View source for Honkbal Hoofdklasse

{{Short description|Dutch professional baseball league}}
{{Infobox sports league
| title           = Honkbal Hoofdklasse
| current_season  = 2025 Honkbal Hoofdklasse season
| logo            = Honkbal Hoofdklasse logo.png
| pixels          = 
| sport           = Baseball
| formerly        = Eerste Klasse
| founded         = [[1922 in baseball|1922]]
| country         = [[Netherlands]]
| confed          = [[Royal Netherlands Baseball and Softball Federation|KNBSB]]
| teams           = 8
| champion        = [[Neptunus]]<br>(20 titles)
| champ_season    = 2024
| most_champs     = 
| most successful club = [[Neptunus]]<br>(20 titles)
| sponsor         = Lucky Day
| level           = 1
| related_comps   = [[European Champions Cup (baseball)|European Cup]]<br>
[[Holland Series]]
}}
The '''Honkbal Hoofdklasse''' ([[Dutch language|Dutch]] for ''Major League Baseball'') is the highest level of [[professional baseball]] in the [[Baseball in the Netherlands|Netherlands]]. It is an eight-team [[sports league|league]] overseen by the [[Royal Netherlands Baseball and Softball Federation]] (KNBSB).

Games are played principally on weekends with one game during the week. The season runs from April to September and is followed by the [[playoffs]] among the four best teams, which culminates in the [[Holland Series]]. Both of the playoff rounds are best-of-five. The league followed a [[promotion and relegation]] system with the [[Honkbal Overgangsklasse]] until 2022. Many of the official team nicknames have contained the name of the club's [[Sponsor (commercial)|sponsor]].

The top two teams each year participated in the [[European Cup (baseball)|European Cup]] until that tournament restructured in 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |title=WBSC Europe announces the launch of the Baseball European Champions Cup, alongside the restructuring of European club competitions |url=https://www.wbsceurope.org/en/news/wbsc-europe-announces-the-launch-of-the-baseball-european-champions-cup-alongside-the-restructuring-of-european-club-competitions |access-date=2025-05-06 |website=WBSC Europe |language=en}}</ref>

==History==
{{Multiple issues|section=yes|
{{Expand Dutch|topic=sport|date=July 2017}}
{{Expand section|1=more in-depth history of the league examining key figures and periods in the development of the league (teams joining, influence of [[Major League Baseball]], etc.)|date=September 2017}}
}}

The Honkbal Hoofdklasse has been the highest level of competitive baseball in the Netherlands since 1958, when it was elevated over the former '''Eerste Klasse''' by the '''Koninklijke Nederlandse Honkbal Bond''', the forerunner of the KNBSB. The Eerste Klasse served as the top baseball competition in the Netherlands from its establishment in 1922 until 1957, excluding 1945 when play was suspended due to [[World War II]]. The Hoofdklasse has been organized by the KNBSB since 1971.   

Until 1986, the winner of the season was also crowned the national champion, except for 1972 and 1973, when a [[Playoff format#Best-of-five playoff|best-of-five]] [[Holland Series]] was held between the top two teams to determine the champion. The Holland Series returned in 1987 and has been held annually at the end of the season to determine the national champion. The championship series is currently held in a [[Playoff format#Best-of-seven playoff|best-of-seven]] format. The top six teams qualify for the playoffs, with the top two teams earning a bye through the wild card round.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Honkbal Lucky Day Honkbal Hoofdklasse |url=https://www.knbsb.nl/nl/competitie/competities/Honkbal/7104/lucky-day-honkbal-hoofdklasse/wildcard/#standen |access-date=2024-09-03 |website=KNBSB |language=nl}}</ref>  

In 2021, the Eerste Klasse was reinstated as the second level of Dutch professional baseball and the league to which teams from the Hoofdklasse are relegated at the end of the season. It previously was the second league in the Dutch baseball pyramid from 1958 to 1986 and 2001 to 2009. In the intervening years, from 1987 to 2000 and 2010 to 2020, the [[Honkbal Overgangsklasse|Overgangsklasse]] operated as the secondary baseball league in the Netherlands. 

