Caracas Lions
The Caracas Base Ball Club C.A. or known by its trade name as the Leones del Caracas, is a professional baseball team. It is one of the 8 clubs that make up the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League. It is currently headquartered in the University Stadium of Caracas at the Central University of Venezuela. The owner and sole shareholder of the sports club is Ricardo Cisneros, president of Ateneas Sports Holding.
His name comes from the official name of the city of Caracas —Santiago de León de Caracas—, which Diego de Losada assigned him when he founded it in 1567. Consequently, a lion appeared on the Coat of Arms of Caracas.
Leones del Caracas is one of the most popular teams in Venezuela and the top winner in the history of the League with 21 national titles, it has 17 runners-up and 29 finals played. The second highest winning percentage of the LVBP in regular season: (V-D 2187-2100 51%), post-season: (V-D 206-178 55.0%), finals: (V-D 97-78 55.4%) It is also the Venezuelan Baseball team with the most International Titles won with a total of 3 (2 Caribbean Series and 1 Inter-American Series).
History of the Team
Background / Club Amateur Era (1942-1945)
The history of the club has its origins in the victory of the Venezuelan baseball team in the 1941 Baseball World Cup. As a result of this significant event for Venezuelan sports, Jesús Corao suggested hiring the businessman Martín Tovar Lange of a large part of the roster of the champion team to play as a club in the National Baseball Series. For this, it would have the support of the liquor company "Cerveza Caracas", which had recently bought "Cerveza Princesa". This company owned a franchise in Venezuelan baseball with the same name, but its headquarters were in Maiquetía, located in the current state of La Guaira. The Princesa team played its last game on May 7, 1942.
On April 5, 1942, they decided to acquire the San Agustín Stadium for the club, renaming it "Estadio Cerveza Caracas", located in the San Agustín Parish, very close to the historic center of Caracas.
Thus, on May 11 of that year, Cervecería Caracas debuted in the first division baseball tournament in the 1942/1943 season, against the Los Criollos team in Puerto Cabello. The team achieved its first title in that campaign at the hands of manager Manuel "Chivo" Cloak. The team would also reach the title in 1945, already under the tutelage of manager José Antonio Casanova last year before the creation of the Professional League.
As Cervecería Caracas in Professional Baseball (1945-1952)
On December 27, 1945, the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League (LVBP) was established with Cervecería Caracas as one of the four founding teams along with Navegantes del Magallanes, Patriotas de Venezuela and Sabios del Vargas.
On Sunday, January 13, 1946, one day after the opening day of the LVBP, the debut of Cervecería Caracas took place in the rented ball. On that occasion, the team led by Casanova fell to Vargas 12-1. A week later, on January 17, the beer team earned its first league victory, against Venezuela 2-0. In that match, Alfonso "Chico" Carrasquel made his debut, who would later become a symbol of the capital's currency.
Cervecería Caracas escorted the champion Sabios del Vargas in the first season of Venezuelan professional baseball. To secure that second box, Casanova's boys had to fight to beat the Venezuela team in an extra game.
A similar story occurred in the 1946-47 contest. Vargas won the first round with a 11-7 record and the hoppy troupe prevailed in the second stage of the tournament with a 14-4 record. Both teams starred in the first final series in the history of the LVBP and Vargas prevailed in four challenges to renew the pennant.
In the 1950 Inter-American Series, after an overwhelming dominance by the North American team, the Brooklyn Bushwicks, in the 4 previous editions, Caracas won the tournament title and became the first Venezuelan team to win an international baseball tournament.
After a tradition of “puro criollismo”, the first episode of the decade that shook the foundations of the tradition of the capital currency was precisely the hiring of the first imported players in the 1950-51 season. The signings of catcher Lester Fusselman, first baseman Morris Mozzali, infielder Roy Dueñas, outfielder Wilmer Fields, and pitchers Roy Parker, Earl Mossor, and Ernie Shore were signed.
Despite the results of the 1950-1951, in the following tournament in the 1951-1952 campaign, with a forceful demonstration of power that allowed him to take up to thirteen games ahead of the Navegantes del Magallanes, leaving a mark of 41 -15 to 28-28 against their eternal rival, Caracas achieved the third championship.
In that 1951-52 season, the hoppy team achieved a string of 17 wins, surpassing their own record of 14 set two years earlier. That record of victories in a row would remain intact for 37 years, until the caraquistas themselves would knock it down to increase it to 18.
In Total the Caraquista team would win the 3 Championships of the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League and 1 Inter-American Series in this period, all under the tutelage of manager José Antonio Casanova and having Alfonso &# 34;Boy" Carrasquel, the first great superstar of Venezuelan Baseball.
Pablo Morales buys the Franchise, New name, Again to Glory (1952-1960)
Now with their new name, in the 1952-53 season, Los Leones del Caracas won their fourth title at the hands of the historic Cuban manager Martin Dihigo, having batters Alfonso as bastioners in the team's lineup Chico Carrasquel, Pompeyo Davalillo, Gale Wade, Lloyd Gearhart and Dalmiro Finol and Daniel Canónico, José Carrao Bracho and Dick Starr in pitching. And despite the fact that there was no final series, the decisive game was an 8-3 victory against Vargas. American pitcher Dick Starr (9.0 innings with 4 strikeouts) and Alfonso "Chico" Carrasquel (3-1 with 2 pushed) were the protagonists.
For the 1956-57 season, due to their powerful line-up, Los Leones started out as the favorites and they did not disappoint by winning their fifth title by defeating Industriales de Valencia in the final in five games this time led by manager Clay Bryant having as figures Bob Wilson batting leader of the team with.350 AVG and Jhonny Roseboro who would finish the season with 10 home runs.
Domination of Caracas continues / Return of the eternal rival (1961-1979)
Leones del Caracas grew as the seasons passed. Not only did the harvest of more trophies increase, but the path of a duo that many will remember as the best began; that formed by Víctor Davalillo and César Tovar. Likewise, the Cuban Regino Otero took over the reins of the team for 8 seasons and, since then, showed his qualities as a winning manager in every test.
In the 1961-62 season, Cuban José Joaquín Azcúe won the season lead in RBIs and became the first caracista to do so. In that same match, exactly on February 4, 1962, the Lions beat Oriente 7-4 and won their sixth crown in Venezuelan baseball.
The presence of important players such as Pete Rose, José Tartabull, Tony Curry, Ken Harrelson, Jim "Catfish" Hunter, Dagoberto Campaneris, Diego Seguí, Luis Tiant, Howie Reed, Dwayne Murphy, Gonzalo Márquez, Teodoro Obregón, Aurelio Monteagudo, Damaso Blanco and Luis Peñalver, who gave prestige to the long-haired uniform in this decade.
Among the most important milestones was November 23, 1961, when Víctor Davalillo struck out 14 and led Caracas to a 2-1 victory over Pampero. Said amount of fans is a top figure for a Creole. On January 27, 1963, during the 62-63 campaign, Víctor Davalillo batted 1-4 against the Tiburones de La Guaira to leave a batting average of.400, thus becoming the second player to do so in the League., since Pablo García did it in 1946.
During the game on November 3, 1963, in the middle of the 63-64 season, the infield of the Leones del Caracas made the first triple play in its history against the Industriales de Valencia.
In that same championship, on February 5, 1963, it was a day of mourning between Cuban pitchers. Orlando Peña only allowed five hits and one stripe to beat Luis Tiant and his Industriales from Valencia. This comparison served to obtain the seventh title for the capital squad during that busy season.
