Netherlands national baseball team
Country | Kingdom of the Netherlands |
---|---|
Federation | KNBSB |
Confederation | CEB |
Manager | Hensley Meulens |
Uniforms | |
World Baseball Classic | |
Appearances | 3 (First in 2006) |
Best result | 4th (1 time, in 2013) |
Olympic Games | |
Appearances | 4 (First in 1996) |
Best result | 5th (2 times, most recent in 2000) |
World Cup | |
Appearances | 17 (First in 1970) |
Best result | 1st (1 time, in 2011) |
Intercontinental Cup | |
Appearances | 5 (First in 1983) |
Best result | 2nd (2 times, most recent in 2010) |
European Championship | |
Appearances | 31 (First in 1956) |
Best result | 1st (22 times, most recent in 2016) |
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 European Union, and the team is also ranked fifth place in the IBAF World Rankings.
The Netherlands participated in the Summer Olympic Games in 1996, 2000, 2004 and 2008. The team has also participated in both of the other major international baseball tournaments recognised by the International Baseball Federation (IBAF): the World Baseball Classic (WBC) and the Baseball World Cup. In 2011, the team won the World Cup after beating 25-time champion Cuba in the finals.
The team is controlled by the Koninklijke Nederlandse Baseball en Softball Bond, which is represented in the Confederation of European Baseball. The team is most often made up from players from the Netherlands in Europe and from Dutch territories in the Caribbean such as the islands of the former Netherlands Antilles, where baseball is extremely popular. Some foreigners of Dutch descent also have been members of the team. While baseball only maintains a niche following throughout Europe, the Netherlands, along with Italy, are the two European countries where the sport's popularity is strongest.
Tournament record
World Baseball Classic
Netherlands World Baseball Classic | |
---|---|
Tournament Results | |
Puerto Rico 2006 | 11th |
Puerto Rico / United States 2009 | 7th |
Taiwan / Japan / United States 2013 | 4th |
Medal Tally | |
Gold | - |
Silver | - |
Bronze | - |
The Netherlands has competed in all three of the World Baseball Classic tournaments held. All sixteen teams that played in the 2006 edition were invited to compete in the second in 2009. The team was an automatic qualifier for the 2013 tournament.
The Netherlands has progressed to the second round of competition in 2009, and achieved its highest finish, 4th, in the 2013 tournament. Unusual for international competition in baseball, the squads selected in the World Baseball Classic tournaments featured players active in Major League Baseball in addition to Minor League, Nippon Professional Baseball and local players. Generally players in the Major Leagues are unavailable due to their contracts with the respective clubs.
The Netherlands team in the World Baseball Classic has featured Major Leaguers Andruw Jones (2006, 2013), Sidney Ponson (2009 only), and Randall Simon (both), as well as then-future Major Leaguers Jair Jurrjens (2006 only) and Kenley Jansen (2009, 2013).
