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Great Britain national baseball team

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See also: Great Britain women's national baseball team

Great Britain national baseball team
Information
Country United Kingdom
FederationBritish Baseball Federation
ConfederationConfederation of European Baseball
ManagerDrew Spencer
CaptainTBD
WBSC ranking
Current 18 Steady (18 December 2023)[1]
Highest18 (October 2023)
Lowest38 (2 times; latest in December 2018)
Uniforms
Home
Away
World Baseball Classic
Appearances1 (first in 2023)
Best result15th (2023)
Olympic Games
Appearances0
World Cup
Appearances2 (first in 1938)
Best result 1st (1 time, in 1938)
Intercontinental Cup
Appearances0
European Championship
Appearances15 (first in 1967)
Best result 2nd (3 times, most recent in 2023)

The Great Britain national baseball team is the national men's baseball team of the United Kingdom.[2] It is governed by the British Baseball Federation, and is also a member nation of the Confederation of European Baseball.

History

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Great Britain won the first Amateur World Series in 1938

The British team, managed by George McNeil, won the inaugural Baseball World Cup in 1938, beating the United States by four games to one in the series hosted in England. This series was subsequently declared the first world championship of amateur baseball by the International Baseball Federation, and so Great Britain became the first amateur world champions. With the backing of Sir John Moores a team was set to compete in the 1939 series, in Havana, as defending champions. In doing so they would have become the first national representative team to compete outside of the United Kingdom[3] but the outbreak of the Second World War interrupted the development of baseball in the United Kingdom, the team withdrew and the sport entered into decline domestically. So severe was the impact of the Second World War on baseball in the United Kingdom that it was over 70 years before the team qualified for another world championship event, when they reached the 2009 Baseball World Cup by virtue of its second-place finish at the 2007 European Baseball Championship.

In 2007, the Great Britain team won the silver medal at the European Baseball Championship, finishing top of Group B and only losing two games in the tournament. It ultimately finished second overall to the Netherlands. This marked Britain's highest placing in the tournament since its first entry into the event in 1967, when it also finished second.

Prior to 2007 the team's showing in the European Baseball Championship was generally limited to finishing in the lower half of the standings, which often resulted in relegation to the secondary tournament known as the European Baseball Championship Qualifier (sometimes referred to as the 'B-Pool'). In 1988 and 1996 Great Britain hosted and won the Qualifier, thereby returning to the main European Championship event the following year (sometimes referred to as the 'A-Pool'). Since the silver medal in 2007, Great Britain has on occasion had to repeat the process of qualification through the B-Pool.

By winning the silver medal in 2007 Great Britain qualified both for the 2009 Baseball World Cup and for the Final Qualifying Tournament in Taiwan for the 2008 Summer Olympics. However, a lack of funding including a refusal by UK Sport to provide any backing meant it was forced to withdraw from the Final Qualifying Tournament and was replaced by Germany.[4] This was the Great Britain team's last chance to qualify for an Olympic baseball competition due to the earlier decision by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to remove baseball from the Games after 2008. That decision – announced one day after London had been awarded the 2012 Olympics on 6 July 2005 – also meant that the Great Britain baseball team would not have the opportunity to play in front of a home crowd in the 2012 London Olympics and to promote the sport in the United Kingdom. It also meant that the team ceased to receive elite funding from bodies such as UK Sport.[citation needed]

At the 2009 World Cup – held simultaneously in various countries around Europe – Britain qualified out of the first group stage before eventually finishing 15th overall. Following the World Cup, in October 2009 the IBAF announced a new set of world rankings in which Britain rose to 21st.,[5] though they since dropped to 32nd as of 2017.[6] Great Britain was invited to compete in the qualifying round of the 2013 World Baseball Classic. In 2016 Hall of Fame inductee Trevor Hoffman joined the coaching staff, honouring his maternal English ancestry, with his grandfather having been a professional footballer in the Football League.[7] Great Britain competed in the qualifying round of the 2017 World Baseball Classic, where it was defeated in the finals by Team Israel.[citation needed]

On 20 September 2022, Great Britain qualified for its first World Baseball Classic by defeating Spain 10–9 in 10 innings in Regensburg, Germany.[8]

Notable figures

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Hall of Fame inductee Trevor Hoffman has previously coached the Great Britain national team,[7] as has the English-born, highly experienced Major League Baseball player Lance Painter. The most high-profile recent player to represent the United Kingdom as a player is Jazz Chisholm Jr. Former major leaguer Vance Worley has also played for the team, starting the qualifying game against Spain in 2022 that clinched a spot in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.[9]

