Great Britain national baseball team | |||
---|---|---|---|
Information | |||
Country | United Kingdom | ||
Federation | British Baseball Federation | ||
Confederation | Confederation of European Baseball | ||
Manager | Drew Spencer | ||
Captain | TBD | ||
WBSC ranking | |||
Current | 18 (18 December 2023) [1] | ||
Highest | 18 (October 2023) | ||
Lowest | 38 (2 times; latest in December 2018) | ||
Uniforms | |||
World Baseball Classic | |||
Appearances | 1 (first in 2023 ) | ||
Best result | 15th (2023) | ||
Olympic Games | |||
Appearances | 0 | ||
World Cup | |||
Appearances | 2 (first in 1938 ) | ||
Best result | 1st (1 time, in 1938 ) | ||
Intercontinental Cup | |||
Appearances | 0 | ||
European Championship | |||
Appearances | 15 (first in 1967 ) | ||
Best result | 2nd (3 times, most recent in 2023 ) |
The Great Britain national baseball team is the national men's baseball team of the United Kingdom. [2] It is governed by the British Baseball Federation, and is also a member nation of the Confederation of European Baseball.
The British team, managed by George McNeil, won the inaugural Baseball World Cup in 1938, beating the United States by four games to one in the series hosted in England. This series was subsequently declared the first world championship of amateur baseball by the International Baseball Federation, and so Great Britain became the first amateur world champions. With the backing of Sir John Moores a team was set to compete in the 1939 series, in Havana, as defending champions. In doing so they would have become the first national representative team to compete outside of the United Kingdom [3] but the outbreak of the Second World War interrupted the development of baseball in the United Kingdom, the team withdrew and the sport entered into decline domestically. So severe was the impact of the Second World War on baseball in the United Kingdom that it was over 70 years before the team qualified for another world championship event, when they reached the 2009 Baseball World Cup by virtue of its second-place finish at the 2007 European Baseball Championship.
In 2007, the Great Britain team won the silver medal at the European Baseball Championship, finishing top of Group B and only losing two games in the tournament. It ultimately finished second overall to the Netherlands. This marked Britain's highest placing in the tournament since its first entry into the event in 1967, when it also finished second.
Prior to 2007 the team's showing in the European Baseball Championship was generally limited to finishing in the lower half of the standings, which often resulted in relegation to the secondary tournament known as the European Baseball Championship Qualifier (sometimes referred to as the 'B-Pool'). In 1988 and 1996 Great Britain hosted and won the Qualifier, thereby returning to the main European Championship event the following year (sometimes referred to as the 'A-Pool'). Since the silver medal in 2007, Great Britain has on occasion had to repeat the process of qualification through the B-Pool.
By winning the silver medal in 2007 Great Britain qualified both for the 2009 Baseball World Cup and for the Final Qualifying Tournament in Taiwan for the 2008 Summer Olympics. However, a lack of funding including a refusal by UK Sport to provide any backing meant it was forced to withdraw from the Final Qualifying Tournament and was replaced by Germany. [4] This was the Great Britain team's last chance to qualify for an Olympic baseball competition due to the earlier decision by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to remove baseball from the Games after 2008. That decision – announced one day after London had been awarded the 2012 Olympics on 6 July 2005 – also meant that the Great Britain baseball team would not have the opportunity to play in front of a home crowd in the 2012 London Olympics and to promote the sport in the United Kingdom. It also meant that the team ceased to receive elite funding from bodies such as UK Sport.
At the 2009 World Cup – held simultaneously in various countries around Europe – Britain qualified out of the first group stage before eventually finishing 15th overall. Following the World Cup, in October 2009 the IBAF announced a new set of world rankings in which Britain rose to 21st., [5] though they since dropped to 32nd as of 2017. [6] Great Britain was invited to compete in the qualifying round of the 2013 World Baseball Classic. In 2016 Hall of Fame inductee Trevor Hoffman joined the coaching staff, honouring his maternal English ancestry, with his grandfather having been a professional footballer in the Football League. [7] Great Britain competed in the qualifying round of the 2017 World Baseball Classic, where it was defeated in the finals by Team Israel.
