1988-1989 Cuban National League
From BR Bullpen
The 1988-1989 season was the twenty-eighth season of Cuba's national baseball system.
Contents |
[edit] Serie Nacional
The 28th Serie Nacional was won by Santiago de Cuba, who were managed by future national team manager Higinio Vélez.
During the regular season four Zona Occidental clubs had better records then that of Zona Oriental champion Santiago de Cuba. Three teams (Santiago de Cuba, Granma, Camagüey) were tied at the top of the Zona Oriental at 29 – 19, Camagüey was left out of the playoffs. In the playoffs, Santiago de Cuba went 5 - 1 to take the title.
The champions are led by a triple crown season by Orestes Kindelán. He hits .402 by having 66 hits in 164 at-bats, with 24 home runs, and 58 runs batted in – all tops in the Zona Oriental. José Luis Alemán leads the team with 9 wins and 105.1 innings pitched. Other Santiago de Cuba players are Fausto Álvarez, Jorge García, Evenecer Godínez, Antonio Pacheco, Gabriel Pierre, and Luis Tissert.
First-place Industriales is the class of the Zona Occidental with the team's players dominating many leader board categories. Germán Mesa of Industriales steals 25 bases for the second straight season, but once again comes up one steal short, losing the league leadership to Villa Clara's Víctor Mesa. Industriales pitcher Orlando Hernández posts a perfect 7 – 0 record, while teammate Lázaro Valle has a 1.93 ERA with 15 earned runs in 70 innings.
Two interesting events coincided in that championship. Fernando Hernandez from Pinar del Rio, became the first Cuban in history to have 12 RBIs in a single game, whereas the Granma outfielder Ibrahim Fuentes connected 14 consecutive hits, something without precedents in the world-wide baseball.
Camagüey's Leonel Moa became the first Cuban player in the history of the island both (amateur and professional) to hit four home runs in a game.
[edit] Standings
- Bold indicates Zona champion; Italics indicates Serie Nacional champion
[edit] Zona Occidental
| Team | G | W | L | WPCT | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Industriales | 48 | 38 | 10 | 0.792 | -.- |
| Henequeneros | 48 | 36 | 12 | 0.750 | 2.0 |
| La Habana | 47 | 31 | 16 | 0.660 | 6.5 |
| Vegueros | 48 | 31 | 17 | 0.646 | 7.0 |
| Metropolitanos | 47 | 25 | 22 | 0.532 | 12.5 |
| Cienfuegos | 47 | 18 | 29 | 0.383 | 19.5 |
| Isla de la Juventud | 48 | 14 | 34 | 0.292 | 24.0 |
| Forestales | 48 | 12 | 36 | 0.250 | 26.0 |
| Citricultores | 47 | 9 | 38 | 0.191 | 28.5 |
[edit] Zona Oriental
| Team | G | W | L | WPCT | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santiago de Cuba | 48 | 29 | 19 | 0.604 | -.- |
| Granma | 48 | 29 | 19 | 0.604 | -.- |
| Camagüey | 48 | 29 | 19 | 0.604 | -.- |
| Villa Clara | 48 | 26 | 22 | 0.542 | 3.0 |
| Ciego de Ávila | 48 | 26 | 22 | 0.542 | 3.0 |
| Guantánamo | 48 | 25 | 23 | 0.521 | 4.0 |
| Sancti Spíritus | 48 | 20 | 28 | 0.417 | 9.0 |
| Las Tunas | 48 | 19 | 29 | 0.396 | 10.0 |
| Holguín | 48 | 13 | 35 | 0.271 | 16.0 |
[edit] Playoffs
The playoffs consisted of the top two teams from each zona playing in a six-game "round robin" against each other, with two games against each other. Santiago de Cuba won five games to take the championship
| Team | Zona | G | W | L | WPCT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santiago de Cuba | Oriental - First | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0.833 |
| Industriales | Occidental - First | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0.667 |
| Granma | Oriental - Second | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0.333 |
| Henequeneros | Occidental - Second | 6 | 1 | 5 | 0.167 |
[edit] Leaders
- Bold indicates either wooden bat record or aluminum bat record (1976-1977 to 1998-1999), Italics indicate Serie Nacional record
[edit] Batting
[edit] Pitching
[edit] Award Winners
The Most Valuable Player (Jugadores más Valiosos) was Orestes Kindelán a outfielder-catcher with Santiago de Cuba. The Most Valuable Pitcher (Lanzadores más Valiosos) was José Luis Alemán of Santiago de Cuba. Idalberto Castillo of Granma was the Series' Rookie of the Year (Novatos del Año).
[edit] Series Selectivas
The fifteenth Series Selectivas was won by Las Villas, managed by the Abelardo Triana. The team defeated Habana in a best-of- series to break the regular season tie.
[edit] Standings
| Team | G | W | L | WPCT | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Las Villas | 63 | 45 | 18 | 0.714 | -.- |
| Habana | 63 | 45 | 18 | 0.714 | -.- |
| Serranos | 63 | 33 | 30 | 0.524 | 12.0 |
| Camagüeyanos | 63 | 32 | 31 | 0.508 | 13.0 |
| Pinar del Río | 63 | 30 | 33 | 0.476 | 15.0 |
| Mineros | 63 | 27 | 36 | 0.429 | 18.0 |
| Agropecuarios | 61 | 24 | 37 | 0.393 | 20.0 |
| Matanzas | 61 | 14 | 47 | 0.230 | 30.0 |
[edit] Playoffs
After Las Villas and Habana ended the regular season in a tie, a best-of-three series was played to crown a champion. Las Villas won the series, 2 - 0.
[edit] Leaders
[edit] Batting
- Batting Average: .413 - Amado Zamora, Las Villas
- Base Hits: 100 - Eddy Rojas, Las Villas
- Runs Scored: 72 - Eddy Rojas, Las Villas
- Doubles: 28 - Gabriel Pierre, Serranos
- Triples: 8 - Aldo Suarez del Villar, Las Villas
- Home Runs: 25 - Eddy Rojas, Las Villas
- Runs Batted In: 76 - Eddy Rojas, Las Villas
- Stolen Bases: 21 - Luis Ulacia, Camagüeyanos
[edit] Pitching
- Win-Loss Percentage: 1.000 (10 - 0) - Lázaro Valle, Habana
- Games Pitched: 26 - Reinaldo Santana, Las Villas
- Complete Games: 10 - Osvaldo Duvergel, Serranos
- Wins: 10 - Lázaro Valle, Habana; Osvaldo Duvergel, Serranos; Reinaldo Santana, Las Villas; René Arocha, Habana
- Innings Pitched: 111.0 - José Baez, Mineros
- Strikeouts: 98 - Buenafe Napoles, Camagüeyanos
- Earned Run Average: 2.85 - Fidel Azcuy, Pinar del Río
[edit] Sources
- (March 17, 2004). "Cronología: 1989 (Spanish)". Radiococo. Radiococo. Retrieved October 29, 2006.
- (March 22, 2004). "Tabla de Posiciones de la XXVIII serie 1989 (Spanish)". Radiococo. Radiococo. Retrieved October 29, 2006.
- (November 18, 2005). "Guía Digital 2005-06". Guía Oficial de Béisbol 2005 (Digital). Instituto Nacional de Deportes, Educación Física y Recreación. Retrieved October 29, 2006.
- Peter C. Bjarkman. A History of Cuban Baseball, 1864–2006. : McFarland, 2007. ISBN 0786428295
