| Founded: | 1956 |
| Sport: | Baseball |
| Country: | Nicaragua |
| Teams: | 5 |
| Champion: | Gigantes de Rivas (5th title) |
| Most Champs: | Indios del Bóer (9 titles) |
| Website: | http://lbpn.com.ni/ |
The Nicaraguan Professional Baseball League (Spanish; Castilian: Liga de Béisbol Profesional Nacional|links=no or LBPN), known as the Campeonato Claro for sponsorship purposes, is the professional baseball league of Nicaragua. The league consists of five teams with a 30-game regular season schedule that runs from November to December, followed by a four team playoff round robin; the two best teams advance to a best of seven championship series.
Inaugurated on March 30, 1956 at the Estadio Nacional Anastasio Somoza (the modern Estadio Nacional Soberanía), the first game was between San Fernando and Indios del Bóer. The Nicaraguan public's excitement for baseball grew as foreign professional teams and foreign players came to play in their country's winter league circuit. The teams from Bóer and León were the most successful teams in those years with three championships each. Due to economic difficulties, the league had to shut down in 1967, though baseball continued to be played in an amateur format.
Professional baseball was re-established in Nicaragua in 2004. Since then, Bóer has led the league in championships with six, their most recent victory coming in the 2022–23 season.
| Team | City | Stadium | Capacity | Founded | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indios del Bóer | 20,000 | 1905 | |||
| Tigres de Chinandega | 8,000 | 1956 | |||
| Gigantes de Rivas | 6,000 | 2013 | |||
| Leones de León | 8,000 | 1939 | |||
| Tren del Norte | 1,200 | 1961 |
| Season | Champion | |
|---|---|---|
| 1957–58 | ||
| 1958–59 | ||
| 1959–60 | ||
| 1960–61 | No champion | |
| 1961–62 | ||
| 1962–63 | ||
| 1963–64 | Cinco Estrellas | |
| 1964–65 | ||
| 1965–66 | ||
| 1966–67 | ||
| No professional baseball from 1967 to 2004 | ||
| 2004–05 | ||
| 2005–06 | Tigres de Chinandega | |
| 2006–07 | ||
| 2007–08 | ||
| 2008–09 | Season suspended | |
| 2009–10 | ||
| 2011–12 | ||
| 2012–13 | ||
| 2013–14 | ||
| 2014–15 | ||
| 2015–16 | ||
| 2016–17 | ||
| 2017–18 | ||
| 2018–19 | ||
| 2019–20 | ||
| 2020–21 | ||
| 2021–22 | ||
| 2022–23 | ||
| 2023–24 |
| Team | Titles | |
|---|---|---|
| Indios del Bóer | 9 | |
| Leones de León | 7 | |
| Tigres de Chinandega | 4 | |
| Gigantes de Rivas | 3 | |
| Cinco Estrellas | 2 | |
| Oriental | 1 | |
| Marlboro | 1 |
From its inception, the Nicaraguan professional league sought to participate in international club competition. It hosted a tournament billed as the Serie Panamericana, or Pan-American Series, in 1958, inviting the champions of the Colombian and Mexican Pacific Leagues.[1] This tournament, won by Leones de León, was a success; Nicaraguan organizers hoped it would allow them to join the Caribbean Series, but such an invitation was not forthcoming.[2]
The LPBN did participate in the Interamerican Series three times in the 1960s, while the Caribbean Series was suspended. It hosted the 1964 edition, which was won by Cinco Estrellas.
Nicaragua was an inaugural member of the Latin American Series, winning the tournament four times in the 2010s.
The LPBN would not participate in the Caribbean Series until 2024, when it was invited to participate in the tournament in Miami.[3] Their entry was controversial, because it was alleged that the regime of Daniel Ortega offered $1 million to the Caribbean Professional Baseball Confederation to secure the participation in the tournament.[4] [5]
| Season | Winner | |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Gigantes de Rivas | |
| 2017 | Tigres de Chinandega | |
| 2018 | Tigres de Chinandega | |
| 2019 | Leones de León |
| width=4% | Season | width=1% class=unsortable style="border-top:none;border-bottom:none;" | width=13% | Player | width=13% | Team | width=1% class=unsortable style="border-top:none;border-bottom:none;" | width=13% | Player | width=13% | Team | width=1% class=unsortable style="border-top:none;border-bottom:none;" | width=13% | Player | width=13% | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| class=unsortable colspan="3" style="text-align:center;" | Batting average | class=unsortable colspan="3" style="text-align:center;" | Home Runs | class=unsortable style="border-bottom:none;" | RBI | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2004–05 | width=1% class=unsortable rowspan=28 style="border-top:none;border-bottom:none;" | Adolfo Matamoros | .378 | width=1% class=unsortable rowspan=28 style="border-top:none;border-bottom:none;" | Luis Iglesias | 4 | width=1% class=unsortable rowspan=28 style="border-top:none;border-bottom:none;" | Marlon Abea | San Fernando | 33 | |||||||||||||
| Marlon Abea | San Fernando | 4 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005–06 | Bárbaro Cañizares | .352 | Michel Abreu | 14 | Wilson Batista | 42 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2006–07 | .377 | Clyde Williams | 16 | Clyde Williams | 40 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–08 | San Fernando | .351 | Luke Gorsett | 6 | Danilo Sotelo | San Fernando | 32 | ||||||||||||||||
