Interamerican Series

The Interamerican Series ( es, Serie Interamericana, links=no) was an international club baseball tournament that brought together independent and winter league teams in North America and the Caribbean. Held from 1946 to 1950 and from 1961 to 1965, it was the precursor to the modern Caribbean Series.

History

The Interamerican Series was the initiative of Venezuelan businessman Jesús Corao. It came in the wake of Venezuela hosting the 1944 and 1945 Amateur World Series, the Serie Monumental that saw American Negro league all-stars play Venezuelan clubs, and the ensuing professionalization of the sport in the country, in the form of the Venezuelan League.

The inaugural series included Venezuelan champions Cerveceria Caracas, Industriales de Monterrey of the Mexican League, the Havana Cubans of the Florida International League (alternatively, the "All-Cubans"), and the Brooklyn Bushwicks, an independent semi-pro team managed by John Antonelli, with former and future Major League stars like Tony Cuccinello, Whitey Ford, and Hank Borowy. The 1946 tournament was notable for being the place where major league scout Joe Cambria signed Chico Carrasquel, then playing for Caracas.González and Ruiz, p. 428 In 1947, the Bushwicks were replaced by the Buffalo All-Stars, a team of International League players managed by Buffalo Bisons manager Paul Richards. The series was suspended after 1950, as focus shifted to the Caribbean Series.

The series was resurrected in 1961 as a result of the Cuban Revolution; MLB Commissioner Ford C. Frick ruled that American major leaguers were barred from playing in Havana, which effectively scuttled the plans for the 1961 Caribbean Series. Instead, the new Serie Interamericana would replace the slot filled by the now-dissolved Cuban League with the champion of Panamanian League, with the host nation also sending an extra team. The first edition was held in Caracas, but then shifted to San Juan and Panama City. In 1964, the champion of the Nicaraguan League became the fourth team, after Venezuela opted to instead play an interleague series against the Dominican Republic.

The series struggled economically, due to the absence of Cuba as well as of the Dominican Republic, which itself was wracked in political turmoil and had been sanctioned by the Organization of American States since 1960.

Editions

Records

No-hitters (2)
* Sandy Consuegra (All Cubans) on September 22, 1949, vs Cerveceria Caracas
* Juan Pizarro ( Mayagüez) on February 8, 1963, vs Industriales de Valencia

Similarly-named tournaments

Several other tournaments in the 1950s and '60s shared the "Interamerican Series" name, though historical records are spotty. A best-of-five series played in 1951 between the Sinton Plymouth Oilers, a U.S. semi-pro team from Sinton, Texas, and Mexico's Sultanes de Monterrey, was referred to as the Interamerican Series. This tournament was organized by the International Baseball Congress, led by former MLB Commissioner Happy Chandler. Another club tournament titled Pan American Series in 1958, but also referred to as the Interamerican Series, was held in Managua in 1958, between the Venados de Mazatlán of the Mexican Pacific League, Leones de León of the Nicaraguan League, and Vanytor de Barranquilla of the Colombian League.

The Dominican Republic organized a tournament in 1965 that is sometimes referred to as the final edition of the Interamerican Series, inviting Venezuela and Puerto Rico. Major league stars like Roberto Clemente and Felipe Alou participated, but the series ended prematurely. The trophy was not formally awarded, though it is still owned by the Dominican team, Águilas Cibaeñas.

References

Bibliography

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{{Baseball in Venezuela

Defunct baseball competitions
Winter league baseball playoffs and champions
International baseball competitions in the Caribbean
International baseball competitions hosted by Venezuela