1942 Amateur World Series

The 1942 Amateur World Series was played in Havana from September 26 through October 20, 1942. It was a rare Amateur World Series in that the Cuban national team was not defending the title. Instead, that honor fell to the Venezuelan national team after their success in the 1941 Amateur World Series.

With World War II going on, only five teams came and the US had to withdraw early. The trophy for the champion was now known as the Copa Presidente Batista after Cuba's dictator.

Cuba (10-2) was led by catcher Andres Fleitas, who hit .405 to lead the tournament and wins the MVP award. He was far from a one-man show - Luis Suarez batted .579 in 19 AB, Juan Ealo (.375) led the tourney with 4 doubles, Antonio Valdes (.302) led with 16 hits and 14 RBI and Charles Perez (.288) led in runs (20) and steals (4). Perez, Valdes and Francisco Quicutis (.176) all tied for the lead with two homers. On the mound, Erasmo del Monte (2-1, 0.94), Julio Moreno (3-0, 1.36) and Izzy Leon (3-0, 1.93) led the staff, with Moreno and Leon tying for the most wins in the tournament. Connie Marrero (1-1, 3.09) beat 1941 star Daniel Canónico 8-0 in the opener.

Dominican Republic had a strong 9-3 finish to win the Silver Medal and beat Cuba in 2 of 3 match-ups. Manager Luis Ernesto Rodriguez almost led to a riot when he threw a bat on the field in response to constant harassment from the fans, who sang songs referencing his Burrolote (Donkey) nickname.

Venezuela was just 7-5 in their attempt to defend their title as Canónico was unable to repeat his mastery. Luis Aparicio Sr. played shortstop for the Venezuelans.