Baseball in Spain

Baseball began relatively early in Spain thanks to the descendants of immigrants from Cuba. They brought the sport along with them when Cuba ceased to be a Spanish Colony. [ [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baseball_in_Cuba Baseball in Cuba] ] & [ [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pops_club_de_beisbol Cuban baseball's historical influence in Spain] ] & The heyday of baseball in Spain was in the 1950s and 1960s. [ [http://www.rfebeisbolsofbol.com/salonfama/museo/frsala05.htm Pictures of Spanish baseball teams during the golden age of baseball in Spain] ] ] Owing to mass-interest in football (soccer) many baseball clubs didn't survive into the 1970s. The Spanish public's massive shift in focus was triggered mainly by the introduction of multiple TV channels that focused mainly on broadcasting the soccer matches of "La Liga", the professional First Division Spanish League. One of the few survivors was the Club Beisbol Viladecans, whose field was officially used during the 1992 Summer Olympics.

The Spanish baseball league is divided into divisions. The top teams play in the "División de Honor". In each division, a team plays all other teams twice, once at home and once away, and two matches in the same day, during the regular season. The top three teams at the end of the regular season play in the Final Playoff competing for the title of Spanish ACB Champion and the last three play the promotion for the relegation. The champion and other top teams play in the various European leagues and championships.

The Spanish league teams compete in Europe under CEB most notably in the Baseball Champions League and CEB cup.

The Spanish teams also compete in a domestic cup competition each year, called the Copa del Rey de Beisbol.

Current hierarchical divisional breakdowns

* División de Honor (two groups of 6 teams each)
* Primera División (two groups: A:3 teams/ B:4 teams)

For a list of teams, see List of baseball clubs in Spain

Other competitions

*Copa del Rey de Beisbol
*Spain national baseball team

ee also

*Baseball in Cuba

References & External links

* [http://www.rfebeisbolsofbol.com Royal Spanish Baseball and Softball Federation]