1977–78 Cuban National Series
1977–78 Cuban National Series
The 1977–78 Cuban National Series was a watershed in that it coincided with Cuba's administrative restructuring of 1977, which created fourteen provinces. Pinar del Río's Vegueros won the title, with a slim victory over Havana's Industriales.
Restructuring
Teams were renamed along these lines, many taking the names of their new locations.
Three provinces kept two teams:
Havana (city): Industriales and Metropolitanos
Pinar del Río Province: Vegueros and Forestales
Matanzas Province: Citricultores and Henequeneros
Additionally, the special administrative area of Isla de la Juventud had its own team, despite not being a province.
This league structure survives today in a similar form.
The 1977-78 season was also the first in which aluminum bats were used league-wide replacing the wooden bats, and was also the first in which the designated hitter was used, replacing the pitcher's turn at bat, following an off-season decision by the Baseball Federation of Cuba and by the National Sports Institution, following the lead of the American League of Major League Baseball 4 years before.
Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vegueros (Pinar del Río) | 36 | 14 | .720 | |
| Industriales | 35 | 16 | .686 | 1½ |
| Camagüey | 30 | 21 | .588 | 6½ |
| Forestales (Pinar del Río) | 29 | 21 | .580 | 7 |
| Metropolitanos | 28 | 21 | .571 | 7½ |
| Villa Clara | 28 | 21 | .571 | 7½ |
| Cienfuegos | 29 | 22 | .568 | 7½ |
| Guantánamo | 28 | 22 | .560 | 8 |
| Ciego de Ávila | 26 | 23 | .530 | 9 |
| Citricultores (Matanzas) | 27 | 24 | .529 | 9½ |
| Granma | 25 | 25 | .500 | 11 |
| Santiago de Cuba | 25 | 25 | .500 | 11 |
| La Habana | 21 | 26 | .446 | 13½ |
| Holguín | 22 | 28 | .440 | 14 |
| Sancti Spíritus | 20 | 30 | .400 | 16 |
| Henequeneros (Matanzas) | 16 | 30 | .347 | 18 |
| Las Tunas | 12 | 37 | .244 | 23½ |
| Isla de Pinos | 10 | 41 | .196 | 26½ |