Coaching staff

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Position Name
United States Drew Spencer Manager
The Bahamas Albert Cartwright Bench coach
United States Zach Graefser Pitching coach
United States TS Reed First base coach
United Kingdom Brad Marcelino Third base coach
United States Conor Brooks Bullpen coach
Northern Ireland Jesse Guffey Athletic Trainer
United Kingdom Alan Dean Strength Coach
See also: Category:Great Britain national baseball team people

Current roster

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The team's roster for the 2023 World Baseball Classic qualification. Very few members of the team were born in Britain, instead qualifying through British parents or grandparents, and almost none of them played in the domestic league.[10]

Great Britain roster - 2023 World Baseball Classic Qualification
Players Coaches
Pitchers
 Catchers

Infielders

Outfielders

 Manager

Coaches


See also: Category:Great Britain national baseball team players

Results and fixtures

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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.[11]

Legend

  Win   Lose   Void or postponed   Fixture

2019

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Euro Championship GS 8 September Germany  1–0  Great Britain Bonn 1, Germany
19:30 CET Boxscore Attendance: 1,350
Euro Championship GS 9 September Czech Republic  3–4 (F/10)  Great Britain Weyersberg Park, Germany
12:30 CET Boxscore Attendance: 150
Euro Championship GS 10 September Great Britain  4–7  Israel Weyersberg Park, Germany
12:30 CET Boxscore Attendance: 150
Euro Championship GS 11 September Sweden  7–13  Great Britain Bonn 2, Germany
13:00 CET Boxscore Attendance: 50
Euro Championship GS 11 September Great Britain  2–10  Netherlands Bonn 2, Germany
17:15 CET Boxscore Attendance: 150
Euro Championship RR 12 September Austria  6–1  Great Britain Bonn 1, Germany
11:00 CET Boxscore Attendance: 100
Euro Championship RR 13 September Great Britain  12–2 (F/8)  Sweden Weyersberg Park, Germany
12:30 CET Boxscore Attendance: 80
Euro Championship RR 14 September Croatia  1–5  Great Britain Weyersberg Park, Germany
12:30 CET Boxscore Attendance: 150
Euro Championship 9th 15 September Austria  9–11  Great Britain Weyersberg Park, Germany
11:00 Boxscore Attendance: 150

2021

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Euro Championship GS 12 September France  2–7  Great Britain Paolo II Palace, Italy
Boxscore
Euro Championship GS 13 September Great Britain  6–7  Russia Paschetto Stadium, Italy
Boxscore
Euro Championship GS 14 September Great Britain  4–11  Israel Aluffi Stadium, Italy
Boxscore
Euro Championship QF 16 September Netherlands  7–5  Great Britain Paschetto Stadium, Italy
Boxscore
Euro Championship CG 17 September Belgium  11–12  Great Britain Aluffi Stadium, Italy
Boxscore
Euro Championship 5th 18 September Great Britain  5–8  Czech Republic Paolo II Palace, Italy
Boxscore

2022

[edit]
World Baseball Classic Q 16 September Great Britain  14–4 (F/8)  France Armin-Wolf-Arena, Germany
19:00 CET WP: McKenzie Mills (1-0)
HR: Harry Ford (1) 		Boxscore LP: Kevin Canelon (0-1)
HR: Ivan Acuna (1) 		Attendance: 897
Umpires: Jon Byrne
World Baseball Classic Q 17 September Great Britain  8–1  Germany Armin-Wolf-Arena, Germany
19:00 CET WP: Akeel Morris (1-0)
HR: Justin Wylie (1), Harry Ford (2) 		Boxscore LP: Brian Flynn (0-1)
 Attendance: 2,216
Umpires: Tyler Jones (HP), Jon Byrne (1B), Sam Burch (2B), Young Chou Kwon (3B)
World Baseball Classic Q 20 September Spain  9–10 (F/10)  Great Britain Armin-Wolf-Arena, Germany
19:00 CET LP: Rhiner Cruz
HR: Noelvi Marte (1) 		Boxscore WP: Tahnaj Thomas
HR: Harry Ford (3), D'Shawn Knowles (1), Jaden Rudd (1) 		Attendance: 1,186
Umpires: HP: Young Chou Kwon, 1B: Roberto LaMadrid, 2B: Darius Ghani, 3B: Mark Winters

