Puerto Rican Baseball

Baseball arrived at the end of the nineteenth century and became the island's sport, and for a population its size Puerto Rico has produced a remarkable number of major leaguers. Roberto Clemente is the figure everyone starts with: an outstanding right fielder for Pittsburgh who died in 1972 when a plane carrying relief supplies to Nicaragua went down, and whose name is on the annual award for humanitarian work in the sport. The winter league, running from November into January, is the local season, played in front of crowds who drum and sing throughout. The Clemente museum and sports city he founded are in Carolina, near the airport.

What you actually see

• A winter league game - November to January, cheap and loud.
• Roberto Clemente Sports City - the complex he founded in Carolina.
• The crowd - drums, horns and singing through every inning.
• The Caribbean Series - hosted here periodically each February.

When to go

The winter league runs from November into January, with the playoffs and the Caribbean Series in early February the peak. Games are mostly evening fixtures. Tickets are cheap and generally available at the gate except for big matches.

Honest expectations

The league has shrunk over the years and the number of teams and quality of play vary from season to season; it is not major league standard. Stadium facilities are basic. Schedules change at short notice, so check the day of the game. Outside the winter months there is nothing to watch.

Nearby

Carolina is next to the airport; Santurce and Caguas have the other main grounds.