Baseball in the Netherlands
Encyclopedia
Baseball in the Netherlands
started in , having been introduced to the country by English teacher J.C.G Grasé of Amsterdam following a holiday to America. The first professional baseball
league
(now the Honkbal Hoofdklasse
) began in . The national governing body for baseball is the Koninklijke Nederlandse Baseball en Softball Bond
.
The Netherlands National Baseball Team
is consistently ranked in the top ten of the IBAF World Rankings
and has won the European Baseball Championship
twenty times. Although baseball is a minority sport within the Netherlands, Dutch overseas territories such as Aruba
and the Netherlands Antilles
have a strong baseball tradition.
. After discovering baseball while on vacation in the United States, he introduced the game in the Netherlands in 1911. An English teacher by profession, Grasé was able to translate the rules of the game into the Dutch Language
. The first official games were played in 1911 and on 12 March 1912, Grasé founded the Dutch Baseball Union. Grasé was also the founder of the oldest baseball club in Europe, Quick Amsterdam (founded 1 March 1913).
The first official competition was played in 1922. The major league was formed out of four clubs that year: Ajax (a branch of the famous football club), Blue White (also a football club), Hercules and Quick Amsterdam. Quick Amsterdam became the first Dutch champion.
During the early years, baseball was only played in Amsterdam, and quickly spread to Haarlem
as well. These two cities dominated Dutch baseball until 1963.
In 1925, a ship of the US Navy visited Amsterdam. Players of Blue White heard of the visit and invited the sailors to a game of baseball. After one inning, the Americans led 14-0. After two hours of play, the final score was 27-2.
In the early days, the pitcher
was the one who could throw the fastest ball. In those days, it was considered unsportsmanlike to bunt or to take advantage of the lack of control by a pitcher. It was considered a humiliation to get a base on balls
. It was far better to hit a fly out than to reach first base on four balls. Baseball was played in shorts.
At the end of the 1937 season, EDO from Haarlem and Blue White from Amsterdam played each other to determine the Dutch champion. The game was played with a two-hour time limit. The coach of EDO thought that he had won the game after the final out of an inning
, but according to the umpire, there were three more minutes to be played, so a new inning began. The players of EDO were furious and Blue White ended up winning and became Dutch champion. This was the final instance of a two-hour time limit, and beginning in 1938, games in the major league lasted nine innings.
In 1939, a team of Mormon missionaries from Salt Lake City played in the Dutch league under the name Seagulls. They only lost two games (vs. Blue White from Amsterdam 7-1, and vs. HHC from Haarlem 6-2).
After World War II
, the Americans helped Europe rebuild with the Marshall Plan
. They also sent baseball materials to the Netherlands including uniforms, bats, balls, etc. Teams like OVVO from Amsterdam and HHC from Haarlem played in red uniforms.
Many games were played against military teams. In their own league, the Dutch could hold their own, but not against the better skilled Americans. Han Urbanus, was the best Dutch pitcher in these days. Getting a hit against him guaranteed a starting spot in the Dutch national team. A Dutch American journalist, Albert Balink, managed two trips to spring training camp for Han Urbanus. The journalist knew that the Dutchman would need a lot more experience to improve. Martin Jole, one of the players who could hit Hans Urbanus, went to a spring training camp with the Cincinnati Reds
. He showed Dutch players how swinging a bat day after day could improve their hitting.
Albert Balink also introduced medals for the best players and hitters, which allowed him to show that baseball is a sport of stats. In 1953, Han Urbanus got a phone call from the USA. The New York Giants
had offered him a minor league contract. He refused, due to the fact that he preferred to teach his fellow countrymen what he had learned in the USA.
Dutch baseball was dominated from 1949 to 1953, by OVVO from Amsterdam, which claimed five consecutive national titles. In 1955, the club won it for the last time, and would never win another championship again.
The post-war help of the Americans helped the Dutch earn their first European title in 1956 in Rome, Italy. Han Urbanus was a defensive force and the Dutch batters performed very well. Because of the European title, the Dutch were allowed to go to the Global World Series. American coaches like Ron Fraser
and Bill Arce helped the Dutch to improve their game. The number of baseball fields built around the country increased dramatically.
