Latin American Series (1952)

This article is about the tournament held in Caracas in 1952. For the club competition held from 2013 to 2019, see Latin American Series.

Latin American Series (1952)

Tournament details
Country	Venezuela
City	Caracas
Venue(s)	Estadio Universitario de Caracas
Dates	March 2–23, 1952
Teams	4
Final positions
Champions	Cuba
Runner-up	Venezuela
Tournament statistics
Games played	18

The Latin American Series (Spanish : Serie Latinoamericana) ^[1] was a one-time international baseball tournament held in Caracas, Venezuela in March 1952. ^[2] Envisioned as an alternative to the Caribbean Series contested by national teams, its rosters were made up of professional baseball players, rather than the non-professional amateurs that played in Olympic-style competitions at the time (like the Amateur World Series). ^{[2] [3]}

The tournament saw the debut of the Estadio Universitario, which would go on to be the longtime home of the Leones del Caracas and Tiburones de La Guaira of the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League. ^{[4] [5]} The Dominican Republic's José St. Claire would be the first player to hit a home run in the stadium. ^{[2] [a]}

Tournament summary

In the opening game, on March 3, pitcher José "Carrao" Bracho propelled Venezuela to an 11-inning, 3–2 win over Colombia. ^{[7] [2]} Emilio Cueche became the first player in Venezuelan professional baseball history to throw a shutout, in a 7–0 victory over the Dominican Republic. ^[1]

Some players had to leave the tournament early due to the start of spring training, such as including Cuban big leaguer Sandy Amorós, who left to practice with the Los Angeles Dodgers in Vero Beach. ^[8] Venezuela's José Bracho also left early, to play with the Triple-A Toronto Maple Leafs. ^[9]

Standings

Pos	Team	Pld	W	L	RF	RA	RD	PCT	GB
1	Cuba	9	7	2	44	30	+14	.778	—
2	Venezuela (H)	9	5	4	39	35	+4	.556	2
3	Dominican Republic	9	3	6	20	32	−12	.333	4
4	Colombia	9	3	6	26	32	−6	.333	4

Source: The Sporting News
(H) Hosts

Results

2 March 1952	Venezuela	3–2 (F/11)	Colombia	Estadio Universitario de Caracas
	WP: Patiño	Boxscore	LP: Julio Florez

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4 March 1952	Cuba	2–1 (F/10)	Dominican Republic	Estadio Universitario de Caracas
	WP: Armando Roche	Boxscore	LP: Manuel Cáceres
			HR: José St. Claire

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5 March 1952	Cuba	5–6	Colombia	Estadio Universitario de Caracas
	LP: Roque Contreras	Boxscore	WP: Catano Acosta

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6 March 1952	Venezuela	6–0	Dominican Republic	Estadio Universitario de Caracas
	WP: Emilio Cueche	Boxscore	LP: Luis Martinez

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8 March 1952	Dominican Republic	1–0	Colombia	Estadio Universitario de Caracas
	WP: Miguel Payano	Boxscore	LP: Roberto Zapata

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9 March 1952	Cuba	5–4	Venezuela	Estadio Universitario de Caracas
	WP: Armando Roche	Boxscore	LP: José Bracho

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10 March 1952	Venezuela	3–4	Colombia	Estadio Universitario de Caracas
	LP: Julian Ladera	Boxscore	WP: Manuel Verecco Gomez

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12 March 1952	Cuba	7–1	Dominican Republic	Estadio Universitario de Caracas
	WP: Santiago Ullrich	Boxscore	LP: Manuel Cáceres
	HR: Edmundo Amorós

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13 March 1952	Venezuela	2–5	Dominican Republic	Estadio Universitario de Caracas
	LP: Emilio Cueche	Boxscore	WP: Miguel Payano

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15 March 1952	Colombia	7–8 (F/10)	Cuba	Estadio Universitario de Caracas
	LP: Manuel Verecco Gomez	Boxscore	WP: Roque Contreras
	HR: Pedro Miranda

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16 March 1952	Colombia	2–1	Dominican Republic	Estadio Universitario de Caracas
	WP: Manuel Verecco Gomez	Boxscore	LP: José Mattos

16 March 1952	Venezuela	3–8	Cuba	Estadio Universitario de Caracas
	LP: Emilio Cueche	Boxscore	WP: Eusebio Silverio Perez

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17 March 1952	Colombia	3–4	Venezuela	Estadio Universitario de Caracas
	LP: Roberto Zapata	Boxscore	WP: Emilio Cueche

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19 March 1952	Dominican Republic	1–4	Cuba	Estadio Universitario de Caracas
	LP: Miguel Payano	Boxscore	WP: Armando Roche
	HR: José St. Claire

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20 March 1952	Dominican Republic	5–8	Venezuela	Estadio Universitario de Caracas
	LP: José Mattos	Boxscore	WP: Emilio Cueche
			HR: Luis García

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22 March 1952	Cuba	2–1	Colombia	Estadio Universitario de Caracas
	WP: Roque Contreras	Boxscore	LP: Cipriano Herrera

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23 March 1952	Dominican Republic	5–1	Colombia	Estadio Universitario de Caracas
	WP: Manuel Cáceres	Boxscore	LP: Manuel Verecco Gomez

23 March 1952	Venezuela	6–3	Cuba	Estadio Universitario de Caracas
		Boxscore

See also

• 1952 Caribbean Series held in Panama
• 1952 Amateur World Series held in Cuba
• Baseball at the 1950 Central American and Caribbean Games
• Baseball at the 1951 Pan American Games

Notes

1. Luis "Camaleón" García would be the first Venezuelan player to hit a home run in the Universitario, in an 8–5 win over the Dominican Republic. ^[6]

References

1. "Emilio Cueche". Museodebeisbol.com (in Spanish). Venezuelan Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum . Retrieved 21 February 2025.
2. "Close Games Mark 'Native' Latin Series". The Sporting News. 19 March 1952. p. 30. Retrieved 21 February 2025.
3. "A Touch of Class". The World Games. 6 March 2023. Retrieved 21 February 2025. There was a Baseball World Cup from 1938-2011, but apart from the last few years of its existence, it was strictly limited to amateur players.
4. "SOBRE.300" (in Spanish). El Informante. 2 March 2021. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
5. "67 años de historia reúne el Estadio Universitario de Caracas" (in Spanish). Diario Avance. 25 November 2018. Retrieved 21 February 2025.
6. Javier González [@javiergon56] (March 20, 2024). "20 de marzo de 1952: Luis "Camaleón" García se convirtió en el primer pelotero profesional venezolano que conectó jonrón en el estadio Universitario. El estacazo lo bateó durante la I Serie Latinoamericana de Beisbol Profesional" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
7. "Bracho Vencio A Colombia, 3 Por 2" (in Spanish). University of Florida Digital Collections. Diario de la Marina. 4 March 1952. p. 18. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
8. "Cuba Loses Three Stars, But Wins Latin Series". The Sporting News. 2 April 1952. p. 20. Retrieved 21 February 2025.
9. "El Pitcher Estelar De Venezuela Se "Fuga" A Toronto" (in Spanish). El Tiempo. 18 March 1952. p. 5. Retrieved 22 February 2025.