Leones del Escogido

History

The Leones del Escogido was founded in February 1921 to be able to surpass the Tigres del Licey, which since that time has been the most winning team in the league. It was devised to form the new team, composed of the best players of Los Muchachos, San Carlos and Delco Lite, leading to the disintegration of them and forming a kind of "Dream Team".

The ''Leones''' record book is dominated by the Alou brothers: Matty, Felipe, and Jesús. The brothers hold the first, second, and third spots in the team's record book for the following: games played, runs, at bats, hits, home runs and RBIs. Matty and Felipe are one-two in several more categories, including walks and stolen bases. Felipe Alou is also the most successful manager, winning four championships.

2009–10 season

The Leones enjoyed a very successful first year with new ownership. They won their third straight "City Championship Trophy" over Tigres del Licey, their rivals who share Estadio Quisqueya in Santo Domingo, after winning six of their ten regular season games against Licey. They followed this by winning the regular season with a 30-19 record, and won their thirteenth Winter League Championship, ending their 18-year National Championship drought. Leones represented the Dominican Republic in the Caribbean Series, and won their third title with a 5-1 record.

2010–11 season

On 20 March 2010, General Manager Moisés Alou announced that Ken Oberkfell will return to manage Leones del Escogido for the 2010–2011 season. The team won their fourth straight City Championship Trophy this season, securing the season series with their win over Licey on 9 December. Leones made it to the postseason, but failed to reach the finals, which were eventually won by Toros del Este.

2011–12 season

After struggling in the regular season, Leones clinched a spot in the Round Robin. They finished the Round Robin in first place, setting up a 9-game Finals against Aguilas. Despite blowing a commanding 3-0 series lead, Leones won their fourteenth championship in dramatic fashion with a come from behind win in game 9. Leones also won the Caribbean Series hosted by Dominican Republic.

2012–13 season

Leones again struggled in the regular season, but won their final three games to force a one-game playoff against Gigantes del Cibao. Leones won the game 5-2, and joined Águilas Cibaeñas, Toros del Este, and Estrellas Orientales in the Round Robin. Águilas and Leones advanced to the Final, ending the Round Robin in 17 games. Leones swept Águilas in 5 games to win their third crown in four years and their fifteenth overall.

Leones cruised in the Caribbean Series group stage, winning 5 out of 6 games, but lost the final to Mexico in 18 innings 4-3.

2013–14 season

On 1 December 2013, Leones beat Tigres del Licey 1-0 and secured the City Championship Trophy. Leones won the regular season with 31-19, qualifying for the Round Robin. On 14 January 2014, Jon Leicester, Ramon Garcia, Fernando Rodney, and Armando Rodriguez threw a combined no-hitter to Licey, clinching the Round Robin and home field advantage in the Finals. It was just the 8th no-hitter in the history of Dominican Winter League. They faced Tigres del Licey in the Finals, losing the series 5-3.

2014–15 season

Leones had a disappointing season, finishing in last place. Licey also failed to reach the playoffs, making it the first time in the league's history that both teams from Santo Domingo missed the postseason.

2015–16 season

Leones finished the season with a 25-25 record, enough for third place in the standings and qualifying to the semifinal round. After 18 games in the semifinals, Leones and Toros del Este were tied with a 9-9 record, and had to play a decisive extra game, which Leones won 7-2. This sent the team to the finals against archrivals Tigres del Licey, just one year after they both failed to qualify for the postseason for the first time in history. In the best-of-nine finals, Leones jumped to a commanding 4-0 lead, before losing game 5 in the 9th inning. The team won their 16th Championship in game 6, when they defeated the Tigres del Licey 8-3. In the 2016 Caribbean Series celebrated in Estadio Quisqueya, Leones finished in last place with a 0-4 record.

Championship history

Leones del Escogido won the first championship in 1922 of a short-lived professional baseball era from 1922 to 1937, but only the current Winter League format established in 1951 is widely accepted.

Caribbean Series Championships

Leones del Escogido have won six Caribbean Series in their history.

Notable players

• Julio Rodríguez
• Felipe Alou
• Jesús Alou
• Matty Alou
• Rafael Bautista
• Wilson Betemit
• Mario Brito
• Junior Caminero
• Starlin Castro
• Francisco Cordero
• José DeLeón
• Octavio Dotel
• Juan Encarnación
• Julio Franco
• Wander Franco
• Rafael Furcal
• Pedro Guerrero
• Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
• Wilton Guerrero
• Rufino Linares
• Francisco Liriano
• Pepe Lucas
• Juan Marichal
• Starling Marte
• Quinton McCracken
• Raúl Mondesí
• José "Makey" Moreno
• Junior Noboa
• David Ortiz
• Neifi Pérez
• Albert Pujols
• Luis Pujols
• Steve Ratzer
• Tim Raines
• Alex Rodriguez
• Juan Samuel
• Sammy Sosa
• Mario Soto
• Yoshitomo Tsutsugoh
• Juan Uribe
• Tim Wallach
• Enrique Wilson