The February Caribbean Series (CS) is a unique regional baseball event, the oldest of its kind. It started in 1949, endured a decade-long sabbatical for political reasons in the 1960s, but was “replaced” by a four-team Inter-American Series (IAS), 1961-65. Craig Anderson—a Santurce Crabbers teammate of Bob Gibson and Orlando Cepeda in the February 1962 IAS—wrote the Foreword. The CS was resurrected in 1970 and continues to this day. Seven countries competed in 2024. It is a source of pride for team owners, general managers, players, and fans. This book presents first-hand accounts from over 200 past players and managers, including details on 66 CS tournaments. With much information presented in English for the first time, this history presents the exciting Latin American baseball event in a rich historical and personal context.
Roberto Clemente and Willie Mays were teammates with the 1954-55 Santurce Crabbers, dubbed “The Perfect Machine” by historian Jorge Colón Delgado. The Crabbers won the 1955 CS in Caracas, Venezuela, spearheaded by Mays’s February 13, 1955, walk-off homer at 12:03 a.m. with Clemente on base versus the hometown Magallanes Navigators. It propelled Santurce—a team without reinforcements from other league ballclubs—to the CS crown. Crabbers shortstop Don Zimmer earned this CS MVP Award. Mays appears on the book cover.
Cuba’s teams won seven CS events in Phase I, 1949-1960, from Monte Irvin’s unbeaten 1949 Almendares Blues to Camilo Pascual’s 1960 Cienfuegos Elephants. Panamá copped 1950 and 2019 crowns. Magallanes won Venezuela’s first CS title in 1970. The Licey Tigers from the Dominican Republic claimed a record 11 CS crowns between 1971 and 2023 in Phase II. David “Big Papi” Ortíz reinforced several. Hermosillo Orange Growers won Mexico’s first CS crown in 1976, led by MVP Héctor Espino. Puerto Rico’s two undefeated Phase II entries were San Juan’s 1995 “Dream Team,” featuring a big-league All-Star line-up with two future Cooperstown Inductees—Roberto Alomar and Edgar Martinez. Santurce’s 2000 entry, managed by Mako Oliveras—winningest CS skipper (26 wins) in eight tournaments—also went 6-0.
The author attended five CS—four at Hato Rey, Puerto Rico’s Hiram Bithorn Stadium (1971, 1979, 1984, 2020), plus 2024 at Miami’s Loan Depot Park. Appendices comprise team wins-losses, individual hitting-pitching records, Phase I and II statistical leaders, All-Star Teams, MVP recipients, winning managers, CS Hall of Fame honorees, Roberto Clemente Memorial Award recipients, and 32 Cooperstown Inductees who played in the CS and IAS. Seventy-plus photos are in 14 chronological chapters. An Introduction, Research Notes, and Index are included. Also, art cover was by artist Ed Panas.
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