1938 Amateur World Series

The 1938 Amateur World Series was the first edition of what would become the Baseball World Cup. While future major leaguers were appearing for Cuba, Panama and the USA within a couple years, the 1938 event was hardly of the same level.  United Kingdom beat the  United States 4 games to 1 from August 13 through August 18 in five cities in Northern England.

The USA squad was composed of high schoolers and college players preparing for the 1940 Olympics and was chosen after National Amateur Baseball Trials, in Lincoln, Nebraska, in July. The British team was chosen from players from the London Major Baseball League and the Yorkshire-Lancashire League and contained a large number of Canadian-born players. The Canadian players were eligible to play because of their status as citizens of the British Empire. Likewise British based Americans were not eligible to represent Great Britain.

10,000 fans came to see one game in Liverpool.

Scores

Game 1

August 13, Wavertree Stadium, Liverpool
Great Britain 3 United States 0
British pitcher Kendrick conceded only two hits and struck out 16 Americans. The crowd numbered 10,000.

Game 2

August 15, Old Craven Park, Kingston upon Hull
Great Britain 8 United States 6
The USA conceded five runs in the fifth innings with Sam Hanna hitting a two-run homer. 5,000 fans came to see the game.

Game 3

August 17, Spotland, Rochdale
Great Britain 0 United States 5
America shut out the Brits to win their only game of the series.

Game 4

August 19, The Shay, Halifax
Great Britain 4 United States 0
Kendrick pitched his second shutout as Great Britain clinched the five game series.

Game 5

August 20, Headingley Stadium, Leeds
Great Britain 5 United States 3
Although the series had been decided the two teams still played the scheduled fifth game.

Great Britain roster

Sid Bissett
Frank Cadorette
Sam Hanna
Doc Holden
Ross Kendrick
Larry Marsh
Chummy McNeil (player-manager)
Jack Ritchie
Ken Robinson
Irvine Ruvinsky
Jerry Strong
Danny Wright

United States roster

Manager - Les Mann
Lee Benson
George Binger
Clyde Dean
Harold Graff
Lloyd S. Johnson
Ora Lindau
John McDermott
Tommy O'Rourke
Wendell Ringland
Mike Schemer
Charles Tate
Virgil Thompson
Whitey Platt

Sources: Baseball in Europe by Josh Chetwynd, A History of Cuban Baseball by Peter Bjarkman, All-Time British national roster available at [1]