The 1969 Amateur World Series was an international baseball tournament held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic from August 15 through August 26, 1969. The competition marked the first time the United States participated in the Amateur World Series since the 1942 tournament. Cuba and the US were both 9-0 when they met in the finals, with Cuba winning 2–1. Gaspar Pérez was the winning pitcher for Cuba and also drove in their first run to tie the game and scored the second, decisive run. Most of the 20,000 fans who watched the finals were pro-Cuba, reportedly due to lingering resentment from the 1965 US invasion of the Dominican Republic.

Participants

The 1969 edition of the Amateur World Series would be a watershed for international competition, as it saw the return of two powerhouses, the United States and Cuba. The United States, which had not participated in the tournament since withdrawing from the 1942 edition, returned after a 27-year absence. After their victory in the

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in Winnipeg, Canada had spurred renewed interest in international competitions, William P. "Dutch" Fehring, president of the rejuvenated United States Baseball Federation (USBF), decided to actively participate in International Baseball Federation (FIBA) competitions. The participation of the U.S. was fraught with political tensions; the U.S. military occupation of the Dominican Republic had occurred just four years earlier. Cuba returned after being absent for the 1965 tournament in Colombia, which it was unable to attend due to visa issues brought on by the Cold War. Dominican authorities were active to ensure that political protests did not derail the event, detaining several protesters. Nevertheless, historians suggest that Dominican President Joaquín Balaguer used the event as propaganda, as a means of legitimizing his rule and positioning the Dominican Republic as an international actor friendly to both the capitalist U.S. and communist Cuba. Venezuela, which had also not attended in 1965, also made its return.

Venue

The tournament, eventually realized in the Dominican Republic, was initially slated to take place in Colombia, which had hosted the

1965 Amateur World Series The 1965 Amateur World Series was an international baseball tournament held in Cartagena, Colombia from February 12 through February 27, 1965. It was the 16th Amateur World Series. The Cuban national team was denied a chance to defend its title a ...

, in February 1969. However, these plans were abruptly cancelled in December 1968 due to a dispute between the Colombian Baseball Federation and the central government. On April 30, 1969, it was announced that the tournament had been rescheduled for the Dominican Republic.

Results

The group stage featured a round robin format to determine the medal winners.

Final standings

Honors and awards

Statistical leaders

Awards

References

Baseball World Cup, 1969 Baseball World Cup

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Amateur World Series August 1969 sports events in North America Sports competitions in Santo Domingo 20th century in Santo Domingo {{baseball-competition-stub