Already at 64-65, Ken Rowe became the first pitcher to achieve two victories in the same day in Venezuela. Said laurels he obtained over the Industriales de Valencia on January 24, 1965. The next day, Caracas beat Magallanes 21-5. In that match, the Lions set a record of 25 hits at that time.
During the 65-66, Lew Krausse set a new record for strikeouts in a game, striking out 21 sluggers for the Cardenales de Lara on November 3, 1965. Of that number, ten occurred in a row. Krausse set a record for shutouts in a campaign (6) along with Marcelino López, who pitched with Tiburones de La Guaira. As if that were not enough, he was also the co-leader in wins with 12; he also next to López.
On February 12, 1967, in the 66-67 season, Paulino Casanova hit a home run against Graciliano Parra of the Tiburones de La Guaira, in a seventh inning of eleven lines that ultimately declared the victory against the coastal team and the eighth championship of the league.
On January 3, 1968, during the 67-68 game, Víctor Davalillo pushed 7 stripes to establish the club's record in the regular season at that time. For his part, on February 4, 1968, Gonzalo Márquez drove in 8 runs in a playoff game, equaling the league mark set by Marvin Williams in 1946.
In the same season, Cuban pitchers Luis Tiant and Diego Seguí seized the pitching triple crown. Tiant led in wins (12) and strikeouts (111), while Seguí captured the top spot in ERA with 1.34.
On February 5, 1968, Caracas, supported on the mound by Diego Seguí, defeated the Tigres de Aragua 5-3 and retained their crown, the team's ninth in Venezuelan baseball and the second in a row.
At the beginning of the 1968-69 season, Howie Reed left the Navegantes del Magallanes without hits or runs during the game on October 24, 1968. It was the third no-hit-no-run in Venezuela.
In the 69-70 campaign, Pompeyo Davalillo had made his debut as manager of the capital team and continued until 71-72. Although he managed to reach the semifinal twice, he failed to advance to the final series.
There were several facts that highlighted this time. On November 6, 1970, Caracas shot a hit 23 to defeat Magallanes 13-1. Octavio Rojas, Víctor Davalillo, César Tovar, Larry Howard and Rich Scheiblum each had three hits.
During 71-72, Caracas set a new record in Venezuelan baseball by hitting, on November 18, 1971, 26 hits against the Navegantes del Magallanes. The Leones won that game 22-9. For his part, on December 15, 1970, Víctor Davalillo hit, for the third time in his career, five hits against the Navegantes del Magallanes.
In the 72-73 season, Antonio Armas hit the first of his 97 home runs in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League. It was on November 4 against the right-hander Ken Forsch of the La Guaira Sharks. The ball landed in the left field stands.
Similarly, what was done by Jesús Marcano Trillo, Diego Seguí and Joe Ferguson, who shot 3 non-consecutive home runs in the fourth inning of the game against Tiburones de La Guaira (November 15, 1972), which was constituted, is noteworthy. in a brand for Caracas at the time.
On January 6, 1973, the pitcher Urbano Lugo Sr. covered himself in glory by leaving the Tiburones de La Guaira without hits or runs, becoming the first criollo to achieve this feat. Caracas won the pennant that season, under the leadership of Oswaldo Virgil, by beating the Águilas del Zulia team 4-3 on January 28, 1973. In this way, they won their tenth championship.
One of the most remembered foreign players, Pete Koegel, shot between December 7 and 8, 1973, in the middle of the 73-74 season, two home runs with the bases loaded, to equal Billy Queen (53-54) as the only two players with back-to-back matches hitting grand slams. Another date to remember was December 8, 1973, when César Tovar shot five hits in the same game; the only time he did it in his career.
Koegel returned to the spotlight on January 12, 1974, connecting with six hits to match the league record. In that game, he drove in six to set a new single-season RBI high of 65.
In the 74-75 harvest, Víctor Davalillo confirmed that he was predestined to make history. On November 5, 1974, against the Navegantes del Magallanes, he tied his thousandth hit in Venezuelan professional baseball. Said connection occurred in the fourth inning.
After an absence in the 75-76 game, after merging with the Tiburones de La Guaira in what was the remembered Tibuleones de Portuguesa currency, Caracas returned to action in the 76-77 game. On November 23, 1976, Antonio Armas hit two home runs against the Águilas del Zulia team. It was the first time of the eight times that he would achieve it in Venezuela.
Another of the most important chapters in the history of the Lions and the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League began on November 26, when Adrian Garrett began his chain of 28 games connecting at least one hit, hitting 4-for-1. 2 against Paul Reuschell of the Navegantes del Magallanes. Meanwhile, on December 21, 1976, Jesús Marcano Trillo completed 262 throws without error defending second base. In this way he set a mark in the League.
Garrett tied the record set by Henry Schenz of 27 games with at least one hit during the game on January 2, 1977. That cap was 24 years old. It was thus that on January 4, the American shot a single to center pitcher Brian Abraham of the Cardenales de Lara to set a new record in the League for the most consecutive hit games with 28 in a season.
One of the protagonists of the 77-78 campaign was Antonio Armas. On January 4, 1978, he hit a home run off Juan Quiroz of the Navegantes del Magallanes, in order to add number 12 and knock down the record for the most home runs in a season for a criollo held by Luis "Camaleón" Garcia. Then, on January 15 of that same year, he scored a run against the Navigators, to reach 62 in the season, the highest number in Venezuelan baseball.
On January 27, 1978, Leon Roberts, Baudilio Díaz and Gonzalo Márquez hit non-consecutive home runs against Águilas del Zulia in the sixth inning; first time this feat has been accomplished in a final. Against this same team, the Leones del Caracas achieved their eleventh championship for life, when they won 5-0 in the last game of the final, with Pablo Torrealba standing out on the mound and Antonio Armas with a home run on offense.
In the 79-80 campaign, the last of the decade, Felipe Rojas Alou once again led the team to the title. However, a little earlier, on October 23, 1979, Baudilio Díaz began the path to the record for the most home runs in a season by hitting the first of the joust.
On November 7 and 10 of that year, Dwayne Murphy homered off the bench against Zulia and La Guaira, respectively, to equal the record for most pinch hitters in a season.
Golden era of Caracas (1980-1990)
On January 10, 1980, the Leones del Caracas defeated their eternal rivals 16 runs to 2, in order to reach 14 victories without defeat against the Valencians in the particular series, an unbeatable mark so far in the Venezuelan League of Professional Baseball.
In that same historic campaign, specifically on January 12, 1980, before the shipments of Aurelio Monteagudo from La Guaira, Baudilio Díaz hit his 20th home run of the campaign. With this connection, the Mirandino receiver set a current record for 33 years. Finally, on January 29, 1980, Caracas won its twelfth pennant of the League by beating the Cardenales de Lara 5-2.
The 80-81 season meant the second consecutive conquest of the title achieved by Caracas, thus equaling what was done between the 1966-67 and 67-68 seasons, when they also annexed two crowns. It was on January 26, 1981, thanks to the combined work from the mound of Tony Brizzolara and Craig Eaton, coupled with a home run by Antonio Armas, that Caracas defeated Lara 4-3, to add their thirteenth title in Venezuela. It was the first time that the whole of the Capital swept a decisive series. However, that year the Caribbean Series was not held as a result of a players' strike, for which there was no participation in said event.
It should be noted that on December 18, 1981 (in the regular round), Armas fired his 64th home run, with which he unseated Luis "Camaleón" Garcia, who had the lifetime cap in this department (63). He gave it to Bill Caudill de Magallanes at the University Stadium in Caracas.
