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===Before World War II===
===Before World War II===


The first mention of baseball in Germany was found in a 1796 book on sports by German writer [[Johann Christoph Friedrich GutsMuths]], where he was writing about a game called ''schlagbal'', a very old German-Austrian game. Although Germans were exposed to bat-and-ball games from an early stage, baseball did not rise in popularity until after World War II. During the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, a lot of European countries received interest from major league players, one of which was the infamous [[John McGraw]].{{why|date=November 2018}} Germany was not included though, partly because of inclement weather. This likely was a reason why baseball was left more undeveloped than other European countries like Italy or the [[Baseball in the Netherlands|Netherlands]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=Baseball in Europe|last=Chetwynd|first=Josh|publisher=McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers|year=2008|isbn=978-0-7864-3724-5|location=|pages=109–126}}</ref>
The first mention of baseball in Germany was found in a 1796 book on sports by German writer [[Johann Christoph Friedrich GutsMuths]], where he was writing about a game called ''schlagbal'', a very old German-Austrian game. Although Germans were exposed to bat-and-ball games from an early stage, baseball did not rise in popularity until after World War II. During the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, a lot of European countries received interest from major league players, one of which was [[National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum|Hall of Fame]] member [[John McGraw]]. From 1888 to 1889, [[Albert Spalding|A.G. Spalding]] went on a Major League Baseball world tour where he visited Italy, France and the United Kingdom, but not Germany since Berlin was covered in snow that winter. In 1912-1913, John McGraw and [[Charlie Comiskey]] went on another world tour, but Germany was overlooked yet again. The reason Germany missed out on yet another big-league exhibition that year is because inclement weather was expected during the time of the tour. This likely was a reason why baseball was left more undeveloped than other European countries like Italy or the [[Baseball in the Netherlands|Netherlands]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=Baseball in Europe|last=Chetwynd|first=Josh|publisher=McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers|year=2008|isbn=978-0-7864-3724-5|location=|pages=109–126}}</ref>


During World War I, American soldiers played baseball in Germany but the first official game on German grounds took place in Berlin at the [[1936 Summer Olympics|1936 Olympics]].<ref name=":0" /> The sport was introduced in a demonstration tournament where the United States was planned to play against other nations, including Japan. The ongoing [[Great Depression|economic depression]] caused other nations to cancel their arrangements for the tournament, leaving the Americans to play a split-squad exhibition game in front of the German audience on the last day of the Olympics. On August 12, 1936, the World Amateurs and the U.S. Olympics played at the [[Olympiastadion (Berlin)|Olympiastadion]] in front of 125,000 spectators, the largest baseball attendance at the time.<ref name=":0" /> The stadium was not designed to accommodate baseball, leaving lights only {{convert|50|ft|m}} into the air and [[Adolf Hitler]]'s box in the right field fair territory.<ref name=":0" /> The World Amateurs won the [[Baseball at the 1936 Summer Olympics|game]] 6–5 in 7 innings on a walkoff-inside-the-park-homerun by Les McNeece.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Big Book of Jewish Baseball: An Illustrated Encyclopedia & Anecdotal History|last=Horvitz|first=Peter S.|publisher=S.P.I. Books|year=2001|isbn=978-1561719730|location=|pages=222}}</ref>
During World War I, American soldiers played baseball in Germany but the first official game on German grounds took place in Berlin at the [[1936 Summer Olympics|1936 Olympics]].<ref name=":0" /> The sport was introduced in a demonstration tournament where the United States was planned to play against other nations, including Japan. The ongoing [[Great Depression|economic depression]] caused other nations to cancel their arrangements for the tournament, leaving the Americans to play a split-squad exhibition game in front of the German audience on the last day of the Olympics. On August 12, 1936, the World Amateurs and the U.S. Olympics played at the [[Olympiastadion (Berlin)|Olympiastadion]] in front of 125,000 spectators, the largest baseball attendance at the time.<ref name=":0" /> The stadium was not designed to accommodate baseball, leaving lights only {{convert|50|ft|m}} into the air and [[Adolf Hitler]]'s box in the right field fair territory.<ref name=":0" /> The World Amateurs won the [[Baseball at the 1936 Summer Olympics|game]] 6–5 in 7 innings on a walkoff-inside-the-park-homerun by Les McNeece.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Big Book of Jewish Baseball: An Illustrated Encyclopedia & Anecdotal History|last=Horvitz|first=Peter S.|publisher=S.P.I. Books|year=2001|isbn=978-1561719730|location=|pages=222}}</ref>