On September 20, 2022, Great Britain qualified for its first World Baseball Classic by defeating Spain 10–9 in 10 innings in Regensburg, Germany. [8]
Hall of Fame inductee Trevor Hoffman has previously coached the Great Britain national team, [7] as has the English-born, highly experienced Major League Baseball player Lance Painter. The most high-profile recent player to represent the United Kingdom as a player is Jazz Chisholm Jr. Former major leaguer Vance Worley has also played for the team, starting the qualifying game against Spain in 2022 that clinched a spot in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. [9]
The team’s roster for the 2023 World Baseball Classic qualification. Very few members of the team were born in Britain, instead qualifying through British parents or grandparents, and almost none of them played in the domestic league. [10]
Great Britain roster - 2023 World Baseball Classic Qualification | ||||
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Players | Coaches | |||
Pitchers
| Catchers
Infielders Outfielders
| Manager
Coaches
|
The following is a list of professional baseball match results currently active in the latest version of the WBSC World Rankings, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled. [11]
Win Lose Void or postponed Fixture
Euro Championship GS | September 8 | Germany | 1–0 | Great Britain | Bonn 1, Germany |
19:30 CET | Boxscore | Attendance: 1,350 |
Euro Championship GS | September 9 | Czech Republic | 3–4 (F/10) | Great Britain | Weyersberg Park, Germany |
12:30 CET | Boxscore | Attendance: 150 |
Euro Championship GS | September 10 | Great Britain | 4–7 | Israel | Weyersberg Park, Germany |
12:30 CET | Boxscore | Attendance: 150 |
Euro Championship GS | September 11 | Sweden | 7–13 | Great Britain | Bonn 2, Germany |
13:00 CET | Boxscore | Attendance: 50 |
Euro Championship GS | September 11 | Great Britain | 2–10 | Netherlands | Bonn 2, Germany |
17:15 CET | Boxscore | Attendance: 150 |
Euro Championship RR | September 12 | Austria | 6–1 | Great Britain | Bonn 1, Germany |
11:00 CET | Boxscore | Attendance: 100 |
Euro Championship RR | September 13 | Great Britain | 12–2 (F/8) | Sweden | Weyersberg Park, Germany |
12:30 CET | Boxscore | Attendance: 80 |
Euro Championship RR | September 14 | Croatia | 1–5 | Great Britain | Weyersberg Park, Germany |
12:30 CET | Boxscore | Attendance: 150 |
Euro Championship 9th | September 15 | Austria | 9–11 | Great Britain | Weyersberg Park, Germany |
11:00 | Boxscore | Attendance: 150 |
Euro Championship GS | September 12 | France | 2–7 | Great Britain | Paolo II Palace, Italy |
Boxscore |
Euro Championship GS | September 13 | Great Britain | 6–7 | Russia | Paschetto Stadium, Italy |
Boxscore |
Euro Championship GS | September 14 | Great Britain | 4–11 | Israel | Aluffi Stadium, Italy |
Boxscore |
Euro Championship QF | September 16 | Netherlands | 7–5 | Great Britain | Paschetto Stadium, Italy |
Boxscore |
Euro Championship CG | September 17 | Belgium | 11–12 | Great Britain | Aluffi Stadium, Italy |
Boxscore |
Euro Championship 5th | September 18 | Great Britain | 5–8 | Czech Republic | Paolo II Palace, Italy |
Boxscore |
World Baseball Classic Q | September 16 | Great Britain | 14–4 (F/8) | France | Armin-Wolf-Arena, Germany |
19:00 CET | WP: McKenzie Mills (1-0) HR: Harry Ford (1) | Boxscore | LP: Kevin Canelon (0-1) HR: Ivan Acuna (1) | Attendance: 897 Umpires: Jon Byrne |
World Baseball Classic Q | September 17 | Great Britain | 8–1 | Germany | Armin-Wolf-Arena, Germany |
19:00 CET | WP: Akeel Morris (1-0) HR: Justin Wylie (1), Harry Ford (2) | Boxscore | LP: Brian Flynn (0-1) | Attendance: 2,216 Umpires: Tyler Jones (HP), Jon Byrne (1B), Sam Burch (2B), Young Chou Kwon (3B) |
