The fourth edition of the

Caribbean Series The Caribbean Series (''Spanish'': ''Serie del Caribe''), also called Caribbean World Series, is the highest tournament for professional baseball teams in Latin America. The tournament location is rotated annually among the countries and is norma ...

(''Serie del Caribe'') was played in

1952 Events January–February * January 26 – Black Saturday in Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses. * February 6 ** Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh, becomes m ...

. It was held from February 20 through February 26, featuring the champion baseball teams of

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

, Leones del Habana;

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...

Carta Vieja Yankees The Panamanian Professional Baseball League ( es, Béisbol Profesional de Panamá, links=no), currently known as Probeis, is a professional baseball winter league consisting of three teams based in Panama. Since 2019, the league's winner takes p ...

;

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...

Senadores de San Juan The (lit. San Juan Senators) was a professional baseball team based in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The Senadores club was founded in 1938 and played intermittently in the Liga de Béisbol Profesional de Puerto Rico, the predecessor to the current Li ...

and

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

Cervecería Caracas The Caracas Base Ball Club C.A. or better known by its commercial name as the ''Leones del Caracas'', is a professional baseball team of the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League. In its creation, its headquarters are the University Stadium of C ...

. The format consisted of 12 games, each team facing the other teams twice, and the games were played at

Panama City Panama City ( es, Ciudad de Panamá, links=no; ), also known as Panama (or Panamá in Spanish), is the capital and largest city of Panama. It has an urban population of 880,691, with over 1.5 million in its metropolitan area. The city is locat ...

. The first pitch was thrown by

Alcibíades Arosemena Alcibíades Arosemena Quinzada (20 November 1883, in Los Santos Province – 8 April 1958, in Panama City) was a Panamanian politician, who served 15th President of Panama. He was elected as the third presidential designate by the National Asse ...

, by then the

President of Panama This article lists the heads of state of Panama since the short-lived first independence from the Republic of New Granada in 1840 and the final separation from Colombia in 1903. Free State of the Isthmus (1840–1841) Republic of Panama (19 ...

Summary

Cuba became the first country to win two Caribbean Series championships with an undefeated record of 5–0. The Cuban team, with

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

catcher Catcher is a Baseball positions, position in baseball and softball. When a Batter (baseball), batter takes their at bat, turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home plate, home) Umpire (baseball), umpire, and recei ...

Mike González at the helm, won the Series behind a strong pitching effort by

Tommy Fine Thomas Morgan Fine (October 10, 1914 – January 10, 2005) was an American pitcher in Major League Baseball who played in 23 games for the Boston Red Sox () and St. Louis Browns (). The native of Cleburne, Texas, stood tall and weighed . He was a ...

, who posted a 2–0 record with a 1.50

ERA An era is a span of time defined for the purposes of chronology or historiography, as in the regnal eras in the history of a given monarchy, a calendar era used for a given calendar, or the geological eras defined for the history of Earth. Comp ...

in two complete-games and won

Most Valuable Player In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated '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 particu ...

honors. After a 3–3 tie against Puerto Rico in the Series opener, he was called by the Cuban team as a late replacement for future

Hall of Famer A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actual halls or muse ...

Hoyt Wilhelm James Hoyt Wilhelm (July 26, 1922 – August 23, 2002), nicknamed "Old Sarge", was an American Major League Baseball pitcher with the New York Giants, St. Louis Cardinals, Cleveland Indians, Baltimore Orioles, Chicago White Sox, California Angel ...

. Fine posted the only

no-hitter In baseball, a no-hitter is a game in which a team was not able to record a hit. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in at least nine innings recorded no hits. A pitcher wh ...

pitched in any Caribbean series game, to give his team a 1–0 win against Venezuela. Five days later, Fine faced Panama's club and was close to glory. He was three outs from consecutive no-hitters in the series, having allowed a

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

in the ninth inning to break it up. His 17 hitless streak also is the longest in series history.

Outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to cat ...

Sandy Amorós Edmundo "Sandy" Amorós Isasi (January 30, 1930 – June 27, 1992) was a Cuban left fielder in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Brooklyn / Los Angeles Dodgers and Detroit Tigers. Amorós was born in Matanzas. He both batted and threw left- ...

led series hitters with a .450

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

(9-for-20), including personal numbers with a .650 SLG, six runs, six RBI. Other contributions came from OF Fernando Pedroso (.400), catcher

Andrés Fleitas Andrés Fleitas lei'-tasz(November 8, 1916 – December 18, 2011) was a professional Cuban baseball catcher and first baseman. Listed at 5' 11", 175 lb., he batted and threw right handed. Born in Las Villas Province, Fleitas came from a b ...

(.304), and

infielder An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field. Standard arrangement of positions In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns playing offensive and defensive roles. ...

Lou Klein Louis Frank Klein (October 22, 1918 – June 20, 1976) was an American professional baseball player, manager, coach and scout. During his active career he was an infielder in the Major Leagues for the St. Louis Cardinals, Cleveland Indians and P ...

(.333) and

Spider Jorgensen John Donald "Spider" Jorgensen (November 3, 1919 – November 6, 2003) was a third baseman in Major League Baseball who played from 1947 through 1951 for the Brooklyn Dodgers (1947–50) and New York Giants (1950–51). Jorgensen made his MLB de ...

, who hit two of the team's three

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

s. The clubs from Panama and Venezuela tied for second place with a 3–3 record. Panama was managed by Al Leap and included in the roster infielders Spook Jacobs, Joe Tuminelli and Jim Cronin, catcher

León Kellman Edric León Kellman (September 4, 1924 – September 13, 1981) was a Panamanian professional baseball player and manager. Listed at 5' 11", 160 lb., Kellman batted and threw right handed. He was born in Gatún, Panama Canal Zone. Although ...