In 1963, a real baseball stadium was built in Haarlem. This stadium would be the base of the Haarlem Baseball Week, a yearly event.
Prior to 1963, baseball was dominated by teams from Amsterdam and Haarlem. But in 1963, Sparta from Rotterdam became Dutch champion. From 1963 to 1974, Sparta clinched nine national titles, a record not exceeded until 1985 by the Haarlem Nicols. In the early sixties, each team played 14 games; one game every weekend.
made the Minnesota Twins
roster. He had a very successful Major League career which lasted until 1992, and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2010. He was, however, raised in California and never played in the Dutch league. The first Dutch Major League Baseball
player who actually grew up and learned the game in the Netherlands was Win Remmerswaal
, who pitched briefly for the Boston Red Sox
in 1979 and 1980.
Dutch baseball was dominated by Sparta from Rotterdam in the early 70s. The "magnificent three" from the Dutch Antilles were unstoppable: Hudson John, Simon Arrindell and Hamilton Richardson, who all had a big influence on Sparta, but by 1974, the era was over.
At the end of the 1972 season, the football club Ajax decided to cut loose the baseball branch, ending the ball club.
At the end of the 1977 season, there was some turmoil at O.V.V.O. from Amsterdam. This baseball club was also a branch of a football club. The football club, an amateur side, decided to turn professional and begin paying players. The baseball branch did not agree, and big names, like Han Urbanus, decided to leave and founded a new club: Amstel Tigers. Other players like Charles Urbanus Jr. (pitcher/shortstop), Jan Hijzelendoorn (pitcher), Paul Smit (catcher) and Don Wedman decided to follow suit, along with almost the entire team. The Dutch Baseball Federation tried to mediate, but the players did not come back. The city of Amsterdam appointed a terrain in the Western part of the city. The Amstel Tigers thought that field would be too far away, but ultimately the new club built a baseball field there, which is now used by Quick Amsterdam.
In the meantime, O.V.V.O. would not be persuaded to take a step back to a lower division. The Amstel Tigers started their first season in the overgangsklasse; a league one level lower than the Major League. With such strong players, the Tigers were quickly promoted to the top division in 1979. O.V.V.O's 1978 season was a disaster and the team was relegated. The Amstel Tigers went on to become champions in 1979, 1980, and 1986.
In 1979, a Dutch pitcher made his MLB debut on the mound in Milwaukee. The Red Sox were trailing 4-1, as they called pitcher Win Remmerswaal. His debut was a good one, even though his team lost 5-3. After the game, journalists seemed fascinated that a Dutch player could have come so far in the game. The MLB career of Win Remmerswaal only lasted two seasons, due to injuries. After the 1980 season, Remmerswaal pitched 22 games (3 victories and 1 loss). His short career among baseball's elite lasted 55 innings. After his Major League career, Remmerswaal went to Italy, and played on several teams for many years.
The eighties and nineties were bad decades for many baseball clubs. In 1986, Charles Urbanus Jr. decided that it would be his last season. This was a huge blow for his club, the Amstel Tigers. Urbanus was a magnet for players, who considered it an honour to play with him. But an Amstel Tigers without him was not as attractive to new talent and the club lost competitiveness. Eventually, the members voted for a merger with H.C.A.W. from Bussum
, a club that was playing the lower league. The new club, H.C.A.W Tigers, were promoted to the major league in 1989 and would go on to win the title in 1996 and 1998, albeit without any of the old Amstel Tigers players. Haarlem Nicols were particularly dominant in the 1980s with seven pennants over ten years, but declared bankruptcy in 1994, just five years after winning their last pennant.
In 1981, Neptunus Rotterdam won the pennant for the first time since the baseball team's foundation in 1942. Neptunus began to dominate the championship during the 1990s and 2000s, winning eleven pennants in total including seven consecutively between 1999 and 2005.
First round: Netherlands - Taiwan 2-1,
Netherlands - Greece 19-0,
Netherlands - Japan 5-2,
Netherlands - Puerto Rico 5-0,
Netherlands - USA 7-5,
Netherlands - Canada 4-5,
Netherlands - Panama 7-3.