Following the [[2021 Honkbal Hoofdklasse season|2021 season]], the KNBSB decided to end relegation and promotion and operate the Hoofdklasse with fixed teams. The reform was part of broader efforts to improve the league's quality of play and national visibility.{{Citation needed|date=October 2024}} The league expanded to nine teams for the 2022 season.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Visser |first=Seb |date=2021-10-29 |title=Hoofdklasse vanaf 2022 op slot, Silicon Storks blijft er als negende team in |trans-title=Hoofdklasse closed from 2022, Silicon Storks remains as ninth team in |url=https://honkbalsoftbal.nl/2021/10/29/hoofdklasse-vanaf-2022-op-slot-silicon-storks-blijft-er-als-negende-team-in |access-date=2024-09-03 |website=HonkbalSoftbal.nl |language=nl-NL}}</ref> The [[Storks (sports club)|Silicon Storks]], who were slated to be relegated, remained in the Hoofdklasse alongside {{interlanguage link|RCH-Pinguins|nl|}}, who had defeated the Storks in a playoff to earn promotion to the top league.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-10-17 |title=RCH-Pinguins H1 dwingt promotie af - RCH Pinguins |url=https://rch-pinguins.nl/nieuws/rch-pinguins-h1-dwingt-promotie-af/ |access-date=2024-09-03 |language=nl-NL}}</ref> The Storks were replaced in 2023 by [[UVV Utrecht|UVV]], which had been in the Hoofdklasse until 2017.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Visser |first=Seb |date=2022-10-07 |title=UVV keert terug in Honkbal Hoofdklasse, Storks vertrekt – HonkbalSoftbal.nl |url=https://honkbalsoftbal.nl/2022/10/07/uvv-keert-terug-in-honkbal-hoofdklasse-storks-vertrekt/ |access-date=2024-10-11 |website=honkbalsoftbal.nl |language=nl-NL}}</ref> The league saw more changes after the 2024 season, with [[Kinheim]] replacing [[DSS/Kinheim]] in the top league<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-08-14 |title=Bekendmaking: DSS en Kinheim gaan samenwerking op een andere manier invullen |trans-title=Announcement: DSS and Kinheim will work together in a different way |url=https://www.kinheim.net/bekendmaking-dss-en-kinheim-gaan-samenwerking-op-een-andere-manier-invullen |access-date=2024-10-11 |website=Kinheim |language=nl}}</ref> and [[Quick Amersfoort]] voluntarily moving down to the Eerste Klasse.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Visser |first=Seb |date=2024-10-24 |title=Quick Amersfoort komt in 2025 uit in de Eerste Klasse |url=https://honkbalsoftbal.nl/2024/10/24/quick-amersfoort-komt-in-2025-uit-in-de-eerste-klasse/ |access-date=2024-10-30 |website=HonkbalSoftbal.nl |language=nl-NL}}</ref>

==Current clubs==
{{Location map many | Netherlands
| width = 345
| caption = 
|alt=A map of the The Netherlands, marking the location of all the Honkbal Hoofdklaase teams| label = Pirates
| pos = right
| lat_deg = 52.366942
| lon_deg = 4.799071
|label1=|coordinates1=| pos2 = bottom
| lat2_deg = 52.155
| lon2_deg = 5.3875
| label3 = Neptunus
| pos3 = left
| lat3_deg = 51.919444
| lon3_deg = 4.433333
| label4 = HCAW
| pos4 = right
| lat4_deg = 52.261161
| lon4_deg = 5.168317
| label5 = Kinheim
| pos5 = top
| lat5_deg = 52.408131
| lon5_deg = 4.630619
| label6 = Twins
| pos6 = right
| lat6_deg = 51.643333
| lon6_deg = 4.856667
| label7 = UVV
| pos7 = right
| lat7_deg = 52.093790839
| lon7_deg = 5.03555775938
| label8 = Pioniers
| pos8 = bottom
| lat8_deg = 52.298435
| lon8_deg = 4.629291
| label9 = RCH
| pos9 = left
| lat9_deg = 52.337680
| lon9_deg = 4.628037
}}