Revision as of 16:52, 12 November 2018

Baseball in Germany started in 1936, with the first baseball game on German grounds being played at the 1936 Olympics. After World War II, baseball was introduced and implemented more and more by American soldiers who were stationed in Germany. Today, with around 30,000 active players, Germany is one of Europe's biggest baseball communities. Baseball is still a minority sport in Germany, but it is continuing to grow steadily.

The national governing body is the Deutscher Baseball und Softball Verband (German Baseball and Softball Federation), and the highest baseball league is the 1. Baseball Bundesliga. Max Kepler is currently the only German-developed player in the MLB.

History

Before World War II

The first mention of baseball in Germany was found in a 1796 book on sports by German writer Johann Christoph Friedrich GutsMuths, where he was writing about a game called schlagbal, a very old German-Austrian game. Although Germans were exposed to bat-and-ball games from an early stage, baseball did not rise in popularity until after World War II. During the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, a lot of European countries received interest from major league players, one of which was Hall of Fame member John McGraw. From 1888 to 1889, A.G. Spalding went on a Major League Baseball world tour where he visited Italy, France and the United Kingdom, but not Germany since Berlin was covered in snow that winter. In 1912-1913, John McGraw and Charlie Comiskey went on another world tour, but Germany was overlooked yet again. The reason Germany missed out on yet another big-league exhibition that year is because inclement weather was expected during the time of the tour. This likely was a reason why baseball was left more undeveloped than other European countries like Italy or the Netherlands.[1]

During World War I, American soldiers played baseball in Germany but the first official game on German grounds took place in Berlin at the 1936 Olympics.[1] The sport was introduced in a demonstration tournament where the United States was planned to play against other nations, including Japan. The ongoing economic depression caused other nations to cancel their arrangements for the tournament, leaving the Americans to play a split-squad exhibition game in front of the German audience on the last day of the Olympics. On August 12, 1936, the World Amateurs and the U.S. Olympics played at the Olympiastadion in front of 125,000 spectators, the largest baseball attendance at the time.[1] The stadium was not designed to accommodate baseball, leaving lights only 50 feet (15 m) into the air and Adolf Hitler's box in the right field fair territory.[1] The World Amateurs won the game 6–5 in 7 innings on a walkoff-inside-the-park-homerun by Les McNeece.[2]

After the game, the players were congratulated and praised by Dr. Carl Diem, the secretary of the German Organization Committee. "I have come officially to advise you that this has been the finest demonstration of any sport that any nation has ever put on at any Olympic Games," Diem said. After this event there were multiple teams that appeared around Berlin and even in southern Germany. When the war started though, the "American pastime" was no longer welcomed, and there was no more baseball played by Germans until after the war.[1]

During World War II

During World War II, baseball was played in a lot of POW camps by American GIs. About 90% of it was what we would call softball nowadays. Players used the equipment they had and tried to make the best out of it, sometimes it was even necessary to modify some rules.[3] Baseball was seen as a lifesaver. It reminded the troops of their homeland traditions and it boosted their morale. In almost every camp housing Americans, some Baseball was being played. There were hundreds of teams that played in organized leagues. As the war came to an end, baseball was now played outside of POW camps. Several professional Major League and Negro League players took part in those military competitions, including Hall of Famers Warren Spahn and Leon Day, as well as six-time All-Star Ewell Blackwell. Unfortunately, those games were mainly played for military personnel, which is why it is likely that those events did not have a big impact on the native Germans.[1]

