Cuban Baseball Championship Turns 50

Havana, Nov 27. -The first Cuban Baseball Championship after the triumph of the Revolution was inaugurated on January 14, 1962, and its 50th edition will soon begin.

On that date, President Fidel Castro inaugurated the first National Baseball Series at the Latinoamericano Stadium, opening a new stage in revolutionary sports.

The initial program was a double, with games featuring Azucareros vs. Orientales and Occidentales vs. Habana, the four teams of that first season.

Azucareros had won the regional series in the east, and Habana in the west, and the other teams received players from teams eliminated in the playoffs, though the first recruited reinforcements to maintain a balance.

Cuban fans were immersed in the revolutionary changes, and also very enthusiastic for having recovered the world championship some months ago in Costa Rica, amid the mercenary invasion of the Bay of Pigs.

However, it was not easy to leave professional baseball behind, or to overcome the weight of the previous team names, given that the images of teams like the Almendares, Habana, Cienfuegos, and Marianao were deeply-rooted among baseball fans. (Prensa Latina)