For the first time in the history of the LVBP, a team manages to nest three pennants in a row in the same number of consecutive seasons. Los Leones del Caracas, with the "Chico" Carrasquel as manager, qualified for the semifinal in an extra game held against the Tigres de Aragua. In this way they went to the final against the Cardenales de Lara and on January 25, 1982 they defeated the feathered men 4-3, supported by a solvent work by Ubaldo Heredia from the mound, to annex the scepter number 14 in the history of the capital. The long-haired were the only ones to achieve such a historic feat until 2009 when the Tigres de Aragua emulated it.
In this remembered season we can mention some important passages such as the one starring Dave Henderson, Antonio Armas and Jim Maler, who shot non-consecutive home runs in one inning. Said feat -which equaled what was done on November 15, 1972- was achieved on November 17, 1981 in Valencia against Magallanes.
Also, on December 4, import pitcher Tom Dixon earned his 19th consecutive victory by beating the Cardenales de Lara. This number is a league record. They traveled to Hermosillo, Mexico, and won the first Caribbean Series championship for the club, defeating the Leones de Ponce of Puerto Rico in the last game 2 Runs to 1 with outstanding performances by Antonio Armas and Baudilio Díaz the latter would be named Most Valuable Player of the Caribbean tournament.
On the other hand, in the semifinal of the 82-83 campaign, Kevin Bass left his name in the record books. It was on January 16, 1983, when he went 3-for-5 with two home runs, one of them a grand slam, to drive in eight runs. With this figure he equaled the record for postseason picks. Thanks to the work of Bass, Caracas agreed to the final against the Tiburones de La Guaira, however, the sharks took that championship.
After the death of Oscar "El Negro" Prieto in 1983, the Lions began their journey in the 1983-84 season. However, the team failed resoundingly to qualify for the final, finishing bottom of the table. Which led to the departure of Alfonso "Chico" Carrasquel as manager (who went from hero to villain) and his replacement by Gonzalo Márquez in his role as player-manager, but he could not raise the team.
In the 1984-85 season, the longhairs hire a new American manager named Bark Rogers. However, his performance was so disastrous that shortly after he was fired and replaced by Pompeyo Davalillo, who ultimately also failed and the team fell back into the bottom of the standings, being left out for the second consecutive season. In the middle of that season, the player Gonzalo Márquez died in a car accident.
The following year, the Lions managed to qualify in second place in the table and in the play offs they managed to advance from first to the final by sweeping the Cardenales de Lara in four games. However, in the final they succumb to the Tiburones de La Guaira in seven very close games.
Four seasons passed for the Leones del Caracas to reconquer a title. In the 86-87 season, in an unforgettable final series, they beat the seasoned Tiburones de La Guaira in four games.
But before that, the unforgettable Víctor Davalillo connected, on December 5, 1986, a single to right field against left-handed Félix León, thus reaching his 1,500th hit in Venezuelan professional baseball.
It should be noted that on January 7, 1987, Dwight Taylor reached his eighth consecutive hit to equal the record in Venezuela. For his part, Donell Nixon, another of those imported from that fair, stole four bases against the Tigres de Aragua to break the record for the most stolen bases in a campaign that was held by Jeff Stone (Águilas del Zulia) with 43.
Another player who left a pleasant memory in this championship was Ubaldo Heredia, who on January 10 pitched four innings with a 1.08 ERA, thus setting a record for native pitchers.
In the game that gave the Leones del Caracas the title, the fifteenth in their history, Urbano Lugo gave the Tiburones de La Guaira a no hit no run on January 24, 1987. Without a doubt, one of the most memorable milestones in the history of national rented ball.
For the fourth time, Caracas managed to obtain two consecutive crowns. The 87-88 season was propitious for it; always with the strong support of Antonio Armas, Andrés Galarraga, Jesús Alfaro (baseball player), Oscar Azócar's debut batsman (until the previous year he had been a pitcher) and Ubaldo Heredia. It was on January 31, 1988, when with a three-run home run by Antonio Armas, the Leones defeated the Tigres de Aragua to obtain their 16th title in Venezuelan baseball. Precisely, in this fair, Omar Vizquel established himself as the shortstop for the Lions, thanks to a solid performance with his glove and wood.
In the 88-89 season, the Lions established a record in terms of consecutive victories. On November 15, 1988, the long-haired team beat the Cardenales de Lara 7-2, with Urbano Lugo on the mound, thus starting the streak until December 8. That was how the record ended at 18 straight wins, after Ubaldo Heredia and Jay Baller whitewashed the Navegantes del Magallanes 1-0. Even in the round robin of that season they tied for second place along with the Águilas del Zulia with a record of 6 victories for 6 losses; However, this last team would be champion that season when they were defeated in an extra game.
The fifth title of the decade was won by the Lions in 89-90. After coming in third place during the elimination round, in the "all against all" semifinal, Caracas was in first place and played the final with the Cardenales de Lara. On January 31, 1990, with a home run by Antonio Armas, they beat the Larenses 5-3 and thus obtained their championship number 17.
Duel between the eternal rivals (1990-2000)
Brent Knackert finished as the leader in ERA with 0.92, becoming just the fourth pitcher to post an earned run percentage of less than one. The others were Jim Owens from Oriente (0.90), Mel Queen from the Tigres (0.76) and Mike Hedlund from La Guaira (0.75).
The 1990-91 season was promising as the team came out determined to defend their scepter. In the round robin, a game against the Cardenales de Lara held in Barquisimeto was confiscated in favor of the capitalists as a result of acts of vandalism in the stadium. The story of the previous final was repeated, however, luck was on the side of the crepusculares who obtained their first pennant in the League in 6 matches.
The 1991-92 season was forgotten due to the anemic average hitters. With a 26-34 record, the team from the capital ends up out of the standings in third place in the newly created Eastern Division, just above the debuting Caribes de Oriente. The departure of Antonio Armas to be part of the new team could influence the collective demotivation of the players.
The 1992-93 season was the team's return to glory, culminating at the top of the Eastern Division, with outfielder Roger Cedeño being chosen as Rookie of the Year. But in the round robin, the team is out of the final by leveling its record at 6 wins and 6 losses.
The 93-94 season remains fixed in the fans' memory, as it was the first time that the "eternal rivals" of Venezuelan professional baseball, Navegantes del Magallanes and Leones del Caracas, disputed the scepter. Before that important episode, on November 22, 1993, Bob Abreu went 5-for-7 to become the 15th player in the franchise to hit five hits in a challenge. The next day, the gardener Jorge Uribe emulated the "Come dulce" by shooting the same number of hits. He also did Roger Cedeño on December 17 of that same year, in order to be number 17 to achieve it.
During seven exciting encounters, both Caracas and Magallanes engaged in a merciless war in search of a pennant that meant more than that. In the end, Magellan took the honors.
One of the stars of Caracas, Urbano Lugo Jr., reached 50 lifetime victories in the 94-95 season. It was on December 18, 1994, when the Falconian right-hander whitewashed the Cabimas Petroleros and ranked third among the franchise pitchers with the highest number of conquests behind Diego Seguí and Luis Peñalver.
