The Rapiños de Occidente (Western Raptors) was a

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

n baseball club that played from 1957 through 1963 in the Liga Occidental de Béisbol Profesional (Western Professional Baseball League). They played their home games at the old olympic stadium based in Maracaibo, Zulia.

Team history

The Rapiños (rah-pee'nyoz) were the most successful team during the 10 years of existence of the league, while collecting a total of five titles during their six seasons in the circuit. The team entered the league in the 1957–1958 tournament as a replacement for the departed

Gavilanes de Maracaibo The Gavilanes de Maracaibo was a Venezuelan professional baseball club based in Maracaibo, the capital city of Zulia state. The team was founded by the brothers and ballplayers Ernesto Aparicio and Luis Aparicio, Sr., and debuted in the extinct Z ...

. Managed by Ira Hutchinson, the Rapiños won their first pennant in their league debut. Following an agreement between the

Venezuelan Professional Baseball League The Venezuelan Professional Baseball League or Liga Venezolana de Béisbol Profesional (LVBP) is the professional baseball league in Venezuela. The league's champion takes part in the Caribbean Series each year. History Early years Baseball exp ...

and the LOBP, the interleague playoff games would be played immediately following the end of their respective 1957–1958 seasons. As a result, the winning team would represent Venezuela in the

1958 Caribbean Series The tenth edition of the Caribbean Series (''Serie del Caribe'') was played in 1958. It was held from February 8 through February 13 with the champions teams from Cuba, Tigres de Marianao; Panama, Carta Vieja Yankees; Puerto Rico, Criollos de C ...

. Then, the Rapiños were swept by the

Industriales de Valencia The Industriales de Valencia was a baseball club who played from 1955 through 1968 in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League. The Industriales joined the league as a replacement for the Santa Marta BBC. The Industriales were based at Valencia ...

, 4–0, in the best-of-seven series. After that, the Rapiños won three consecutive pennants to set a record of four titles in a row in Venezuelan baseball history. In the same way, catcher/manager

Les Moss John Lester Moss (May 14, 1925 – August 29, 2012) was an Americans, American professional baseball player, Coach (baseball), coach, Scout (sports), scout and Manager (baseball), manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the S ...

posted a managing record with his three consecutive titles. Both records still remain intact. The Rapiños failed again in the 1958–1959 playoffs series, losing to the

Indios de Oriente The Indios de Oriente was a baseball club which played from 1956 through 1964 in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League. They played its home games at the Estadio Municipal de Puerto La Cruz in Anzoátegui, Venezuela. History The Indios de O ...

in the maximum of seven games. A new opportunity arose when the 1959–1960 Venezuelan Professional Baseball League season was suspended due to a players' strike, and the Rapiños were invited to participate in the

1960 Caribbean Series The twelfth edition of the Caribbean Series (''Serie del Caribe'') was a baseball tournament held from February 10 through February 15, 1960 featuring the champion teams from Cuba (Cienfuegos), Panama (Marlboro), Puerto Rico (Caguas) and Venezuel ...

. The team ended in last place with a 1-5 record, while their only victory came at expense of the Puerto Rico team. The team clinched their fourth pennant in the 1960–1961 season, but the beginning of the end came when the 1961–1962 was cancelled. After that, the league resumed operations in 1962–1963, while the Rapiños claimed their fifth pennant, but the average attendance was less than half what it was in previous years. Finally, the LOBP folded on December 3, 1963, due to economic pressure and internal conflicts, just one month later after starting the 1963–1964 season. The Rapiños faded with the league, standing in last place with a record of 6-13, when the four team circuit disbanded.

Regular Season Team Records

Notable players

* Fritz Ackley *

Teolindo Acosta Teolindo Antonio Acosta Lázaro (July 23, 1937 — August 2, 2004) was a Venezuelan professional baseball player. Listed at 5' 7", 168 lb., he batted and threw left handed. (Spanish) Acosta was a distinguished batter in his homeland. As a resul ...

Luis Aparicio Luis Ernesto Aparicio Montiel (born April 29, 1934), nicknamed "Little Louie", is a Venezuelan former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a shortstop from 1956 to 1973 for three American League (AL) teams, m ...

Bob Aspromonte Robert Thomas Aspromonte (born June 19, 1938) is an American former professional baseball player and business entrepreneur. He played as a third baseman in Major League Baseball in and then from to , most prominently as a member of the newly for ...

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Ted Bowsfield Edward Oliver Bowsfield (born January 10, 1935) is a Canadian former professional baseball player. A left-handed pitcher born in Vernon, British Columbia, and raised in Penticton, he appeared in 215 games pitched in Major League Baseball over seve ...

* Angel Bravo *

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Johnny Callison John Wesley Callison (March 12, 1939 – October 12, 2006) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 16 seasons and is best known for the 10 years he spent with the Philadelphia Phillies as a right ...

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* Norm Cash *

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* Jerry Dahlke * Dutch Dotterer * Tom Flanigan * Luis ″Camaleón″ García *

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* Ed Hobaugh * Dave Hoskins * Stan Johnson *

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* Lewis Joyce *

Julián Ladera Julián Ladera (July 15, 1928 – September 14, 1973) was a Venezuelan professional baseball pitcher. Listed at 5' 10" (1.82 m), 165 lb (65 kg), he batted and threw right-handed.Gutiérrez, Daniel; Alvarez, Efraim; Gutiérrez (h), Dani ...

Barry Latman Arnold Barry Latman (May 21, 1936 – April 28, 2019) was an American professional All Star Major League Baseball pitcher. Early and personal life Latman was born in Los Angeles, California, and was Jewish. Latman would not pitch on the Jewish H ...

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* Billy Muffett *

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Larry Raines Lawrence Glenn Hope Raines (March 9, 1930 – January 28, 1978) was a middle infielder and second baseman in Major League Baseball who played from 1957 to 1958 for the Cleveland Indians.Ed Rakow Edward Charles Rakow (May 30, 1935 – August 26, 2000), nicknamed "Rock", was an American professional baseball player. The right-handed pitcher appeared in 195 games in Major League Baseball during all or parts of seven seasons (1960–65; 1967 ...

* Mike Roarke *

Floyd Robinson Floyd Andrew Robinson (born May 9, 1936) is a former outfielder in Major League Baseball for the Chicago White Sox (1960–1966), Cincinnati Reds (1967), and the Oakland Athletics and Boston Red Sox (1968). He batted left-handed and threw right ...

Fred Talbot Frederick Wilson Talbot (born 17 December 1949) is a Scottish former television presenter. He spent much of his career in North West England. In February 2015, and again in May 2017, he was found guilty of a string of indecent sexual assaults ...

Bobby Winkles Bobby Brooks Winkles (March 11, 1930 – April 17, 2020) was an American baseball player and coach. After an eight-year career as an infielder in the minor leagues, he became the acclaimed college baseball coach at Arizona State University (ASU) ...

* Corky Withrow

Sources

*Gutiérrez, Daniel; Alvarez, Efraim; Gutiérrez (h), Daniel (2006). ''La Enciclopedia del Béisbol en Venezuela''. LVBP, Caracas.

External links

Historia de la Liga Venezolana de Béisbol Profesional
(Spanish)
La Historia del Béisbol en el Zulia: 1953-1954 – 1999-2000
(Spanish)

(Spanish) {{DEFAULTSORT:Rapinos de Occidente 1957 establishments in Venezuela Defunct baseball teams in Venezuela Liga Occidental de Béisbol Profesional Sport in Maracaibo Baseball teams established in 1957

Team history

Regular Season Team Records

Notable players

See also

Sources

External links