World Baseball Classic record | Qualification record | ||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Host(s) | Round | Position | W | L | RS | RA | Host | W | L | RS | RA | |
2006 | Puerto Rico | Round 1 | 11th | 1 | 2 | 15 | 19 | No qualifiers held | |||||
2009 | Puerto Rico United States | Round 2 | 7th | 2 | 4 | 10 | 23 | No qualifiers held | |||||
2013 | Taiwan Japan United States | Semifinals | 4th | 4 | 4 | 36 | 47 | Automatically qualified | |||||
2017 | Automatically qualified | ||||||||||||
Total | 4/4 | 7 | 10 | 61 | 89 | - | - | - | - |
Opponent | Tournaments met |
W-L record |
Largest victory | Largest defeat | Current streak | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Score | Tournament | Score | Tournament | ||||
Australia | 1 | 1–0 | 4–1 | Taiwan 2013 | – | W1 | |
Chinese Taipei | 1 | 0–1 | – | 3–8 | Taiwan 2013 | L1 | |
Cuba | 2 | 2–1 | 6–2 | Japan 2013 | 2–11 | Puerto Rico 2006 | W2 |
Dominican Republic | 2 | 2–1 | 3–2 | Puerto Rico 2009 | 1–4 | United States 2013 | L1 |
Japan | 1 | 0–2 | – | 4–16 (F/7) | Japan 2013 | L2 | |
Panama | 1 | 1–0 | 10–0 (F/7) | Puerto Rico 2006 | – | W1 | |
Puerto Rico | 2 | 0–3 | – | 3–8 | Puerto Rico 2006 | L3 | |
South Korea | 1 | 1–0 | 5–0 | Taiwan 2013 | – | W1 | |
United States | 1 | 0–1 | – | 3–9 | United States 2009 | L1 | |
Venezuela | 1 | 0–1 | – | 1–3 | United States 2009 | L1 | |
Overall | 3 | 7–10 | Against PAN | Against JPN | L2 | ||
10–0 (F/7) | Puerto Rico 2006 | 4–16 (F/7) | Japan 2013 |
2006
Prior to the 2006 World Baseball Classic, the Netherlands played four exhibition games. They lost two games, against a college team from the University of Tampa and an Atlanta Braves squad at Cracker Jack Stadium in Kissimmee.
The Netherlands competed in Pool C—along with world champion Cuba, Panama and Puerto Rico—in the first round at the Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Having failed to win against Cuba and Puerto Rico in their round-robin pool games, they finished third in their pool, and were eliminated along with Panama.
8 March 1st Round, Pool C - Game 3 |
Puerto Rico | 8–3 | Netherlands | Puerto Rico Hiram Bithorn Stadium Attendance: 15,570 |
Boxscore |
9 March 1st Round, Pool C - Game 4 |
Cuba | 11–2 | Netherlands | Puerto Rico Hiram Bithorn Stadium Attendance: 7,657 |
Boxscore |
10 March 1st Round, Pool C - Game 5 |
Netherlands | 10–0 (F/7) | Panama | Puerto Rico Hiram Bithorn Stadium Attendance: 6,337 |
Boxscore |
2009
Prior to the 2009 World Baseball Classic, the Netherlands played seven exhibition games, including three games against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds and Minnesota Twins. The Netherlands team lost all three games against these MLB opponents.
The Netherlands competed in Pool D, along with 2006 WBC semi-finalist Dominican Republic, Panama, and Puerto Rico, in the first round at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
The team impressed many, winning both games against the strong Dominican Republic team. As result, the team made it through the first double-elimination round along with Puerto Rico.
In the second round the Dutch lost both their games against Venezuela and the United States. Therefore, the team was eliminated and finished 7th in the final standings.
7 March 1st Round, Pool D - Game 1 |
Netherlands | 3–2 | Dominican Republic | Puerto Rico Hiram Bithorn Stadium Attendance: 9,335 |
Boxscore |
9 March 1st Round, Pool D - Game 4 |
Netherlands | 1–3 | Puerto Rico | Puerto Rico Hiram Bithorn Stadium Attendance: 19,479 |
Boxscore |
10 March 1st Round, Pool D - Game 5 |
Dominican Republic | 1–2 (F/11) | Netherlands | Puerto Rico Hiram Bithorn Stadium Attendance: 11,814 |
Boxscore |
11 March 1st Round, Pool D - Game 4 |
Netherlands | 0–5 | Puerto Rico | Puerto Rico Hiram Bithorn Stadium Attendance: 19,501 |
Boxscore |
14 March 2nd Round, Pool 2 - Game 1 |
Netherlands | 1–3 | Venezuela | United States Dolphin Stadium Attendance: 17,345 |
Boxscore |
15 March 2nd Round, Pool 2 - Game 3 |
Netherlands | 3–9 | United States | United States Dolphin Stadium Attendance: 11,059 |
Boxscore |
2013
The Netherlands competed in Pool B against Chinese Taipei, South Korea and Australia at the Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium in Taichung, Taiwan. The Dutch team won their first game against South Korea 5-0, but lost to the Chinese Taipei 8-3. However, the Netherlands win against Australia 4-1, thus securing their position for Round 1 in Tokyo Dome to face off Japan and Cuba.
