Professional Baseball League of Puerto Rico
 |
|
| Formerly | Puerto Rico Baseball League |
|---|---|
| Sport | Baseball |
| Founded | July 29, 1938 |
| Inaugural season | September 13, 1938 |
| President | Héctor Rivera |
| No. of teams | 5 |
| Country | Puerto Rico |
| Continent | North America |
| Most recent champion(s) |
Criollos de Caguas (17th title) |
| TV partner(s) | DirecTV |
| Related competitions |
Caribbean Series |
| Official website | ligapr.com |
The Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente or LBPRC formerly known as Liga de Béisbol Profesional de Puerto Rico and Puerto Rico Baseball League, is the main professional baseball league in Puerto Rico. In 2007, the LBPRC suspended operations for the first time since its creation. In 2008, the organization resumed operations, after restructuring. These included renaming the league to Puerto Rico Baseball League and establishing a website. In May 2012, the league debuted its current name, choosing to honor hall of famer Roberto Clemente by naming it after him and adopting his philosophy of athletic development. Currently consisting of five teams, the league's champion participates in the Caribbean Series.
Puerto Rican Baseball began at the end of the 19th century. The first two clubs were founded in 1897: the Almendares Baseball Club owned by Francisco Alamo Armas, and the Borinquen Baseball Club owned by Santos Filippi. According to El Pais newspaper, the first game was played on January 11, 1898 at the old velodrome in Santurce, San Juan. The Borinquen beat the Almendares 3 to 0. The first game to complete nine innings was played on January 30, 1898, when the Borinquen beat the Almendares again, 9 to 3. Enrique Huyke, a professor from Mayagüez, originally suggested the establishment of an organized baseball league in Puerto Rico. The idea was adopted by Teofilo Maldonado, president of the Commission on Recreation and Sports. A third party, Gabriel Castro, helped Huyke with the scouting of organizations which had to pay a thousand dollars prior to being admitted, while independent entities like the Guayama Rotary Club collaborated in raising funds for the teams. The Liga de Béisbol Semiprofesional de Puerto Rico (LBSPR) was founded in 1938, as a semi-professional league. Six team formed the new organization, these were the Senadores de San Juan, Leones de Ponce, Criollos de Caguas, Brujos de Guayama and Grises Orientales de Humacao. The first Puerto Rican players to play in Major League Baseball, Hiram Bithorn and Luis Olmo, were active in the rosters of San Juan and Caguas. Bithorn became the younger manager in the league's history, receiving the office when he was 22 years old. Huyke served as manager for Mayagüez for less than a month, because the team's owner threatened to remove its entry if he did not take the office. Maldonado was named the league's commissioner.
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