1945-1980

After World War II, Germany was divided into four occupation zones, one of which was controlled by the United States. One of their goals was to expose the German youth to the "American way of life". In order to do that they created the GYA (German Youth Activities), where they used different sports like boxing, athletics and gymnastics, but also baseball, basketball and American football to teach them American values. In the years following the war, baseball did indeed flourish in certain parts of Germany, mainly in Berlin and in the south around cities like Mannheim, Ramstein, Stuttgart, Nuremberg and Munich.[1] In the non-U.S. zones of Germany, baseball was not able to put down roots. By 1948, there existed 140 teams around Germany, and in 1949 the Frankfurt Juniors, the first German baseball club was founded. In 1950, the Allgemeine Baseball-Foederation Deutschland (ABFD) was formed and in 1951, the first German championship tournament was being held.[4] By 1954, there were more than a couple of European countries playing baseball, and Germany became one of the five founding countries of the Confederation Europenne de Baseball Amateur.[1] Germany played at the inaugural European Baseball Championship in 1954 where they placed fourth and last.[1]

In the mid-1950s, many of the American troops returned to the United States, which hurt baseball in Germany a lot.[5] The next generations of kids were not exposed to the game anymore, and since most clubs were coached by Americans, the necessary knowledge went missing. In the 1970s, Germany traveled to Managua, Nicaragua, twice to compete in the Baseball World Cup, but they failed to win a single game, placing last in both tournaments. In 1970, the ABFD was disbanded, and between 1969 and 1981 there was no national champion crowned. By 1979, there was only one club left, the Mannheim Tornados.[1]

1980 to now

In 1980, a process to rebuild baseball in Germany began. That year, the German baseball community officially registered the Deutscher Baseball und Softball Verband (DBV) as the governing body with German authorities. In 1982, the 1. Baseball Bundesliga was reformed and it is still active today. The number of active players grew from less than 2,000 in 1989 to almost 30,000 players today.[1]

It is believed that Germany's baseball culture still has a lot of room to grow. The 1. Baseball Bundesliga is one of the most competitive leagues in Europe, just below the Honkbal Hoofdklasse in the Netherlands and the Italian Baseball League. Unfortunately, the Germans have not been able to force themselves into the European elite yet, as they have not had a first or second place finish at the European Championship since the inaugural tournament in 1954.[1] Nevertheless, there have been several German players that were able to sign with Major League Clubs in the past 18 years, with Max Kepler and Donald Lutz being the two players that made it all the way to the MLB.[6] With Max Kepler having had three very successful and consistent seasons in a row, there is hope that his success could have an enormous impact on the popularity of baseball in Germany, and that he could be a role model for young kids.[7] Since 2017, it is now also possible to watch some MLB games on German pay and free tv. The channels SPORT1, SPORT1 US and DAZN are showing more than 75 games a season, which will hopefully increase the popularity of the sport as well.[8]

Baseball Bundesliga

The Baseball Bundesliga, established in 1984,[9] is the highest German baseball league. It is divided into two levels, 1. Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga, each with two divisions (North and South), containing five to eight teams each.[10]

The regular season is played between March and July, with a following playoff postseason.[11]

The Mannheim Tornados are the only team that has played in the league since its inception; they also, as of 2018, have the most national titles (10), followed by the Paderborn Untouchables (6) and the Buchbinder Legionäre Regensburg (5).[12]

Germans in the MLB

It is important to distinguish between American-born players with German ancestry, German-born players who are sons of U.S. armed forces personnel, and German-developed players, who were born and raised in Germany.

American-born players with German ancestry

German Americans represent the largest non-English speaking ethnic group in America since the eighteenth century, and it is no surprise that they comprised a significant percentage of players in baseball history. Between 1871 and 1875 they made up 30% of players, and between 1900 and 1920 roughly 28% of players were of German heritage. Famous German American players include:[13]

