Netherlands national baseball team
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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 the best-ranked team in the Europe, and ranked seventh in the world by the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC). The team is controlled by the Royal Netherlands Baseball and Softball Federation, which is represented in WBSC Europe.
The Netherlands participated in the Summer Olympic Games in 1996, 2000, 2004, and 2008. The team has also participated in other major international baseball tournaments, including the World Baseball Classic (WBC), Baseball World Cup, and Premier12. The Netherlands' best finish was winning the 2011 World Cup, defeating 25-time champion Cuba in the finals. More recently the Dutch finished fourth in the 2013 and 2017 WBC.
The team is made up primarily of players from the Netherlands in Europe, and from Dutch territories and islands in the Caribbean that are part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Baseball is extremely popular in Aruba and Curaçao, which were part of the former Netherlands Antilles. Some foreign-born players of Dutch descent have also been members of the team. While baseball only maintains a niche following throughout Europe, the Netherlands and Italy are the two European countries where the sport's popularity is strongest.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
The Dutch team has finished in either first or second place in 31 of the 32 European Baseball Championships in which it has appeared. The exception was the 2023 European Baseball Championship, which the Netherlands placed third.
History
Early history
The Netherlands national team played its first international on August 26, 1934 in Heemstede; the Dutch side lost to Belgium by a score of 21–12. In a rematch later that summer, the Netherlands notched its first-ever win, defeating Belgium 19–17 in Antwerp. Throughout the 1930s, the Netherlands would play regular games against Belgium and France, accumulating a record of 7–2 against the two opponents between 1937 and 1939, and emerging as the strongest European baseball power.[1]
Joining the European Baseball Federation in 1955, the Netherlands won the 1956 European Baseball Championship. From that point on, they won every continental championship they entered until 1973, a total of 10 consecutive titles.[2] Also in 1956, the Dutch made their first appearance in global competition, appearing at the 1956 Global World Series held at Milwaukee County Stadium in the United States. They lost both games they played, against Puerto Rico (14–2) and Colombia (7–1).[3] Nevertheless, the Dutch team continued to dominate at the European Championship, thanks to the pitching of Han Urbanus, the first Dutch player to be scouted by a Major League Baseball team. (He reportedly declined a contract with the New York Giants).[4]
The Dutch national team began the practice of selecting players from the Netherlands Antilles, the Dutch colonial possessions in the Caribbean, in the 1960s and 1970s. Though the Netherlands Antilles maintained its own national team at the time. This practice was maintained despite complaints from other federations in Europe; the Dutch federation defended its players of Caribbean ancestry as "possessing the nationality 100%". The European Baseball Federation ruled in favor of the Dutch, allowing Caribbean players to make up an integral part of its squad going forward.[5]
World Baseball Classic era
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2006
Prior to the 2006 WBC, the Netherlands played four exhibition games. They lost two games, against the University of Tampa college team and an Atlanta Braves squad at Cracker Jack Stadium in Kissimmee, Florida.
The Netherlands competed in Pool C, along with reigning world champion Cuba, Panama, and Puerto Rico, in the first round at the Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
After losing to Cuba and Puerto Rico in their round-robin pool games, they finished third in their pool and were eliminated along with Panama.
2009
Prior to the 2009 WBC, the Netherlands played seven exhibition games, including 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, again at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in Puerto Rico. The team won 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 to Venezuela and the United States. Therefore, the team was eliminated and finished seventh in the final standings.
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 defeated Australia 4–1, thus securing their position for Round 1 in Tokyo Dome to face off against Japan and Cuba.
The Dutch team defeated Cuba 6–2 before facing two-time defending champion Japan, suffering a 16–4 loss stopped after 7th innings due to the mercy rule. This forced a rematch with Cuba. The Dutch narrowly clinched their win against the Cuban team 7–6 to secure their position in the semi-finals, where they lost again to Japan, 10–6. They faced the Dominican Republic in the third-place match, losing 4–1. The Netherlands finished fourth in the tournament.
