Baseball Champions League Americas
| Sport | Baseball |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2023 |
| Organising body | WBSC Americas |
| Region | North America and the Caribbean |
| Most recent champion(s) |  Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks (1st title) |
| Related competitions | Caribbean Series |
The Baseball Champions League Americas, or BCL Americas, is an annual international baseball tournament organized by the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC). It is contested by the champion teams of various leagues in North America and the Caribbean, similar to the Caribbean Series (which is not WBSC-sanctioned).
It is played as a single round-robin tournament, with the first and second-place teams playing against each other in a final championship game.[1] The tournament began as a four-team invitational, but is expected to expand to an eight-team league format by 2028.[2]
The inaugural tournament was held in 2023 in Mérida, Mexico.[3] It was won by the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks of the American Association.[4]
Participants
[edit]While the Caribbean Series is generally limited to Latin American winter league teams, BCL Americas includes the champions of the top-level independent (i.e. not affiliated with Major League Baseball) summer leagues in Mexico and the United States.[a]
| Country | League | First edition |
|---|---|---|
 Cuba
|
Cuban National Series | 2023 |
 Colombia
|
Colombian Professional Baseball League | 2023 |
 Mexico
|
Mexican League | 2023 |
| United States
|
American Association of Professional Baseball | 2023 |
Cuba and Colombia had previously participated in the Caribbean Series, but both were dropped after the 2023 edition of the tournament.[5][6]
Winners
[edit]| Year | Venue | Champion | Result | Runner-up | Winning manager |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Mérida |
Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks |
8–0 | Caimanes de Barranquilla |
Chris Coste
|
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^ The Mexican League was previously part of MLB-affiliated "organized baseball", but lost this designation in 2021.
References
[edit]- ^ "2023 Baseball Champions League Info". American Association of Professional Baseball. 25 September 2023. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
- ^ "Inaugural Baseball Champions League Americas Tournament To Kick Off In September". Baseball America. August 24, 2023.
- ^ Clair, Michael. "Baseball Champions League beginning in Mexico". milb.com. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
- ^ Peterson, Eric (October 2, 2023). "F-M RedHawks earn 'redeem team' championship at 1st Baseball Champions League event". In Forum. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
- ^ "¡Nuevo torneo! Anuncian la creación de la Baseball Champions League" (in Spanish). Mediotiempo. June 10, 2023.
- ^ Enrique Rojas (July 24, 2023). "¿Por qué Colombia se quedó fuera de Serie Caribe 2024?". ESPN Deportes (in Spanish).
International club baseball competitions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Americas |  | |
| Europe | ||
| Defunct | ||
| Exhibitions | ||
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