Anniversary of Victoria de Girón Stadium.
Victoria de Girón Stadium has recently begun its journey toward its 50th anniversary, boasting a meticulously maintained and high-quality appearance that places it among the best baseball parks in the country—a source of pride for the people of Matanzas.
On February 20th, 1977, the opening day of the third Selective Baseball Series, Victoria de Girón Stadium in Matanzas was inaugurated with a game between the Havana and Matanzas teams.
That afternoon—49 years ago—we witnessed the tremendous enthusiasm of the fans who filled the park in recognition of the effort made by the masses in the construction of the facility, for the presence of the leader of the Revolution, Fidel Castro, and because the Citricultores team had recently won the national championship under the leadership of Juan Bregio, creating a great sporting fervor in the province.
The Citricultores’ victory in the 16th Series (1976-1977) brought an end to the national tournaments held at the memorable Palmar de Junco stadium, a witness to so much of our national sport’s history since the mid-19th century. From that day forward, the Victoria de Girón stadium would be the new home of the Matanzas teams.
Around 3:00 p.m., the first game in the new stadium began between the Habana and Matanzas teams. The visitors from the capital were superior 5 runs to 1, thanks to the excellent combined pitching of Eladio Iglesias and Ramón Villabrille, coupled with poor defense by the Matanzas team, who committed five errors. Significantly, that day marked the first time the aluminum bat was used in an official Cuban championship, and television broadcast the game in color nationwide.
Over the years, Victoria de Girón Stadium has hosted the country’s baseball championships, and its fans have enjoyed the victories of Citricultores in 1984, led by Tomás Soto; the two titles of Henequeneros in 1990 and 1991, with «Sile» Junco; as well as the outstanding performances of the Cocodrilos in recent years, always reaching the postseason and achieving their long-awaited victory in the 59th National Series of 2019-2020, managed by Armando Ferrer, a feat they repeated recently in the 64th Series. It has also been the stage for countless national baseball records, including the 1,000 and 2,000 hits by Wilfredo Sánchez; and the 400 home runs by Lázaro Junco. The 234 hits of left-hander Jorge Luis Valdés or the longest game of 24 innings between Havana and Matanzas in 1993.
It has hosted international events such as the José Antonio Huelga Tournaments, the Intercontinental Cups of 1995 and 2002, the 2003 World Championship, games against teams from Mexico, Japan, Canada, and the United States, not to mention the Giraldo Córdova Cardín International Boxing Tournaments of 1977 and 1995. Thanks to the efforts of its workers, with the support of the provincial authorities, Victoria de Girón Stadium recently began its journey toward its 50th anniversary with an image of meticulous care and quality in its facilities, placing it among the best baseball parks in the country, a source of pride for the people of Matanzas.
Written by Francisco Soriano.
