Águilas Cibaeñas | |||
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League | Dominican Winter League | ||
Location | Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic | ||
Ballpark | Estadio Cibao | ||
Year founded | 1937 | ||
League championships | 1952, 1965, 1967, 1972, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1986, 1987, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2008 | ||
Caribbean Series championships | 1997, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2007 | ||
Colors |
Black, Yellow |
||
Manager | Manny Acta | ||
President | Winston Llenas | ||
Uniforms | |||
|
Black, Yellow
Home
Away
The Águilas Cibaeñas (English lit. Cibao Eagles) are a team in the Dominican Republic's winter baseball league. Founded in 1937 and based in Santiago, they have won 5 Caribbean Series and 20 national titles. In 2008, the Águilas Cibaeñas hosted the Caribbean Series at their stadium, Estadio Cibao, which is also known as the "Valle de la muerte."
The meeting was attended by many notable Dominican athletes of the time including; Luis Alfáu, Pilindo Bonetti, Charles Dore, Manuel Henriquez, Burrulote Rodríguez, Julio and Miguel Peguero Linval, Luis Mercado, and Tomas Sainllant. The athletes recommended that the National Championship of 1937 should be held between a team from Santiago, a team from San Pedro de Macoris and a team from the Capital, Ciudad Trujillo. The team from the Capital was formed from two others, the Leones del Escogido and the Tigres del Licey, Trujillo himself named them the Dragones de Ciudad Trujillo. The proposal was accepted and the team representing Santiago would be known from then on as the Águilas Cibaeñas. Since then, the club has become one of today's most competitive clubs in the history of Dominican professional baseball.
The development of the Águilas Cibaeñas as a team is linked to the development of baseball in the valley of Cibao. From 1951 to 1954, the championships were held during the summer months. However, before the start of season in 1955 the traditional professional baseball championship was moved to the winter season to allow the most prominent Dominican players an opportunity to play in it. Still to this day Dominican players employed by teams in the MLB take part of this national winter classic to keep the tradition strong.