The Dutch team single-handedly win against the Cuban team 6-2 before facing off against two-time defending champions Japan and earned a humiliating loss 16-4 at the end of 7th inning due to mercy rule as they face off against Cuba once again. They narrowly clinched their win against the Cuban team 7-6 to secure their position to the semi-finals when they lose against the Japanese team again 10-6 for the Dutch team to face off against the Dominican Republic where they lose 4-1. The Netherlands, having significant improvement from two previous World Baseball Classic games, finished 4th overall, despite missing out its ever first WBC medal.
2 March 1st Round, Pool B - Game 2 |
South Korea | 0–5 | Netherlands | Taiwan Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium Attendance: 1,085 |
Boxscore |
3 March 1st Round, Pool B - Game 3 |
Netherlands | 3–8 | Chinese Taipei | Taiwan Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium Attendance: 22,689 |
Boxscore |
5 March 1st Round, Pool B - Game 5 |
Australia | 1–4 | Netherlands | Taiwan Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium Attendance: 1,113 |
Boxscore |
8 March 2nd Round, Pool 1 - Game 1 |
Netherlands | 6–2 | Cuba | Japan Tokyo Dome Attendance: 38,588 |
Boxscore |
10 March 2nd Round, Pool 1 - Game 4 |
Japan | 16–4 (F/7) | Netherlands | Japan Tokyo Dome Attendance: 37,745 |
Boxscore |
11 March 2nd Round, Pool 1 - Game 5 |
Cuba | 6–7 | Netherlands | Japan Tokyo Dome Attendance: 7,613 |
Boxscore |
12 March 2nd Round, Pool 1 - Game 6 |
Netherlands | 6–10 | Japan | Japan Tokyo Dome Attendance: 30,301 |
Boxscore |
17 or 18 March Final Round, Semifinal |
Netherlands | 1–4 | Dominican Republic | United States AT&T Park Attendance: 27,527 |
Boxscore |
Olympics
Netherlands Baseball at the Olympics | |
---|---|
Demonstration | |
Seoul, 1988 | 5th |
Medal Event | |
Barcelona, 1992 | DNQ |
Atlanta, 1996 | 5th |
Sydney, 2000 | 5th |
Athens, 2004 | 6th |
Beijing, 2008 | 7th |
Summer Olympics record | Qualification | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Host | Round | Position | W | L | RS | RA | ||
1988 | South Korea | Preliminary | 5th (tied) [lower-alpha 1] | 1 | 2 | 11 | 14 | 1987 European Baseball Championship | |
1992 | Spain | Did not qualify | 1991 European Baseball Championship | ||||||
1996 | United States | Preliminary | 5th | 2 | 5 | 32 | 76 | 1995 European Baseball Championship | |
2000 | Australia | Preliminary | 5th | 3 | 4 | 18 | 30 | 1999 European Baseball Championship | |
2004 | Greece | Preliminary | 6th | 2 | 5 | 29 | 55 | 2003 European Baseball Championship | |
2008 | People's Republic of China | Preliminary | 7th | 1 | 6 | 9 | 50 | 2007 European Baseball Championship | |
Total [lower-alpha 2] | 4/5 | 11 | 20 | 88 | 211 |
The Dutch best finish in an Olympics is fifth place, which they did in both 1996 & 2000. The first time the Netherlands participated in the baseball tournament at the Summer Olympics was in 1988. Netherlands finished with a 1-2 record, with its only victory coming against Chinese Taipei. There was no official placing as Baseball at the 1988 Summer Olympics was a demonstration sport.