2017
The Netherlands, ranked ninth in the world, included major league stars, many of whom were raised in islands in the Caribbean that are part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The players included All-Star shortstop Xander Bogaerts (from Aruba), 20-home-run hitter shortstop Didi Gregorius (born in the Netherlands and raised in Curaçao), 20-home-run hitter second baseman Jonathan Schoop (born in Curaçao), Gold Glove shortstop Andrelton Simmons (born in Curaçao), and infielder/outfielder Jurickson Profar (born in Curaçao).[6][7][8] Sports Illustrated wrote that the Dutch team "boasts arguably the most talented infield in the entire tournament."[8]
The Netherlands lost to Israel, 4–2. In what NBC reported was thought to be the tallest batter-pitcher matchup in baseball history, the Dutch team's Script error: No such module "convert". pitcher Loek van Mil walked Israel's Script error: No such module "convert". first baseman Nate Freiman.[9] The Dutch then beat South Korea (5–0) and Taiwan (6–5).[10][11] Along with Israel, which finished first in the pool, the Netherlands qualified for the next round, in Japan.[12]
In the second round, an extra innings loss against Japan was followed by two mercy rule wins over Israel and Cuba. Together with Japan, which had finished top of the pool, the Netherlands advanced to the championship round. All-Star closer Kenley Jansen joined the Dutch team for the championship round.
The Netherlands semifinal match against Puerto Rico ended with an 11th inning walk-off sacrifice fly by Eddie Rosario. The final score was 4–3. Outfielder Wladimir Balentien was chosen in the All-WBC team after leading the tournament in hits, home runs, and RBI.[13][14]
2023
After two runs to the semi-finals, the Netherlands failed to advance past the first round in 2023. All five teams in its pool finished with a 2–2 record, but Cuba and Italy advanced on tiebreakers while the Dutch, Chinese Taipei, and Panama were eliminated.[15]
Results and fixtures
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.[16]
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2019
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2021
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2022
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2023
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2024
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2025
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Current roster
Template:Baseball tournament rosterThe club announced its roster for the 2024 WBSC Premier12 on 21 October 2024.[17]
Tournament record
World Baseball Classic
The Netherlands has competed in all five World Baseball Classic tournaments. All 16 teams that played in the 2006 edition were invited to compete in the second in 2009. The Netherlands was an automatic qualifier for the 2013 and 2017 tournaments.
The Netherlands has progressed to the second round of competition in 2009, and achieved its highest finish, fourth, in both 2013 and 2017. Unusual for international competition in baseball, the squads selected in the WBC feature active Major League Baseball players in addition to Minor League, Nippon Professional Baseball, and local players. Generally, major league players are unavailable for international tournaments due to their contracts with the respective clubs.
The Netherlands teams in the WBC have featured many major leaguers,[18] including Wladimir Balentien, Roger Bernadina, Xander Bogaerts, Didi Gregorius, Greg Halman, Kenley Jansen, Andruw Jones, Shairon Martis,[19] Sidney Ponson, Jurickson Profar, Jonathan Schoop, Andrelton Simmons, and Randall Simon, most of whom are from Aruba or Curaçao.
