The Liga Occidental de Béisbol Profesional (Western Professional Baseball League) was a baseball circuit that operated between 1954 and 1963 in Maracaibo, the capital city in the Venezuela state of Zulia. The league played their games at the old olympic stadium of Maracaibo.
The LOBP started to operate as a four-team league on December 7, 1954, and was managed by local entrepreneurs under the guidance of George Trautman, an American baseball executive, who also helped the league to join organized baseball to become a professional baseball circuit.
Throughout the years, the league modified the number of games in the schedule and adopted playoffs. A significant innovation came before the 1953–1954 season, when the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League and the LOBP agreed to have the clubs with the best records from each circuit meet in a National Championship Series called El Rotatorio (the rotational), organized by the VPBL, which was the first and only in the league's history.
By then, both leagues were short of teams to play the regular season. Accordingly, the Cervecería Caracas and Navegantes del Magallanes teams represented the VPBL, while the Gavilanes and Pastora clubs represented the LOBP. Then, the Pastora team won the VPBL championship and advanced to the 1954 Caribbean Series.
Following an agreement between the two leagues, the interleague playoff games would be played immediately following the 1957–1958 season. As a result, the winning team would represent Venezuela in the 1958 Caribbean Series. The Rapiños de Occidente won the LOBP pennant, while the Industriales de Valencia did the same in the VPBL. After that, the Industriales swept the Rapiños, 4–0, in the best-of-seven series.
In the next playoff series, the Indios de Oriente VPBL champion team defeated the Rapiños, 4–3, and advanced to the 1959 Caribbean Series. Then, the Rapiños returned in 1959–1960 and won the pennant. This time, the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League season was suspended due to a players' strike, and the Rapiños club was invited to participate in the 1960 Caribbean Series.
During its 10 years of existence, the Zulia league confronted many crises, big and small, in that short period. For a time in the late 1950s, a lack of competitive balance seemed to pose the greatest threat to the league.
The beginning of the end came when the 1961–1962 season was cancelled. After that, the league resumed operations in 1962–1963, but the average attendance was less than half what it was in previous years.
Due to economic pressure, the LOBP folded on December 3, 1963, just one month after starting the 1963–1964 season.
Pastora was the only club that participated in all seasons of the league, winning two pennants, while the most successful team was the Rapiños, who collected a total of five titles during its six seasons in the circuit.
Champion teams in bold
| Team Standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Managers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pastora | 20 | 13 | .606 | – | John Strezza | |
| Cabimas | 19 | 14 | .576 | 1 | Clay Bryant | |
| Espadón | 14 | 19 | .424 | 6 | Ralston Hunsley | |
| Gavilanes | 13 | 20 | .394 | 7 | Fermín Guerra |
| PAS | Batting average | .370 | PAS | Wins | 9 | ||||
| John Malangone | ESP | Home runs | 7 | GAV | Strikeouts | 62 | |||
| CAB | Runs batted in | 27 | Kenneth Hommel | PAS | Earned run average | 0.90 |
| Team Standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Managers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gavilanes | 33 | 21 | .611 | – | ||
| Cabimas | 32 | 22 | .593 | 1 | Clay Bryant | |
| Pastora | 28 | 26 | .519 | 5 | Joe Schultz | |
| Espadón | 15 | 39 | .278 | 18 | Ralston Hunsley |
| GAV | Batting average | .378 | Dave Hoskins Corky Valentine | GAV PAS | Wins | 11 | |||
| CAB PAS | Home runs | 17 | GAV | Strikeouts | 62 | ||||
| PAS | Runs batted in | 52 | GAV | Earned run average | 2.09 |
Note: Espadón did not return and was replaced by Centauros
