Cuba captured the competition with an undefeated record of 6-0, behind a strong
pitching effort by
Agapito Mayor, who posted a 3-0 record (2 as a
starter, 1 in
relief) and won
Most Valuable Player honors. His three
wins in the CBWS still a series record. The offensive support came from
Monte Irvin, who hit .389 and led the hitters with two
home runs and 11
RBI;
Al Gionfriddo, the champion bat with a .533
average (8-for-15);
Chuck Connors, who hit .409 with five
runs and five RBI, and
Sam Jethroe, a .320 hitter with three
triples, six runs, and five RBI. Cuba,
managed by
Fermín Guerra, also collected a 4–0
shutout by
Ed Wright (the first in Series history) and
complete game wins from
René Solís and
Conrado Marrero. Other roster members were
Santos Amaro,
Andrés Fleitas and
René González. Venezuela, managed by
José Antonio Casanova, ended second with a 3-3 mark.
José Bracho led the pitching staff with a 2-0 record and a 3.21 ERA in 14 innings. He also contributed to his own cause by going 5-for-6 (.833) with a double and two RBI.
Luis Zuloaga won a complete-game pitching duel against Puerto Rico's
Alonzo Perry for the other Venezuelan victory. The offense was paced by
catcher Guillermo Vento (.375) and
first baseman Dalmiro Finol (.333), who also hit the first home run in Series history. Veteran slugger
Vidal López reinforced the team, going 1-for-2 in a pitch-hitting role. Panama finished third with a 2-4 record. The team, managed by catcher
León Kellman, had a solid pitching staff that included
Sam Jones and
Pat Scantlebury, but was victim of a low-run support.
Lester Lockett went 9-for-22 with two doubles, while leading the team in both average (.409) and runs scored (six). Kellman batted only .238, but stole four bases to tie teammate
Sam Bankhead and Cuba's
Chuck Connors for the Series lead. Puerto Rico ended in fourth place with a 1-5 record. The team was led by
shortstop-manager
Artie Wilson (.346, three
stolen bases),
Quincy Trouppe (.444),
Luke Easter (.400, 7 RBI), and specially
Wilmer Fields, who hit the first
grand slam in Series history and drove in seven runs. ==Participating teams==