribbean Series debut in 2020, replacing the Cuban National Series who could not not send a representative due to visa issues.[1]
Partnerships[]
The league is televised by .[2] The league had an affiliation with the Yuma Scorpions of the Golden Baseball League for the 2009 season.[3]
Ownership[]
It is sponsored in large part by Major League Baseball players as it is owned by the Renteria Foundation, a charity run by former Major League Baseball shortstop Édgar Rentería.[4] In addition, players such as former Major League Baseball shortstop Orlando Cabrera have owned teams.[5]
Format[]
The league has six teams around the country. The season is played from October to January.[6] The top four teams at the end of the regular season, a first round robin phase of 50 games per team, advance to another round-robin (12 games for every team) with the two best teams contesting a best-of-seven final series to determine the league champion.[7]
Teams and stadiums[]
Six teams from the country's Caribbean region complete in the league.
| Team | City | Stadium | Capacity | Founded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caimanes de Barranquilla | Barranquilla | Estadio Édgar Rentería | 12,000 | 1984 |
| Barranquilla | Estadio Édgar Rentería | 12,000 | 2019 | |
| Santa Marta | 1,542 | 2003 | ||
| Cartagena | Estadio Once de Noviembre | 12,000 | 1996 | |
| Sincelejo | Estadio 20 de Enero | 10,000 | 2003 | |
| Montería | Estadio 18 de Junio | 12,000 | 2019 |
Colombian baseball stadiums[]
| Nº | Stadium | City | Capacity | Home Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Once de Noviembre | Cartagena de Indias | 12,000 | Tigres de Cartagena-Indios de Cartagena |
| 2 | Estadio 20 de Enero | Sincelejo | 10,000 | |
| 3 | Estadio Edgar Renteria | Barranquilla | 8,000 | Caimanes de Barranquilla - Eléctricos de Barranquilla - Vaqueros de Barranquilla |
| 4 | Estadio Luis Alberto Villegas | Medellín | 8,000 | - Pumas de Antioquia |
| 5 | Cali | 4,500 | Azucareros del Valle | |
| 6 | Estadio 18 de Junio | Montería | 4.500 | |
| 7 | Bogotá | 2,700 | Águilas de Bogotá/Metropolitanos de Bogotá | |
| 8 | San Andrés | 2,000 | Piratas de San Andrés | |
| 9 | Turbaco | 1,200 | None | |
| 10 | Santa Marta | - | Tiburones de Santa Marta | |
| 11 | 3,000 | None | ||
| 12 | Tolú | 1,000 | None |
Champions[]
| Season | |
| 1948 | Indios |
| 1949 | Filtta |
| 1950 | Indios |
| 1951 | Filtta |
| 1952 | Indios |
| 1953 | Willard |
| 1953–54 | Torices |
| 1954–55 | Willard |
| 1955–56 | Indios |
| 1956–57 | Kola Román |
| 1957–58 | Vanytor |
| 1979–80 | Indios |
| 1980–81 | Indios |
| 1981–82 | Café Universal |
| 1982–83 | Café Universal |
| 1983–84 | Cerveza Aguila |
| 1984–85 | Caimanes de Barranquilla |
| 1987–88 | Indios |
| 1993–94 | Caimanes de Barranquilla |
| 1994–95 | Rancheros |
| 1995–96 | |
| 1996–97 | |
| 1997–98 | Caimanes de Barranquilla |
| 1998–99 | Caimanes de Barranquilla |
| 1999–00 | |
| 2000–01 | Didn't have a championship, no financial support |
| 2001–02 | |
| 2002–03 | |
| 2003–04 | |
| 2004–05 | |
| 205–06 | |
| 2006–07 | |
| 2007–08 | Caimanes de Barranquilla |
| 2008–09 | Caimanes de Barranquilla |
| 2009–10 | Caimanes de Barranquilla |
| 2010–11 | Season cancelled |
| 2011–12 | Toros de Sincelejo |
| 2012–13 | Caimanes de Barranquilla |
| 2013–14 | |
| 2014–15 | Leones de Montería |
| 2015–16 | Caimanes de Barranquilla |
| 2016–17 | Leones de Montería |
| 2017–18 | Leones de Montería |
| 2018–19 | Caimanes de Barranquilla |
| 2019–20 | |
| 2020–21 | Caimanes de Barranquilla |
Championships by team[]
| Rank | Team | Wins | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Caimanes de Barranquilla | 11 | 1984–85, 1993–94, 1997–98, 1998–99, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2012–13, 2015–16, 2018–19, 2020–21 |
| 2 | Indios | 7 | 1948, 1950, 1952, 1955–56, 1979–80, 1980–81, 1987–88 |
| 3 | 6 | 1995–96, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2013–14 | |
| 4 | 3 | 2014–15, 2016–17, 2017–18 | |
| 5 | Filtta | 2 | 1949, 1951 |
| 5 | Willard | 2 | 1953, 1954–55 |
| 5 | Café Universal | 2 | 1981–82, 1982–83 |
| 5 | Rancheros de Sincelejo | 2 | 1994–95, 1996–97 |
| 5 | Eléctricos de Barranquilla | 2 | 2001–02, 2002–03 |
| 10 | Torices | 1 | 1953–54 |
| 10 | Kola Román | 1 | 1956–57 |
| 10 | Vanytor | 1 | 1957–58 |
| 10 | Cerveza Aguila | 1 | 1983–84 |
| 10 | 1 | 1999–00 | |
| 10 | 1 | 2011–12 | |
| 10 | 1 | 2019–20 |
References[]
- ^ https://latinamericanpost.com/31751-what-colombia-has-to-offer-in-the-caribbean-series
- ^ "Hispanic PR Wire - CULTIVA Entertainment announces exclusive marketing agent relationship with the Colombian League of Professional Baseball". www.hispanicprwire.com. Archived from the original on 2008-05-17. Retrieved 2008-06-14.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2013-01-05. Retrieved 2012-03-11.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- ^ Adams, David. "Edgar Renteria Online". www.edgarrenteria.com. Archived from the original on 2008-08-29. Retrieved 2008-06-15.
- ^ "Edgar Renteria and Orlando Cabrera do not get along these days - Big League... - MLB - Yahoo! Sports". sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2008-06-15.
- ^ LCBP Official Site http://teamrenteria.info/teamrenteria/Joomla/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1148&Itemid=262 Archived 2011-07-22 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-22. Retrieved 2011-01-26.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
External links[]
- Official website (in Spanish)
- Latin American baseball leagues
- Baseball competitions in Colombia
- Winter baseball leagues
- Latin American Series
- Baseball leagues in South America