Cinco Estrellas

Cinco Estrellas
Information
League	Nicaraguan League
Established	1941
Disbanded	1979
Nickname(s)	Tigres Generales
Interamerican Series championships	1964
League championships	2 (1963–64, 1966–67)
Amateur championships	1975
Colors	Red, white

Cinco Estrellas (lit. Five Stars) was a Nicaraguan baseball club based in Managua. Founded in 1941, they played their home games at the Estadio Nacional General Anastasio Somoza G. (the modern Dennis Martínez National Stadium).

The team was founded by members of the Nicaragua National Guard, the military branch of the Somoza family regime, and was named in honor of Nicaraguan dictator Anastasio Somoza García (a five-star general).^[1][2][3] Its close association with the Somozas made it unpopular in the eyes of many Nicaraguans, especially compared to its biggest rival, Indios del Bóer.^[4] Its sponsorship by the Somozas was the subject of a popular joke:

"Who is the people’s team?"
"Bóer, of course."
"You are wrong, it’s Cinco Estrellas!"
"You are crazy. How so?"
"It’s paid for by the people’s taxes!"^[5]

However, at the height of the team's success in the 1950s (when its roster was staffed with the best players in the country), Cinco Estrellas did attract support even from the president's opponents.^[5] Its players were technically enlisted in the Nicaraguan National Guard, though many of them were foreigners hired to play winter ball (including a nearly all-Cuban team fielded in the early 1960s).^[6]

The club won the 1964 Serie Interamericana, held in Managua, becoming the first Nicaraguan club to win an international competition (and the only one until Gigantes de Rivas won the 2016 Latin American Series).^[7]

Cinco Estrellas folded in 1979, the year the Somozas were overthrown by the Nicaraguan Revolution.^[8] The Sandinistas changed the name to Dantos, a team which continues to play in the Nicaraguan amateur baseball league, the Germán Pomares Ordóñez First Division.

Notable players

• Marv Throneberry
• Pete Pavlick (manager)
• Mike Blyzka
• Stanley Cayasso
• Art López
• Silvio García
• Claro Duany
• Zoilo Versalles
• Luis Tiant
• Danny Morejón
• Sandy Valdespino
• Pumpsie Green
• Rogelio Álvarez
• Evelio Hernández
• Joe Shipley
• Ossie Álvarez
• Bill Short

Interamerican Series record

Year	Venue	Finish	Wins	Losses	Win%	Manager
1964	Managua	1st	5	1	.833	Wilfredo Calviño
Total			5	1	.833

References

1. Mayer, p. 11–12
2. Layton Revel; Luis Munoz. "Forgotten Heroes: Silvio Garcia" (PDF). Center for Negro League Baseball Research: 22.
3. "Nicaraguan fans riding clouds over feats of American players". The Sporting News. January 15, 1958. p. 19. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
4. Mayer, p. 12
5. "Eduardo Green". Society for American Baseball Research.
6. "Boer, Estrellas Line Up Major Triple A Talent". The Sporting News. 15 November 1961.
7. "Aquí cayó un fiero trabuco" (in Spanish). El Nuevo Diario. 3 February 2010. Archived from the original on 21 April 2018.
8. "El 5 Estrellas del Recuerdo". La Prensa. 30 April 2001. Retrieved 17 February 2024.

Bibliography

• Diego Mayer. "Jugando con Bola Ensalivada: Una Historia Política del Béisbol Nicaragüense desde Somoza hasta Ortega". Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection. (in Spanish).