it was the final edition of the first stage of the cbws, after mlb commissioner ford frick banned american players from playing in cuba for the 1960-61 winter season. as response, in march 1961 the fidel castro government would decree the abolition of professional sport in cuba. the series would be suspended until 1970, reconstituting without cuba and panama, while adding the dominican republic. cuba would return to the series in 2014.