Opponent | Tournaments met |
W-L record |
Largest victory | Largest defeat | Current streak | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Score | Tournament | Score | Tournament | ||||
Australia | 3 | 2–1 | 16–6 (F/8) | United States 1996 | 22–2 (F/7) | Greece 2004 | L1 |
Canada | 2 | 0–2 | – | 7–0 | Greece 2004 | L2 | |
China | 1 | 1–0 | 6–4 | People's Republic of China 2008 | – | W1 | |
Chinese Taipei | 3 | 1–2 | 6–1 | Korea 1988 | 16–0 | People's Republic of China 2008 | L2 |
Cuba | 4 | 1–3 | 4–2 | Australia 2000 | 18–2 (F/7) | United States 1996 | L2 |
Greece | 1 | 1–0 | 11–0 | Greece 2004 | – | W1 | |
Italy | 3 | 3–0 | 10–4 | Greece 2004 | – | W3 | |
Japan | 5 | 0–5 | – | 12–2 (F/7) | United States 1996 | L5 | |
Nicaragua | 1 | 0–1 | – | 5–0 | United States 1996 | L1 | |
Puerto Rico | 1 | 0–1 | – | 7–4 | Korea 1988 | L1 | |
South Africa | 1 | 0–1 | – | 3–2 | Australia 2000 | L1 | |
South Korea | 3 | 0–3 | – | 10–0 | People's Republic of China 2008 | L3 | |
United States | 3 | 0–3 | – | 17–1 (F/7) | United States 1996 | L3 | |
Overall | 5 | 9–22 | Against AUS | Against AUS | L3 | ||
16–6 (F/8) | United States 1996 | 22–2 (F/7) | Greece 2004 |
Baseball World Cup
The Dutch best finish in the International Baseball Federation's (IBAF) World Cup has been the first place, which they did in 2011. Netherlands also hosted the games twice, in 1986 and in 2005. In 2009, the Netherlands was one of the 8 European nations to host the 2009 Baseball World Cup. It marked the first time in history the World Cup was not be hosted by a certain country, but rather a whole continent.
Netherlands Baseball World Cup | |
---|---|
Amateur World Series | |
Colombia, 1970 | 12th |
Cuba, 1973 | 7th |
Colombia, 1976 | 11th |
Italy, 1978 | 7th |
Japan, 1980 | 12th |
South Korea, 1982 | 6th |
Cuba, 1984 | 13th |
Netherlands, 1986 | 9th |
World Cup | |
Italy, 1988 | 10th |
Canada, 1990 | 9th |
Nicaragua, 1994 | 10th |
Italy, 1998 | 6th |
Taiwan, 2001 | 7th |
Cuba, 2003 | 9th |
Netherlands, 2005 | 4th |
Taiwan, 2007 | 4th |
Europe, 2009 | 6th |
Panama, 2011 | 1st |
Opponent | Tournaments met |
W-L record |
Largest victory | Largest defeat | Current streak | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Score | Tournament | Score | Tournament | ||||
Australia | 5 | 2–4 | 6–0 | Taiwan 2001 | 4–1 | Italy 2009 | W1 |
Brazil | 2 | 1–1 | 7–0 | Netherlands 2005 | 2–1 | Cuba 2003 | W1 |
Canada | 6 | 3–3 | 7–3 | Netherlands 2005 | 11–5 | Italy 2009 | L3 |
China | 2 | 2–0 | 13–3 (F/8) | Netherlands 2005 | – | W2 | |
Chinese Taipei | 5 | 3–2 | 11–2 | Italy 2009 | 12–6 | Italy 1998 | W3 |
Cuba | 6 | 3–4 | 4–1 (F/7) | Panama 2011 | 12–1 (F/7) | Italy 1998 | W2 |
Dominican Republic | 2 | 2–0 | 7–3 | Taiwan 2001 | – | W2 | |
Germany | 1 | 1–0 | 15–5 (F/8) | Taiwan 2007 | – | W1 | |
Great Britain | 1 | 1–0 | 6–0 | Netherlands 2009 | – | W1 | |
Greece | 1 | 1–0 | 19–0 (F/5) | Panama 2011 | – | W1 | |
France | 1 | 1–0 | 12–0 (F/7) | Cuba 2003 | – | W1 | |
Japan | 5 | 1–4 | 5–2 | Panama 2011 | 12–2 (F/7) | Cuba 2003 | W1 |
Mexico | 1 | 1–0 | 6–3 | Cuba 2003 | – | W1 | |
Nicaragua | 2 | 1–1 | 8–4 | Netherlands 2009 | 13–2 | Italy 1998 | W1 |
Panama | 4 | 2–4 | 9–5 | Netherlands 2005 | 5–0 | Taiwan 2001 | W1 |
Philippines | 1 | 1–0 | 6–0 | Taiwan 2001 | – | W1 | |
Puerto Rico | 3 | 3–0 | 10–0 (F/8) | Netherlands 2005 | – | W3 | |
