Baseball in Puerto Rico
By the 1949-50 season, several new ballparks were built, each containing 6,000 or more seats. The largest new stadium was Ponce's Estadio Francisco Montaner with 9,718 seats. Montaner has the distinction of being the first stadium in Puerto Rico that installed an artificial surface field. The installation of lights, which allowed for night games, further boosted stadium attendances. The Stadium was named to honor Francisco "Paquito" Montaner, one of the greatest Puerto Rican pitchers of all times.
José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum
According to Cullen, this level of event assistance puts Puerto Rico at the level of cities like New York City, San Francisco or Dallas. "Pollstar" magazine show business awards also recognized the "Choliseo" after being nominated in the category of International Large Venue of the Year. At the time, the venue was competing with major rivals like the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Shanghai, the O Arena and the Royal Albert Hall, both in London, and the O World in Berlin.