In this same season, Caracas recovered its place and was able to take revenge on Magallanes, when on January 20, in a second extra game for the pass to the final, they beat the Turks 5-4 after a ticket with the bases full of Alberto Blanco to Curtis Goodwin. In this way, he disputed the title with Águilas del Zulia with the decisive intervention of Omar Vizquel and under the command of Pompeyo Davalillo, who had replaced Phil Regan at the beginning of the tournament. On January 29, Calvin Jones and Ugueth Urbina, as relievers, stopped the offense of the Zulianos and the Leones prevailed in the sixth game of the final with a score of 5-2. It was the title number 18 for the troops from the capital.
Another fact to highlight was the 40.1 consecutive scoreless innings achieved by the right-handed Jesús Hernández on December 9, 1995, in the middle of the 95-96 game. In this way, he set a league record.
On the other hand, Omar Daal became the first pitcher for the Lions to reach ten or more wins in a year since Diego Seguí and Howie Reed did in the 68-69, defeating on December 28, 1995 to the Eastern Caribbean, which meant his tenth victory of the season. Meanwhile, pitcher Ronnie Sorzano became Rookie of the Year after finishing the knockout round with a 5-2 record with a 1.36 ERA. The designation was announced on January 12, 1996. Despite the good performance in the regular round, the team fell apart in the round robin leaving a record of 3-13.
Daal earned the Pitcher of the Year award in the 96-97 season, going 9-1 with a 1.49 ERA and 64 strikeouts. In that same fair, the second final between Caracas and Magallanes was held. Once again, the balance tipped in favor of the Carabobeños, this time 4 games to 1. It is worth noting the return of figures such as Phil Regan as manager and Antonio Armas as coach after the change that brought Pompeyo Davalillo to the Caribes de Oriente.
Los Leones were twice more in the final, with Cardenales de Lara as the main opponent. In 97-98, they finished in second place in the Eastern Division and were able to go to the decisive series after leaving a 12-4 balance in the semifinal. However, Lara took the throne under the direction of Omar Malavé in a very close final to 7 matches.
In 98-99, a new opportunity opened up for the long-haired. They were able to reach, in the same way, the "all against all" semifinal and went through by winning 10 and losing 6 games. However, they fell for the second time against Lara in 6 games.
In the last campaign of the XX century, which meant the last of the decade, Caracas failed to qualify, for the first time time since the 1991-92 fair, to the postseason. In a season marked by a chain of 11 consecutive defeats, a manager's dismissal (John Stearns) and circumstances of a natural order (the tragedy of Vargas that notably affected the championship), the Leon team came in last place in the Eastern Division with 20-42 record.
New millennium, new owner (2000-2010)
On April 18, 2001, the Leones del Caracas team changed ownership. The Cisneros Organization, being represented as Ateneas Sports Holding, entered into negotiations with the Morales y Prieto family, to buy all the shares and, in this way, venture into a different field full of great challenges.
The president of the OC, Gustavo Cisneros, officially announced the purchase before the media and other special guests, but not before highlighting the importance of having within the group a team whose main food is the fans. In this way, a new structure was formed in which the sports and business areas are managed in the style of the big leagues.
The 2001-2002 campaign managed to bring together important local figures such as Bob Abreu, Omar Daal, Roger Cedeño, Ugueth Urbina, Alex González and Wiklenman González (the latter was traded in 2001 to the Tigres de Aragua for pitcher Darwin Cubillán), who had established themselves in the majors. On that occasion, Antonio Álvarez won the batting title with a.359 average, the twelfth in the history of the Lions. In addition, he tied the record of 8 hits in consecutive legal appearances, in the period between December 2 and 6, 2000.
Also, for the third time, at least two batters hit 10 or more home runs in the same season. Bob Abreu (11), and Morgan Ensberg (10), emulated the couple made up of Baudilio Díaz and Dwayne Murphy (at 79-80 with 20 and 12, respectively) and the trio that also made history at 81-82: Diaz (13), Antonio Armas (10) and Leonardo Hernandez (10).
The 2001-2002 campaign was also prodigious, despite a third elimination. Outfielder Jason Lane was part of a historic day in which he hit 3 home runs and drove in 8 runs. It was on December 6 in the second game of a doubleheader, in which all the runs were produced by the American player. Lane himself hit 13 home runs, becoming the 16th Lions player to hit 10 or more home runs in a tournament. Dax Norris, another of the capital's reinforcements, put together a string of 23 consecutive games shooting at least one hit, to get just short of the mark established, in one season, by Adrian Garrett (28). That season was marked by a change of manager (John Tamargo was fired after leaving a record of 11-14 and replaced by a new Carlos Subero).
The 2002-2003 harvest was highly fruitful for the team, as the recovery was evident after the change of players Antonio Álvarez (the "Potro"), Liu Rodríguez and Jacobo Sequea to Caribes de Oriente by Tomás Pérez, Jackson Melián and Maicer Izturis; in addition to the successful leadership of Tim Tolman (who directed Magallanes and led them to obtain their seventh pennant in 1994 just against the Lions). The team finished in first place in the Eastern Division. However, the season was interrupted in December 2002 due to the national civic strike of that year that lasted until February 2003, thus frustrating the aspirations.
In another tournament to remember, 2003-2004, Leones del Caracas achieved their pass to the postseason after an absence of 4 seasons in this semifinal phase. Under the command of the cumanés strategist Omar Malavé, Caracas once again registered a positive record of 33-29 (.532), which caused a three-way tie for first place in the Eastern Division together with Caribes de Oriente and Tiburones de La Guaira.
It is also worth noting the arrival of infielder Marco Scutaro –from Pastora de Los Llanos together with pitcher Alexander Lissir in exchange for Maicer Izturis-, who won the batting title with.359 AVG, becoming the thirteenth player of the Lions to do it. However, the team failed to qualify for the final series after falling in the round robin semifinal with a 6-10 record.
In the 2004-2005 campaign, the Leones del Caracas reached a final, something they had not achieved since the 98-99 season. With a battling team, strengthened in many aspects and again under the leadership of manager Omar Malavé, the long-haired team played a hard-fought final against the Tigres de Aragua that ended in the seventh game. The result was not favorable to Caracas (by one run), but the clear intentions of capturing a pennant were evident. The record achieved by the capitalists was 39 wins and 22 losses (.639), the most effective since the 88-89 campaign when the team led by the American Bill Plummer was 39-21 (.650).
One of the most important aspects on this occasion was the power exhibited by the Lions, establishing a mark of 75 homers, leaving behind the 60 reached in the 1979-80 season. Outfielder Franklin Gutiérrez, who wearing shirt No. 21, led the production by hitting 13 homers, while infielder José Castillo had 10. It should be noted that it was the fourth time in team history that a pair of sluggers exceeded 10 home runs in the same tournament.
Caracas had in its group the Rookie and Reliever of the season in the hands of left-handed Jesús Reina and right-handed Kevin Henthorne, respectively. Precisely, in the reliever corps there were many satisfactions. They fell short of preserving games with a 22-7 overall record and 3.75 ERA.
The long-awaited nineteenth title came after 11 years in 2005-2006. With a lot of inspiration and avoiding the ups and downs, Leones del Caracas not only qualified for the postseason in a closely fought Eastern Division -they came second with a 35-27 record-, but also went on to their second consecutive final, leaving their "eternal rival" Navegantes behind. del Magallanes and beating Miguel Cabrera's Tigres de Aragua in 5 games, of which the last three were at the Universitario stadium.
In February 2006, Caracas won its second title of the Caribbean series, which in turn ended the 17-year drought without a Venezuelan team winning the Caribbean tournament, as they seized of the trophy undefeated in 6 games. The classic held in the cities of Maracay and Valencia witnessed the good moment that the long-haired currency experienced, defeating the Dominican Republic's Tigres del Licey in the last game when a fly ball by Henry Blanco towards the left field premises hit the head of shortstop Erick Aybar moment that Alex Gonzalez took advantage of to score the title run for the Leones del Caracas.
