| Carta Vieja Yankees | |
| League: | Panamanian League |
| Former Names: | Licoreros de Carta Vieja |
| League Champs: | 5 |
The Carta Vieja Yankees (Spanish; Castilian: Yanquis de Carta Vieja|link=no), also known as the Licoreros de Carta Vieja (English: Carta Vieja Distillers),[1] [2] were a professional baseball team active in the Panamanian Professional Baseball League in the late 1940s and 1950s. The team's name originated with its sponsor, Carta Vieja Rum; the nickname also reflected the team's success in the Panamanian league and the fact that many of its players were American, hence the comparison to the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball.
Carta Vieja won its first league title in the 1949–50 winter league season, finishing with a 30–15 record to best the runner-up Chesterfield Smokers by seven games.[3] The team was composed largely of American players from organized baseball, with the exception of Panamanians Pat Scantlebury, Frankie Austin, and Vibert Clarke. It went on to win the 1950 Caribbean Series in San Juan, Puerto Rico, the first international title for a Panamanian club.[4] Carta Vieja returned to the Caribbean Series in 1952 and 1960, both held in Panama.[5] However, the team folded before the 1959–60 season, replaced by the Comercios Dodgers franchise.[6]
The name was resurrected in 2001 as the Roneros de Carta Vieja (English: Carta Vieja Rum Distillers), this time representing the provinces of Chiriquí and Bocas del Toro Province; this team, managed by Héctor López, won the 2001–02 season.[7]
Joe Tuminelli Roy Easterwood Stan Andrews Tony Jacobs Spook Jacobs
Pat Scantlebury Webbo Clarke Frankie Austin Jim Brewer
Jean-Pierre Roy
Jim Cronin Jerry Davie Carl Duser Marion Fricano Milt Graff Bill Harris Connie Johnson Spider Jorgensen
Humberto Robinson Billy Shantz Jim Umbricht León Kellman