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Cuban National Series
Current season, competition or edition:; 2024 Cuban National Series
Sport	Baseball
Founded	1961 (64 years ago)
Organising body	INDER
No. of teams	16 (since 2012–13)
Country	Cuba
Most recent; champion(s)	Las Tunas ; (2024)
Most titles	Industriales (12)
TV partner(s)	Tele Rebelde (Cuba); Cubamax TV (USA, since 2019–20 season)
Streaming partner(s)	YouTube (worldwide via Game Time platform of the WBSC YouTube channel, since 2020–21)
Level on pyramid	2 (since 2022)
Promotion to	Cuban Elite League
Official website	www.beisbolcubano.cu

The Cuban National Series (Spanish: Serie Nacional de Béisbol, SNB) is a domestic baseball competition in Cuba. Formed after the dissolution of the Cuban League in the wake of the Cuban Revolution, the National Series is a part of the Cuban baseball league system. Between 1961 and 2021, it was the top-level winter league in Cuba; it now operates as a summer league, with the top six National Series teams qualifying for the Cuban Elite League.

History

The Cuban National Series was instituted in replacement of the Cuban League, which had operated since 1878, as in March 1961 the Cuban government abolished professional baseball. The Cuban League typically consisted of four teams; the Cuban National Series has played with more than four teams since its 1965–66 season, peaking at 18 teams from the late 1970s into the early 1990s.

The Cuban National Series operated as a winter league for most of its history, generally playing a regular season stretching from early August until late January. As of 2023^[update], the regular season spans late March to early July. An all-star game is held yearly at midseason. In Havana, most of the top tier players take the field for Industriales, traditionally the strongest team in the league. Other typically strong teams include those from Santiago de Cuba Province, Pinar del Río Province and Villa Clara Province.

In March 1982, the league was marred by a gambling-related corruption scandal, which saw at least 17 players and coaches suspended and arrested.^[1]

As of early 2019, baseball players in Cuba received $40 per month.^[2]

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in no 2021–22 season being played.

The league serves as the first stage in the selection of players for the Cuba national baseball team for participation in international competitions and for both the World Baseball Classic and baseball at the Summer Olympics, when contested. Traditionally, the national team, known as Preseleccion, is selected from the Cuban National Series and practices in Havana. Sometimes more than one team^{[clarification needed]} can be asked to supply players for international duty as part of the national team, from Cuban National Series teams and recently from the Cuban Elite League.

From 2016 to 2019, the league champion advanced directly to the Caribbean Series as the Cuban delegate. Representation in the Caribbean Series was transferred to the Cuban Elite League, which plays a winter schedule, following its 2022–23 premiere season.

League structure

1961–1977

From 1961–62, the inaugural season, through 1976–77, league size increased from just four charter teams to 14 teams, while the length of schedule grew from 27 to 99 games, but then reduced to 39 per team. Champions were decided based on end-of-season standings with no postseason, comparable to the National League and American League of Major League Baseball before 1969. In the event of a tie at the end of the season, a best-of-three tiebreaker series was played.

Season	League size	Games	Notes
1961–62	4	27	Charter teams: Azucareros, Habana, Occidentales, Oriente
1962–63	4	30	Habana renamed as Industriales
1963–64	4	36	Oriente renamed as Orientales
1964–65	4	39	Azucareros replaced by Granjeros
1965–66	6	65	New teams: Centrales, Henequeneros
1966–67	6	65	Henequeneros replaced by Las Villas
1967–68	12	99	Orientales renamed as Oriente Left league: Occidentales, Centrales New teams: Azucareros, Camagüey, Habana, Henequeneros, Matanzas, Mineros, Vegueros, Pinar del Río
1968–69	12	99
1969–70	12	66
1970–71	12	66
1971–72	12	66
1972–73	14	78	New teams: Constructores, Serranos
1973–74	14	78
1974–75	14	39	Left league: Camagüey, Habana, Industriales, Las Villas, Matanzas, Oriente, Pinar del Río New teams: Agricultores, Arroceros, Cafetaleros, Citricultores, Forestales, Ganaderos, Metropolitanos
1975–76	14	39
1976–77	14	39

Source:^[3]

1977–1992

The 1977–78 season followed the nation's administrative restructuring of the provinces of Cuba, announced in December 1976,^[4] resulting in changes to multiple teams within the league. Through the 1991–92 season, the league had 18 teams, as 11 provinces fielded a single team each, three provinces fielded two teams each, and the special administrative area of Isla de la Juventud (originally named Isla de Pinos) fielded a team. Also, aluminum bats similar to those used in American college baseball debuted, and use of the designated hitter was initiated.^{[citation needed]}

In 1983–84, the league divided into divisions for the first time, with the league split into an upper-half "first division" and lower-half "second division" at the mid-point of the regular season. Division champions were based on end-of-season standings with no postseason. This format was only used for two seasons. In 1985–86, the league created Eastern and Western divisions, each with nine teams, and had the top two teams of each division advance to postseason play. The postseason first consisted of a round-robin tournament, with each team playing the other three teams twice each—this was used through the 1988–89 season. In 1989–90 (only), the two division winners faced off in a best-of-seven series to determine a league champion, while the two division runners-up met in a best-of-five series to determine third place. In 1990–91, the postseason format was changed to a bracket tournament, with two semifinal series (each best-of-three) followed by a final series (best-of-seven). In 1991–92, the semifinals were changed to best-of-five to match the MLB's Divisional Series format.

Season	League size	Games	Notes
1977–78	18	51	No postseason
1978–79	18	51
1979–80	18	51
1980–81	18	51
1981–82	18	51
1982–83	18	51
1983–84	18	75	Split into two divisions at midseason; no postseason
1984–85	18	75	Split into two divisions at midseason; no postseason
1985–86	18	48	Two divisions; four-team round-robin postseason
1986–87	18	48
1987–88	18	48
1988–89	18	48
1989–90	18	48	Two divisions; division winners meet in title series
1990–91	18	48	Two divisions; four-team bracket tournament
1991–92	18	48	Two divisions; four-team bracket tournament

1992–2021

In 1992–93, league size reduced from 18 to 16 teams, as Pinar del Río Province and Matanzas Province, each of which had been fielding two teams each, began fielding a single team each. The 16 teams were divided into four groups (divisions) with the top team from each group advancing to postseason play. The postseason consisted of best-of-seven semifinal series followed by a best-of-seven final series.

In 1997–98, the postseason was expanded to eight teams, as division winners plus the next four teams with the best winning percentage advanced to the postseason. A quarterfinal stage was added, contested as best-of-five series.

In 2008–2009, the league was reorganized into two eight-team divisions, East and West, with the top four teams from each division qualifying for the postseason, and all playoff series contested as best-of-seven.

In 2011–2012, there were 17 competing teams, as the then-La Habana Province was split into Artemisa Province and Mayabeque Province. Thus, the West division had nine teams, including the two new clubs. The league returned to 16 teams beginning with the 2012–13 season when the Metropolitanos (long seen as a farm club of the powerhouse Industriales) were disbanded after nearly four decades of play.

In 2012–13, the zone qualification format was dropped in favor of a phase qualification system. All teams played 45 games in a "classification phase". The top eight ranked teams from this phase moved on to the "qualification phase" to determine playoff participants. In 2016–17, the number of teams in the qualification phase was dropped to six. In 2020–21, the phase format was removed from the league, and the league determined qualifiers based on a single table of standings, with the top teams at the end of the regular season advancing to the postseason, thereby ending divisional play.

To accommodate the 2013 World Baseball Classic, contested in March, the league took a six-week break after the all-star game of February 3. The league played a shortened 45-game season, with all 16 teams competing in a single table format (doing away with the regular two division format). The bottom eight seeded teams then played amongst themselves in the consolation round, while the top eight did the same for the championship. In 2014, the consolation round format for the midseason was officially adopted, effectively making it a de facto wild card game with the winners having a chance to make it to the postseason.

2022–present

After no games were played for a year following the end of the 2020–21 season in January 2021, play resumed with a 75-game schedule, all contested within a single calendar year for the first time, as the 2022 season spanned January to June. The change to a summer league schedule was made official, and starting with the 2023 season, the league runs from March to July with a schedule of 75 games per team in the regular season, followed by three playoff rounds culminating in a championship. The Cuban Elite League was initiated to maintain active competition during the winter months.

Current teams

Team	Nickname	Abbr.	Location	Founded	Stadium	Capacity	Ref.
Artemisa	Cazadores (Hunters)	ART	Artemisa	2011	Estadio 26 de Julio	6,000	^[5]
Camagüey	Toros (Bulls)	CMG	Camagüey	1977	Estadio Cándido González	14,000	^[6]
Ciego de Ávila	Tigres (Tigers)	CAV	Ciego de Ávila	1977	José Ramón Cepero Stadium	13,000	^[7]
Cienfuegos	Elefantes (Elephants)	CFG	Cienfuegos	1977	Cinco de Septiembre Stadium	15,600	^[8]
Granma	Alazanes (Sorrels)	GRA	Bayamo	1977	Mártires de Barbados Stadium	10,000	^[9]
Guantánamo	Indios (Indians)	GTM	Guantánamo	1977	Nguyen Van Troi Stadium	14,000	^[10]
Holguín	Cachorros (Dogs)	HOL	Holguín	1977	Calixto García Íñiguez Stadium	30,000	^[11]
Industriales	Leones (Lions)	IND	Havana	1961	Estadio Latinoamericano	55,000	^[12]
Isla de la Juventud	Piratas (Pirates)	IJV	Nueva Gerona	1977	Estadio Cristóbal Labra	5,000	^[13]
Las Tunas	Leñadores (Lumberjacks)	LTU	Las Tunas	1977	Estadio Julio Antonio Mella	13,000	^[14]
Matanzas	Cocodrilos (Crocodiles)	MTZ	Matanzas	1992	Victoria de Girón Stadium	22,000	^[15]
Mayabeque	Huracanes (Hurricanes)	MAY	San José de las Lajas	2011	Estadio Nelson Fernández	8,000	^[16]
Pinar del Río	Vegueros (Growers)	PRI	Pinar del Río	1992	Estadio Capitán San Luis	8,000	^[17]
Sancti Spíritus	Gallos (Roosters)	SSP	Sancti Spíritus	1977	José Antonio Huelga Stadium	13,000	^[18]
Santiago de Cuba	Avispas (Wasps)	SCU	Santiago de Cuba	1977	Estadio Guillermón Moncada	25,000	^[19]
Villa Clara	Naranjas (Oranges)	VCL	Santa Clara	1961	Estadio Augusto César Sandino	18,000	^[20]

Source:^[21]

Location of teams in the Cuban National Series since the 2012–13 season

National Series champions

Before the 1985–86 season, champions were decided by final regular-season standings. The 1962–63 and 1971–72 seasons saw two teams finish tied for first, so three-game tie-breaker series were played to determine a champion.

A postseason was first played in January 1986, contested by four teams. Initially staged as a round-robin tournament, it changed to a bracket tournament in January 1990. In January 1998, the postseason was expanded to eight teams.

Instances where a team has won the championship more than once are numbered in parentheses. In seasons that spanned two calendar years, the "Year" column is when the season ended.