One of the most particular situations of 2005-2006 was the resignation of Omar Malavé as manager, when he had a record of 21-22. Coach Carlos Subero took over and finished with 14-5, a mark that placed the long-haired team in the semifinal. At the end of the knockout round, Caracas won 8 of the last 10 games and went on a 6-game winning streak. As if that were not enough, in the semifinal, final and Caribbean Series, Caracas won 14 of its last 15 games.
With the flavor of two titles won, the team from the capital left with great optimism for the 2006-2007 tournament. However, the results were not as expected. They qualified for the round robin phase in second place in the Eastern Division, although for the first time the Lions went to the postseason with a negative record (29-33). In the phase prior to the final, the capitalists also had no successes, since for the second time in their history they left a record of 3-13 in this semifinal period.
The waiter Marco Scutaro conquered for the second time with Caracas the batting title of the elimination round with an average of.367, thus managing to give the long-haired the fourteenth crown in this department in its history. There was undoubtedly good news such as the reappearance of outfielder Roger Cedeño (.316 AVG, 5 HR, 23 RBI), while pitcher Renny Duarte -back to his original team- became a very effective pitcher on the staff. (4-2, 2.66 ERA in 14 JJ).
As happened last season, there was a manager change. Former catcher Carlos Hernández replaced Carlos Subero on November 21, after Caracas had a record of 11 wins and 21 losses. Hernández left, in the end, a balance of 18-12 that helped him to access the semifinal.
In 2007-2008, the League changed its format and once again played an “all against all” in the elimination round of 63 games. On this occasion, the Lions did not enter the postseason, finishing in sixth place -equaled with the Navegantes del Magallanes- with a record of 29-34.
The versatile player José Castillo conquered the batting title –the fifteenth title in this category for the long-haired group- with an average of.386 (207-80), to give the positive note in this tournament. Similarly, in what was his first season wearing the striped uniform, slugger Alex Cabrera contributed 13 home runs for the cause in 38 games played. It is also worth noting the arrival of Jesús Guzmán to the team from Cardenales de Lara in exchange for veteran Jairo Ramos and Marcos Sandoval.
The 2008-2009 season led the Leones del Caracas to another championship final, facing the Tigres de Aragua for the third time in a row, whose team won the battle of seven vibrant matches; this time by the hand of Frank Kremblas. The long-haired ones covered for much of the regular round and culminated with a historic record of 42-21 (.667) that placed them in first place. Those 42 laurels constituted the best record for Caracas in a campaign of 63 games. As if that were not enough, he established a ceiling in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League in runs scored (400) and more RBIs (377), knocking down the milestone achieved by Pastora in the 1953-54 season.
Without a doubt, a fact that marked the performance of the Lions in this tournament was the record set by infielder Jesús Guzmán, who pushed in 67 runs and left behind Pete Koegel's 65 of 73-74, when he played for the Caracas. Previously, he had left behind Baudilio Díaz, whose mark for a criollo was 57 flown. Guzmán's offensive work (.348 average and 13 home runs) earned him the Most Valuable Player award from the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League, which he won with 42 of the 45 possible votes from representatives of the country's media. It is good to note that just before the start of the season the flagship player Henry Blanco was released by the team, which led him to sign with Bravos de Margarita.
The semifinal round culminated in a three-way tie for first place that was decided in an extra day, the first game of which was quickly settled by Caracas against its future rival in the final, Aragua, winner of the second match against Tiburones de La Guaira. The decisive series was exciting, to the point that the Lions reached the sixth game with a 3-2 advantage. However, the drive of their Aragonese rivals was decisive for them to take the title with two consecutive victories, staged at the University Stadium.
The end of the first decade of the 2000s was for the Leones del Caracas. In another harvest to remember, the capital team went to a third direct final against Navegantes del Magallanes. Both teams were at all times 1-2 in the championship and justified this performance by going to both the semifinal and the decisive series, where they battled in seven games in search of the crown.
Caracas lost the first two games at the José Bernardo Perez Stadium in Valencia. When playing the other matches at the Universitario, the long-haired won two important victories, the most remembered was in the fourth game when Gregor Blanco connected a legendary home run to the right field off the relief pitcher Francisco Rodriguez to tie the game, later Jackson Melián would leave in the field to Magallanes with another home run. The next game Magallanes got within range by winning the fifth of the final. Back in the capital of the state of Carabobo, the Lions had a surprise for their "eternal rival", as they tied the series in the sixth game and finished off in the seventh and decisive game to win the twentieth championship of the franchise. All this under the baton of the experienced American manager Dave Hudgens, who ironically had led the Turks in the 1994-95 season when they lost in that extra game staged at the Luis Aparicio Stadium in Maracaibo.
The long drought (2011-2022)
In a new decade, the Caracas Lions team came out defending the title obtained in 2009-2010. With certain ups and downs, as a result of many injuries to its players, Leones del Caracas was able to finish in first place in the regular round with a record of 35 wins and 28 losses, a record similar to that of Águilas del Zulia and, thanks to the fact that they classified in fewer time, made him choose first in the round of substitute selections for the semifinal.
For the month of July 2011, a division of property agreement between the Cisneros Organization and Ricardo Cisneros was formalized, among which is the team, which now has a sole owner, Ricardo Cisneros, who acquired the 50 percent of the shares of Gustavo Cisneros (Athenas Sports Holding) for a cost of $20 million dollars.
Although they could not reach 40 wins for the third time in a row –a feat that would have been historic-, once again they placed themselves on the cusp.
Two players played an important part in the team's offensive performance. American Josh Kroeger and native Jesús Guzmán were mainstays from the batter's box, with outstanding and decisive performances in many cases. Kroeger took the Most Valuable Player award for his unforgettable campaign. With a.369 batting average (55-for-149), his eight home runs, 36 RBIs, a.671 slugging percentage and a.481 on-base percentage. For his part, Guzmán was once again the king of RBIs, with 52 runs brought to the plate, the highest in the league.
After qualifying for the postseason, Leones del Caracas was close to moving on to a new final. On the last day of the semifinal Round Robin, the longhairs won to force an extra game with Tigres de Aragua. It was held at the Estadio Universitario, but the locals couldn't take advantage of that condition, so they lost 5 runs to 2, thanks to an early offensive by the Bengalis.
In 2011 the team decided to exchange players. Thus, José Castillo and Jackson Melián go to Bravos de Margarita in exchange for players like Dixon Machado, Junior Subero and veteran Yorvit Torrealba (who starred in a controversial scene in December of that year that earned him a 60-game suspension). and Carlos Maldonado went to the Águilas del Zulia for the utility Wladimir Sutil. Likewise, Tim Teufel is hired as leader. However, the results of the team that season were very disastrous and despite a change of manager (Teufel was fired and replaced by Rick Sweet) the team finished in seventh place in the table. From that season began the championship drought that lasted for 13 years. Never before in its history has the team experienced a similar situation.
In the 2012-13 season, the people from the capital managed to qualify for the semifinal round robin where they would achieve a 7-5 mark in 12 games, but in the end four consecutive defeats buried the team in fourth position in said instance and left it without option to play the final that took place between the buccaneers and the red birds. That same year, the performance of imported players such as Tony Campana stood out, who on November 25, 2012 made a spectacular play in the left field at the Nueva Esparta stadium to beat Bravos de Margarita. There was also a change of leader: Rick Sweet was replaced by the well-known Frank Kremblas.
