Founded in 1921, Leones del Escogido are one of the oldest professional baseball clubs in the Caribbean. The 'Red Lions' call Estadio Quisqueya in Santo Domingo their home — sharing the stadium with their fierce rivals Tigres del Licey, making Quisqueya the site of the Caribbean's most intense urban baseball rivalry. Escogido's red-and-white colors fill half the stadium on derby nights; the other half belongs to Licey. Between them, they have shaped Dominican winter baseball for over a century.
Five Caribbean Series championships spanning from 1988 to 2025 confirm Escogido's status among the game's elite winter-ball franchises. The club has served as the launching ground for Dominican superstars including Sammy Sosa, who developed within the Escogido organization before becoming one of baseball's most famous players. Their 2025 championship in Mexicali — defeating Mexico's Charros de Jalisco — was their most recent title, a statement that the Red Lions' century-long excellence shows no signs of fading.
Founded: 1921 · Location: Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic · League: LIDOM (Dominican Professional Baseball League) · Country: Dominican Republic · Caribbean Series titles: 5 · Title years: 1988, 1990, 2010, 2012, 2025 · Appearances: 12+
1988 — First Crown at Home. Leones del Escogido claimed their inaugural Caribbean Series title hosting the 1988 tournament in Santo Domingo, putting the Red Lions on the international baseball map in front of a packed Estadio Quisqueya.
1990 — Back-to-Back in Miami. Two years after their first title, Escogido won again — this time in neutral Miami — confirming their status as the Dominican winter ball powerhouse of the late 1980s and early 1990s.
2025 — Mexicali Redemption. After more than a decade since their 2012 crown, the Red Lions regained the Caribbean Series championship in Mexicali, Mexico, a victory that celebrated the club's enduring excellence and their century of Dominican baseball service.