Leones del Escogido

The Escogido Baseball Club, better known by its commercial name Leones del Escogido, (English: Chosen One Lions or Lions of the Chosen or Picked Lions) is a professional baseball team in the Dominican Professional Baseball League (LIDOM). Founded on February 17, 1921, it is one of two franchises in LIDOM based in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, the other being Tigres del Licey, and both teams share Estadio Quisqueya Juan Marichal as their home ballpark venue.

Leones are the third most successful team in the Dominican Winter League surpassed only by Tigres del Licey and Águilas Cibaeñas, having won 18 national championships and 5 Caribbean Series titles.

History Leones del Escogido was founded in February 17, 1921 to be able to surpass 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". Its main pioneers were Carlos Manuel Bonetti Burgos "Pilindo", Luis Alfau, J. Enrique Alfau, Eusebio Martínez, and Federico Nina.

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

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.

Retired numbers

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.

Season Manager Runner-up1922Luis AlfauTigres del Licey1955–56Frank GenoveseÁguilas Cibaeñas1956–57Red DavisTigres del Licey1957–58Salty ParkerEstrellas Orientales1959–60Pete Reiser1960–61Pepe LucasÁguilas Cibaeñas1968–69Andy GilbertEstrellas Orientales1980–81Felipe AlouÁguilas Cibaeñas1981–82Estrellas Orientales1987–88Phil Regan1988–89Tigres del Licey1989–90Felipe AlouÁguilas Cibaeñas1991–92Estrellas Orientales2009–10Ken OberkfellGigantes del Cibao2011–12Aguilas Cibaeñas2012–13Audo Vicente2015–16Luis RojasTigres del Licey2024-25Albert PujolsTigres del Licey2025-26Ramon SantiagoToros del Este Total championships 19

Caribbean Series Championships Leones del Escogido have won five Caribbean Series in their history.

Year Venue Finish Wins Losses Win% Manager1988 Santo Domingo 1st 4 2 Phil Regan1990 Miami 1st 5 1 Felipe Alou2010 Margarita Island 1st 5 1 Ken Oberkfell2012 Santo Domingo 1st 4 2 Ken Oberkfell2025 Mexicali 1st 4 2 Albert Pujols2026 Zapopan 4th 3 2 Ramón Santiago Total 25 10

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

Leones del Escogido

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