The DGD organized the first truly national amateur tournament.
That first DGD tournament served as the basis for selecting the players who would later compete in the 1961 World Cup in Costa Rica.
Before the start of the National Baseball Series on January 14, 1962, organized by the National Institute of Sports, Physical Education and Recreation (INDER), let us remember that while the four traditional teams—Havana, Almendares, Marianao and Cienfuegos—were developing the professional tournament, the General Directorate of Sports (DGD), headed by then-captain of the Rebel Army Felipe Guerra Matos, organized the first amateur championship with a true national character in 1960.
It was a tournament that had qualifying rounds from the base in the then six provinces from which the champions of each territory emerged who would seek the pennant of the country through the system of all against all in a single round and that played its final stage in the eastern stadiums of Las Tunas, Palma Soriano, Holguín, Santiago de Cuba and the historic Matanzas stadium Palmar de Junco.
The provincial champions of that tournament were: Rometales de Santa Lucía from Pinar del Río; Universidad from Havana; Acueducto from Matanzas; Central Narcisa, now Obdulio Morales, from Las Villas; the René Almanza rice cooperative from Camagüey; and the Mulos de la Nicaro from Oriente.
That little-known tournament was won by the eastern team with a record of four wins and one loss, after defeating the University of Havana team in the decisive game by a score of six to five in ten innings. The only loss for the powerful Mulos de la Nicaro team came against Acueducto de Matanzas by a score of five to two.
Many of those players had participated in tournaments organized by the Amateur Athletic Union or the Pedro Betancourt League and other national championships before 1959. For example, to mention one, the Nicaro team featured well-known players from that era: Jacinto “El Cangrejo” Blanco, Raúl Despaigne, Julio Portilla, Dassel Thompson, Rafael Castañeda, Nivaldo Jardines, Everildo Hernández.
That first DGD tournament served as the basis for selecting the players who would later compete in the 1961 World Cup in Costa Rica, setting several records for those events. Among those on that team were two players who would go on to shine in MLB: Dagoberto “Bert” Campaneris, then a catcher, and infielder “Tito” Fuente.
Written by Francisco Soriano.
