Panamanian Professional Baseball League

1946–72

Though amateur baseball has existed on the isthmus of Panama, the first professional baseball game in the country was played on January 3, 1946 between Cervería Nacional and Chesterfield; Panamanian President Enrique Adolfo Jiménez threw out the first pitch. The first incarnation of the Panamanian Professional Baseball League joined 'organized baseball" in 1948 and operated continuously until 1972.^[1]

The league's champion team played in the Caribbean Series in its first stage from 1949 through 1960, before Fidel Castro dismantled the Cuban Winter League and replaced it with a new amateur circuit.

The Carta Vieja Yankees were of the most distinguished clubs in the circuit, winning five league titles between 1950–58 and also capturing the 1950 Caribbean Series, to become the only Panamanian team to a win a Caribbean Series in the 20th century.^[2][3] Throughout its 12-year history, the team featured players as Wayne Blackburn, Chet Brewer, Webbo Clarke, Jim Cronin, Jerry Davie, Carl Duser, Marion Fricano, Milt Graff, Bill Harris, Spook Jacobs, Connie Johnson, Spider Jorgensen, Héctor López, Bobby Prescott, Humberto Robinson, Jean-Pierre Roy, Pat Scantlebury, Billy Shantz, Joe Tuminelli and Jim Umbricht, among others.^[2]

The 1960s saw Panama enter a period of economic and political instability that forced private companies to withdraw support for professional sports teams. The Panamanian league merged with the Nicaraguan league for the 1961–62 season, after no local sponsors could be found; that season, Panama's Marlboro and Cerveza Balboa played against Nicaragua's Bóer and Cinco Estrellas.^[4] In 1965, the league decided to play with only Panamanian players, as a means of cutting league costs; that ended up lowering the quality of the play, leading to deep economic crises that ended with the collapse of the league after the 1971-72 season.

Probeis era

A new professional baseball league started the 2001–02 season as Probeis (Liga Profesional de Béisbol de Panamá), but it lasted only one season. Four teams participated during the 2001–02 season: Canaleros de Panamá, Macheteros de Azuero, Roneros de Carta Vieja and Tiburones Atlas de Panamá Oeste. Carta Vieja was the champion team, while Olmedo Sáenz won the batting title (.331) and Miguel Gómez was the best pitcher (5-0).^[5][6]

By 2010, executives with the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball restarted the Panamanian league as LPB (Spanish: Liga Profesional de Béisbol), but with poor logistics and little financial support, the LPB lasted only one season.

Despite the failure of LPB, professional baseball returned, as Probeis, in 2011. Roneros Carta Vieja won their second Probeis title in 2011-12.^[7][8] In 2012–13, Caballos de Coclé won their first title and Javier Castillo was selected as MVP with a .397 batting average. Caballos de Coclé as champion represented Panama in the first Latin American Series held in Veracruz, Mexico, reaching third place. Industriales de Herrera replaced Diablicos de Azuero for the 2012 tournament.^[9][10]

Former teams

In the original LPBP (1948–72), many of the teams folded after less than a decade of existence. Only Carta Vieja, Cerveza Balboa, and Chesterfield/Marlboro survived more than ten years.

The 1961–62 season was played with two Nicaraguan clubs, Indios del Bóer and Cinco Estrellas, in a merged league. In addition, the 1962–63 season was made up of four completely new teams: Chiriquí-Bocas, Central Provinces, Colon, and Panama. All of these teams lasted only a single season.^[13]

The Carta Vieja, Chesterfield, Comercios, and Marlboro teams represented Panama City, while Spur Cola was based in Colon. The Azucareros and Cerveza Balboa teams were sponsored from the cities of Aguadulce and Balboa, respectively. Most of the games were played at Estadio Olímpico de Panamá in Panama City.^[2]

In the modern Probeis era, several teams have had brief existences, including:

Original LPBP (1946–72)

Probeis era (2001–02, 2011–present)