| Leones del Escogido | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||
| Information | |||||
| League | Dominican Professional Baseball League (LIDOM) | ||||
| Location | Santo Domingo,Dominican Republic | ||||
| Ballpark | Estadio Quisqueya Juan Marichal | ||||
| Founded | 1921 | ||||
| Nickname(s) | Los Escarlatas, Los Melenudos, Los Duros de Matar, La Maquinaria Roja, La Tabla Escarlata | ||||
| Caribbean Series championships | 5 (1988,1990,2010,2012,2025) | ||||
| League championships | 17 (1955–56, 1956–57, 1957–58, 1959–60, 1960–61, 1968–69, 1980–81, 1981–82, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1989–90, 1991–92, 2009–10, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2015–16,2024–25) | ||||
| Colors | |||||
| Mascot | El León "Rufo" | ||||
| Retired numbers | |||||
| Ownership | Empresas Najri Grupo Vicini Grupo SID | ||||
| President | Eduardo Alberto Najri Molini | ||||
| Manager | Alex Cintrón | ||||
| Website | www | ||||
| Current uniforms | |||||
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Leones del Escogido (English:Chosen One Lions orLions of Chosen One orPicked Lions) is a professionalbaseball team inSanto Domingo,Dominican Republic. Established in1921, Leones are the third most successful team in the Dominican Professional Baseball League, behindTigres del Licey andAguilas Cibaeñas, having won 17 national championships and 5Caribbean Series. Of the championships, 17 are of the Liga Dominicana de Béisbol (LIDOM) Winter League.
TheLeones' record book is dominated by the Alou brothers:Matty,Felipe, andJesús. The brothers hold the first, second, and third spots in the team's record book for the following: games played, runs, at bats, hits,home runs andRBIs. Matty and Felipe are one-two in several more categories, includingwalks andstolen bases. Felipe Alou is also the most successful manager, winning four championships.[citation needed]
The Leones enjoyed a very successful first year with new ownership. They won their third straight "City Championship Trophy" overTigres del Licey, their rivals who shareEstadio Quisqueya inSanto Domingo, after winning six of their ten regular season games against Licey. They followed this by winning the regular season with a 30-19 record, and won their thirteenth Winter League Championship, ending their 18-year National Championship drought. Leones represented the Dominican Republic in the Caribbean Series, and won their third title with a 5-1 record.
On 20 March 2010,General ManagerMoisés Alou announced thatKen Oberkfell will return to manage Leones del Escogido for the 2010–2011 season.The team won their fourth straight City Championship Trophy this season, securing the season series with their win over Licey on 9 December. Leones made it to the postseason, but failed to reach the finals, which were eventually won byToros del Este.
After struggling in the regular season, Leones clinched a spot in the Round Robin. They finished the Round Robin in first place, setting up a 9-game Finals against Aguilas. Despite blowing a commanding 3-0 series lead, Leones won their fourteenth championship in dramatic fashion with a come from behind win in game 9. Leones also won the Caribbean Series hosted by Dominican Republic.
Leones again struggled in the regular season, but won their final three games to force a one-game playoff againstGigantes del Cibao. Leones won the game 5-2, and joinedÁguilas Cibaeñas,Toros del Este, andEstrellas Orientales in the Round Robin. Águilas and Leones advanced to the Final, ending the Round Robin in 17 games. Leones swept Águilas in 5 games to win their third crown in four years and their fifteenth overall.
Leones cruised in the Caribbean Series group stage, winning 5 out of 6 games, but lost the final to Mexico in 18 innings 4-3.
On 1 December 2013, Leones beatTigres del Licey 1-0 and secured the City Championship Trophy. Leones won the regular season with 31-19, qualifying for the Round Robin. On 14 January 2014,Jon Leicester, Ramon Garcia,Fernando Rodney, and Armando Rodriguez threw a combined no-hitter to Licey, clinching the Round Robin and home field advantage in the Finals. It was just the 8th no-hitter in the history ofDominican Winter League. They facedTigres del Licey in the Finals, losing the series 5-3.
Leones had a disappointing season, finishing in last place. Licey also failed to reach the playoffs, making it the first time in the league's history that both teams from Santo Domingo missed the postseason.
Leones finished the season with a 25-25 record, enough for third place in the standings and qualifying to the semifinal round. After 18 games in the semifinals, Leones andToros del Este were tied with a 9-9 record, and had to play a decisive extra game, which Leones won 7-2. This sent the team to the finals against archrivalsTigres del Licey, just one year after they both failed to qualify for the postseason for the first time in history. In the best-of-nine finals, Leones jumped to a commanding 4-0 lead, before losing game 5 in the 9th inning. The team won their 16th Championship in game 6, when they defeated the Tigres del Licey 8-3. In the2016 Caribbean Series celebrated inEstadio Quisqueya, Leones finished in last place with a 0-4 record.
Leones del Escogido won the first championship in 1922 of a short-lived professional baseball era from 1922 to 1937, but only the current Winter League format established in 1951 is widely accepted.
| Season | Manager | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|
| 1922 | Luis Alfau | Tigres del Licey |
| 1955–56 | Frank Genovese | Águilas Cibaeñas |
| 1956–57 | Red Davis | Tigres del Licey |
| 1957–58 | Salty Parker | Estrellas Orientales |
| 1959–60 | Pete Reiser | |
| 1960–61 | Pepe Lucas | Águilas Cibaeñas |
| 1968–69 | Andy Gilbert | Estrellas Orientales |
| 1980–81 | Felipe Alou | Águilas Cibaeñas |
| 1981–82 | Estrellas Orientales | |
| 1987–88 | Phil Regan | |
| 1988–89 | Tigres del Licey | |
| 1989–90 | Felipe Alou | Águilas Cibaeñas |
| 1991–92 | Estrellas Orientales | |
| 2009–10 | Ken Oberkfell | Gigantes del Cibao |
| 2011–12 | Aguilas Cibaeñas | |
| 2012–13 | Audo Vicente | |
| 2015–16 | Luis Rojas | Tigres del Licey |
| 2024-25 | Albert Pujols | Tigres del Licey |
Leones del Escogido have won sixCaribbean Series in their history.
| Year | Host city | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 |  Santo Domingo | 4-2 |
| 1990 |  Miami | 5-1 |
| 2010 |  Margarita Island | 5-1 |
| 2012 | Santo Domingo | 4-2 |
| 2025 |  Mexicali | 4-2 |