Second round: Netherlands - South-Korea 5-1,
Netherlands - Australia 2-1,
Netherlands - Cuba 4-1,
Netherlands - Venezuela 12-2.
Final: Netherlands - Cuba 2-1.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
started in , having been introduced to the country by English teacher J.C.G Grasé of Amsterdam following a holiday to America. The first professional baseball
Professional baseball
Baseball is a team sport which is played by several professional leagues throughout the world. In these leagues, and associated farm teams, players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system....
league
Sports league
League is a term commonly used to describe a group of sports teams or individual athletes that compete against each other in a specific sport. At its simplest, it may be a local group of amateur athletes who form teams among themselves and compete on weekends; at its most complex, it can be an...
(now the Honkbal Hoofdklasse
Honkbal Hoofdklasse
The Honkbal Hoofdklasse is the highest level of professional baseball in the Netherlands. It is an eight-team league that plays a 42-game schedule and is overseen by the Royal Netherlands Baseball and Softball Federation . Games are played principally on weekends...
) began in . The national governing body for baseball is the Koninklijke Nederlandse Baseball en Softball Bond
Koninklijke Nederlandse Baseball en Softball Bond
The Koninklijke Nederlandse Baseball en Softball Bond is the national governing body of baseball in the Netherlands. Baseball is played in all the provinces, but it struggles for popularity due to the popularity of many other sports, including the sport of soccer, in which the Netherlands has...
.
The Netherlands National Baseball Team
Netherlands national baseball team
The Netherlands national baseball team is the national baseball team of the Netherlands. They are currently the top team in Europe and currently the sixth ranked men's baseball team in the IBAF World Rankings....
is consistently ranked in the top ten of the IBAF World Rankings
IBAF World Rankings
The IBAF World Rankings is a ranking system for men's national teams in baseball, currently led by Cuba. The teams of the member nations of IBAF , baseball's world governing body, are ranked based on their tournament results with the most successful teams being ranked highest...
and has won the European Baseball Championship
European Baseball Championship
The European Baseball Championship is the main championship tournament between national baseball teams in Europe, governed by the Confederation of European Baseball . Italy won the inaugural European Baseball Championship in , and the competition has since been dominated by the Italian team and the...
twenty times. Although baseball is a minority sport within the Netherlands, Dutch overseas territories such as Aruba
Aruba
Aruba is a 33 km-long island of the Lesser Antilles in the southern Caribbean Sea, located 27 km north of the coast of Venezuela and 130 km east of Guajira Peninsula...
and the Netherlands Antilles
Netherlands Antilles
The Netherlands Antilles , also referred to informally as the Dutch Antilles, was an autonomous Caribbean country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, consisting of two groups of islands in the Lesser Antilles: Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao , in Leeward Antilles just off the Venezuelan coast; and Sint...
have a strong baseball tradition.
1911 - 1940
The driving force in the early days of Dutch baseball was J.C.G. Grasé of AmsterdamAmsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
. After discovering baseball while on vacation in the United States, he introduced the game in the Netherlands in 1911. An English teacher by profession, Grasé was able to translate the rules of the game into the Dutch Language
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
. The first official games were played in 1911 and on 12 March 1912, Grasé founded the Dutch Baseball Union. Grasé was also the founder of the oldest baseball club in Europe, Quick Amsterdam (founded 1 March 1913).
The first official competition was played in 1922. The major league was formed out of four clubs that year: Ajax (a branch of the famous football club), Blue White (also a football club), Hercules and Quick Amsterdam. Quick Amsterdam became the first Dutch champion.
During the early years, baseball was only played in Amsterdam, and quickly spread to Haarlem
Haarlem
Haarlem is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of North Holland, the northern half of Holland, which at one time was the most powerful of the seven provinces of the Dutch Republic...
as well. These two cities dominated Dutch baseball until 1963.
In 1925, a ship of the US Navy visited Amsterdam. Players of Blue White heard of the visit and invited the sailors to a game of baseball. After one inning, the Americans led 14-0. After two hours of play, the final score was 27-2.