| Team Standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Managers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gavilanes | 31 | 26 | .544 | – | ||
| Pastora | 29 | 28 | .509 | 2 | Frank Baldwin | |
| Centauros | 28 | 29 | .491 | 3 | Bob Wellman | |
| Cabimas | 26 | 31 | .456 | 5 | Bill Cronin |
| Guilford Dickens | GAV | Batting average | .344 | GAV | Wins | 14 | |||
| CEN | Home runs | 13 | Barney Schultz | GAV | Strikeouts | 62 | |||
| CEN | Runs batted in | 45 | GAV | Earned run average | 1.68 |
Note: Rapiños replaced Gavilanes
| Team Standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Managers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rapiños | 30 | 13 | .698 | – | ||
| Pastora | 21 | 21 | .500 | 9½ | Johnny Temple | |
| Cabimas | 19 | 23 | .452 | 10½ | Bill Cronin | |
| Centauros | 14 | 29 | .326 | 16 | Bob Wellman |
| PAS | Batting average | .368 | PAS | Wins | 9 | ||||
| CEN | Home runs | 15 | RAP | Strikeouts | 104 | ||||
| Jim Greengrass | PAS | Runs batted in | 35 | Barry Latman | RAP | Earned run average | 1.40 |
Note: Gavilanes returned as a replacement for Centauros
| Team Standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Managers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rapiños | 28 | 25 | .528 | – | ||
| Pastora | 27 | 26 | .509 | 1 | Duane Pillette | |
| Gavilanes | 26 | 26 | .500 | 1½ | Red Kress | |
| Cabimas | 21 | 30 | .412 | 6 | Pete Reiser |
| Sammy Miley | PAS | Batting average | ..357 | Dave Hoskins | RAP | Wins | 12 | ||
| GAV | Home runs | 11 | CAB | Strikeouts | 138 | ||||
| GAV | Runs batted in | 40 | RAP | Earned run average | 2.27 |
Classified teams in bold
| Regular season standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Managers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rapiños | 18 | 13 | .581 | – | ||
| Gavilanes | 14 | 17 | .452 | 4 | Jim Fanning | |
| Pastora | 14 | 17 | .452 | 4 | Leslie Peden | |
| Cabimas | 13 | 18 | .419 | 5 | Bill Harris |
| Pastora Rapiños Gavilanes | 7 7 4 | 5 5 8 | .583 .583 .333 | – – 3 | Rapiños Pastora | 4 2 | 2 4 | .667 .333 | – 2 |
| PAS | Batting average | .336 | Ted Bowsfield | RAP | Wins | 14 | |||
| Norman Cash | RAP | Home runs | 14 | RAP | Strikeouts | 135 | |||
| RAP | Runs batted in | 38 | CAB | Earned run average | 2.27 |
Notes:
Cabimas and Gavilanes did not return
The new Maracaibo club folded during the midseason
| Team Standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Managers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rapiños | 30 | 25 | .545 | – | ||
| Pastora | 26 | 30 | .464 | 4½ | Joe Schultz | |
| Maracaibo | 8 | 16 | .333 | n/a | Preston Gómez |
| Camilo Carreon | PAS | Batting average | .303 | Don Rudolph | PAS | Wins | 12 | ||
| PAS | Home runs | 12 | MCB RAP | Strikeouts | 185 | ||||
| PAS | Runs batted in | 37 | MCB RAP | Earned run average | 1.29 |
Note: Cardenales debuted while Cabimas returned
Classified teams in bold
| Regular season standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Managers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rapiños | 21 | 12 | .636 | – | Les Moss | |
| Cardenales | 16 | 15 | .516 | 4 | Earl Weaver Joe Schultz | |
| Pastora | 15 | 18 | .484 | 6 | Frank Lucchesi | |
| Cabimas | 12 | 18 | .387 | 8 | Johnny Werhas |
| Rapiños | 12 | 4 | .750 | – | |
| Cardenales | 9 | 7 | .563 | 3 | |
| Pastora | 2 | 14 | .125 | 10 |
| Deacon Jones | RAP | Batting average | .420 | Fritz Ackley | RAP | Wins | 11 | ||
| RAP | Home runs | 15 | RAP | Strikeouts | 152 | ||||
| RAP | Runs batted in | 49 | RAP | Earned run average | 2.47 |
| Shortened season standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Managers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cardenales | 14 | 3 | .824 | n/a | Rodolfo Fernández | |
| Pastora | 8 | 9 | .471 | n/a | Jimmy Brown | |
| Cabimas | 7 | 10 | .411 | n/a | Dalmiro Finol | |
| Rapiños | 6 | 13 | .316 | n/a | Antonio Briñez |
| CAR | Batting average | .391 | CAR | Wins | 6 | ||||
| CAR PAS | Home runs | 3 | CAR | Strikeouts | 81 | ||||
| CAR | Runs batted in | 18 | CAR | Earned run average | 0.67 |