World Baseball Classic Q | September 20 | Spain | 9–10 (F/10) | Great Britain | Armin-Wolf-Arena, Germany |
19:00 CET | LP: Rhiner Cruz HR: Noelvi Marte (1) | Boxscore | WP: Tahnaj Thomas HR: Harry Ford (3), D'Shawn Knowles (1), Jaden Rudd (1) | Attendance: 1,186 Umpires: HP: Young Chou Kwon, 1B: Roberto LaMadrid, 2B: Darius Ghani, 3B: Mark Winters |
World Baseball Classic GS | March 11 | Great Britain | 2–6 | United States | Chase Field, United States |
19:00 MT | LP: Vance Worley (0–1) HR: Trayce Thompson (1) | Boxscore | WP: Adam Wainwright (1–0) HR: Kyle Schwarber (1) | Attendance: 39,650 Umpires: HP – Carlos Torres, 1B – Felix Tejada, 2B – Bill Miller, 3B – Jhonatan Biarreta |
World Baseball Classic GS | March 12 | Great Britain | 8–18 (F/7) | Canada | Chase Field, United States |
12:00 MT | LP: Akeel Morris (0–1) HR: Harry Ford (1) | Boxscore | WP: Phillippe Aumont (1–0) HR: Edouard Julien (1), Owen Caissie (1) | Attendance: 11,555 Umpires: HP – Felix Tejada, 1B – Bill Miller, 2B – Jhonatan Biarreta, 3B – Carlos Torres |
World Baseball Classic GS | March 13 | Colombia | 5–7 | Great Britain | Chase Field, United States |
12:00 MT | LP: Yapson Gomez (0–1) HR: Dilson Herrera (1) | Boxscore | WP: Graham Spraker (1–0) Sv: Ian Gibaut (1) HR: Harry Ford (2) | Attendance: 10,416 Umpires: HP – Jhonatan Biarreta, 1B – Cory Blaser, 2B – Felix Tejada, 3B – Doug Eddings |
World Baseball Classic GS | March 14 | Great Britain | 1–2 | Mexico | Chase Field, United States |
19:00 MT | LP: Tahnaj Thomas (0–1) | Boxscore | WP: JoJo Romero (1–0) Sv: Giovanny Gallegos (1) | Attendance: 17,705 Umpires: HP – Cory Blaser, 1B – Carlos Torres, 2B – Félix Tejada, 3B – Jhonatan Biarreta |
World Baseball Classic record | Qualification record | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Round | Position | W | L | RS | RA | W | L | RS | RA | ||
2006 | did not enter | No qualifiers held | ||||||||||
2009 | did not enter | No qualifiers held | ||||||||||
2013 | did not qualify | 1 | 2 | 14 | 32 | |||||||
2017 | did not qualify | 2 | 2 | 21 | 17 | |||||||
2023 | Round 1 | 15th | 1 | 3 | 18 | 31 | 3 | 0 | 31 | 13 | ||
Total | Round 1 | 1/5 | 1 | 3 | 18 | 31 | 6 | 4 | 66 | 62 |
Great Britain was invited to compete in the qualifying round of the 2013 World Baseball Classic, where they were grouped Canada and Germany. After an 11–1 defeat to the Canadians, [12] they won against the Czech Republic, 12–5. [13] In the third group game, however, Great Britain lost to Germany. 16–0 down at the 7th inning stretch, they pulled one back before the mercy rule came into effect, and GB exited the qualifiers 16–1. [14]
Baseball World Cup record | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Host | Round | Position | W | L | RS | RA | |
1938 | 1 of 2 | 4 | 1 | 20 | 14 | |||
2009 | 2 | 15 of 22 | 1 | 9 | 23 | 70 | ||
Total | 2/39 | 1 | 5 | 10 | 43 | 84 |
13 August | Great Britain | 3–0 | United States | United Kingdom Wavertree Stadium, Liverpool |
15 August | Great Britain | 8–6 | United States | United Kingdom Kingston upon Hull |
17 August | Great Britain | 0–5 | United States | United Kingdom Spotland Stadium, Rochdale |
19 August | Great Britain | 4–0 | United States | United Kingdom The Shay, Halifax |
20 August | Great Britain | 5–3 | United States | United Kingdom Leeds |
10 September 2009 Round 1, Group C | Great Britain | 7–9 | Japan | Croatia Zagreb, Croatia Attendance: 180 |
LP: Samuel Whitehead | Boxscore | WP: Yosuke Okamoto |
11 September 2009 Round 1, Group C | Nicaragua | 10 – 0 (F/7) | Great Britain | Croatia Zagreb, Croatia Attendance: 150 |
WP: S. Diego Garcia | Boxscore | LP: Alexander D. Smith |