In the early days, the pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
was the one who could throw the fastest ball. In those days, it was considered unsportsmanlike to bunt or to take advantage of the lack of control by a pitcher. It was considered a humiliation to get a base on balls
Base on balls
A base on balls is credited to a batter and against a pitcher in baseball statistics when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls balls. It is better known as a walk. The base on balls is defined in Section 2.00 of baseball's Official Rules, and further detail is given in 6.08...
. It was far better to hit a fly out than to reach first base on four balls. Baseball was played in shorts.
At the end of the 1937 season, EDO from Haarlem and Blue White from Amsterdam played each other to determine the Dutch champion. The game was played with a two-hour time limit. The coach of EDO thought that he had won the game after the final out of an inning
Inning
Inning is a municipality in the district of Erding in Bavaria in Germany....
, but according to the umpire, there were three more minutes to be played, so a new inning began. The players of EDO were furious and Blue White ended up winning and became Dutch champion. This was the final instance of a two-hour time limit, and beginning in 1938, games in the major league lasted nine innings.
In 1939, a team of Mormon missionaries from Salt Lake City played in the Dutch league under the name Seagulls. They only lost two games (vs. Blue White from Amsterdam 7-1, and vs. HHC from Haarlem 6-2).
| Champions 1922-1939 | |
|---|---|
| Year | Club |
| 1922 | Quick Amsterdam AHC Quick AHC Quick , commonly known as Quick Amsterdam , is a baseball and softball club based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Founded in 1913, it is one of the oldest baseball clubs in Europe still in existence. Today the club operates four men's baseball teams playing in the third, fourth and fifth... |
| 1923 | Blue White Amsterdam |
| 1924 | Ajax Amsterdam |
| 1925 | Quick Amsterdam AHC Quick AHC Quick , commonly known as Quick Amsterdam , is a baseball and softball club based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Founded in 1913, it is one of the oldest baseball clubs in Europe still in existence. Today the club operates four men's baseball teams playing in the third, fourth and fifth... |
| 1926 | A.G.H.C. Amsterdam |
| 1928 | Ajax Amsterdam |
| 1929 | S.C. Haarlem |
| 1930 | S.C. Haarlem |
| 1931 | Blue White Amsterdam |
| 1932 | Blue White Amsterdam |
| 1933 | V.V.G.A. Amsterdam |
| 1934 | S.C. Haarlem |
| 1935 | Quick Amsterdam AHC Quick AHC Quick , commonly known as Quick Amsterdam , is a baseball and softball club based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Founded in 1913, it is one of the oldest baseball clubs in Europe still in existence. Today the club operates four men's baseball teams playing in the third, fourth and fifth... |
| 1936 | H.H.C. Haarlem |
| 1937 | Quick Amsterdam |
| 1938 | Quick Amsterdam |
| 1939 | Seagulls |
1940 - 1970
After the German invasion in May 1940, baseball went through a difficult period. As the war continued, baseball materials became scarce. Starting in 1943, baseballs were made of rubber-like substance with a cork center. The balls, which were made by the tire company Vredenstein, could absorb little more than a couple of hits, before breaking apart. Some pitchers would cut out a small piece in order to throw a curve, because the balls didn't have seams. Clubs were forced to mend cracked bats with screws or whatever other materials were handy.After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the Americans helped Europe rebuild with the Marshall Plan
Marshall Plan
The Marshall Plan was the large-scale American program to aid Europe where the United States gave monetary support to help rebuild European economies after the end of World War II in order to combat the spread of Soviet communism. The plan was in operation for four years beginning in April 1948...
. They also sent baseball materials to the Netherlands including uniforms, bats, balls, etc. Teams like OVVO from Amsterdam and HHC from Haarlem played in red uniforms.
Many games were played against military teams. In their own league, the Dutch could hold their own, but not against the better skilled Americans. Han Urbanus, was the best Dutch pitcher in these days. Getting a hit against him guaranteed a starting spot in the Dutch national team. A Dutch American journalist, Albert Balink, managed two trips to spring training camp for Han Urbanus. The journalist knew that the Dutchman would need a lot more experience to improve. Martin Jole, one of the players who could hit Hans Urbanus, went to a spring training camp with the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
. He showed Dutch players how swinging a bat day after day could improve their hitting.