The 2013-14 harvest was promising and the residents of the capital once again qualified for the round robin this time with Dave Hudgens. For this instance, they took as reinforcement the experienced player Henry Blanco. However, the results were not favorable, with an 8-8 record they occupied third place below Caribes de Anzoátegui who would play the final with the Navegantes del Magallanes (eventually champions).
Regarding the 2014-15 season, Hudgens failed resoundingly, unable to achieve the chemistry to achieve the necessary wins, for which he was fired and replaced by Puerto Rican Pedro López, who couldn't do much either. On the last day there was a triple tie for fifth place between Cardenales de Lara, Leones del Caracas and Tiburones de La Guaira, the latter was the one who took the honors of going to the round robin after a day extra carried out in Barquisimeto on January 2, 2015 dispatching first the hairy ones and then the red birds. It should be noted that in this harvest, the team could only win the particular series against the Braves de Margarita.
For the year 2015, the team takes over the services as manager of Alfredo Pedrique. In a controversial league format, the Lions qualified in an extra game on the last day, defeating the Cardenales de Lara on December 30, 2015, thus being the sixth and last classified and disputing the play offs against the Navegantes del Magallanes, who would finally win in six matches.
The 2016-17 season was disastrous for the longhairs. In the middle of the season, Alfredo Pedrique was fired as manager and replaced by Yorvit Torrealba (who had retired as an active player). The team lost all its individual series and was buried in the basement of the table.
In 2017-18 the team takes on new airs with the inclusion of Mike Rojas as manager. They qualify for the play offs and the semifinals, but in this instance they succumb to Caribes de Anzoátegui, who would ultimately be crowned champions by beating Cardenales de Lara.
In January 2019 they managed to go back to the final after 9 years of absence in said instance. However, the laurel was taken by the Cardenales de Lara in 5 games after a final full of not a few controversies.
On August 5, 2021, the businessman Luis Ávila, who had served as President of the team since 2008, died. In 2022, Engineer Juan Carlos Escobar was appointed President.
New President, Back to the Top (2022-present)
With the election of the new President of the Club, the team makes important adjustments, makes a change that involves the players José Marco Torres and Loiger Padrón who go to Caribes de Anzoátegui in exchange for Oswaldo Arcia and Orlando Arcia, the experienced player also arrives Gabriel Noriega from the Navegantes del Magallanes in a trade involving outfielder Romer Cuadrado. The beginning of the 2022-23 season for the club was total dominance, finishing in first place in the table, highlighting the Arcia Brothers, José Rondon and Freddy Fermín, the latter would win the Rookie of the Year, the Most Valuable Player Award and the AVG batting title with.404 becoming the second player in the history of the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League to achieve it in the same season after Odubel Herrera. It is worth noting the participation of the big leaguers Eugenio Suarez and Gleyber Torres. Los Melenudos would repeat the same success of the regular season in the Round Robin by finishing in first place with a 10-6 record, qualifying for their twenty-ninth final in the history of the LVBP escorted by the Tiburones de La Guaira.
In the first game of the final, the experienced pitcher Jhoulys Chacín pitches 5.2 solid innings and then the relief led by Miguel Socolovich, Ricardo Rodriguez, José Mujica and Silvino Bracho would come to seal the first victory of the long-haired men in the final, standing out in the offensive to the 1-2 alignment Alí Castillo and Wilfredo Tovar, the next day in a game full of controversy Ronald Acuña Jr. abandoned the Sharks winning in the middle of the second game, in the end the long-haired would get the victory after turning the game around in the sixth inning with a double sweeps the bases of Isaías Tejeda. With the series in favor 2-0, the Leones del Caracas were at the law of 2 victories to reach the top, but the Sharks, now as the home club, surprised the cats and won the next 2 games to tie the final series 2-2, the team hairy presented flaws in the starting pitching and his defense fell apart, manager José Alguacil was forced to make changes in the line up both offensively and defensively. Already for the fifth game the Sharks were ready to turn the series around but the Lions with another good start by Jhoulys Chacín and backed by a torrid offense led by Gabriel Noriega who hit a grand slam, Orlando Arcia with 2 RBIs and Isaías Tejeda batting 5 -3 with another run brought to the plate, accompanied by the intractable relay, the Capitalinos would comfortably win 7 runs for 2 and would put the series in favor and in check 3-2. And that is how on January 30, 2023 in the sixth game of the Grand Final, the Leones del Caracas returned to glory by winning their title No. 21 with a historic home run by Harold Castro in the eleventh inning to leave the Sharks of La Guaira on the field 7 runs for 6 in one of the most epic finals in the history of Venezuelan baseball.
Fanbase and Rivalries
The club has been well accepted among the Venezuelan fans, being one of the teams with the most followers in the country, if one takes into account that there are other teams in the largest cities of Venezuela and that in cities where there is a professional team you can get a lot of caraquistas.
Since its creation, the team has maintained a notorious rivalry with its similar Navegantes del Magallanes, since they are the two teams with the most followers in the country, which is why both teams are known as The Eternal Rivals. Both teams historically have successful players and league titles won and disputed against each other, but ironically these two teams have decided 3 finals in the history of the league, the first in the 1993/94 season, decided in 7 games in favor of the Navegantes, the second in the 1996/97 season, which was decided in 5 games also in favor of Magallanes, and the third in 2009/2010 won by Caracas in 7 games.
But you can't say it's the only rivalry for the Lions. The La Guaira Sharks team, despite representing the state of La Guaira, specifically its capital La Guaira, shares the headquarters of the Estadio Universitario with the Leones, which has brought about a pleasant rivalry between the two teams and their fans., calling themselves: The Classic of the Capital or The Modern Rivals. Both teams have played several finals and decisive series between them, the last three: 1985/86 season —ended in 7 games in favor of the Sharks—, 1986/87 season —final series decided in 4 games in favor of the Lions, including no hit-no run by Urbano Lugo Jr. in the last game—, and the one for the 2022-23 season —finished with a new championship for Caracas in 6 games and with a historic home run by Harold Castro included in the last challenge.
In recent years, the other professional teams have faced the capital team in both the final and semifinal series, especially the Águilas del Zulia, the Cardenales de Lara and the Tigres de Aragua. A great rivalry has grown with the latter in recent years, giving way to what is currently known as the Feline Duel and represented in the Grand Final of the 2004/05 championship — won by the Tigers. in 7 games—, that of 2005/06 —won by the Lions in 5 games—, and in 2008/09, a new victory for the Tigers in seven games.
