The big question for me, of course, was which team he was rooting for- but before that we had a laugh at the team names. ‘Potros’ is Spanish for ‘Colt,’ and so in Santa Isabel you have the Ponies and the Colts.
Which team did Oscar root for, then?
He started laughing. “Oh no, we don’t play favorites. We’re happy to be able to support both teams here at Pattern Energy.”
Baseball got started in Puerto Rico back in the late 19th Century. In 1897, two baseball clubs were formed, the Almendares Baseball Club, and the Borinquen Baseball Club.
They faced off in 1898 in the first nine inning baseball game played in Puerto Rico; the Borinquen beat the Almendares, 3-0. (They would meet to play again that year, and the Borinquen won again, 9-3).
From then on, baseball grew in popularity in Puerto Rico and hasn’t let up since. As of 2016, there were more than 100 Major League Baseball players active in the Puerto Rico Baseball League, as well as many more from the past.
Some of the most famous players in Major League Baseball come from Puerto Rico, such as Roberto Clemete and Yadier Molina. Today the island has 78 towns hosting 42 teams!
Because we enjoy being a part of the communities we serve, when Facility Manager Oscar Velazquez was approached by the Santa Isabel teams, he was happy to support them. Pattern Energy is proud to sponsor both the Los Potros de Santa Isabel and the Santa Isabel Ponies.
Playing for Passion
The Superior Double-A League is Puerto Rico’s semi-pro league. There are eight divisions, with each division having five to six teams.
The league’s season starts in February, and goes through spring and summer culminating in the Carnival de Campeones (Carnival of Champions) in the fall.
The players earn a small stipend for each game they play- this isn’t major league baseball and the players are in it for the love of the game.
Last year the season was canceled due to the pandemic; in 2021 everyone was ready for baseball!
“I was invited to opening day this year,” Oscar told me, “but I wasn’t able to go. I’m glad we were able to support both our local teams, and we hope to keep doing so in the future.”
Pattern Helps
“It’s really great being able to help our community in different ways,” Oscar said proudly. “We all try to help each other here, and everyone in Puerto Rico loves baseball. It was our honor to offer them support.”
Thanks to donations by Pattern Energy, both the Potros and Ponies were able to meet needs for equipment, uniforms and more.
The big question for me, of course, was which team he was rooting for- but before that we had a laugh at the team names. ‘Potros’ is Spanish for ‘Colt,’ and so in Santa Isabel you have the Ponies and the Colts.
Which team did Oscar root for, then?
He started laughing. “Oh no, we don’t play favorites. We’re happy to be able to support both teams here at Pattern Energy.”
Play Ball!