Clem's Baseball home

Estadio Latinoamericano
Home of the
Havana Industriales
and Metropolitanos *
(1946- )




Estadio Latinoamericano

Key to diagrams

* and neutral site of a Baltimore Orioles exhibition game 1999, and of a Tampa Bay Rays exhibition game in March 22, 2016.


Vital statistics and ratings:
Lifetime Seating capacity Seating rows
(typical)
Overhang / shade % Territory
(1,000 sq. ft.)
Fence height  CF
orien- tation
Back-stop Outfield dimensions The Clem Criteria:
Built Status 1st deck 2nd deck Upper deck Lower deck Upper deck Fair Foul LF CF RF Left
field
Left-center Center field Right-center Right field Field
asym- metry
Arch.
design
Seat
prox- imity
Loc- ation Aesth- etics Over- all
1946 OLD 50,000 42 - - 80% - 102.7 28.5 ? ? ? NNE (56) 325 (352) 400 (352) 325 1 5 7 5 7 5.0

(Parentheses indicated estimated distances to the backstop and to the actual power alleys.)

thumbnail With just one big deck, Estadio Latinoamericano seems like it belongs in the minor league status, but the large seating capacity indicates otherwise. The outfield dimensions are similar to those of Estadio Monterrey (Mexico) and Hiram Bithorn Stadium (Puerto Rico). The outfield fence is perpendicular to the foul lines, however, so the power alleys are quite short. Likewise, the architectural design reflects the "Latin American style": inclined light towers, and enclosed bullpens in front of the stands not far from the dugouts. (See Latin American Leagues.)

One striking feature is the large bleachers, with three distinct terraces separated by lateral walkways and dual staircases. Those bleachers, coupled with the large roof covering a single deck, is similar to Sick's Stadium, where the Seattle Pilots played in 1969. Luxury suites? Not in this socialist paradise!

The stadium is located a couple miles west of downtown Havana, in a semi-residential neighborhood that lacks any parking lots. (Privately-owned cars are not very common in Cuba, of course.) Just to the north there is a high-rise apartment building, from which residents can presumably watch baseball for free.

On March 22, 2016, Presidents Barack Obama and Raul Castro attended an exhibition baseball game here, between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Cuban national team. It was the first time an American president had visited Cuba since the 1920s. The visiting team won, 4-1. Photographs indicate that the roof near the left field corner was being repaired in early 2016, and it is unclear whether that job was completed before the historic presidential visit.

SOURCES: baseball-reference.com, Washington Post, AP

FAN TIPS: Callum Hughson


Vox populi: Fans' impressions

Have you been to this stadium? If so, feel free to share your impressions of it with other fans! (Registration is required.) Also, I welcome submissions of original stadium photos that fans have taken, and will make sure they get properly credited. Just send me an e-mail message via the Contact page.


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