Champion Managers
| Coach | Year | Title |
|---|---|---|
 José Antonio Casanova
| 46-52 | 47-48, 48-49, 51-52 and (Inter-American Series 1950) |
 Martin Dihigo
| 52-53 | 52-53 |
 Clay Bryant
| 54-56, 56-57 | 56-57 |
| Alfonso "Chico" Carrasquel
| 57-58, 80-83 | 80-81, 81-82 and (Caribbean Series 1982) |
| Regino Otero
| 61-69 | 61-62, 63-64, 66-67, 67-68 |
| Pompey Davalillo
| 69-72, 84-85, 94-96 | 94-95 |
 Ozzie Virgil
| 72-73 | 72-73 |
| Felipe Rojas Alou
| 77-80 | 77-78, 79-80 |
| Bill Plummer
| 86-87, 88-89 | 86-87 |
| Bill Robinson
| 87-88 | 87-88 |
| Phil Regan
| 89-94, 96-98 | 89-90 |
| Carlos Subero
| 05-06 / 06-07 | 05-06 and (Caribbean Series 2006 - undefeated) |
| Dave Hudgens
| 09-10 / 10-11 / 13-14 | 09-10 |
| José Alguacil
| 21-22/22-23 | 22-23 |
National Championships
| Season | Champion | Subfield |
|---|---|---|
| 1947-1948 | Cervecería Caracas | Sabios del Vargas |
| 1948-1949 | Cervecería Caracas | Magellan |
| 1951-1952 | Cervecería Caracas | Magellan |
| 1952-1953 | Leones del Caracas | Magellan |
| 1956-1957 | Leones del Caracas | Industriales de Valencia |
| 1961-1962 | Leones del Caracas | Indians of the East |
| 1963-1964 | Leones del Caracas | Industriales de Valencia |
| 1966-1967 | Leones del Caracas | Sharks of La Guaira |
| 1967-1968 | Leones del Caracas | Tigers of Aragua |
| 1972-1973 | Leones del Caracas | Eagles of Zulia |
| 1977-1978 | Leones del Caracas | Eagles of Zulia |
| 1979-1980 | Leones del Caracas | Cardinals of Lara |
| 1980-1981 | Leones del Caracas | Cardinals of Lara |
| 1981-1982 | Leones del Caracas | Cardinals of Lara |
| 1986-1987 | Leones del Caracas | Sharks of La Guaira |
| 1987-1988 | Leones del Caracas | Tigers of Aragua |
| 1989-1990 | Leones del Caracas | Cardinals of Lara |
| 1994-1995 | Leones del Caracas | Eagles of Zulia |
| 2005-2006 | Leones del Caracas | Tigers of Aragua |
| 2009-2010 | Leones del Caracas | Magellan Navigators |
| 2022-2023 | Leones del Caracas | Sharks of La Guaira |
| Year | Headquarters | Récord |
|---|---|---|
| 1982 |  Hermosillo, Mexico | 5-1 |
| 2006 | Maracay / Valencia, Venezuela | 6-0 |
Inter-American Series
| Year | Headquarters | Récord |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | Caracas, Venezuela |
Participations in the Caribbean
| Caribbean Series | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1949: | 2nd place (3G-3P) (As Cervecería Caracas) | ||||
| 1952: | 3rd place (3G-3P) (As Cervecería Caracas) | ||||
| 1953: | 4th place (1G-5P) | 1957: | 4th place (2G-4P) | 1973: | 2nd place (3G-3P) |
| 1978: | 2nd place (3G-3P) | 1980: | 2nd place (3G-3P) | 1982: |  Champion (5G-1P) |
| 1987: | 4th place (2G-4P) | 1988: | 4th place (2G-4P) | 1990: | 2nd place (3G-3P) |
| 1995: | 3rd place (1G-5P) | 2006: | Champion (6G-0P) | 2010: | 4th place (1G-5P) |
| 2023: | 2nd place (6G-3P) | ||||
Caribbean Series Championships
| Year | Headquarters | Récord |
|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Hermosillo, Mexico | 5-1 |
| 2006 | Maracay / Valencia, Venezuela | 6-0 |
Inter-American Series Championships
| Year | Headquarters | Récord |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | Caracas, Venezuela |
Retired numbers
| 1 Pompey Davalillo SS Withdrawal 2012 | 2 Victor Davalillo OF Withdrawal 1986 | 6 Gonzalo Marquez 1B Withdrawal 1984 | 8 Urbano Lugo P Retired 1997 | 11 Luis Aparicio SS Retired 2014 | 12 Cesar Tovar IF 1985 | 14 José Castillo IF Retired 2018 (post mortem) | 17 Alfonso "Chico" Carrasquel SS Withdrawal 1966 | 20 Antonio Armas OF Retired 1990 | 25 Baudilio Diaz C Retired 1990 (Post Mortem) |
| 16 Alex González SS Withdrawal 2018 | 23 Omar Vizquel SS Withdrawal 2008 | 24 Henry White C Withdrawal 2015 | 26 Carlos Hernández C Withdrawal 2003 | 41 Andrés Galarraga 1B Withdrawal 2008 | 48 Víctor Sánchez P Retired 2015 (post mortem) | 53 Bob Abreu OF Retired 2014 |
Active Roster 2022-23
| Roster 2022-23
Launchers | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Nac. | Player | PB | B/L | Stature | Weight | Age | Team in Summer | League/Level | |
| Jhoulys Chacín | P | D/D | 1,90 m (6′ 3′′′) | 97 kg (213 lb) | 35 years |  Free Agent | |||
| Carlos Hernandez | P | D/D | 1,93 m (6′ 4′′′) | 111 kg (244 lb) | 26 years | Kansas City Royals
| MLB | ||
| 74 | | Yoimer Camacho | P | D/D | 1.85 m (6′ 1′′′) | 79 kg (174 lb) | 33 years | Pericos de Puebla
| LMB | |
| Anthony Castro | P | D/D | 1.88 m (6′ 2′′′′) | 83 kg (183 lb) | 28 years | Washington Nationals
| MiLB | ||
| Joshua Cornielly | P | D/D | 1.88 m (6′ 2′′′′) | 102 kg (224 lb) | 22 years | New York Mets
| MiLB | ||
| Elvis Escobar | P | I/I | 1.73 m (5 8′′′′) | 82 kg (180 lb) | 28 years | Free Agent | |||
| Anderson Espinoza | P | D/D | 1.83 m (6′ 0′′′′) | 94 kg (207 lb) | 25 years | San Diego Padres
| MiLB | ||
| Alfred Gutierrez | P | D/D | 1.85 m (6′ 1′′′) | 90 kg (198 lb) | 27 years | Free Agent | |||
| José Mujica | P | D/D | 1.88 m (6′ 2′′′′) | 112 kg (246 lb) | 26 years | Washington Nationals
| MiLB | ||
| Aliangel Lopez | P | I/I | 1.85 m (6′ 1′′′) | 79 kg (174 lb) | 29 years |  Hotsand Macerata
| IBL | ||
| Eduardo Paredes | P | D/D | 1.85 m (6′ 1′′′) | 104 kg (229 lb) | 28 years | Free Agent | |||
| 39 | | Norwith Gudiño | P | D/D | 1,98 m (6′ 6′′′′) | 90 kg (198 lb) | 27 years | Boston Red Sox
| MiLB | |
 | JC Ramirez | P | D/D | 1,93 m (6′ 4′′′) | 99 kg (218 lb) | 34 years | Free Agent | |||
| Luis Rico | P | I/I | 1.85 m (6′ 1′′′) | 79 kg (174 lb) | 29 years | Dolphins of La Guaira