12 September 2009 Round 1, Group C | Croatia | 1–4 | Great Britain | Croatia Zagreb, Croatia Attendance: 600 |
LP: James Summers | Boxscore | WP: Brian C. Essery Sv: Thomas A. Boleska |
13 September 2009 Round 2, Group F | Great Britain | 0–6 | Cuba | Netherlands Pim Mulier Stadion, Haarlem Attendance: 327 |
LP: Stephen P. Spragg | Boxscore | WP: Freddy A. Alvarez |
14 September 2009 Round 2, Group F | Great Britain | 5 – 15 (F/8) | South Korea | Netherlands Sportpark Ookmeer, Amsterdam Attendance: 91 |
LP: Stephen P. Spragg | Boxscore | WP: Hyun-June Park |
16 September 2009 Round 2, Group F | Nicaragua | 4–1 | Great Britain | Netherlands Familie Stadion, Rotterdam Attendance: 112 |
WP: S. Diego Garcia | Boxscore | LP: Brian C. Essery |
17 September 2009 13:00 Round 2, Group F | Great Britain | 4–5 | Puerto Rico | Netherlands Pim Mulier Stadion, Haarlem Attendance: 1,477 |
LP: Alexander D. Smith | Boxscore | WP: Angel Garcia Sv: Orlando B. Roman |
18 September 2009 Round 2, Group F | Netherlands | 6–0 | Great Britain | Netherlands Familie Stadion, Rotterdam Attendance: 2,225 |
WP: Tom Stuifbergen | Boxscore | LP: Aeden McQueary-Ennis |
19 September 2009 Round 2, Group F | Spain | 3–10 | Great Britain | Netherlands Familie Stadion, Rotterdam Attendance: 433 |
WP: Rhiner A. Cruz | Boxscore | LP: Stephen P. Spragg |
20 September 2009 Round 2, Group F | Great Britain | 6–1 | Venezuela | Netherlands Pim Mulier Stadion, Haarlem Attendance: 800 |
LP: Thomas Stack-Babich | Boxscore | WP: Roger Luque |
Team Great Britain have played in 17 tournaments, with a current unbroken streak going back to 1997. The best result a silver medal (1967 and 2007).
Notable among these appearances was 2019, with former MLB pitchers Barry Enright and Michael Roth playing for the team. [15]
The Baseball World Cup (BWC) was an international baseball tournament for national teams around the world, sanctioned by the International Baseball Federation (IBAF). First held in 1938 as the Amateur World Series (AWS), it was, for most of its history, the highest level of international baseball competition in the world. Even after it was supplanted in this regard in 2006 by the modern World Baseball Classic (WBC), the Baseball World Cup was still considered by the IBAF to be a major world championship, along with the WBC and the Summer Olympic Games.
The World Baseball Classic is an international baseball tournament, sanctioned from 2006 to 2013 by the International Baseball Federation (IBAF) and after 2013 by World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) in partnership with Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) through the World Baseball Classic Inc. The winning team is awarded the World Baseball Classic Championship Trophy. After 2023 World Baseball Classic, this tournament has become the most popular baseball competition in the world, overtaking the World Series.
The Japan national baseball team, also known as Samurai Japan (侍ジャパン), is the national team representing Japan in international baseball competitions. It won the World Baseball Classic in 2006, 2009, and 2023 as well as WBSC Premier12 in 2019. The team is currently ranked 1st in the world by the World Baseball Softball Confederation and is a baseball powerhouse.
The Australian national baseball team represents Australia in international baseball tournaments and competitions. It is ranked as the top team in Oceania, and is the Oceanian Champion, having been awarded the title in 2007 when New Zealand withdrew from the Oceania Baseball Championship. After achieving a last (16th) place in the 2013 World Baseball Classic, its rank dropped to 13, which is the lowest rank Australia ever received. The highest rank it has achieved is 6th, and its current rank is 10th.
