| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Country | Colombia |
| Venue(s) | 2 (in 2 host cities) |
| Teams | 9 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Colombia |
| Runner-up |  Mexico |
| Third place |  Puerto Rico |
| Fourth place |  Panama |
| ← 19611969 → | |
The 1965 Amateur World Series was the 16th edition of the Amateur World Series of international baseball. The tournament was held from February 12 through February 27, 1965 in the Colombian cities of Cartagena and Barranquilla.
The tournament was marked by the absence of defending champions Cuba. The Colombian government, which had broken off diplomatic relations with Cuba following the Cuban Revolution, refused to grant visas to the team of Cuban players.
Colombia and Mexico both finished the regular tournament with a 7-1 record. In the tie-breaking playoff series, Colombia defeated Mexico two games to one, to win its second international championship; it had previously won the 1947 Amateur World Series, also held in Colombia.
Participants
Though post-revolutionary Cuba had participated in the 1961 Amateur World Series, it was not without controversy as several Cuban players, including Bert Campaneris defected. In 1965, the situation was complicated by the fact that Colombia, the host of the seriess, had severed diplomatic ties with the Castro regime in 1961; the right-wing government of Guillermo León Valencia refused to issue visas to the Cuba national team. Cuba protested the move, and International Olympic Committee president Avery Brundage attempted to intervene on Cuba's behalf, but he was rebuffed by Carlos Manuel Zecca, president of the International Baseball Federation (FIBA). Though Houston Astros scout Tony Pacheco expressed interest in forming a "Free Cuba" team composed of Cuban exiles to compete, ultimately no squad representing Cuba appeared in the 1965 tournament. Pacheco would ultimately pilot the Colombian team.
Invited teams
|
Caribbean (3)
|
Central America (5) |
South America (1)
|
Tournament summary
The tournament was dominated by Colombia, the hosts, and Mexico. It saw two notable pitching feats: a perfect game, thrown by Mexico's David Garcia against Guatemala on February 14; and a 19-strikeout game (a tournament record for a single game) thrown by Puerto Rico's Efrain Contreras against the Dutch Antilles on February 22.
Group stage
The group stage featured a round robin format to determine the medal winners. Since Mexico and Colombia tied for first with a 7–1 record, a best-of-three tie-breaker round was played.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PCT | GB | COL
|
 MEX
|
PUR
|
PAN
|
 DOM
|
 NCA
|
 GUA
|
 AHO
|
 SLV
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Colombia (H)
|
8 | 7 | 1 | .875 | — | 5–4 | 2–3 | 2–1 | 3–2 | 4–0 | 9–0 | 3–0 | 15–1 | ||
| 2 | Mexico
|
8 | 7 | 1 | .875 | — | 4–5 | 7–3 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 6–0 | 6–2 | ||
| 3 | Puerto Rico
|
8 | 5 | 3 | .625 | 2 | 3–2 | 3–7 | 1–3 | 3–2 | 1–2 | 7–1 | 15–1 | 5–3 | ||
| 4 | Panama
|
8 | 4 | 4 | .500 | 3 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 3–1 | 6–3 | 1–0 | 1–5 | 2–6 | 7–1 | ||
| 5 | Dominican Republic
|
8 | 4 | 4 | .500 | 3 | 2–3 | 1–3 | 2–3 | 3–6 | 3–2 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 5–1 | ||
| 6 | Nicaragua
|
8 | 4 | 4 | .500 | 3 | 0–4 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 2–3 | 5–3 | 3–2 | 5–0 | ||
| 7 | Guatemala
|
8 | 3 | 5 | .375 | 4 | 0–9 | 0–1 | 1–7 | 5–1 | 1–3 | 3–5 | 4–2 | 4–1 | ||
| 8 | Netherlands Antilles
|
8 | 2 | 6 | .250 | 5 | 0–3 | 0–6 | 1–15 | 6–2 | 1–3 | 2–3 | 2–4 | 11–0 | ||
| 9 | El Salvador
|
8 | 0 | 8 | .000 | 7 | 1–15 | 2–6 | 3–5 | 1–7 | 1–5 | 0–5 | 1–4 | 0–11 |
(H) Hosts
Tie-breaker
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | RF | RA | RD | PCT | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Colombia (H)
|
3 | 2 | 1 | 17 | 9 | +8 | .667 | — |
| 2 | Mexico
|
3 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 17 | −8 | .333 | 1 |
(H) Hosts
Results
| 25 February 1965 | Colombia
|
2 – 4 | Mexico
|
Estadio Once de Noviembre, Cartagena de Indias |
| 26 February 1965 | Mexico
|
5 – 11 | Colombia
|
Estadio Once de Noviembre, Cartagena de Indias |
| 27 February 1965 | Colombia
|
4 – 0 | Mexico
|
Estadio Once de Noviembre, Cartagena de Indias |
Final standings
| Pos | Team | W | L |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Colombia
|
9 | 2 |
|
Mexico
|
7 | 1 |
|
Puerto Rico
|
5 | 3 |
| 4 | Panama
|
4 | 4 |
| 5 | Dominican Republic
|
4 | 4 |
| 6 |  Nicaragua
|
4 | 4 |
| 7 | Guatemala
|
3 | 5 |
| 8 | Netherlands Antilles
|
2 | 6 |
| 9 | El Salvador
|
0 | 8 |
Statistical leaders
|
|
- Cuba was invited by FIBA, but the team's visas were denied by the Colombian government.
- J. Calvo (MEX), Ovidio Lara (SLV), Reinaldo Suárez (PAN), S. Jacobs (AHO)
- Arthur Hudson (NIC), Luis Garcia (MEX))
References
- ^ Bjarkman, Peter (2007). A History of Cuban Baseball, 1864-2006. McFarland. p. 200. ISBN 0786428295.
- Turner, Justin W.R. (2012). Baseball Diplomacy, Baseball Deployment: The National Pastime in U.S.-Cuba Relations (Thesis). University of Alabama. p. 113.
- ^ Turner, pp. 117-18
- "Se agudiza la situación ante impedimento para que Cuba asista a Mundial de Beisbol" (in Spanish). La Republica. 9 February 1965. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
- ^ "Historia de la Copa Mundial/World Cup History XI-XX (1950-1972)". Baseball de Cuba (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 22 November 2011.
Bibliography
- "CON BLANQUEADA Cerro COLOMBIA" (in Spanish). El Tiempo. 28 February 1965. pp. 7–8. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
| Baseball in Colombia | |
|---|---|
| WBSC Americas | |
| National teams | |
| Competitions | |
| Hosted events | |
| Players in Major League Baseball | |