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:100%;"
! Team !! City !! Stadium !! Capacity
|- 
| [[Neptunus]]
| [[Rotterdam]]
| Neptunus Familiestadion
| 2,760
|-
| [[Kinheim]]
| [[Haarlem]]
| {{interlanguage link|Pim Mulier Stadium|nl|Pim Mulierstadion}}
| 2,500
|-
| [[Amsterdam Pirates]]
| [[Amsterdam]]
|Loek Loevendie Ballpark
| 2,000
|-
| [[HCAW]]
| [[Bussum]]
| {{interlanguage link|Rob Hoffman Vallei|nl|Rob Hoffmanvallei}}
| 1,000
|-
| [[Pioniers|Hoofddorp Pioniers]]
| [[Hoofddorp]]
| Sportpark Pioniers
| 1,000
|-
| [[UVV Utrecht|UVV]]
| [[Utrecht]]
| Sportpark de Paperclip
| 1,000
|-
| [[Twins Oosterhout]]
| [[Oosterhout]]
| Sportpark Slotbosse Toren 
| 500
|-
| {{interlanguage link|RCH-Pinguins|nl|}}
| [[Heemstede]]
| Heemsteedse Sportparken
| 400
|-
|}

==2024 final standings==
The final 2024 Honkbal Hoofdklasse standings:<ref>{{cite web |title=Standings 2024 |url=https://stats.knbsbstats.nl/en/events/2024-lucky-day-hoofdklasse-honkbal/standings |website=Koninklijke Nederlandse Baseball en Softball Bond - KNBSB |access-date=22 May 2025 |language=en}}</ref>
{{row counter|{| class{{=}}"wikitable sortable"
!#!!Baseball club!!W-L-T
|-
| style{{=}}"text-align:center;"| _row_count || [[Curaçao Neptunus]] || 22–2–0
|-
| style{{=}}"text-align:center;"| _row_count || [[Amsterdam Pirates]] || 19–5–0
|-
| style{{=}}"text-align:center;"| _row_count || [[HCAW]] || 16–7–1
|-
| style{{=}}"text-align:center;"| _row_count || [[DSS/Kinheim]] || 12–10–2
|-
| style{{=}}"text-align:center;"| _row_count || [[:nl:RCH-Pinguins|RCH-Pinguins]] || 11–12–1
|-
| style{{=}}"text-align:center;"| _row_count || [[Twins Oosterhout]] || 11–13–0 
|-
| style{{=}}"text-align:center;"| _row_count || [[UVV Utrecht|UVV]] || 10–13–1
|-
| style{{=}}"text-align:center;"| _row_count || [[Hoofddorp Pioniers]] || 4–19–1
|-
| style{{=}}"text-align:center;"| _row_count || [[Quick Amersfoort]] || 0–24–0
|-
|} }}

