Gallos de Sancti Spíritus


Gallos de Sancti Spíritus is a baseball team in the Cuban National Series. The team won the series championship in 1978–79. The Gallos have advanced to the National Series semifinals in each of the past two seasons; 2004–05 and 2005–06.

History

The team was established in 1977, following the amendments to the Cuban Constitution in 1976 that created the Sancti Spíritus Province ; under the new structure, every province was required to have a team participating in the National Series.
The team made its debut in the 1977–78 season, led by manager César Pérez, with the 1976–77 Rookie of the Year Lourdes Gourriel leading the Espirituanos’ offense. The team finished 15th with a 20–30 record.
The following season, under manager Cándido Andrade, Sancti Spíritus finished first with a 39–12 record, winning the Cuban championship, the first in the team's history.
Three Sancti Spíritus players were part of Cuba's team at the 2006 World Baseball Classic: outfielder Frederich Cepeda, infielder Yuli Gurriel and catcher Eriel Sánchez, current manager of the club.
There are no precise records indicating when the Gallos nickname was first used. The name gained strength after the 2002 final series against Holguín, that the team lost 3–4. In 2013, after decades of being known as the Gallos, Sancti Spíritus finally incorporated the rooster into the club’s logo.

Team stadiums

Every time a season starts, the team not only plays at José Antonio Huelga Stadium; their official stadium, but they also play at other seven stadiums around Sancti Spíritus Province:

National Series MVPs

The following Sancti Spíritus players have won the National Series MVP award.
Other notable players include: