Baseball in Puerto Rico

At first the sport was poorly received by the hard-working farmers, tobacco workers and sugarcane cutters of the island, who considered it an effete, unmanly game.

[7] The All-Star game was scheduled to coincide with the traditional Three Kings Day, January 6, an idea suggested by Angel Colón so that the proceeds could be used to buy toys.

[7][8] .The first Puerto Rican players to play in U.S. Major League Baseball, Hiram Bithorn and Luis Olmo, were active in the rosters of San Juan and Caguas.

[13] In October, 1940, Hall of Fame pitcher Satchel Paige arrived in Puerto Rico, four weeks after the start of the 1939/40 winter season.

[19] World War II affected the league directly, reducing the 1942-43 season's length to 36 games and the number of active teams to four.

[4] In the 1944/45 season, Luis "Canena" Márquez debuted in the league and hit .361, setting the record for highest batting average by a rookie.

[24][25] José "Pantalones" Santiago debuted in this season, earning the Rookie of the Year recognition while Canena Marquez broke Josh Gibson's home run record of 13.

[36] With a roster that also included Luis Olmo, Willie Mays and Rubén Gómez, the Cangrejeros won the 1954–55 championship defeating Caguas in the finals, 4–1.

[38] Puerto Rican fans received the team with a parade upon landing and Luis Muñoz Marín welcomed them in La Fortaleza.

[40] Juan "Terin" Pizarro won the Most Valuable Player Award, leading the league in wins, ERA, best win-to-loss margin and pitched the LBPPR's seventh no-hitter.

[43] In 1961–62, coming from his best season in the big leagues, Cepeda was also LBPPR leader in home runs and RBIs, and won his second MVP Award guiding Santurce to its fifth championship.

Other changes carried in the game's style, with the introduction of more player-managers such as Luis Olmo, who became the first to consistently employ pitching coaches and closers in the league.

[47] During this timeframe, Puerto Rico expanded its presence in the Caribbean, and a native team frequently played again a representation of St. Thomas and Saint Croix in February.

[48] In 1961–62, due to political tension between the U.S. and Cuba, the Caribbean Series planned for in Havana's Estadio Latinoamericano (Latin American Stadium) was cancelled.

[47] Nino Escalera, who finished his career third on the league's hit list, replaced Vic Power as the team's manager during this season.

[57] On December 20, 1969, Santurce and Arecibo participated in the only LBPPR game played outside of Puerto Rico, held in the United States Virgin Islands to honor Elrod Hendricks.

[60] The 1972 All-Star game was dedicated in honor of Roberto Clemente, who had died a week before, while transporting supplies to victims of the 1972 Nicaragua earthquake.

[68] In 1981–82, the Lobos de Arecibo recessed and their native star players, Edwin Núñez, Candy Maldonado and Ramón Avilés were drafted by the remaining teams.

[52] The team won the 1983 Caribbean Series, receiving a large welcoming ceremony at Isla Verde International Airport that included a parade from San Juan to Arecibo.

Caguas won the 1986–87 championship, the team went on to win the Caribbean Series, featuring a native lineup that included Alomar, Carmelo Martínez, Edgar Díaz, Germán Rivera, Henry Cotto, Orlando Mercado and Heidi Vargas.

[73] This was José Cruz's final year in the league, having amassed 119 home runs, 40 for the Leones and 70 with Caguas, finishing second in the all-time list.

[74] The Indios de Mayagüez won the 1985–86 season, led by Luis Quiñones’ three home runs in the finals over San Juan.

[82] The 1992–93 season featured the return of Dickie Thon to the league, who led Santurce to a championship over San Juan in the finals as well as the debut of José "Cheo" Cruz as a manager.

[67] González had won consecutive batting titles in Major League Baseball and was selected the MVP after recording an average of .333 with seven home runs and 14 RBIs.

[81] The 1994–95 season however, is most famous for the once-in-a-lifetime Dream Team, that has been compared to the Murderer's Row of the New York Yankees during the Babe Ruth era.

That year, the Senadores de San Juan managed by Luis "Torito" Meléndez won the title, subsequently assembling one of the strongest teams in the history of the Caribbean Series.

[83] Roberto Alomar, who had been traded to the team from Ponce for Javier López during the off-season, was named the series’ Most Valuable Player after batting 560 with two home runs.

[73] In August 2007, it was announced that the 2007–2008 season was cancelled due to shrinking attendance and profits over the last 10 years, and the league would instead work on a marketing plan and reorganization.

[86] On January 8, 2008, the Leones de Ponce had reclaimed Rodríguez in the last turn of a special post-season draft, where players from eliminated teams were selected to reinforce those that qualified.

During this season, the inter-league games with the Dominican Winter Baseball League continued being included in the official record books of both organizations.