| <templatestyles src="Template:Color/styles.css" />World Baseball Classic <templatestyles src="Template:Color/styles.css" />record | <templatestyles src="Template:Color/styles.css" />Qualification <templatestyles src="Template:Color/styles.css" />record | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Template:Flagicon 2006 | Round 1 | 11th | 1 | 2 | 15 | 19 | No qualifiers held | |||||
| Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon 2009 | Round 2 | 7th | 2 | 4 | 10 | 23 | ||||||
| Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon 2013 | Semifinals | 4th | 4 | 4 | 36 | 47 | Automatically qualified | |||||
| Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon 2017 | Semifinals | 4th | 4 | 3 | 48 | 24 | Automatically qualified | |||||
| Template:Flagicon 2023 | Round 1 | 13th | 2 | 2 | 13 | 19 | Automatically qualified | |||||
| Template:Flagicon 2026 | To be determined | |||||||||||
| Total | Semifinals | 6/6 | 13 | 15 | 122 | 132 | — | — | — | — | ||
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Olympic Games
| <templatestyles src="Template:Color/styles.css" />Summer Olympics <templatestyles src="Template:Color/styles.css" />record | Qualification record | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | <templatestyles src="Template:Tooltip/styles.css" />WScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". | <templatestyles src="Template:Tooltip/styles.css" />LScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". | <templatestyles src="Template:Tooltip/styles.css" />RSScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". | <templatestyles src="Template:Tooltip/styles.css" />RAScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". | Method | |||||
| Template:Flagicon 1988 | Preliminary | 5th (tied)Template:Efn | 1 | 2 | 11 | 14 | File:Gold medal europe.svg 1987 European Baseball Championship | |||||
| Template:Flagicon 1992 | Did not qualify | File:Silver medal europe.svg 1991 European Baseball Championship | ||||||||||
| Template:Flagicon 1996 | Preliminary | 5th | 2 | 5 | 32 | 76 | File:Gold medal europe.svg 1995 European Baseball Championship | |||||
| Template:Flagicon 2000 | Preliminary | 5th | 3 | 4 | 18 | 30 | File:Gold medal europe.svg 1999 European Baseball Championship | |||||
| Template:Flagicon 2004 | Preliminary | 6th | 2 | 5 | 29 | 55 | File:Gold medal europe.svg 2003 European Baseball Championship | |||||
| Template:Flagicon 2008 | Preliminary | 7th | 1 | 6 | 9 | 50 | File:Gold medal europe.svg 2007 European Baseball Championship | |||||
| Template:Flagicon 2020 | Did not qualify | File:Silver medal europe.svg Africa/Europe Qualifying Event | ||||||||||
| TotalTemplate:Efn | Preliminary | 4/6 | 11 | 20 | 88 | 211 | ||||||
The Dutch's best finish in the Olympics is fifth place, which they did in both 1996 and 2000. The first time the Netherlands participated in a 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 was a demonstration sport at the 1988 Summer Olympics.
Team Netherlands finished first in the 2019 European Baseball Championship, and earned the right to qualify for the 2020 Olympics. The Dutch team competed at the Africa/Europe 2020 Olympic Qualification tournament, which was held in Italy in September 2019, and placed second behind Israel. Since the team was the runner-up, it received another opportunity, and competed at the Final qualifying tournament, along with Dominican Republic and Venezuela. The team placed last and failed to qualified.
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WBSC Premier12
| <templatestyles src="Template:Color/styles.css" />WBSC Premier12 <templatestyles src="Template:Color/styles.css" />record | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Result | Position | Pld | W | L | RS | RA | Ranking |
| Template:Flagicon 2015 | Quarterfinals | 7th | 6 | 3 | 3 | 41 | 27 | 5th |
| Template:Flagicon 2019 | Opening Round | 10th | 3 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 33 | 8th |
| Template:Flagicon 2024 | Opening Round | 9th | 5 | 2 | 3 | 37 | 47 | 7th |
| 2027 | To be determined | |||||||
| Total | Quarterfinals | 3/3 | 14 | 5 | 9 | 84 | 107 | |
Baseball World Cup
Their best finish in the Baseball World Cup was first place in 2011. Netherlands also hosted the tournament twice, in 1986 and 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 that the World Cup was hosted by a continent rather than a single country. Template:National world cup baseball record
European Baseball Championship
Team Netherlands won the 2019 European Baseball Championship, winning a gold medal. Among the players competing for it were Roger Bernadina, Mike Bolsenbroek, Donny Breek, Rob Cordemans, Tom de Blok, Yurendell DeCaster, Lars Huijer, Kevin Kelly, Dwayne Kemp, Diego Markwell, Randolph Oduber, Dashenko Ricardo, Shairon Martis, Kalian Sams, Sharlon Schoop, Curt Smith, Tom Stuifbergen, J. C. Sulbaran, and Orlando Yntema.[21]
European Baseball Championship
Other tournament results
U-18 Baseball European Championship
U-15 European Baseball Championship PlayersThe 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 was the Netherlands 2013 World Baseball Classic squad. 2013 World Baseball Classic
The following players made up the Dutch team for the 2011 Baseball World Cup, held in October 2011.[22] 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 CupTemplate:Baseball tournament roster World rankingScript error: No such module "Labelled list hatnote". 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.
See also
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