The Inter-American League was a high-level circuit in

Minor league baseball Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National Le ...

that lasted only three months before folding during the 1979 season. The league was conceived both as an official Triple-A minor league circuit and member of the

National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National L ...

. It was composed of six clubs unaffiliated with

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

farm system In sports, a farm team (also referred to as farm system, developmental system, feeder team, or nursery club) is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful pl ...

s. The Inter-American loop was headed by Bobby Maduro, former owner of the Triple-A

Havana Sugar Kings The Havana Sugar Kings () were a Cuban-based minor league baseball team that played from 1946 to 1960. From 1954 until 1960, they belonged in the Class Triple-A (baseball), AAA International League, affiliated with Major League Baseball's Cinci ...

and a longtime

scout Scout may refer to: Youth movement *Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement ** Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom ** Scouts BSA, sect ...

and front-office executive active in Latin American countries and Major League Baseball. A 130-game regular season was planned, while the six teams were located in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

, the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a Maritime boundary, maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and ...

and

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

(2). The league featured several well-known MLB veterans, with rosters averaging players between 26 and 29 years of age. But the new circuit was barely able to complete half its schedule, fatally wounded by "under-capitalized owners, internecine rivalries among Caribbean baseball powers, tropical monsoons, and unreliable air travel." On June 17, 1979, the Panama and Puerto Rico teams disbanded, leaving the league with only four clubs. Thirteen days later, the entire league folded. The Miami Amigos, led by future Major League manager Davey Johnson, were in first place with a 51–21 mark (.708) when the Inter-American League shut down.

List of teams

*Caracas Metropolitanos (VEN) *Panama Banqueros (PAN) *Puerto Rico Boricuas (PUR) *Petroleros de Zulia (VEN) * Miami Amigos (USA) *Santo Domingo Azucareros (DOM)

Final standings

References

Bibliography

* Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles (1997). ''Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball''. Baseball America. * {{cite magazine, url=https://vault.si.com/vault/1979/06/04/the-over-the-hill-league-the-new-inter-american-circuit-which-has-franchises-from-miami-to-maracaibo-is-giving-veterans-a-chance-to-play-except-when-immigration-officials-bench-them, title=The Over-the-Hill League, magazine=Sports Illustrated, date=June 4, 1979, accessdate=January 14, 2021 Defunct baseball leagues Defunct minor baseball leagues in the United States Baseball leagues in Florida Sports leagues established in 1979 Sports leagues disestablished in 1979 1979 establishments in North America 1979 disestablishments in North America