Industriales


Industriales is a baseball club in the Cuban National Series, representing the city of Havana and the surrounding province of the same name. It plays its home games at the Estadio Latinoamericano, located in the El Cerro neighborhood of Havana. Since Metropolitanos folded in 2012, Industriales have been the sole team representing the country's capital.
Industriales is one of the oldest teams in Cuban baseball, dating back to the second season of the National Series in 1962. The perceived successor to the Almendares baseball team from the professional Cuban League, it is historically the most successful team in the National Series.
The team has a strong rivalry with Santiago de Cuba, and their meetings are known as the Superclásico; the rivalry, which reflects the rivalry between the cities of Havana and Santiago de Cuba), has been compared to the Yankees–Red Sox rivalry due to its ferocity. Industriales are known as "the Lions", "the Blues", and "the Blue Lions".

History

The team was founded in 1961 after the end of professional baseball in Cuba. It did not participate in the inaugural National Series, but instead debuted in the second-level Regional Series; it lost to the Habana club. The next year, Industriales defeated Habana in the Serie Regional to qualify for the 1963 Cuban National Series, debuting on February 10, 1963 at the Estadio Latinoamericano. Its first manager was Pipo de la Noval, though he would be replaced in 1963 with Ramón Carneado.
The team won the Cuban National Series in 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1973, 1986, 1992, 1996, 2003, 2004, 2006 and 2010. Today the team holds the record of victories in a season with 66 games and more National Series won in a row with 4 straight national championships.

Championships

National Series MVPs

The following Industriales players have been named the National Series' most valuable player.

Defectors

A number of Industriales players have defected from Cuba, often to pursue professional baseball in other countries. These include the following:

Television broadcasts

Beginning 2016-2017, alongside the nationally aired games on Tele Rebelde, several Industriales games at home are aired currently on local TV channel Canal Habana.