Albert Balink also introduced medals for the best players and hitters, which allowed him to show that baseball is a sport of stats. In 1953, Han Urbanus got a phone call from the USA. The New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
had offered him a minor league contract. He refused, due to the fact that he preferred to teach his fellow countrymen what he had learned in the USA.
Dutch baseball was dominated from 1949 to 1953, by OVVO from Amsterdam, which claimed five consecutive national titles. In 1955, the club won it for the last time, and would never win another championship again.
The post-war help of the Americans helped the Dutch earn their first European title in 1956 in Rome, Italy. Han Urbanus was a defensive force and the Dutch batters performed very well. Because of the European title, the Dutch were allowed to go to the Global World Series. American coaches like Ron Fraser
Ron Fraser
Ronald 'Ron' Fraser was the college baseball coach at the University of Miami from 1963 to 1992.Nicknamed the "Wizard of College Baseball," he was one of the most successful coaches in NCAA baseball history, and was also responsible for bringing college baseball to a new level of public awareness...
and Bill Arce helped the Dutch to improve their game. The number of baseball fields built around the country increased dramatically.
In 1963, a real baseball stadium was built in Haarlem. This stadium would be the base of the Haarlem Baseball Week, a yearly event.
Prior to 1963, baseball was dominated by teams from Amsterdam and Haarlem. But in 1963, Sparta from Rotterdam became Dutch champion. From 1963 to 1974, Sparta clinched nine national titles, a record not exceeded until 1985 by the Haarlem Nicols. In the early sixties, each team played 14 games; one game every weekend.
| Champions 1940-1969 | |
|---|---|
| Year | Club |
| 1940 | S.C. Haarlem |
| 1941 | S.C. Haarlem |
| 1942 | Ajax Amsterdam |
| 1943 | Blue White Amsterdam |
| 1944 | Blue White Amsterdam |
| 1945 | Blue White Amsterdam |
| 1946 | Blue White Amsterdam |
| 1947 | Schoten Haarlem |
| 1948 | Ajax Amsterdam |
| 1949 | O.V.V.O. Amsterdam |
| 1950 | O.V.V.O. Amsterdam |
| 1951 | O.V.V.O. Amsterdam |
| 1952 | O.V.V.O. Amsterdam |
| 1953 | O.V.V.O. Amsterdam |
| 1954 | E.H.S. Haarlem |
| 1955 | O.V.V.O. Amsterdam |
| 1956 | Schoten Haarlem |
| 1957 | Schoten Haarlem |
| 1958 | E.D.O. Haarlem |
| 1959 | E.H.S. Haarlem |
| 1960 | Schoten Haarlem |
| 1961 | Schoten Haarlem/Karoush Stark |
| 1962 | E.H.S. Haarlem |
| 1963 | Sparta Rotterdam |
| 1964 | Sparta Rotterdam |
| 1965 | Haarlem Nicols |
| 1966 | Sparta Rotterdam |
| 1967 | Sparta Rotterdam |
| 1968 | Haarlem Nicols |
| 1969 | Sparta Rotterdam |
1970 - Present
In 1970, a Dutch-born pitcher named Bert BlylevenBert Blyleven
Bert Blyleven is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played from to , and was best known for his curveball. Blyleven was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2011...
made the Minnesota Twins
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
roster. He had a very successful Major League career which lasted until 1992, and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2010. He was, however, raised in California and never played in the Dutch league. The first Dutch Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
player who actually grew up and learned the game in the Netherlands was Win Remmerswaal
Win Remmerswaal
Wilhelmus Abraham Remmerswaal is a former relief pitcher in Major League Baseball. He batted and threw right-handed. Remmerswaal was born in The Hague, Netherlands. He was the second Dutch-born Major League Baseball player of the modern , following the great Bert Blyleven...
, who pitched briefly for the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
in 1979 and 1980.
