José Antonio Casanova (February 18, 1918 – July 8, 1999) was a Venezuelan baseball

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball positions, baseball or softball fielding position between second base, second and third base, which is considered to be among the Defensive spectrum, most demanding defensive positions. Historically, the ...

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...

, and executive. He batted and threw right handed. (Spanish) Casanova is regarded as the most successful manager in Venezuelan baseball history. A five-time championship manager, he enjoyed a fruitful managing career in the

Venezuelan Professional Baseball League The Venezuelan Professional Baseball League (, or LVBP) is the top-level professional baseball league in Venezuela. The league's champion takes part in the Caribbean Series each year. History Background and predecessors Baseball had been play ...

(LVBP), winning four titles with the Cervecería Caracas / Leones del Caracas (1948, 1949, 1951) and

Tiburones de la Guaira The Tiburones de La Guaira () are a baseball team in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League (LVBP). Though they nominally represent La Guaira (playing at the Estadio Jorge Luis García Carneiro), they also play home games at the Estadio Un ...

(1964). Overall, he posted a 436–402 record for a .520

winning percentage In sports, a winning percentage or Copeland score is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. The statistic is commonly used in standings or rankings to compare teams or individuals. It is defined as wins divided by the to ...

. Casanova also played on and managed the

Venezuela national baseball team The Venezuela national baseball team (Spanish: ''Selección de béisbol de Venezuela'' or ''Selección de Venezuela)'' is the national team of Venezuela. It is currently ranked third in the world by the World Baseball Softball Confederation, b ...

, leading the country to several international titles in a career that spanned more than three decades.

Career

Born in

Maracaibo Maracaibo ( , ; ) is a city and municipality in northwestern Venezuela, on the western shore of the strait that connects Lake Maracaibo to the Gulf of Venezuela. It is the largest city in Venezuela and is List of cities in Venezuela by population ...

Zulia Zulia State (, ; Wayuu: ''Mma’ipakat Suuria'') is one of the 23 states of Venezuela. The state capital is Maracaibo. As of the 2011 census, it has a population of 3,704,404, the largest population among Venezuela's states. It is also one of t ...

, Casanova started his professional career in unaffiliated Venezuelan first division league, playing for the Centauros, Vencedor, Cardenales and Cervecería clubs. Casanova debuted with Centauros, representing Maracaibo, in 1935 at the age of 17. Playing with the

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

club under manager Manuel Malpica, he won the first division championship 1941, along with fellow ''Zulianos'' Luis Romero Petit and Guillermo Vento. Casanova also played in an exhibition series against the touring Cuban Stars of

Negro league baseball The Negro leagues were United States professional baseball leagues comprising teams of African Americans. The term may be used broadly to include professional black teams outside the leagues and it may be used narrowly for the seven relativel ...

in February 1941. Casanova played for the

that captured the

1941 Amateur World Series The 1941 Amateur World Series was the fourth edition of the Amateur World Series (AWS), an international men's amateur baseball tournament sanctioned by the International Baseball Federation. The tournament took place, for the third consecutive t ...

championship in

Havana Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

, he was part of the three run rally for Venezuela, hitting a ground ball that was mishandled to score

Chucho Ramos Jesús Manuel Ramos García (April 12, 1918 – September 2, 1977) was a Venezuelan outfielder/first baseman in Major League Baseball who played briefly during the season. Listed at 5' 10.5", 167 lb., Ramos batted right-handed and threw l ...

. Casanova's throw to Dalmiro Finol at second base was the final out to secure the world title. He was awarded the honor of

Most Valuable Player In team sports, a most valuable player (MVP) award is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particular competition, or ...

at the tournament. Casanova was part of the Cervecería Princesa club, based in

Maiquetía Maiquetía is a city located in the Central Region of Venezuela, in the state of Vargas. It is at approximately 19 m above sea level on a small shelf between the Caribbean and the mountains behind it. Caracas, the Venezuelan capital, is approxi ...

, when it relocated to the capital and took the name Cervecería Caracas (the team that would become the present-day

Leones del Caracas The Caracas Base Ball Club C.A., better known by its commercial name as the Leones del Caracas, is a professional baseball team of the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League (LVPB). The owner and sole shareholder of the sports club is Ricardo C ...

