The
Leones del Caracas is a
VenezuelaVenezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
n
baseballBaseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
team that plays in the
Venezuelan Professional Baseball LeagueThe Venezuelan Professional Baseball League or Liga Venezolana de Béisbol Profesional is the highest level baseball league in Venezuela.-Brief history:Baseball exploded in Venezuela in 1941, following the world championship in Havana....
. Since its inception, the team has played in the
Estadio UniversitarioEstadio Universitario is a multi-use stadium in Caracas, Venezuela. The stadium holds 25,690 people and was built in 1952.This stadium is home for 2 national teams: Leones del Caracas and Tiburones de la Guaira.It is currently used mostly for baseball games....
in
CaracasCaracas , officially Santiago de León de Caracas, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela; natives or residents are known as Caraquenians in English . It is located in the northern part of the country, following the contours of the narrow Caracas Valley on the Venezuelan coastal mountain range...
. They have 20 championship titles, more than any other team to date in Venezuelan baseball.
History
In 1942,
Cervecería Princesa, an early team, was bought and transformed into
Cervecería Caracas. Their first game, on May 7 against the
Criollos (Creoles) ended with a 7-3 victory. The team faced its later nemesis, the
Navegantes del MagallanesThe Navegantes del Magallanes are a baseball team in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League. Based in Valencia, the Navegantes have won ten LVBP championships and two Caribbean World Series.-Pitchers:...
for the first time on December 27, 1942, winning this now historic game 3-0. Ten years later, the franchise was bought by the publicist and sport commentator Pablo Morales and christened anew as
Leones del Caracas.
Management
In 2001, the descendants of Pablo Morales and Oscar Prieto Ortiz (founders of the club in 1952) sold their shares to the
Grupo CisnerosGrupo Cisneros is a Venezuelan conglomerate owned by Gustavo Cisneros. Major assets include the Venezuelan television network, Venevisión, production and international distribution company Venevisión International, and the Venezuelan baseball team Leones del Caracas...
, giving it majority control of the team.
Stadium
Estadio Universitario is a multi-use
stadiumA modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...
in
CaracasCaracas , officially Santiago de León de Caracas, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela; natives or residents are known as Caraquenians in English . It is located in the northern part of the country, following the contours of the narrow Caracas Valley on the Venezuelan coastal mountain range...
,
VenezuelaVenezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
. The stadium holds 25,690 people and was built in 1952.
It´s part of the
Central University of Venezuela,
Ciudad Universitaria de CaracasThe University City of Caracas is the main Campus of the Central University of Venezuela. It was designed by the Venezuelan architect Carlos Raúl Villanueva and was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2000...
,and was designed by
architectAn architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
Carlos Raúl VillanuevaCarlos Raúl Villanueva was the most prominent Venezuelan architect of the 20th century and one of the great Modernists. He played a major role in the development and modernization of Caracas, Maracay and other cities across the country...
and it is considered a masterpiece of urban planning and was declared a
World Heritage SiteA UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
by
UNESCOThe United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
in 2000.