Dutch baseball was dominated by Sparta from Rotterdam in the early 70s. The "magnificent three" from the Dutch Antilles were unstoppable: Hudson John, Simon Arrindell and Hamilton Richardson, who all had a big influence on Sparta, but by 1974, the era was over.
At the end of the 1972 season, the football club Ajax decided to cut loose the baseball branch, ending the ball club.
At the end of the 1977 season, there was some turmoil at O.V.V.O. from Amsterdam. This baseball club was also a branch of a football club. The football club, an amateur side, decided to turn professional and begin paying players. The baseball branch did not agree, and big names, like Han Urbanus, decided to leave and founded a new club: Amstel Tigers. Other players like Charles Urbanus Jr. (pitcher/shortstop), Jan Hijzelendoorn (pitcher), Paul Smit (catcher) and Don Wedman decided to follow suit, along with almost the entire team. The Dutch Baseball Federation tried to mediate, but the players did not come back. The city of Amsterdam appointed a terrain in the Western part of the city. The Amstel Tigers thought that field would be too far away, but ultimately the new club built a baseball field there, which is now used by Quick Amsterdam.
In the meantime, O.V.V.O. would not be persuaded to take a step back to a lower division. The Amstel Tigers started their first season in the overgangsklasse; a league one level lower than the Major League. With such strong players, the Tigers were quickly promoted to the top division in 1979. O.V.V.O's 1978 season was a disaster and the team was relegated. The Amstel Tigers went on to become champions in 1979, 1980, and 1986.
In 1979, a Dutch pitcher made his MLB debut on the mound in Milwaukee. The Red Sox were trailing 4-1, as they called pitcher Win Remmerswaal. His debut was a good one, even though his team lost 5-3. After the game, journalists seemed fascinated that a Dutch player could have come so far in the game. The MLB career of Win Remmerswaal only lasted two seasons, due to injuries. After the 1980 season, Remmerswaal pitched 22 games (3 victories and 1 loss). His short career among baseball's elite lasted 55 innings. After his Major League career, Remmerswaal went to Italy, and played on several teams for many years.
The eighties and nineties were bad decades for many baseball clubs. In 1986, Charles Urbanus Jr. decided that it would be his last season. This was a huge blow for his club, the Amstel Tigers. Urbanus was a magnet for players, who considered it an honour to play with him. But an Amstel Tigers without him was not as attractive to new talent and the club lost competitiveness. Eventually, the members voted for a merger with H.C.A.W. from Bussum
Bussum
Bussum is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland.-History:Bussum was first mentioned in 1306. In this time, Bussum was a large heathland with many small farms, sheep pens and forests as is shown on old maps. Since Bussum is situated near the fortified town...
, a club that was playing the lower league. The new club, H.C.A.W Tigers, were promoted to the major league in 1989 and would go on to win the title in 1996 and 1998, albeit without any of the old Amstel Tigers players. Haarlem Nicols were particularly dominant in the 1980s with seven pennants over ten years, but declared bankruptcy in 1994, just five years after winning their last pennant.
In 1981, Neptunus Rotterdam won the pennant for the first time since the baseball team's foundation in 1942. Neptunus began to dominate the championship during the 1990s and 2000s, winning eleven pennants in total including seven consecutively between 1999 and 2005.
