Cuba's baseball 54th National Series begin

The 54th Cuban National Series, the main baseball tournament on the island, began on Sunday with the game between Matanzas and Pinar del Rio.

The first game was played in Captain San Luis Stadium in Pinar del Rio, in Cuba's extreme west.

After the opening game on Sunday, the season will begin earlier for the first time in more than 50 years.

Sixteen teams will take part in the 54th National Series.

In the 54th National Series, three games can be played every day and the qualification stage will have a recess from Nov. 4 to Dec. 5 due to the 2014 Central American and Caribbean Games to be held in Mexico's eastern city of Veracruz.

The playoffs will last until Dec. 19 including 45 games.

On Sept. 25, the eight teams to take part in the qualifying stage will be defined.

The All-Star Game is scheduled to be played on Dec. 27 and 28. Later, another recess will be taken for the New Year holiday and the tournament will resume at the beginning of January 2015.

In February 2015, there will be another recess due to the participation of Pinar del Rio team in the Caribbean Series, to be held in Puerto Rico.

The closing of the 54th National Series will be on March 19, in a match where the champion will be defined.