Havana Sugar Kings facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Havana Sugar Kings1946–1960 Havana, Cuba |
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| League | International League (1954–1960) | ||
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Previous leagues
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Florida International League (1946–1953) | ||
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| League titles | IL: 1 (1959) FIL: 2 (1947, 1948) |
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Previous names
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Havana Sugar Kings (1954–1960)
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Previous parks
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Gran Stadium | ||
The Havana Sugar Kings were a professional baseball team from Cuba. They played in the minor league baseball system from 1946 to 1960. From 1954 to 1960, they were a Class AAA team. This was the highest level in minor league baseball. They were connected to the Major League Baseball team, the Cincinnati Reds. Their home field was El Gran Estadio del Cerro in Havana. People sometimes called it Gran Stadium.
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Team History
The Sugar Kings started in 1946 as the Havana Cubans. Joe Cambria, a scout for the Washington Senators, created the team. Under manager Oscar Rodriguez, the Cubans were very successful.
They finished first in their league, the Class C (later Class B) Florida International League, for their first five seasons. They won over 100 games twice. Their record was 474 wins and 249 losses in five years. Even though they lost 17 wins in 1946 for having too many experienced players, they still had the best record in the league.
The Havana Cubans won two league championships in a row, in 1947 and 1948. The 1947 team was even named one of the "100 greatest minor league teams of all time." Many fans came to watch them play. They led their league in attendance every year from 1946 to 1950. In 1947, they had 264,813 fans, which is still the highest for a Class C team.
In 1953, Roberto "Bobby" Maduro bought the team. He hoped to bring Major League Baseball to Havana. After the 1953 season, a team called the Springfield Cubs stopped playing. This created an opening in the Triple-A International League. Maduro moved his team to this league and renamed them the Sugar Kings.
In 1954, the Sugar Kings played as an independent team. Then, in 1955, they joined the Cincinnati Reds. They became the Reds' top farm team for the rest of their time. Many talented Cuban and Latino players played for the Sugar Kings. Some of them later played in the Major Leagues. These players included Luis Arroyo, Cookie Rojas, Leo Cárdenas, and Mike Cuellar.
In their first year as a Triple-A team, the Sugar Kings attracted many fans. They had 295,453 people come to their games. This was the second-highest attendance in the league. The next season, they won 87 games, their most in the International League. They also set a new attendance record with 313,232 fans. However, they lost in the playoffs to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The next three seasons were not as good. Havana finished in sixth place in 1956 and 1957. In 1957, attendance dropped a lot, to 84,320 fans. But in 1958, even though they had their worst record, attendance went back up to 178,000.
1959 Championship Season
In 1959, the Sugar Kings had a great season. They were led by future major league manager Preston Gómez. They finished third in the International League standings.
During this time, there was a big change happening in Cuba. The Cuban Revolution was taking place, and Fidel Castro came to power. The Sugar Kings felt the effects of this. On July 25, during a home game against the Rochester Red Wings, something unusual happened. As the game went into extra innings, it passed midnight. This was the anniversary of the start of the Cuban Revolution. People outside the stadium fired guns to celebrate. Two Rochester players, Leo Cardenas and Frank Verdi, were slightly hurt by stray bullets. The Rochester team left Cuba, and the last game of the series was canceled.
Despite this, the Sugar Kings were allowed to finish their season. They made it to the playoffs. In the playoffs, Havana swept the Columbus Jets 4-0. Then they beat the Richmond Virginians 4-2 to win the Governors' Cup. This made them champions of the International League.
Next, they played against the Minneapolis Millers in the Junior World Series. This series was between the champions of two different minor leagues. The first two games were in Minneapolis, but it was cold and not many people came. So, they decided to move the rest of the series to Havana.
Playing at home, the Sugar Kings won the series in a thrilling Game 7. They won the Junior World Series 4-3. The five games played in Havana drew 100,000 fans!
Moving from Cuba
In 1960, the Cuban government took control of all U.S.-owned businesses in Cuba. On July 8, Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick announced that the Sugar Kings would move. They moved to Jersey City, New Jersey, and became the Jersey City Jerseys.
The Jersey City team only lasted until the end of the 1961 season. They stopped playing because not enough fans came to their games. The team was then sold to a group in Jacksonville. They became the Jacksonville Suns and started playing in 1962. That team later moved to Portsmouth, Virginia, in 1969 and became the Tidewater Tides. Today, they are still in that area and are known as the Norfolk Tides.
In 1987, the city of Miami decided to rename Miami Stadium to honor Bobby Maduro. It became known as Bobby Maduro Miami Stadium.
Modern Tributes
On May 17, 2021, the Miami Marlins, a Major League Baseball team, showed off a new uniform. This uniform was designed to look like the old Sugar Kings uniform. It was a way to honor the team's history.
Notable Players and Managers
Many talented players and managers were part of the Havana Sugar Kings. Some of them became MLB All-Stars or were honored in the Caribbean Baseball Hall of Fame.
- Luis Arroyo (1959–60) - MLB All-Star
- Sandy Consuegra (1949) - MLB All-Star
- Mike Cuellar (1957–60) - MLB All-Star
- Mike Fornieles (1952) - MLB All-Star
- Preston Gomez (1959, Manager)
- Tony Gonzalez (baseball) (1958–59)
- Connie Marrero (1947-1949) - MLB All-Star, Caribbean Baseball Hall of Fame
- Orlando Pena (1957–58, '60) - Caribbean Baseball Hall of Fame
- Nap Reyes (1956–58, '60, Manager) - Caribbean Baseball Hall of Fame
- Cookie Rojas (1959–60) - MLB All-Star
See also
In Spanish: Cubans Sugar Kings para niños
- Category:Havana Sugar Kings players