, and pitchers Connie Johnson and

Marion Fricano Marion John Fricano (July 15, 1923 – May 18, 1976) was an American Major League Baseball pitcher. He is likely remembered for throwing the pitch that ended Cass Michaels' career on August 27, . U.S. Navy The , right-hander was born in Brant, ...

. The Venezuelan club, led by

José Antonio Casanova José Antonio Casanova (February 18, 1918 – July 8, 1999) was a shortstop and manager in Venezuelan baseball. He batted and threw right handed. (Spanish) Born in Maracaibo, Zulia, Casanova is regarded as the most successful manager in Venezuela ...

, featured players as right fielder

Wilmer Fields Wilmer Leon Fields (August 2, 1922 – June 4, 2004) was an American baseball player who was a household name in the Negro leagues and other baseball circuits between the 1940s and 1950s. Born in Manassas, Virginia, Fields was a versatile two-w ...

(.360, two HR, .720 SLG, 8 RBI),

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

Chico Carrasquel Alfonso Carrasquel Colón, better known as Chico Carrasquel (January 23, 1926 – May 26, 2005), was a Venezuelan professional baseball player, coach, scout and manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a shortstop from 1950 to 1 ...

and

third baseman A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the scoring system us ...

Luis García, as well as catcher/outfielder

Guillermo Vento Guillermo Aquilino Vento (born July 5, 1921) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball player. Listed at 5' 8" (1.75 m), 165 lb (75 kg), Vento batted and threw right handed. He was born in Maracaibo, Zulia. Basically a line-drive h ...

and pitchers

José Bracho José de la Trinidad Bracho (July 23, 1928 – June 16, 2011) was a Venezuelan professional baseball pitcher. Listed at 6' 1", 185 lb., he batted and threw right handed. His friends and fans affectionately called him '' Carrao'', a moniker th ...

Emilio Cueche Emilio Cueche h-mee'-leo / coo-eh'-chay/small> (October 20, 1927 – July 31, 2006) was a Venezuelan professional baseball player. He was nicknamed ″Indio″. (Spanish) Born in Barcelona, Anzoátegui, the righthander Cueche was one of the mos ...

, Bob Griffith,

Johnny Hetki John Edward Hetki (May 12, 1922 – January 10, 2019) was a long relief pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Cincinnati Reds, St. Louis Browns and Pittsburgh Pirates in all or parts of eight seasons spanning 1945–54. Listed a ...

Al Papai Alfred Thomas Papai (May 7, 1917 – September 7, 1995) was an American pitcher in Major League Baseball who played between the and seasons for the St. Louis Cardinals (1948, 1950), St. Louis Browns (1949), Boston Red Sox (1950) and Chicago Whit ...

and Luis Zuloaga. In addition, center fielder

Héctor Benítez Héctor Benítez (November 1, 1918 – June 17, 2011) was a Venezuelan professional baseball player. Listed at 5' 7" (1.73 m), 160 lb. (73 k), he batted and threw left handed. (Spanish) Born in Caracas, Benítez spent 21 years in Ven ...

and third baseman

Buddy Hicks Clarence Walter "Buddy" Hicks (February 15, 1927 – December 8, 2014) was an American professional baseball player and manager. Primarily a shortstop during his 17-year active career (1944; 1947–62), he also played third base and first base. H ...

joined Fields in the All-Star team. After a tied game with Cuba, Puerto Rico's team failed to win in their next five games. Managed by Fred Thon, their roster included outfielders

Nino Escalera Saturnino Escalera Cuadrado (December 1, 1929 – July 3, 2021) was a Puerto Rican former professional baseball player and scout whose playing career extended for 14 seasons (1949–1962). The outfielder and first baseman appeared for one f ...

and Luis Rodríguez Olmo; pitchers

Red Adams Charles Dwight "Red" Adams (October 7, 1921 – January 18, 2017) was an American professional baseball pitcher, scout and pitching coach. The native of Parlier, California, pitched only briefly in Major League Baseball, but had a lengthy career a ...

Luis Arroyo Luis Enrique "Tite" Arroyo, (February 18, 1927 – January 13, 2016) was a Major League Baseball pitcher from 1955 to 1963. Arroyo was the first Puerto Rican player to appear for the New York Yankees and was a key part of their pennant winning s ...

Art Ditmar Art is a diverse range of human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas. There is no generally agreed definition of what ...

and Pantalones Santiago, and OF/P

Cot Deal Ellis Ferguson "Cot" Deal (January 23, 1923 – May 21, 2013) was a pitcher and coach in Major League Baseball. Listed at , , Deal was a switch-hitter and threw right-handed. A native of Arapaho, Oklahoma, he grew up in Oklahoma City and was nick ...

Participating teams

Final standings

Scoreboards

Game 1, February 20

Game 2, February 20

Game 3, February 21

Game 4, February 21

Game 5, February 22

Game 6, February 22

Game 7, February 23

Game 8, February 23

Game 9, February 24

Game 10, February 25

Game 11, February 26

Game 12, February 26

Statistics leaders

Awards

References

Sources

*Antero Núñez, José. ''Series del Caribe''. Jefferson,

Caracas, Venezuela Caracas (, ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas, abbreviated as CCS, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the ...

: Impresos Urbina, C.A., 1987. *Gutiérrez, Daniel. ''Enciclopedia del Béisbol en Venezuela – 1895-2006 ''. Caracas, Venezuela: Impresión Arte, C.A., 2007.

External links

Official siteLatino Baseball
{{Caribbean Series , state=collapsed

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

Caribbean Series International baseball competitions hosted by Panama Sports competitions in Panama 1952 in Panama 1952 in Caribbean sport

20th century in Panama City