Baseball is considered the national sport of Cuba.
It was first played on the island around 1865-1866. According to some information gathered, the first Baseball Championship in Cuba was held in 1878 and it was organised by Emilio Saborit, who was the manager of Havana's team. Sometime earlier, in 1874, the first two teams were formed. On December 27, of that same year, a team played the first baseball game from Matanzas against Havana. This game took place in the historic Palmar de Junco Stadium, in the province of Matanzas.