1947 Amateur World Series

1947 Amateur World Series
Tournament details
Country Colombia
Teams9
Final positions
Champions Colombia
Runners-up Puerto Rico
Third place Nicaragua
Fourth place Mexico
Awards
MVPPuerto Rico Nino Escalera

The 1947 Amateur World Series was the ninth edition of the Amateur World Series, an international baseball tournament held from November 29 through December 20 in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia.

Colombia won its first world championship title, defeating Puerto Rico in the final game.[1][2] It was also Puerto Rico's first podium finish in an international baseball tournament; Puerto Rican first baseman Saturnino Escalera was selected as the tournament's most valuable player.[3][4][5]

Participants

Venezuela, champions of the previous Amateur World Series held in Caracas in 1945, were once again managed by Manuel Malpica, who had earlier steered the "Heroes of 1941" to a world championship in Cuba.[6]

Puerto Rico was managed by veteran Cesár "Coca" González, and included future major leaguers Valmy Thomas (a Virgin Islander born in Puerto Rico), Nino Escalera, and Roberto Vargas.[7]

The Cuban national team sat out the tournament, due to a dispute over the eligibility of Colombian pitcher Carlos "Petaca" Rodríguez, who the Cuban Amateur Athletic Union alleged had played professional baseball and was thus ineligible.[8] Shortly before the start of the tournament, a committee ruled that the amateur regulations imposed in 1945 were not retroactive, making Rodríguez eligible to play.[9]

Results

Colombia, Nicaragua, and Puerto Rico finished the group stage with identical 6–2 records. Colombia was awarded a bye for the tiebreaker, a Puerto Rico defeated Nicaragua to advance to the gold medal game.[7]

Puerto Rico's Nino Escalera, fresh off his 18th birthday, was selected as the tournament's most valuable player.[5][4] Though he had already signed a professional contract with the Senadores de San Juan team, he was permitted on the Puerto Rican team due to a rule that you could continue playing amateur ball for two weeks after signing.[4]

Final standings

Rk Team W L
1  Colombia 72
2  Puerto Rico 62
3  Nicaragua 62
4  Mexico 53
5  Venezuela 53
6  Panama 35
7  El Salvador 26
8  Costa Rica 26
9  Guatemala 17

Honors and awards

Statistical leaders

Awards

AwardPlayerRef.
Best Batters Colombia Carlos Bustos
Puerto Rico Saturnino Escalera
Nicaragua Eduardo Green		[5]
Best Pitchers Mexico Patón González
Puerto Rico Roberto Vargas
Colombia Manuel Peñaranda
Colombia Petaca Rodríguez
Colombia Andres Florez
Nicaragua Timoteo Mena
Costa Rica Secundino Bonilla		[5]
Most Valuable Player Puerto Rico Saturnino Escalera[3][4][5]

References

  1. ↑ Bjarkman, Peter C. (2005). Diamonds Around the Globe: The Encyclopedia of International Baseball. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 321. ISBN 978-0-313-32268-6.
  2. ↑ "Puerto Rico perdió el juego decisivo de IX Serie". East View Global Press Archive. El Mundo. 22 December 2024. p. 21. Retrieved 13 October 2025.
  3. 1 2 "Nino Escalera". SABR. Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved 19 April 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Uriarte González, Carlos (2014). La Doble A en Puerto Rico: 1940 a 2013, Vol. 1. Editorial Deportiva CAIN. p. 64. ISBN 9780983626367.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Escalera, clasificado el mejor pelotero de la IX Serie". El Mundo. 26 December 1947. p. 19. Retrieved 19 April 2026.
  6. ↑ "En el 5 partido hubo empate entre Venezuela y Nicaragua - Juego de Venezuela". El Tiempo. 2 December 1947. p. 13. Retrieved 19 April 2026.
  7. 1 2 Uriarte González, pp. 62–65
  8. ↑ "EN CARTAGENA SE PROFESIONALIZO LA FEDERACION INT. DE BASEBALL". La Prensa Libre. 19 December 1947. p. 6. Retrieved 13 October 2025.
  9. ↑ "Petaca Rodriguez no es profesional". El Tiempo. 29 November 1947. p. 1. Retrieved 19 April 2026.
  10. 1 2 "Historia de la Copa Mundial/World Cup History I-X (1938-1948)". Baseball de Cuba (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 12 December 2011.
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