== Results ==
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; width:30%;"
|bgcolor="silver" colspan="5"| '''Hoofdklasse championships'''<ref>[http://www.honkbalsite.com/archief/landskampioenen.html List of Dutch champions] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141226230922/http://www.honkbalsite.com/archief/landskampioenen.html |date=2014-12-26 }} {{in lang|nl}}</ref>
|-
!Rank
!Team
!Titles
!First
!Last
|-
!1st
|style="text-align:left"| [[Neptunus|Neptunus Rotterdam]]
|20
|{{baseball year|1981}}
|{{baseball year|2024}}
|-
!2nd
|style="text-align:left"| {{interlanguage link|Haarlem Nicols|nl|}}
|12
|{{baseball year|1965}}
|{{baseball year|1989}}
|-
! rowspan=2|3rd
|style="text-align:left"| [[Blauw-Wit Amsterdam]]
|9
|{{baseball year|1923}}
|{{baseball year|1946}}
|-
|style="text-align:left"| [[Sparta-Feyenoord]]
|9
|{{baseball year|1963}}
|{{baseball year|1974}}
|-
!5th
|style="text-align:left"| [[Amsterdam Pirates]]
|7
|{{baseball year|1987}}
|{{baseball year|2023}}
|-
! 6th
|style="text-align:left"| {{interlanguage link|OVVO|nl}} Amsterdam||6
|{{baseball year|1949}}
|{{baseball year|1955}}
|-
| rowspan="3" |7th
| style="text-align:left" | [[Kinheim]]
|5
|{{baseball year|1978}}
|{{baseball year|2012}}
|-
| style="text-align:left" | SC Haarlem
|5
|{{baseball year|1929}}
|{{baseball year|1941}}
|-
|style="text-align:left"| Schoten Haarlem
|5
|{{baseball year|1947}}
|{{baseball year|1961}}
|-
!10th
|style="text-align:left"| [[Ajax HVA|Ajax Amsterdam]]
|4
|{{baseball year|1924}}
|{{baseball year|1948}}
|-
! rowspan="4" |11th
| style="text-align:left" | Amstel Tijgers
|3
|{{baseball year|1979}}
|{{baseball year|1986}}
|-
|style="text-align:left"| EHS Haarlem
|3
|{{baseball year|1954}}
|{{baseball year|1962}}
|-
| style="text-align:left" | [[HCAW]]
|3
|{{baseball year|1996}}
|{{baseball year|2022}}
|-
| style="text-align:left" | [[AHC Quick|Quick Amsterdam]]
|3
|{{baseball year|1922}}
|{{baseball year|1935}}
|-
!15th
|style="text-align:left"| AGHC Amsterdam
|2
|{{baseball year|1926}}
|{{baseball year|1927}}
|-
| rowspan="6" |16th
| style="text-align:left" | [[SV ADO|ADO Den Haag]]
|1
| colspan="2" |{{baseball year|1992}}
|-
| style="text-align:left" | EDO Haarlem
|1
| colspan="2" |{{baseball year|1958}}
|-
|style="text-align:left"| HHC Haarlem
|1
| colspan="2"|{{baseball year|1936}}
|- 
| style="text-align:left" | [[Pioniers|Hoofddorp Pioniers]]
|1
| colspan="2" |{{baseball year|1997}}
|-
|style="text-align:left"| Seagulls Amsterdam
|1
| colspan="2"|{{baseball year|1939}}
|-
| style="text-align:left" | VVGA Amsterdam
|1
| colspan="2" |{{baseball year|1933}}
|}

==See also==
*[[Baseball in the Netherlands]]
*[[Baseball awards#Netherlands]]
*[[Baseball awards#Europe]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://honkbalsoftbal.nl/ Honkbal Softball.nl] (Dutch)
*[http://www.knbsb.nl KNBSB (Royal Netherlands Baseball and Softball Federation)] (Dutch)
*Connor, Joe. [https://www.espn.com/mlb/worldclassic2006/news/story?id=2291359 Welcome to the Netherlands]. ESPN (MLB), January 17, 2006. Retrieved 2009-12-16.
*Remington, Alex. [http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/honkbal-netherlands-bids-to-host-mlb-in-2014/ Honkbal! Netherlands Bids to Host MLB in 2014]. FanGraphs. September 1, 2011. Retrieved 2011-09-03.
*[http://www.mister-baseball.com/mvp-sidney-de-jong-heads-2008-honkbalsite-awards/ 2008 Netherlands Baseball All-Star Team and MVP] (fan vote at [https://web.archive.org/web/20120328114522/http://www.honkbalsite.com/awards/2008.html "de Nederlandse honkbalsite"]). November 10, 2008. Mister Baseball: All about Baseball & Softball in Europe

{{Honkbal Hoofdklasse}}
{{Baseball leagues}}
{{Professional Baseball}}
{{Baseball in the Netherlands}}

[[Category:Honkbal Hoofdklasse| ]]
[[Category:Baseball competitions in the Netherlands]]
[[Category:Baseball leagues in Europe]]
[[Category:Sports leagues established in 1922]]
[[Category:1922 establishments in the Netherlands]]
[[Category:Professional sports leagues in the Netherlands]]