No one can deny that
baseball is Panama's national sport, a fact that could be surprising
for many, given Latin America's natural inclination to soccer.
Although Panama's soccer
teams have become "instant celebrities" throughout the
region in the last couple of years due to their success in major
international games, no other sport in the country brings out the
regional pride of each Panamanian province like baseball, especially
during the high season, which takes place during the dry months
(January-March). It is also important to note that Panama is considered
the cradle of many U.S. Major-League stars.
The inter-provincial junior league season
takes place between January and February. |
The big question is,
when did Panamanians started to love baseball? Many historians trace
the origins of baseball in Panama to the existence of the Canal
Zone, the colony established by the U.S. during the construction
of the Panama Canal, although more precise information is rather
scarce.
Most experts agree,
however, that the birth of Panamanian baseball ocurred circa 1903,
the year of the country's independence from Colombia. Back then,
the Americans managed the Panama railroad as well as a large number
of facilities located along the track, between Panama City and Colón.
Games between U.S railroad employees and merchants took place regularly,
especially on Sundays. With the establishment of the Canal Zone
a year later, some of the first organized teams appeared: Swift
Sure, Estrellas del Pacífico, 20th Century and the most popular
one, the Panama Athletic Club, the players of which were identified
by the leters PAC on their uniforms.
In Colón, the
country's Caribbean capital, the first teams to appear on the fields
were the Aspinwall Baseball Club (ABC) and the Colón Baseball
Club (CBC).
Baseball was definitely
one of the few forms of entertainment available in a time when political
instability, disease and the anxieties brought about by the construction
of the Canal affected all residents of the Isthmus. The practice
of the sport thrived and extended beyond the limits of the Canal
Zone.
At the international
level
After decades of "infancy", Panamanian baseball
matured and reached a high position internationally between the
1940’s and 1960’s, but declined somewhat with the development
of the sport in Asia. During the country's heyday, the "Yankees
del Carta Vieja", the champions of the Professional League
of Panama, managed to win the Second Baseball Series of the Caribbean,
held in San Juan, Puerto Rico in 1950.
First Panamanian
in the major leagues
Less than a decade after Jackie Robinson broke the color
barrier in U.S. baseball, his Panamanian namesake, Humberto Valentino
Robinson, a native of Colón, joined the Milwaukee Braves
on April 20, 1955, becoming the first Panamanian to play in a U.S.
major league team. Since then, 38 Isthmians have appeared on the
diamond fields of North America, some names more famous than others.
The list includes: Gil Garrido, Rutherford "Chico" Salmon,
Eduardo "Coca-Cola" Acosta, Iván Murrell, Manuel
De Jesús Sanguillén, Benjamin Oglive, and more recently
Carlos Lee, Mariano Rivera and Ramiro Mendoza.
Panamanian hall-of-fame star, Rod
Carew.
The greatest
of all
There is no doubt that Rodney Carew is the greatest Panamanian
baseball player of all times. A member of the Hall of Fame, Carew
won the American league's batting championship seven times, and
boasts over 3,000 hits in his record.
Closely following his
footsteps are Mariano Rivera, of the New York Yankees and Carlos
Lee, who recently signed a US$100-million contract with the Chicago
Cubs.
Baseball for
all ages!
Local players not only aspire to join the major leagues
in the U.S and Asia. They also play for fun and for regional pride.
The months of January and February are the junior league season
in Panama in which teams from all provinces participate, cheered
by large groups of fans who display provincial colors with pride,
although this almost never leads to violence. The same takes place
during the senior league games, which start right after the pre-Lenten
Carnival (February/March).
