Though you may not be able to buy "peanuts and cracker jack", a baseball game in Puerto Rico is an economical and fun evening out. Every winter (from November through January), baseball heats up on the island. Not only do we have local players on the teams, but some of the US league players come down to keep in shape and play in their off-season.

So, if you are having baseball withdrawal, catch a game while you’re here — I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

Local League & Teams

For over 70 years, Puerto Rico has had a its own baseball league. A number of the local athletes that have played in our league have gone onto bigger things, like the Major and Minor leagues in the States, and other divisions and leagues around the world. The local league was recently renamed to the Puerto Rico Baseball League.

There are 6 teams from different parts of the island that compete in the league. The winners of this league go on to participate in the Caribbean World Series. Also, during the winter season this year, there are inter-league games with teams from the Dominican Republic. All in all, there are about 42 scheduled games this season.

The 2009-2010 season began on November 12 and runs until the end of January.

Though there are 6 teams in the league, only 5 of them are competing this season: Leones de Ponce (Ponce Lions), Los Criollos de Caguas (Caguas Creoles), Los Lobos de Arecibo (Arecibo Wolves), Los Indios de Mayaguez (Mayaguez Indians) and Los Gigantes de Carolina (Carolina Giants). The sixth team is Los Cangrejeros de Santurce (Santurce Crabbers) but they are not playing this season.

A Recent Game

I am not a huge baseball fan, but I can follow along. I enjoyed this game very much. It was the Carolina Giants against the Arecibo Wolves, played in the Estadio Roberto Clemente Walker in Carolina — only about 20 minutes from our home and vacation rental.

My first observation is that not all that many people go to the games. I really don’t understand why not! Since there were so few spectators, we got a great parking spot and great seats. My second observation is that it is really a bargain! Parking was only $2.00. Adult tickets range in prices from $4.00 to $6.00. Kids are half-price. And, honestly, I didn’t see anyone checking tickets once you got into the stadium. So I bet (especially on slow nights) you could buy the cheapest tickets and move to any seat in the stands. We paid for the "best" seats (a whole $6.00 each) and sat in the front row along the first base line.

If I had to guess, I’d say there was a maximum of 150 spectators in the whole stadium. I think the stadium can hold about 12,000 people. As you can see in the pictures, it was empty!

One odd thing that I noticed was that, with the exception of a few enthusiastic fans, the crowd was pretty quiet. But this game, which lasted about 3 hours, had its share of exciting moments. The pitchers did a great job. Two batters actually splintered their bats. A number of foul balls went up into the stands. The best moment was when a batter hit the ball out of the park with the bases loaded — a grand slam that cinched the game for the Arecibo Wolves. The final score was Arecibo 6, Carolina 2.

The game was a really family friendly experience. Besides the great ticket price, the players are really friendly.

Kids would hang out by the dugout and occasionally, as the catcher was walking back after an inning, he would throw a ball up to the kids.

As the players came off the field between innings, they would wave or smile to the kids, or even talk/gesture to the spectators cheering them on (or heckling them!).

We had guests staying in our rental home that went to the stadium hoping to catch a game in late October. Since it was before the season started, they ended up sitting in on a practice session. After practice, some of the players spent some time talking with the kids and gave them an autographed baseball. Really nice!

The Roberto Clemente Walker Stadium

The stadium is big, beautiful and well-maintained. It has the typical big-screen scoreboard, so you could see the score and who was pitching and batting. The bathrooms were plentiful and clean. The snack bar had reasonably priced food and beverages, with some typical Puerto Rican food (like plantain chips and pinchos), some regular ballpark fare (like popcorn, hamburgers and hot dogs). The local Medalla beer was $3/can, and the beer guy came around in the stands every 5 minutes or so. There was even a bar for mixed drinks, with a waitress to bring them to you if you didn’t want to get up and risk missing the action. There were security guards around, but there were no issues that needed them. There was plenty of parking (and close to the stadium entrance since there were so few spectators).

Other Stadiums

I have not been to the other stadiums, so things and prices may be different than at the Roberto Clemente Walker Stadium. But, for completeness, here’s the list:

• Los Criollos de Caguas home games are at Estadio Yldelfonso Solá Morales
• Los Indios de Mayaguez home games are at Estadio Luis A. "Canena" Márquez in Aguadilla
• Los Lobos de Arecibo home games are at Estadio Luis Rodríguez Olmo
• Leones de Ponce home games are at Estadio Francisco Paquito Montaner
• Los Cangrejeros de Santurce home games are at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan (when they are playing). This stadium is the closest one to San Juan.
   

The Details

The cost of tickets at the Roberto Clemente Walker Stadium are $4.00 to $6.00 for adults. Children get a 50% discount on the general and preferred tickets. There was a VIP ticket window (I assume for box seats) but I did not see the price. Other stadiums may charge other prices, but they are all economical. Tickets can be purchased at the Boleteria (ticket window) at the stadium.

All games start at 7:15 pm, Monday – Saturday. On Sundays, games start at 5:15 pm, except for the the Roberto Clemente Walker Stadium, which starts at 6:05 pm on Sundays. And they seem to start on time, so don’t be late!

You can visit the Puerto Rico Baseball League web site for more information. The 2009-2010 schedule is on the right side under Noticias, click “Presione Aqui”.

Bring an umbrella with you. The season is during a wet time of year, so showers come and go. The game we went to continued through a light rain. Many people got up and moved to covered sections of the stands during the showers.

I don’t know if it is allowed or not, but no one checked our bag for food or beverages. I assume you could try to bring something in with you, though the prices were not outrageous at the park for the snacks and drinks they offered.

The Roberto Clemente Walker Stadium is on Route 3. From San Juan, take expressway 26 past the SJU airport into Carolina and get onto Route 3 East. In 2½ miles, you’ll see the stadium on the left just after you go over a river. From Rio Grande, Luquillo, Fajardo and other eastern areas, take Route 3 West and exit before getting on the overpass. You’ll see the stadium on your right.

You can locate the Roberto Clemente Walker Stadium on our Interactive Island Map