The Caribbean Series: Latin America’s Annual Baseball Tournament (1949-2024), by Tom Van Hyning, was published by McFarland Publishers just before the 2025 Caribbean Series (CS) hosted by Mexicali, Mexico, on January 31-February 7 and televised on the MLB Network. It is the most comprehensive book written—first in English—on this epic tournament, which began in Havana, Cuba, on February 20, 1949, with four participants from host Cuba, Panamá, Puerto Rico (PR), and Venezuela. The January 2025 book includes interviews with over 200 players, managers, and team officials. It has 14 chapters, 79 photos, notes, appendices, and an index. Willie Mays is on the cover after his 1955 walk-off homer for Santurce versus the Magallanes Navigators. The painting was by artist Ed Panas.
Chapters One Through Four (Phase I, 1949-1960)
Chapter One takes us to the 1949-1951 events in Havana, San Juan, and Caracas. In 1949, Cuba’s Almendares Scorpions triumphed over Cervecería Caracas (CC), Spur Cola (Panamá), and Mayagüez Indios (PR). Almendares’s Monte Irvin and Chuck “Rifleman” Connors were outstanding Scorpions. Carta Vieja (Panamá), managed by Wayne Blackburn, upset the host Caguas Criollos at San Juan’s Sixto Escobar Stadium in 1950. Santurce traveled to Caracas—with Caguas reinforcements—to win the February 1951 tournament. Participating teams were and are allowed to sign reinforcements from other league teams. Luis R. Olmo, the “Ballplayer of the Americas,” was MVP in Caracas, with a .417 BA, three HR, and 10 RBIs. The four-team, round-robin format included two games against each opponent.
Caguas player-manager Luis R. Olmo reinforced Santurce in the 1951 CS—personal collection of Jorge Colón Delgado.
Havana, Santurce, and Caguas won the 1952-1954 competition. Havana’s Tommy Fine no-hit CC on February 21, 1952. The only tie in Caribbean Series (CS) history occurred on February 20, 1952, between Havana and the San Juan Senators. Ellis “Cot” Deal furnished memories of that game. Santurce went undefeated in 1953 under player-manager Buster Clarkson. MVP Willard Brown was outstanding. Chapter Two concludes with player-manager Mickey Owen leading Caguas to the 1954 crown at Escobar Stadium. The Criollos replaced phenom Hank Aaron in RF with Mayagüez’s Bill Howerton when Milwaukee prohibited Aaron from playing in the CS. Fiery CF Jim Rivera earned MVP laurels with Caguas.
Tommy Fine is congratulated after his February 21, 1952, no-hitter—personal collection of Inocente Álvarez.
Chapter Three’s focus is the 1954-55 Santurce Crabbers, with outfielders Roberto Clemente, Willie Mays, and Bob Thurman. Shortstop Don Zimmer (.385 BA, three HR, four RBIs) emerged as the 1955 CS MVP in Caracas. The 11-inning game on February 12 ended with Mays’s HR off Magallanes’s Ramón Monzant, who pitched a CG versus Crabbers’ starter Sam Jones. Cuba swept the 1956-1960 CS, with Cienfuegos in 1956 and 1960, Marianao in 1957 and 1958, and Almendares in 1959. The 1954-55 Crabbers and most of Cuba’s 1956-1960 CS teams played this event without reinforcements. Camilo Pascual was undefeated in his six CS starts per chapter four.
Camilo Pascual: 6-0 for Cuba in three Caribbean Series. Personal collection of Inocente Álvarez.
Chapter Five: Inter-American Series (IAS)—1961-to-1965
The four-team event 1961 CS—scheduled for Havana—was canceled. Valencia won a 1961 IAS, thanks to hurlers José “Carrao” Bracho and Bob Gibson, who returned to the 1962 IAS with Santurce and helped them go 8-1 versus Caracas, Mayagüez, and the Marlboro Smokers. Panamá’s Chiriquí-Bocas won the 1963 IAS. Nicaragua’s Cinco Estrellas (Five Stars) upset the favored San Juan Senators in Managua twice to take the 1964 IAS. San Juan’s line-up included Roberto Clemente and Orlando Cepeda. Águilas Cibaeñas (AC) from the Dominican Republic (DR) bested Escogido and two Venezuelan teams (Caracas and La Guaira) to win the 1965 event. Pete Rose starred for Caracas.
Chapter Six: Phase II Gets Underway (1970-74)
Guigo Otero Suro, a PR attorney, resurrected CS Phase II. Caracas hosted a three-team tournament in 1970, won by Magallanes over Licey (DR) and Ponce (PR). Ponce’s Jim Fregosi, age 27 and 10 months, was temporarily the youngest CS skipper until Rod Carew managed the 1972 Aragua Tigers. Licey swept the 1971 event at Hiram Bithorn Stadium, Hato Rey, PR, behind player-manager Manny Mota. Ponce won the 1972 CS, followed by Licey (1973) under Tom Lasorda and Caguas (1974), with Jerry Morales, Ed Figueroa, Gary Carter, and Mike Schmidt. An author’s highlight was watching Santurce’s Reggie Jackson homer in the 1971 CS.