| Champions 1970-2011 | |
|---|---|
| Year | Club |
| 1970 | |Haarlem Nicols |
| 1971 | Sparta Rotterdam |
| 1972 | Sparta Rotterdam |
| 1973 | Sparta Rotterdam |
| 1974 | Sparta Rotterdam |
| 1975 | |Haarlem Nicols |
| 1976 | |Haarlem Nicols |
| 1977 | |Haarlem Nicols |
| 1978 | |S.C. Kinheim Haarlem |
| 1979 | |Amstel Tijgers |
| 1980 | |Amstel Tijgers |
| 1981 | |Neptunus Rotterdam |
| 1982 | |Haarlem Nicols |
| 1983 | |Haarlem Nicols |
| 1984 | |Haarlem Nicols |
| 1985 | |Haarlem Nicols |
| 1986 | |Amstel Tijgers |
| 1987 | |Pirates Amsterdam |
| 1988 | |Haarlem Nicols |
| 1989 | |Haarlem Nicols |
| 1990 | |Pirates Amsterdam |
| 1991 | |Neptunus Rotterdam |
| 1992 | |ADO Den Haag ADO Den Haag Alles Door Oefening Den Haag , commonly known by the abbreviated name ADO Den Haag , is a Dutch football club from the city of The Hague. The club was for a time known as FC Den Haag , with ADO representing the amateur branch of the club... |
| 1993 | |Neptunus Rotterdam |
| 1994 | |S.C. Kinheim Haarlem |
| 1995 | |Neptunus Rotterdam |
| 1996 | |H.C.A.W Bussum Tijgers |
| 1997 | |Pioneers Hoofddorp |
| 1998 | |H.C.A.W Bussum Tijgers |
| 1999 | |Neptunus Rotterdam |
| 2000 | |Neptunus Rotterdam |
| 2001 | |Neptunus Rotterdam |
| 2002 | |Neptunus Rotterdam |
| 2003 | |Neptunus Rotterdam |
| 2004 | |Neptunus Rotterdam |
| 2005 | |Neptunus Rotterdam |
| 2006 | |S.C. Kinheim Haarlem |
| 2007 | |S.C. Kinheim Haarlem |
| 2008 | |Pirates Amsterdam |
| 2009 | |Neptunus Rotterdam |
| 2010 | |Neptunus Rotterdam |
| 2011 | |Pirates Amsterdam |
2009
In 2009, the Netherlands defeated the heavily favored Dominican Republic twice to qualify for the second round of the World Baseball Classic. The Dutch upset the Dominican team 3-2 in their first meeting and 2-1 in 11 innings in a qualification game.2011
In 2011, the Netherlands defeated the former World Baseball Championship winner, Cuba, and became World Champion for the first time in history. Their team captain, Brian Farley led them to a 2-1 victory. Players De Jong and Smith scored for the Dutch team. Record holder, Cuba, has won 25 out of 39 matches, however, they did not win this time.First round: Netherlands - Taiwan 2-1,
Netherlands - Greece 19-0,
Netherlands - Japan 5-2,
Netherlands - Puerto Rico 5-0,
Netherlands - USA 7-5,
Netherlands - Canada 4-5,
Netherlands - Panama 7-3.
Second round: Netherlands - South-Korea 5-1,
Netherlands - Australia 2-1,
Netherlands - Cuba 4-1,
Netherlands - Venezuela 12-2.
Final: Netherlands - Cuba 2-1.
See also
- Haarlem Baseball WeekHaarlem Baseball WeekThe Haarlemse Honkbalweek is an international invitation baseball tournament at the Pim Mulier Stadium in Haarlem, Netherlands...
- Holland SeriesHolland SeriesThe Holland Series has been the annual championship series of the highest level of professional baseball in the Netherlands since 1987, concluding the postseason of Honkbal Hoofdklasse...
- World Port TournamentWorld Port TournamentThe World Port Tournament is an international baseball tournament held at the Neptunus Familiestadion in Rotterdam, Netherlands. The tournament has been held every other year in uneven-numbered years since , alternating with the Haarlem Baseball Week....
- Baseball teams in the Netherlands
- Baseball awards#Netherlands
External links
- de Nederlandse honkbalsite (Dutch)
- KNBSB (Royal Netherlands Baseball and Softball Federation) (Dutch)
- Dutch Baseball and Softball Museum website. Retrieved 2010-11-12.
- Dutch Baseball Hall of Fame webpage. Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2010-11-12.
- Forum: History of Dutch baseball (a messageboard thread with a fairly complete history). Baseball Fever (part of Baseball-Almanac)
- Connor, Joe. Welcome to the Netherlands. ESPN (MLB), January 17, 2006. Retrieved 2009-12-16.
- Remington, Alex. Honkbal! Netherlands Bids to Host MLB in 2014. FanGraphs. September 1, 2011. Retrieved 2011-09-03.
- Rodney Daal Signs Pro Contract with San Diego Padres Organization. August 24, 2010. Mister Baseball: All about Baseball & Softball in Europe