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.
Leones de Ponce (basketball)
The team's home court is Juan Pachín Vicéns Auditorium, named after the Ponce basketball legend who won several titles with the Leones and was even declared to be the "Best Player of the World" during the 1959 FIBA World Championship in Chile. The auditorium opened on May 12, 1972. Initially it had a maximum capacity of 7,786 but numerous remodelations have increased this to exceed 8,000.