Chapter Seven: Hermosillo Makes History and Licey Wins Two (1975-1980)
Host Bayamón Cowboys overpowered the field in 1975 with a combined Cowboys-Caguas Criollos All-Star Team. Ken Griffey Sr. was the hitting star before playing in the 1975/1976 Fall Classics for Cincinnati. Licey won two more crowns in 1977 and 1980, their third and fourth titles. Other champs were the 1976 Hermosillo Orange Growers with Héctor Espino, the 1978 Mayagüez Indios managed by Rene Lachemann, and Magallanes with player-manager Willie Horton. Twenty-year-old Rickey Henderson starred for Navojoa in February 1979.
Chapter Eight: Cinderella Team (Arecibo) Makes Noise (1982-1987)
Four countries won six titles from 1982-1987. (The 1981 CS was canceled due to a Venezuelan Players’ Strike.) PR was ably represented by Arecibo (1983) and Caguas (1987). The 1983 Lobos won their first/only CS title, led by Candy Maldonado, Dickie Thon, and others. In 1987, Caguas GM Félix Millán fired manager Tim Foli after three games, replacing him with Ramón Avilés. Caguas won four in a row, including a tie-breaker versus AC. The author interviewed Zulia Eagles manager Rubén Amaro Sr. and Los Mochis third baseman Aurelio Rodríguez before a 1984 CS game at Bithorn. Zulia (1984), Licey (1985), and Mexicali (1986) were winners.
Chapter Nine: Two-Year Detour in Miami and More (1988-1994)
Phil Regan managed Escogido to a 1988 title, preceding Zulia edging Mayagüez in 1989. Tom Gamboa, inducted into the PR Professional Baseball Hall of Fame (December 2024), managed Mayagüez. Escogido prevailed in 1990, as did Licey (1991 and 1994). PR won with 1992 Mayagüez and 1993 Santurce. Dickie Thon hit the 500th homer in this event’s history for Santurce.
Chapter 10: Dream Team to Big Papi Licey Heroics (1995-1999)
San Juan’s “Dream Team” featured a fantastic line-up, with ninth-place hitter Rey Sánchez leading the 1994-95 PR Winter League with a .390 BA. Cooperstown Hall of Famers Roberto Alomar and Edgar Martínez played alongside others. Culiacán (Mexico) upended Arecibo and AC in 1996. The DR dominated the 1997-1999 tournaments with David “Big Papi” Ortiz delivering a 12th inning, walk-off, two-run single for 1999 Licey.
1995 Dream Team I, L to R: Roberto Alomar, Carmelo Martínez, Edgar Martínez, Rey Sánchez, Rubén Sierra, Carlos Baerga, Bernie Williams, Juan González, Carlos Delgado. Personal collection of Jorge Colón Delgado.
Chapter 11: Dream Team II (2000-2004)
Santurce’s “Dream Team” overpowered the opposition in Santo Domingo (2000) with impressive hitting stats. Mako Oliveras won his second CS title for the Crabbers after replacing Ken Griffey Sr. late in 1999-2000. The DR won three more crowns—2001, 2003, and 2004—with Big Papi earning MVP laurels at the Roberto Clemente Walker Stadium, Carolina, PR. Culiacán and Mazatlán made Mexico proud in 2002 and 2005, respectively. Luis “The Atomic Ant” Polonia had the most hits in CS history (94), playing in 14 events.
Luis Polonia, wearing an AC tee shirt, played in 14 CS events—personal collection of Tony Piña Campora.
Chapter 12: Caracas Lions to Escogido Lions (2006-2012)
This began with undefeated Caracas taking charge under 33-year-old Carlos Subero and ended with Ken Oberkfell leading Escogido to the 2012 title. Oberkfell also led these Lions to the 2010 crown. During the global financial crisis, the Aragua Tigers finally won their first CS (2009). Mayagüez’s Luis “Wicho” Figueroa was a 2012 CS All-Star at third base.
Wicho Figueroa played in 13 CS—a record for a PR-born player—courtesy Mayaguez Indios Baseball Club
Chapters 13-14: A New Format (2013-2024)
In 2013, Obregón edged Escogido in 18 innings, 4-3, in the finals after finishing second in the round-robin. It lasted seven hours and 28 minutes. From 2014-2024, the round-robin preceded the semi-finals and finals. Teams with so-so W-L records could prevail, as did 3-3 Caguas in 2017. Cuba re-entered the CS, 2014-2019 and returned in 2023 at the invitation of Venezuela. Miguel Tejada—who played in 13 CS events—hit the most HR in CS history (15). His .559 SLG is sixth-best in Phase II, behind Armando Ríos (.649), Carmelo Martínez (.589), Big Papi (.579), Tony Pérez (.576), and Juan González (.560). The author attended the 2020 tournament in Hato Rey, PR, and the 2024 event in Miami, Florida.
L to R: Big Papi—wearing Escogido top—Toros del Este pitching coach Phil Regan, and two unidentified. La Romana, DR, November 21, 2021. Personal collection of Tony Piña Campora.
E-book and softbound versions are available via McFarland, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble. https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-caribbean-series-thomas-e-van-hyning/1144257037
https://mcfarlandbooks.com/product/the-caribbean-series/ and https://www.amazon.com/Caribbean-Americas-Baseball-Tournament-1949-2024/dp/1476693919
Author Tom Van Hyning with his Yorkie Paula—born in Florence, Mississippi, on May 17, 2024. Photo credit: Donna Van Hyning, August 17, 2024.
A special thanks to Inocente Álvarez, Tony Piña Campora, and Jorge Colón Delgado, who did the editing and photo placements.