. He managed Cervecería to a title in 1943. In 1945, Casanova managed the Venezuelan All-Stars in the Serie Monumental, a series played against visiting Negro leaguers such as

Jackie Robinson Jack Roosevelt Robinson (January 31, 1919 – October 24, 1972) was an American professional baseball player who became the first Black American to play in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the modern era. Robinson broke the Baseball color line, ...

and

Roy Campanella Roy Campanella (November 19, 1921 – June 26, 1993), nicknamed "Campy", was an American professional baseball player, primarily as a catcher. The Philadelphia native played in the Negro leagues and Mexican League for nine years before entering ...

. As

player-manager A player–coach (also playing coach, captain–coach, or player–manager) is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. Player–coaches may be head coaches or assistant coaches, and they may make chang ...

of Cervecería Caracas, Casanova was an inaugural manger of the

(along with

Daniel Canónico Daniel Canónico (February 3, 1916 – August 20, 1975) was a Venezuelan baseball right handed pitcher. His friends and fans affectionately called him Chino, a moniker that he proudly used throughout his life. (Spanish). Venezuela Tuya website. ...

, Juan Antonio Yanes, and Manuel Capote) when it played its first professional season in .Gutiérrez F., Daniel; Álvarez, Efraim; Gutiérrez G., Daniel. ''Enciclopedia del Béisbol en Venezuela'' (2006). Liga Venezolana de Béisbol Profesional. He guided the Venezuelan team that clinched championships in the

Baseball World Cup The Baseball World Cup (BWC) was an international baseball tournament for national teams around the world, sanctioned by the International Baseball Federation (IBAF). First held in 1938 as the Amateur World Series (AWS), it was, for most of its ...

in 1944 and 1945, as well as the team that won gold medal at the

1959 Pan American Games The 1959 Pan American Games, officially known as the III Pan American Games and commonly known as Chicago 1959, were held in Chicago, Illinois, United States between August 28 and September 7, 1959. Host city selection One city initially su ...

held in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. After his playing career ended, he served as manager for the Venezuelan Military Academy team during 29 years. Casanova bought the franchise rights to the moribund Licoreros de Pampero of the LVBP in 1962, for the symbolic price of one bolívar. Though he considered reviving the

Santa Marta Santa Marta (), officially the Distrito Turístico, Cultural e Histórico de Santa Marta (), is a port List of cities in Colombia, city on the coast of the Caribbean Sea in northern Colombia. It is the capital of Magdalena Department and the fou ...

club, he ultimately founded the

Tiburones de La Guaira The Tiburones de La Guaira () are a baseball team in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League (LVBP). Though they nominally represent La Guaira (playing at the Estadio Jorge Luis García Carneiro), they also play home games at the Estadio Un ...

team. He was one of the team's first managers, leading the team to a championship in 1965. Casanova left after the championship season, after several disagreements with the executive board, and went on to manage the

Tigres de Aragua The Tigres de Aragua () is a baseball team that plays in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League and represents the state of Aragua. Founded in 1965, the Tigres plays its home games at the Estadio José Pérez Colmenares in Maracay. The team ...

.González and Figueroa Ruiz (2019), 77

Legacy

In 2003, José Antonio Casanova was enshrined into the

Venezuelan Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum The Salón de la Fama y Museo del Béisbol Venezolano (in English, the ''Venezuelan Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum'') is a nonprofit institution operated by private interests, which was founded on April 18, 2002, thanks to the vision of Carlos ...

as part of their first class. He was inducted as well in the Hall in 2006, when the entire 1941 AWS Champion Team was honored. Then, in 2015 he earned a third induction when the 1959 PanAm Games Champion Team was enshrined. A baseball park in Caracas, the Estadio José Antonio Casanova, is named after him.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Casanova, Jose Antonio 1918 births 1999 deaths Baseball managers Caribbean Series managers Cervecería Caracas players Baseball players from Maracay Baseball players from Maracaibo Venezuelan baseball players 20th-century Venezuelan sportsmen Leones del Caracas managers