| Senior Professional Baseball League | ||
| 36 | | Ronald Herrera | P | D/D | 1,80 m (5 11′′′′′) | 83 kg (183 lb) | 27 years | Washington Nationals
| MiLB | |
| Miguel Rodriguez | P | D/D | 1.88 m (6′ 2′′′′) | 81 kg (178 lb) | 24 years | Minnesota Twins
| MiLB | ||
| Ricardo Rodriguez | P | D/D | 1.88 m (6′ 2′′′′) | 99 kg (218 lb) | 30 years | Caracas Senators
| Senior Professional Baseball League | ||
| Danny Rondon | P | D/D | 1.83 m (6′ 0′′′′) | 73 kg (161 lb) | 35 years | Free Agent | |||
| Jesus Vargas | P | D/D | 1.88 m (6′ 2′′′′) | 89 kg (196 lb) | 24 years | New York Mets
| MiLB | ||
| Elih Villanueva | P | D/D | 1.88 m (6′ 2′′′′) | 104 kg (229 lb) | 36 years | Kentucky Wild Health Genomes
| Atlantic League | ||
| Rogelio Armenteros | P | D/D | 1.85 m (6′ 1′′′) | 110 kg (242 lb) | 28 years | Guerreros de Oaxaca
| LMB | ||
| Tyler Wilson | P | D/D | 1.88 m (6′ 2′′′′) | 83 kg (183 lb) | 33 years | Free Agent | |||
| Jesus Zambrano | P | D/D | 1.78 m (5 10′′′′′) | 92 kg (202 lb) | 26 years | Free Agent | |||
| German Marquez | P | D/D | 1.85 m (6′ 1′′′) | 104 kg (229 lb) | 28 years | Colorado Rockies
| MLB | ||
| 48 | | Miguel Socolovich | P | D/D | 1.85 m (6′ 1′′′) | 92 kg (202 lb) | 36 years | Free Agent | ||
| Receptors | ||||||||||
| Freddy Fermin | C | D/D | 1.78 m (5 10′′′′′) | 90 kg (198 lb) | 27 years | Kansas City Royals
| MiLB | ||
| Wilfredo Gimenez | C | D/D | 1,80 m (5 11′′′′′) | 108 kg (238 lb) | 32 years | Lake Country DockHounds
| American Association | ||
| Juan Carlos Torres | C | D/D | 1,79 m (5 10′′′′′) | 100 kg (220 lb) | 34 years | Free Agent | |||
| 89 | | Jhonny Pereda | C | D/D | 1.85 m (6′ 1′′′) | 91 kg (200 lb) | 27 years | Cincinnati Reds
| MiLB | |
| 58 | | Keibert Ruiz | C | D/D | 1.83 m (6′ 0′′′′) | 102 kg (224 lb) | 24 years | Washington Nationals
| MLB | |
| Infielders | ||||||||||
| Orlando Arcia | SS | D/D | 1.83 m (6′ 0′′′′) | 84 kg (185 lb) | 28 years | Atlanta Braves
| MLB | ||
| Gleyber Torres | 2B | D/D | 1.85 m (6′ 1′′′) | 92 kg (202 lb) | 26 years | New York Yankees
| MLB | ||
| Lenyn Sosa | SS | D/D | 1.83 m (6′ 0′′′′) | 81 kg (178 lb) | 23 years | Chicago White Sox
| MiLB | ||
| Eugenio Suárez | 3B | D/D | 1,80 m (5 11′′′′′) | 96 kg (211 lb) | 31 years | Seattle Mariners
| MLB | ||
| Isaias Tejeda | 1B | D/D | 1.83 m (6′ 0′′′′) | 88 kg (194 lb) | 31 years | Lexington Legends
| Atlantic League | ||
| Gabriel Noriega | 3B | D/D | 1.85 m (6′ 1′′′) | 85 kg (187 lb) | 32 years | Caracas Senators
| Senior Professional Baseball League | ||
| Leandro Cedeño | 1B | D/D | 1.88 m (6′ 2′′′′) | 88 kg (194 lb) | 24 years |  Orix Buffaloes
| NPB | ||
| 7 | | Wilfredo Tovar | 2B | D/D | 1.70 m (5 7′′′′) | 81 kg (178 lb) | 31 years | Ticolotes of the Two Laredos
| LMB | |
| Outfielders | ||||||||||
| 23 | | Harold Castro | CF | I/D | 1.78 m (5 10′′′′′) | 88 kg (194 lb) | 29 years | Colorado Rockies
| MLB | |
| Oswaldo Arcia | RF | I/D | 1.83 m (6′ 0′′′′) | 104 kg (229 lb) | 32 years | Caracas Senators
| Senior Professional Baseball League | ||
| 73 | | Alexander Palma | RF | D/D | 1.83 m (6′ 0′′′′) | 91 kg (200 lb) | 27 years | Pericos de Puebla
| LMB | |
| Juan Infante | OF | I/I | 1.85 m (6′ 1′′′) | 83 kg (183 lb) | 26 years | Caracas Senators
| Senior Professional Baseball League | ||
| 9 | | José Rondon | LF | D/D | 1.85 m (6′ 1′′′) | 97 kg (213 lb) | 29 years | Caracas Senators
| Senior Professional Baseball League | |
| Angel Aponte | OF | D/D | 1.83 m (6′ 0′′′′) | 77 kg (169 lb) | 23 years | Texas Rangers
| MiLB | ||
| Technical Corps | ||||||||||
| José Alguacil | Manager (ball) | I/D | 1.88 m (6′ 2′′′′) | 90 kg (198 lb) | 50 years | Kansas City Royals
| MLB | ||
| Ramón Castro | Battery Coach | D/D | 1.83 m (6′ 0′′′′) | 88 kg (194 lb) | 43 years | | |||
| Wilson Alvarez | Pitcheo coach | I/I | 1.85 m (6′ 1′′′) | 79 kg (174 lb) | 53 years | ||||
| Lipso Nava | Coach of Banking | D/D | 1.85 m (6′ 1′′′) | 86 kg (189 lb) | 54 years | San Francisco Giants
| MiLB | ||
| Oscar Salazar | Third Base Coach | D/D | 1.83 m (6′ 0′′′′) | 88 kg (194 lb) | 44 years | | |||
| Juan Muñoz | First Base Coach | | |||||||
| Lino Urdaneta | Coach Bullpen | D/D | 1.85 m (6′ 1′′′) | 99 kg (218 lb) | 43 years | Caribbean Warriors
| Senior Professional Baseball League | ||
Individual Stats
Season 2022-2023
Updated as of January 31, 2023
Batting / Offense
Launchers
Awards and Recognitions
| Prize | Winner (Temporada) | First delivery |
|---|---|---|
| New Year's Eve | Alfonso Carrasquel (1946)
| 1946 |
| JUGADOR MAS VALIOSO | Andrés Galarraga (1985-86)
| 1985-86 |
| YEAR PITCHER | Ubaldo Heredia (1985-86)
| 1985-86 |
| YEAR PRODUCTOR | Andrés Galarraga (1985-86)
| 1985-86 |
| _ | Gilberto Marcano (1986-87)
| 1985-86 |
| YEAR CLOSER | Mike Schooler (1987-88)
| 1985-86 |
| (FINALES) | Carlos Guillén (2005-06)
| 1998-99 |
| SETUP OF THE YEAR | Loiger Padrón (2017-2018)
| 2008-09 |
Radial Circuit
Stations from the Unión Radio de los Leones del Caracas circuit
1090 AM / 107.3 FM Caracas
640 AM / 100.9 FM Puerto La Cruz
1000 AM / 102.1 FM San Cristobal
103.3 FM Barquisimeto
99.5 FM Choir and Fixed Point
99.7 FM Maracaibo
96.5 FM Maracay
90.9 FM Maturin
91.9 FM Daisy
91.1 FM Merida
88.9 FM Puerto Ordaz
95.7 FM Valencia
NARRATION
Fernando Arreaza
Freddy Chersia
COMMENTS
Efrain Zavarce
Carlos Valmore Rodriguez
Ivan Medina
COMMERCIAL ANNOUNCER
Jose Jimenez "Chema" torrealba
Contenido relacionado
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