Santiago.- Las Cibaeñas Eagles This Friday they commemorate their 93rd anniversary of founding, established as one of the most successful, constant and emblematic franchises in the history of Dominican professional baseball. With more wins than any other team, more postseason qualifications and an uninterrupted track record of greatness, the yellow organization is approaching its centennial as a symbol of excellence in winter ball.
Throughout its history, the Cibaeñas Eagles They have won 22 national championships, six Caribbean Series, in addition to being the only Dominican team to win an Inter-American Series (1965) and the Classic of the Americas (2015).
You may be interested in: Alberto Rodríguez, from the Águilas Cibaeñas, wins the Rookie of the Year in LIDOM
On the way to their centenary, they also lead Lidom’s historical statistics with 61 postseason appearances, 40 final series played and the best record in regular series, with more than two thousand victories.
The origin of the group dates back to January 2, 1933, with the founding of the Santiago Baseball Club, the first representative club of the city and the Cibao region. Later, the January 28, 1937, officially adopted the name Águilas Cibaeñas, at the proposal of Luis Tomás Saillantmarking the formal beginning of his professional career.
The club’s Board of Directors has supported this founding date with historical documents that confirm that the Santiago Baseball Club He already represented Cibao in national tournaments and used the eagle symbol.
This is what he stated Winston Llenas, President for Life who highlighted that the organization was conceived from its beginnings to compete at the highest level against the traditional capital teams Licey and Chosen.
As part of the commemoration, the Águilas celebrate their anniversary by playing in their nest against the Gigantes del Cibao, in the fifth game of the semifinal series, with their sights set on reaching their 41st final (22-18) in the history of Dominican professional baseball.
the historian Rafael Baldayac remember that the Santiago Baseball Club was key in the emergence of the historic rivalry between Santiago and the capital, first facing the Licey, founded in 1907and later to Chosen, created in 1921.
That regional confrontation gave rise to one of the most intense and lasting sporting passions in the country.
After the Río Verde air tragedy in 1948, which claimed the lives of a large part of the Santiago team, the legacy did not die out. Starting in 1951, the Águilas Cibaeñas took up the heritage of the Santiago Baseball Club, preserving the mystique, identity and competitive spirit that characterizes them to this day.
The history of the club also includes the formation of outstanding directives, such as the one in 1947, chaired by Romeo Rojas, and the first official one as Águilas Cibaeñas in 1951, headed by Gerónimo Copello, along with recognized figures from the social, business and sports spheres of Santiago.
HISTORICAL DATE
A relevant fact is that the name Águilas Cibaeñas appeared for the first time in the national press on April 8, 1929, in the newspaper Listín Diario, four years before the official founding of the team, evidence of the team’s early roots in the Dominican sports identity.
Today, 93 years after its founding, the Águilas Cibaeñas continue to be synonymous with passion, tradition and national pride, keeping alive a history forged with sacrifice, triumphs and a fan base that continues to firmly fly the yellow flag.