Series	Year	Winning team	Manager
1	1962	Occidentales	Fermín Guerra
2	1963	Industriales	Ramón Carneado
3	1964	Industriales (2)	Ramón Carneado
4	1965	Industriales (3)	Ramón Carneado
5	1966	Industriales (4)	Ramón Carneado
6	1967	Orientales	Roberto Ledo
7	1968	Habana	Juan Gómez
8	1969	Villa Clara	Servio Borges
9	1970	Henequeneros	Miguel A. Domínguez
10	1971	Villa Clara (2)	Servio Borges
11	1972	Villa Clara (3)	Pedro P. Delgado
12	1973	Industriales (5)	Pedro Chávez
13	1974	Habana (2)	Jorge Trigoura
14	1975	Agricultores	Orlando Leroux
15	1976	Ganaderos	Carlos Gómez
16	1977	Citricultores	Juan Bregio
17	1978	Vegueros	José M. Pineda
18	1979	Sancti Spíritus	Cándido Andrade
19	1980	Santiago de Cuba	Manuel Miyar
20	1981	Vegueros (2)	José M. Pineda
21	1982	Vegueros (3)	Jorge Fuentes
22	1983	Villa Clara (4)	Eduardo Martín
23	1984	Citricultores (2)	Tomás Soto
24	1985	Vegueros (4)	Jorge Fuentes
25	1986	Industriales (6)	Pedro Chávez
26	1987	Vegueros (5)	Jorge Fuentes
27	1988	Vegueros (6)	Jorge Fuentes
28	1989	Santiago de Cuba (2)	Higinio Vélez
29	1990	Henequeneros (2)	Gerardo Junco
30	1991	Henequeneros (3)	Gerardo Junco
31	1992	Industriales (7)	Jorge Trigoura
32	1993	Villa Clara (5)	Pedro Jova
33	1994	Villa Clara (6)	Pedro Jova
34	1995	Villa Clara (7)	Pedro Jova
35	1996	Industriales (8)	Pedro Medina
36	1997	Pinar del Río	Jorge Fuentes
37	1998	Pinar del Río (2)	Alfonso Urquiola
38	1999	Santiago de Cuba (3)	Higinio Vélez
39	2000	Santiago de Cuba (4)	Higinio Vélez
40	2001	Santiago de Cuba (5)	Higinio Vélez
41	2002	Holguín	Héctor Hernández
42	2003	Industriales (9)	Rey Vicente Anglada
43	2004	Industriales (10)	Rey Vicente Anglada
44	2005	Santiago de Cuba (6)	Antonio Pacheco
45	2006	Industriales (11)	Rey Vicente Anglada
46	2007	Santiago de Cuba (7)	Antonio Pacheco
47	2008	Santiago de Cuba (8)	Antonio Pacheco
48	2009	La Habana	Esteban Lombillo
49	2010	Industriales (12)	Germán Mesa
50	2011	Pinar del Río (3)	Alfonso Urquiola
51	2012	Ciego de Ávila	Roger Machado
52	2013	Villa Clara (8)	Ramón Moré
53	2014	Pinar del Río (4)	Alfonso Urquiola
54	2015	Ciego de Ávila (2)	Roger Machado
55	2016	Ciego de Ávila (3)	Roger Machado
56	2017	Granma	Carlos Martí
57	2018	Granma (2)	Carlos Martí
58	2019	Las Tunas	Pablo Civil
59	2020	Matanzas	Armando Ferrer Ruiz
60	2021	Granma (3)	Carlos Martí
61	2022	Granma (4)	Carlos Martí
62	2023	Las Tunas (2)	Abeysi Pantoja
63	2024	Las Tunas (3)	Abeysi Pantoja

Notes

^ The National Series was the top level of Cuban baseball from 1961 to 2021, before being supplanted by the Cuban Elite League

References

^ Anderson, Dave (March 28, 1982). "Cuba Faces Own Baseball Scandal". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The New York Times. p. 3F. Retrieved September 2, 2023 – via newspapers.com.
^ Augustin, Ed (January 2, 2019). "Can Cuban baseball still be great when many of its stars have left?". The Telegraph. Macon, Georgia. The New York Times. p. B9. Retrieved August 28, 2023 – via newspapers.com.
^ "Las 40 primeras Series Nacionales". Granma (in Spanish). Archived from the original on December 27, 2014. Retrieved 2014-12-27.
^ Goodsell, James Nelson (December 12, 1976). "Cuba's citizens to have a say". The Columbian. Vancouver, Washington. The Christian Science Monitor. p. 47. Retrieved September 2, 2023 – via newspapers.com.
^ "Artemisa". Cuban National Series Official Website (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 April 2021.
^ "Camagüey". Cuban National Series Official Website (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 April 2021.
^ "Ciego de Ávila". Cuban National Series Official Website (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 April 2021.
^ "Cienfuegos". Cuban National Series Official Website (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 April 2021.
^ "Granma". Cuban National Series Official Website (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 April 2021.
^ "Guantánamo". Cuban National Series Official Website (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 April 2021.
^ "Holguín". Cuban National Series Official Website (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 April 2021.
^ "Industriales". Cuban National Series Official Website (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 April 2021.
^ "Isla de la Juventud". Cuban National Series Official Website (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 April 2021.
^ "Las Tunas". Cuban National Series Official Website (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 April 2021.
^ "Matanzas". Cuban National Series Official Website (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 April 2021.
^ "Mayabeque". Cuban National Series Official Website (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 April 2021.
^ "Pinar del Río". Cuban National Series Official Website (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 April 2021.
^ "Sancti Spíritus". Cuban National Series Official Website (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 April 2021.
^ "Sancti Spíritus". Cuban National Series Official Website (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 April 2021.
^ "Villa Clara". Cuban National Series Official Website (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 April 2021.
^ Reglamento (LXII Serie Nacional) (PDF) (in Spanish). La Comisión Nacional de Béisbol. 2023. pp. 3–4. Retrieved August 31, 2023 – via beisbolcubano.cu.