  • Levi Meyerle, won the batting title in 1971 with the highest single-season batting average of all-time (.492).[14]
  • George Zettlein, who was considered the hardest thrower of the 1870s.[15]
  • Addie Joss, Hall of Fame pitcher with the second lowest career ERA (1.89), and no losing season, pitched a perfect game.[16][17]
  • Ed Reulbach, who completed 201 of 300 starts, and had a 2.28 ERA.[18]
  • Frank Schulte, who won the first National League MVP award in 1911.[19]
  • Rube Waddell, Hall of Famer, 2.13 ERA.[20]
  • Honus Wagner, one of the first 5 inductees to the Hall of Fame, .327 career batting average, 8 batting titles, 17 consecutive seasons with a batting average over .300.[21]
  • Chuck Klein, Hall of Famer, Triple Crown in 1933.[22]
  • Babe Ruth, arguably greatest player in baseball history.[23]
  • Lou Gehrig, 2 MVPs, 1 Triple Crown, played in 2130 consecutive games, nicknamed the "iron horse".[24]
  • Cal Ripken Jr., 2632 consecutive games, nicknamed the "iron man", 3183 hits, 19-time All-Star.[25]

German-born players in the MLB

In total, there have been 44 German-born players, that played in the MLB. 25 of those players played in the Majors before 1933, and 11 players played between 1933 and 1999.[26] During the latter time period, only one German player appeared in a Major League All-Star Game,[27] Glenn Hubbard, a former second baseman and first base coach of the Atlanta Braves.[28] Since 2000, 8 German-born players have appeared in the MLB, one of whom is Edwin Jackson. Jackson was an All-Star in 2009, and he threw a no-hitter on June 25, 2010. In 2018, he also tied a Major League record when he made a pitching appearance for his 13th Major League team.[29]

German-developed players in the MLB

The two brothers Klaus and Jürgen Helmig were the first German-developed players to ever sign a professional baseball contract. In 1956, after practicing every day and playing alongside military teams for several years, they received an offer from the Baltimore Orioles. The Orioles wanted to use this signing for press exposure, which is why the Helmig brother were almost celebrated upon their arrival in the United State. They were invited to the White House and visited the Annual Baseball Writers' Association dinner where they were special guests. Their baseball careers in the minor leagues did not last long unfortunately, as they were released by the Orioles after a couple of months. Instead of giving up though, they started playing for the Baltimore Elite Stars in the Negro leagues. They are credited with being one of the only white players to ever play in the Negro leagues.[5] At the end of the 1956 summer, they returned to Germany, where they continued their baseball career until 1978.[1] They were elected into the German Baseball Hall of Fame [de] in 2006.[30]

In 2000, Mitch Franke became the first player from the German baseball Bundesliga to sign a professional contract with an MLB organization, the Milwaukee Brewers.[1] He never made it to the top, but he opened the doors for other Germans like pitcher Tim Henkenjohann, who played for the Minnesota Twins between 2002 and 2005,[31] and catcher Simon Gühring, a player for the Milwaukee Brewers in 2002 and 2003.[32] Since 2007, there have been multiple German-developed players that signed professional contracts. Most of them only played a few seasons with different minor league teams, before returning to Germany. They include:

In April 2013, outfielder Donald Lutz became the first German-developed player to play in Major League Baseball when he made his debut for the Cincinnati Reds.[43]

Max Kepler of the Minnesota Twins also trained in his native Germany before being signed by the Twins at age 16,[44] making his major league debut six years later, in 2015.[45][46] He has since been a consistent force in the Minnesota Twins lineup, hitting 56 homeruns between 2016 and 2018.[47]