Russia | 2 | 2–0 | 18–0 (F/7) | Taiwan 2001 | – | W2 | |
South Africa | 1 | 1–0 | 20–2 (F/7) | Netherlands 2005 | – | W1 | |
South Korea | 5 | 4–2 | 6–2 | Netherlands 2005 | 7–0 | Netherlands 2005 | W3 |
Spain | 1 | 1–0 | 10–5 | Netherlands 2009 | – | W1 | |
Sweden | 1 | 1–0 | 18–0 (F/8) | Netherlands 2005 | – | W1 | |
Thailand | 1 | 1–0 | 16–0 (F/7) | Taiwan 2007 | – | W1 | |
United States | 4 | 2–2 | 7–5 | Panama 2011 | 8–2 | Italy 2009 | W1 |
Venezuela | 3 | 3–0 | 12–2 (F/7) | Panama 2011 | – | W3 | |
Overall | 7 | 44 – 27 | Against GRE | Against CUB | W6 | ||
19 – 0 (F/5) | Panama 2011 | 12 – 1 (F/7) | Italy 1998 |
Other tournament results
European Baseball Championship
|
World Junior Baseball Championship
European Junior Baseball Championship
World Youth Baseball Championship
European Youth Baseball Championship
Players
The Dutch Caribbean has very strong baseball traditions. A team from Willemstad, Curaçao "Liga Pabou" won the 2004 Little League World Series and was runner-up in 2005. Each territory has its own baseball federation and in the past, the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba have fielded its own team in international competitions. In recent years, however, players from the Dutch Caribbean have played on the national team of the Netherlands itself, alongside players from continental Europe and a handful of Americans of Dutch descent, resulting in a team with a stronger concentration of talent. Since the 2013 World Baseball Classic, the Netherlands participates as the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the formal name of the sovereign state that includes both the Dutch Caribbean and the Netherlands proper.
The following is the Netherlands 2013 World Baseball Classic squad.
2013 World Baseball Classic
- Manager
- Hensley Meulens
- Coaches
- Bert Blyleven, Brian Farley, Steve Janssen, Wim Martinus, Tjerk Smeets, Ben Thijssen
The following players made up the Dutch team for the 2011 Baseball World Cup, held in October 2011.[2] Team members are mostly from the Netherlands or overseas territories with a few non-Dutch players:
Coaches Farley (USA) and Janssen (Belgium) have some involvement with baseball teams in the Netherlands. 2011 Baseball World Cup
World rankingSee also: IBAF World Rankings
In January 2009 the International Baseball Federation created a ranking system so that the nations involved in international competition could be compared independently. Teams receive points based on the position they finish at the end of tournaments. The system takes into account results not only of the senior men's teams but also of junior teams. Weightings that emphasise the importance of certain tournaments are based on the number of teams competing, the number of continents represented (or eligible to be represented), and in the case of continental tournaments such as the European Baseball Championship the relative strength of teams eligible. Only results within the previous four years are used, so points are added and removed over time. Since the system began, the rankings have been adjusted after the completion of tournaments qualifying for the ranking process; the most recent was the 2009 Baseball World Cup. Since September 18, 2012 the Netherlands are listed at 6th position.
See also
References
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