| Jimmy Hurts | San Fernando | 6 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Marcos Sánchez | San Fernando | 6 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009–10 | Granada | .363 | Lenín Aragón | 6 | Lenín Aragón | 38 | |||||||||||||||||
| Edgard López | 38 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010–11 | José Campusano | .363 | Brian Nichols | 10 | Manuel Mejía | 37 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2011–12 | Renato Morales | Granada | .387 | Esteban Ramírez | 12 | 51 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2012–13 | .416 | 13 | 56 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Ramón Flores | 13 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013–14 | .351 | Ronald Garth | Granada | 8 | Esteban Ramírez | 35 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2014–15 | .368 | Rudy Van Heydoorm | 6 | Ramón Flores | 38 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–16 | Jonel Pacheco | .427 | Juan C. Torres | Granada | 6 | Ronald Garth | 30 | ||||||||||||||||
| 2016–17 | .407 | 11 | 55 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017–18 | Javier Robles | .354 | 6 | Elmer Reyes | 34 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2018–19 | Elmer Reyes | .360 | Juan Silverio | 6 | Juan Silverio | 19 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2019–20 | Ofilio Castro | .409 | Alvaro Gonzalez | 10 | Elian Miranda | 31 | |||||||||||||||||
| Alvaro Gonzalez | 31 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2020–21 | Ronald Garth | .400 | 9 | 41 | |||||||||||||||||||
| 9 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2021–22 | Alay Largo | .424 | 11 | Alay Largo | 45 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2022–23 | Manuel Geraldo | .355 | Manuel Geraldo | 7 | Manuel Geraldo | 31 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2023–24 | Omar Mendoza | .358 | Jesus Lopez | 8 | Omar Mendoza | 29 | |||||||||||||||||
| width=4% | Season | width=1% class=unsortable style="border-top:none;border-bottom:none;" | width=13% | Player | width=13% | Team | width=1% class=unsortable style="border-top:none;border-bottom:none;" | width=13% | Player | width=13% | Team | width=1% class=unsortable style="border-top:none;border-bottom:none;" | width=13% | Player | width=13% | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ERA | Win–loss record | Strikeouts | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004–05 | width=1% class=unsortable rowspan=28 style="border-top:none;border-bottom:none;" | Julio Raudez | San Fernando | 1.46 | width=1% class=unsortable rowspan=28 style="border-top:none;border-bottom:none;" | Julio Raudez | San Fernando | 10–3 | width=1% class=unsortable rowspan=28 style="border-top:none;border-bottom:none;" | Miguel Pérez | 99 | ||||||||||||
| 2005–06 | 1.34 | Julio Raudez | 10–0 | Devern Hansack | 89 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2006–07 | José Luis Sáenz | San Fernando | 1.96 | 8–2 | Willy Lebrón | 89 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2007–08 | 1.45 | Diego Sandino | San Fernando | 10–0 | Juan Figueroa | 60 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2009–10 | Wilfredo Amador | 1.95 | Wilder Rayo | 7–2 | Melvin Cuevas | Granada | 57 | ||||||||||||||||
| 2010–11 | Carlos Estrella | Granada | 1.19 | Rodney Rodríguez | Granada | 8–5 | Rodney Rodríguez | Granada | 93 | ||||||||||||||
| 2011–12 | Eric Blackwell | 2.75 | Wilder Rayo | 8–3 | Juan Figueroa | Granada | 74 | ||||||||||||||||
| 2012–13 | Wilder Rayo | 2.06 | Juan Figueroa | Granada | 7–1 | Juan Figueroa | Granada | 79 | |||||||||||||||
| 2013–14 | Carlos Estrella | 1.62 | Carlos Téller | 7–0 | Santos Hernandez | Granada | 71 | ||||||||||||||||
| 2014–15 | Rodney Rodríguez | 2.29 | Paul Estrada | 8–1 | Rodney Rodríguez | 58 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2015–16 | 1.12 | Roger Luque | Granada | 5–2 | Paul Estrada | 52 | |||||||||||||||||
| Abraham Elvira | 52 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016–17 | Gustavo Martínez | Granada | 1.95 | José Rosario | 7–1 | Granada | 58 | ||||||||||||||||
| 2017–18 | Jorge Bucardo | 1.56 | Manauris Baez | 5–0 | Paul Estrada | 49 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2018–19 | Luis Angel Mateo | 3.29 | Jorge Bucardo | 3–0 | Luis Angel Mateo | 35 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2019–20 | Isaac Silva | 2.59 | Carlos Sano | 4–0 | Carlos Sano | 37 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2020–21 | Leónardo Crawford | 2.65 | Willy Paredes | 6-1 | 47 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2021–22 | Bryan Torres | 0.81 | Ronald Medrano | 5-0 | Pedro Fernández | 71 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2022–23 | Edgard Martinez | 2.22 | Yeudy García | 5-0 | Ronald Medrano | 57 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2023–24 | Yeris Gonzalez | 1.69 | Luis Ramirez | 6-2 | Joanner Negrin Perez | 42 | |||||||||||||||||