German Baseball Hall of Fame

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a key component of America's national pastime, which is why the German Baseball and Softball Federation launched the German Baseball Hall of Fame [de] in 1994. It honors those people who have excelled as players, managers, or officials and who have been vital to the development of German baseball. To this date, the German Baseball Hall of Fame has 19 members.[30]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Chetwynd, Josh (2008). Baseball in Europe. McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. pp. 109–126. ISBN 978-0-7864-3724-5.
  2. ^ Horvitz, Peter S. (2001). The Big Book of Jewish Baseball: An Illustrated Encyclopedia & Anecdotal History. S.P.I. Books. p. 222. ISBN 978-1561719730.
  3. ^ Wolter, Tim (2001). POW Baseball in World War II: The National Pastime behind Barbed Wire. McFarland & Company. ISBN 9780786411863.
  4. ^ Gilman, Sam (July 31, 2016). "German Baseball's American Roots". European Baseball & Softball Magazine. Retrieved 2018-10-10.
  5. ^ a b Klein, Alan M. (2006). Growing the Game: The Globalization of Major League Baseball. New Haven: Yale University Press. pp. 178–185. ISBN 9780300135121.
  6. ^ "Deutscher Baseball und Softball Verband e.V." {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  7. ^ Vorkunov, Mike (Summer 2016). "German Kepler blazes trail; rookie's success could lead to more European players". Dayton Daily News – via NewsBank.
  8. ^ Sport1.de. "MLB LIVE bis 2019 auf SPORT1 – auch erstmals im Free-TV". Sport1.de (in German). Retrieved 2018-10-10.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  9. ^ "In eigener Sache". BaseBall Bundesliga (in German). Retrieved 2018-10-30.
  10. ^ "2. Bundesliga". Baseball Deutschland (in German). Retrieved 2018-10-30.
  11. ^ "Spiele". BaseBall Bundesliga (in German). Retrieved 2018-10-30.
  12. ^ "Meistertafel". BaseBall Bundesliga (in German). Retrieved 2018-10-30.
  13. ^ The American game : baseball and ethnicity. Baldassaro, Lawrence., Johnson, Dick, 1955-. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press. 2002. ISBN 978-0585467993. OCLC 53080014.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  14. ^ "Levi Meyerle". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-10-30.
  15. ^ "George Zettlein". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-10-30.
  16. ^ "Addie Joss". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-10-30.
  17. ^ "The Addie Joss Perfect Game in 1908". Misc. Baseball. 2011-08-10. Retrieved 2018-10-30.
  18. ^ "Ed Reulbach". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-10-30.
  19. ^ "Frank Schulte". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-10-30.
  20. ^ "Rube Waddell". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-10-30.
  21. ^ "Honus Wagner". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-10-30.
  22. ^ "Chuck Klein". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-10-30.
  23. ^ "Babe Ruth". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-10-30.
  24. ^ "Lou Gehrig". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-10-30.
  25. ^ "Cal Ripken Jr". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-10-30.
  26. ^ "Major League Baseball Players Born in Germany". baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved 2018-10-11.
  27. ^ Sommers, Paul M. (January 2003). "Baseball's All-Stars: Birthplace and Distribution" (PDF). The College Mathematics Journal. 34 (1): 24–30 – via JSTOR.
  28. ^ "Glenn Hubbard". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-10-04.
  29. ^ "Edwin Jackson". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-10-11.
  30. ^ a b "Hall of Fame". baseball-softball.de (in German). Retrieved 2018-11-07.
  31. ^ "Tim Henkenjohann". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-10-31.
  32. ^ "Simon Guhring". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-10-31.
  33. ^ "Ludwig Glaser". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-11-07.
  34. ^ "Kai Gronauer". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-11-07.
  35. ^ "Markus Solbach". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-11-07.
  36. ^ "Daniel Thieben". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-11-07.
  37. ^ "Maik Ehmcke". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-11-07.
  38. ^ "Julsan Kamara". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-11-07.
  39. ^ "Sven Schueller". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-10-31.
  40. ^ "Nadir Ljatifi". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-10-31.
  41. ^ "Pascal Amon". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-11-07.
  42. ^ "Niklas Rimmel". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-11-07.
  43. ^ "Cincinnati Reds outfielder Donald Lutz becomes first German-developed player to play in the Major Leagues". MLB News. Major League Baseball. 30 April 2013. p. (Archived link: [1]). Retrieved 30 October 2018.
  44. ^ "Max Kepler-Rozycki: 'Das ist wie bei der Bundeswehr'". Mittelbayerische Zeitung (in German). May 1, 2000. Retrieved July 26, 2012.
  45. ^ Heneghan, Kelsie (February 9, 2016). "Kepler rides roller coaster to Minnesota: Twins prospect deals with disappointment, playoffs before first callup". MiLB.com. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
  46. ^ Sheldon, Mark (May 1, 2013). "Lutz gets first big league start in finale". MLB.com. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
  47. ^ "Max Kepler". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-11-07.

External links

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