Scorpion A

White text and image of scorpion over blue background.

The Alemandares Alacranes, or Scorpions, were a Cuban baseball club formed in 1878. They were the third baseball club established in Cuba after the Habana and Matanzas clubs who, in the same year, formed the professional Cuban League. In 1886, 6,000 fans came out to watch the championship game between Alemandares and Habana. Many major league teams in the United States including the St. Louis Cardinals and the Boston Red Sox traveled to Cuba to play baseball throughout the early 20th century. This ended in 1959 when travel restrictions limited access to the country. In 1999, the Baltimore Orioles played against Habana–the first American team to play against a Cuban team in 40 years.