Cuba's first professional baseball game was played on December 29, 1878, and from that date forward, baseball on the island grew in strength and stature until some of the best baseball in the Americas was played in Cuba. Those who looked toward the future believed that one day, Havana would become the home of the best ballclub outside the United States. And so it did, in 1954, when the Cuban Sugar Kings - a part of the International League, Class AAA - were born. But with the arrival of the Castro regime, professional baseball disappeared from Cuba. The 1960-61 championship would be Cuba's last. This book recaptures the great moments of Cuban professional baseball - 83 years of spellbinding action and powerful play, with almost 200 boxscores from the most memorable games. Covered are the Cuban Leagues (1878-1961), the Caribbean Series (1949-1960), the play of the Havana Cubans (1946-1953) and Sugar Kings (1954-1961), and the great achievements of Cubans in the major leagues. Appendices include the author's suggested roster for a Cuban All-Star Team; a summary of all championship games, 1878-1961; and a summary of all the so-called American Series games (American teams vs.
Cuban), 1891-1959. Many rare photographs accompany the text.
- ISBN10 0786419865
- ISBN13 9780786419869
- Publish Date 1 January 2005
- Publish Status Out of Print
- Out of Print 14 December 2011
- Publish Country US
- Imprint McFarland & Co Inc
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 504
- Language English