1997 World Port Tournament

The 1997 World Port Tournament was the 7th World Port Tournament and the 4th won by Cuba. Havana, with players from the Cuban national team, went 7-0. The host Netherlands finished second at 3-4, losing 8-5 and 17-3 in the Gold Medal games. The Taiwan national team was third at 4-2. The Baltimore Corrigans (2-6) and California Stars (1-5) rounded out the field. Notable names included Jose Contreras, Omar Linares, Chin-Feng Chen, Pedro Luis Lazo and Orestes Kindelan. The event took place from June 27 through July 6, 1997.

Top performers were:

• Best Contact Hitter: Yobal Dueñas, Havana (.607, 17 for 28)
• Best Pitcher: Chun-Yang Tsao, Taiwan (3-0, 1.96)
• Home Run King: Orestes Kindelan, Havana (5 HR, 1.286 slugging)
• MVP: Orestes Kindelan, Havana (.571, 1.286 SLG, 11 RBI, 10 R, 5 HR)
• Most Popular Player: Johnny Balentina, Netherlands
• Best Rookie: Ricky Osuna, California (.524 AVG)