The United States national baseball team, also known as Team USA represents the United States in international-level baseball competitions. The team is currently ranked 2nd in the world by the World Baseball Softball Confederation. The United States has won many international tournaments, many of which are now discontinued. Most notably the team won the Olympic baseball tournament in 2000, and the World Baseball Classic (WBC) in 2017.
The Canada national baseball team represents Canada in international baseball. They are overseen by Baseball Canada, the governing body of baseball in Canada.
The Cuba national baseball team represents Cuba at regional and international levels. The team is made up from the most professional players from the Cuban national baseball system. Cuba has been described as a baseball powerhouse and currently ranks 8th in WBSC's world rankings. It has medalled in five of the six Olympics in which baseball was played. The team tried but failed to qualify for the 2020 Olympics at the eight-team Americas Qualifying Event on May 31 through June 5, 2021.
The Netherlands national baseball team is the national baseball team of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, representing the country in international men's baseball. They are currently ranked as the best team in the WBSC Europe, and the team is also ranked seventh in the WBSC World Rankings.
The Italy national baseball team represents Italy in international baseball competitions. The Italian national team was ranked 16th in the world as of 2022. The team is managed by Mike Piazza, a former New York Mets player and Major League Baseball Hall of Fame inductee.
The Spain national baseball team is the national team of Spain. It is governed by the Royal Spanish Baseball and Softball Federation. It is a member nation of the Confédération Européenne de Baseball, or Confederation of European Baseball.
The Chinese Taipei baseball team is the national men's baseball team of the Republic of China (Taiwan). It is governed by the Chinese Taipei Baseball Association. The team is ranked fourth in the world by the World Baseball Softball Confederation. The team is usually made up of professionals from Taiwan's Chinese Professional Baseball League, Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball, and Major League Baseball and Minor League Baseball from the United States.
In Israel, baseball was historically not a popular sport, the IAB founded by Randy Kahn in 1985, is one of six nations to qualify in baseball for the 2020 Olympics has yet to be felt. There are approximately 1,000 players in 16 cities across the country. Volunteer coaches and donors are instrumental to the growth and development of the sport as baseball resources are very low. Israel is currently ranked 19th in the world in the sport.
The Czech Republic national baseball team is the national baseball team of the Czech Republic. The team competes in the biennial European Baseball Championship and debuted in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.
The Pakistan national baseball team is the national team representing Pakistan in international baseball tournaments and competitions. The team is controlled and governed by the Pakistan Federation Baseball, which is represented in the Baseball Federation of Asia (BFA), having been ranked #5 in Asia, just behind China. They are ranked as the top and one of the most successful baseball teams in South Asia, winning the first SAARC Baseball Championship 8–2 against Sri Lanka in 2011. As of 2023, Pakistan is currently ranked 38th in the world by the World Baseball Softball Confederation.
The Israel National Baseball Team represents Israel in international competitions. It is managed by Ian Kinsler.
Italy women's national softball team is one of the top-ranked softball teams in Europe.
The WBSC Premier12 is the international baseball tournament organized by the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC), featuring the 12 highest-ranked national baseball teams in the world. The first tournament was held by Taiwan and Japan in November 2015. The second tournament, 2019 WBSC Premier12, was held in November 2019, and served as a qualifier for two teams for baseball at the 2020 Summer Olympics.
Six national teams qualified to compete in baseball at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. As host, Japan automatically qualified. Israel also qualified, by winning the Africa/Europe Qualifying Event in September 2019.
Six teams qualified for the Olympic softball tournament, including Japan, which, as host nation, qualified automatically. The United States team won the 2018 Women's Softball World Championship to qualify for the Olympics. The remaining four spots were allocated through three qualification tournaments: one spot for a Europe/Africa tournament, one spot for an Asia/Oceania tournament, and two spots for an Americas tournament.
The qualifying round of the 2023 World Baseball Classic was held from 16 September 2022 to 5 October 2022. Teams which participated at the 2017 World Baseball Classic automatically qualified for the 2023 tournament. The qualifying round consisted of two tournaments to be participated by six teams each. The qualifiers were planned to be hosted in Tucson, Arizona in the United States but after the delay, the qualifier hosts were changed to the cities of Regensburg, Germany at Armin-Wolf-Arena and Panamá City, Panama at Estadio Rod Carew. Winners and runners-up of each of the two tournaments qualified for the 2023 World Baseball Classic.