Club Atlético Licey inc., better known by its commercial name as Tigres del Licey, (English: Licey Tigers) is a professional baseball team in the Dominican Professional Baseball League (LIDOM). The team was founded in 1907 and is based in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Tigres is the oldest team in LIDOM and has won 24 titles of league and 11 Caribbean Series titles, the most out of any team.

It is one of two LIDOM franchises based in the nation's capital, the other being Leones del Escogido; the two teams share Estadio Quisqueya as their home ballpark. Many of the best Dominican players and Major League Baseball players have taken part in the long history of the Tigres, including Tommy Lasorda, a National Baseball Hall of Fame inductee who took the team to the 1973 Caribbean Series title. Licey is nicknamed "El Glorioso" (the Glorious One).

History The Licey team was founded as the result of a meeting that took place in the house of Vicente María and Jacinto "Pichán" Vallejo, on el Conde Street, in Santo Domingo's Colonial Zone, on 7 November 1907. The club's founding members were Vicente María Vallejo, George "Geo" and Carlos "Cuncún" Pou, Luis and Federico E. Fiallo, Luis Castillo, Salvador Piñeyro, Álvaro Álvarez, Ricardo Arturo "Tutú" Martínez, Ángel and Chichí Mieses, Arturo "Tutulí" Perdomo, Manuel E. "Bi" Sánchez, Virgilio Abreu L., Alberto Peña, Arturo Nolasco and Tulio H. Piña and Virgilio "Niñito" Penson. Many of the founding members of the original team were also part of the first roster.

Over the next 16 years, Licey became so dominant that an agreement was made among the three other competing teams (Los Muchachos, San Carlos and Delco Lite) to form a new team, composed of their best players, in order to beat Licey. This team, called "Leones del Escogido" ( Lions of the Chosen one ), still exists, and the teams share the same stadium in Santo Domingo.

During what Dominicans call the "first stage" of the country's baseball history, games were played only during daylight hours. The game's "second stage" didn’t begin until dictator Rafael Trujillo built the capital's Estadio Quisqueya in 1955, a brilliantly designed and built stadium for the time. With the stadium came lights and what is considered the golden age of Dominican baseball.

Licey has won the Caribbean Series a record 12 times. In an unusual situation during the 2008 season, Licey finished second in the Dominican championship and would have failed to qualify for the series, but took the place of a Puerto Rican team that had withdrawn from the tournament due to financial difficulties. Licey won the series, defeating teams from Mexico and Venezuela as well as Águilas Cibaeñas, their Dominican rivals.

Retired numbers

PedroGonzález 2B 1957–1970 AlonzoPerry 1B / P 1951–1954 MannyMota LF 1957–1980 TonyFernández SS 1981–1986 Diomedes Olivo P 1951–1964 Elvio Jiménez OF 1959–1974 Alcibíades Colón OF 1951–1957 Luis "Grillo"Báez OF 1951–1954 Rafael Landestoy OF 1973–1984 OlmedoSuarez OF 1951–1964 Pedro Martínez P 1990–1996 César Gerónimo CF 1967–1985

Notable players and managers

Andy Abad Pedro Miguel Caratini Jesús Alou Joaquín Andújar Pedro Astacio Manny Aybar Jim Beauchamp George Bell Mark Bellhorn Ronnie Belliard Kurt Bevacqua Bruce Bochte Pedro Borbón Clete Boyer Greg Brock Byron Browne Eric Byrnes Sil Campusano José Canseco Chuck Carr Rico Carty Luis Castillo Reggie Cleveland Terry Collins Del Crandall Deivi Cruz Elijah Dukes Mariano Duncan Leon Durham Joe Ferguson Sid Fernandez Tony Fernández Darrin Fletcher Steve Garvey César Gerónimo Bob Gibson Pedro González Kelly Gruber Vladimir Guerrero José Guillén Cristian Guzmán Juan Guzmán Dave Hansen Mickey Hatcher Anderson Hernández Orel Hershiser Butch Hobson Burt Hooton Charlie Hough Steve Howe Al Hrabosky D'Angelo Jiménez José Jiménez Ubaldo Jiménez Félix José Von Joshua Kevin Kennedy Rafael Landestoy Tommy Lasorda Rudy Law Jim Lefebvre Grady Little Mark Little Pedro Martínez Ramón Martínez Ted Martínez Mark McGwire John McNamara José Mesa Manny Mota Mike Norris Alex Ochoa José Offerman Tony Oliva Chi-Chi Olivo Diomedes Olivo Ramón Ortiz John Patterson Alejandro Peña Carlos Peña Carlos Pérez Mélido Pérez Pascual Pérez Timo Pérez Alonzo Perry Tony Phillips Mike Piazza Eric Plunk Jurickson Profar Luis Pujols Aramis Ramírez Doug Rau Édgar Rentería Rick Rhoden José Rijo Mickey Rivers Buck Rodgers Félix Rodríguez Henry Rodríguez John Roseboro Bill Russell Michael Santiago-Smith Mike Scioscia Jorge Sosa Steve Sparks Joe Stanka Terry Steinbach Dave Stewart Rick Sutcliffe Salomón Torres Mike Torrez John Tudor Bobby Valentine Chico Walker John Wetteland Willie Wilson Steve Yeager William Valdez

Championships

SeasonChampionManagerSub-Champion1924Tigres del Licey1929Tigres del Licey1951Tigres del LiceyFélix DelgadoLeones del Escogido1953Tigres del LiceyOscar RodríguezÁguilas Cibaeñas1958-59Tigres del LiceyJoe SchultzLeones del Escogido1963-64Tigres del LiceyVernon BensonÁguilas Cibaeñas1969-70Tigres del LiceyBilly MuffettÁguilas Cibaeñas1970-71Tigres del LiceyFred HatfieldLeones del Escogido1972-73Tigres del LiceyTom LasordaEstrellas Orientales1973-74Tigres del LiceyTom LasordaÁguilas Cibaeñas1976-77Tigres del LiceyBuck RodgersÁguilas Cibaeñas1979-80Tigres del LiceyDel CrandallEstrellas Orientales1982-83Tigres del LiceyManny MotaÁguilas Cibaeñas1983-84Tigres del LiceyManny MotaÁguilas Cibaeñas1984-85Tigres del LiceyTerry CollinsAzucareros del Este1990-91Tigres del LiceyJohn RoseboroLeones del Escogido1993-94Tigres del LiceyCasey ParsonsÁguilas Cibaeñas1998-99Tigres del LiceyDave JaussLeones del Escogido2001–02Tigres del LiceyBob GerenÁguilas Cibaeñas2003–04Tigres del LiceyManny ActaGigantes del Cibao2005–06Tigres del LiceyRafael LandestoyÁguilas Cibaeñas2008–09Tigres del LiceyJosé OffermanGigantes del Cibao2013-14Tigres del LiceyJosé OffermanLeones del Escogido2016-17Tigres del LiceyAudo VicenteÁguilas Cibaeñas2022-23Tigres del LiceyJosé OffermanEstrellas Orientales2023-24Tigres del LiceyGilbert GómezEstrellas Orientales

References

External links