2023

[edit]
World Baseball Classic GS 11 March Great Britain  2–6  United States Chase Field, United States
19:00 MT LP: Vance Worley (0–1)
HR: Trayce Thompson (1) 		Boxscore WP: Adam Wainwright (1–0)
HR: Kyle Schwarber (1) 		Attendance: 39,650
Umpires: HP – Carlos Torres, 1B – Felix Tejada, 2B – Bill Miller, 3B – Jhonatan Biarreta
World Baseball Classic GS 12 March Great Britain  8–18 (F/7)  Canada Chase Field, United States
12:00 MT LP: Akeel Morris (0–1)
HR: Harry Ford (1) 		Boxscore WP: Phillippe Aumont (1–0)
HR: Edouard Julien (1), Owen Caissie (1) 		Attendance: 11,555
Umpires: HP – Felix Tejada, 1B – Bill Miller, 2B – Jhonatan Biarreta, 3B – Carlos Torres
World Baseball Classic GS 13 March Colombia  5–7  Great Britain Chase Field, United States
12:00 MT LP: Yapson Gomez (0–1)
HR: Dilson Herrera (1) 		Boxscore WP: Graham Spraker (1–0)
Sv: Ian Gibaut (1)
HR: Harry Ford (2) 		Attendance: 10,416
Umpires: HP – Jhonatan Biarreta, 1B – Cory Blaser, 2B – Felix Tejada, 3B – Doug Eddings
World Baseball Classic GS 14 March Great Britain  1–2  Mexico Chase Field, United States
19:00 MT LP: Tahnaj Thomas (0–1)
 Boxscore WP: JoJo Romero (1–0)
Sv: Giovanny Gallegos (1)
 Attendance: 17,705
Umpires: HP – Cory Blaser, 1B – Carlos Torres, 2B – Félix Tejada, 3B – Jhonatan Biarreta

Tournament record

[edit]

World Baseball Classic

[edit]
World Baseball Classic record Qualification record
Year Round Position W L RS RA W L RS RA
2006 did not enter No qualifiers held
2009 did not enter No qualifiers held
2013 did not qualify 1 2 14 32
2017 did not qualify 2 2 21 17
United States 2023 Round 1 15th 1 3 18 31 3 0 31 13
Total Round 1 1/5 1 3 18 31 6 4 66 62

Great Britain was invited to compete in the qualifying round of the 2013 World Baseball Classic, where they were grouped Canada and Germany. After an 11–1 defeat to the Canadians,[12] they won against the Czech Republic, 12–5.[13] In the third group game, however, Great Britain lost to Germany. 16–0 down at the 7th inning stretch, they pulled one back before the mercy rule came into effect, and GB exited the qualifiers 16–1.[14]

Baseball World Cup

[edit]
Baseball World Cup record
Year Host Round Position W L RS RA
1938 United Kingdom Gold 1 of 2 4 1 20 14
2009 Croatia Netherlands 2 15 of 22 1 9 23 70
Total 2/39 1 Gold 5 10 43 84
1938 Amateur World Series
13 August Great Britain 3–0  United States United Kingdom Wavertree Stadium, Liverpool
15 August Great Britain 8–6  United States United Kingdom Kingston upon Hull
17 August Great Britain 0–5  United States United Kingdom Spotland Stadium, Rochdale
19 August Great Britain 4–0  United States United Kingdom The Shay, Halifax
20 August Great Britain 5–3  United States United Kingdom Leeds
2009 Baseball World Cup
10 September 2009
Round 1, Group C 		Great Britain 7–9  Japan Croatia Zagreb, Croatia
Attendance: 180
LP: Samuel Whitehead Boxscore WP: Yosuke Okamoto
11 September 2009
Round 1, Group C 		Nicaragua  10 – 0 (F/7) Great Britain Croatia Zagreb, Croatia
Attendance: 150
WP: S. Diego Garcia Boxscore LP: Alexander D. Smith
12 September 2009
Round 1, Group C 		Croatia  1–4 Great Britain Croatia Zagreb, Croatia
Attendance: 600
LP: James Summers Boxscore WP: Brian C. Essery
Sv: Thomas A. Boleska
13 September 2009
Round 2, Group F 		Great Britain 0–6  Cuba Netherlands Pim Mulier Stadion, Haarlem
Attendance: 327
LP: Stephen P. Spragg Boxscore WP: Freddy A. Alvarez
14 September 2009
Round 2, Group F 		Great Britain 5 – 15 (F/8)  South Korea Netherlands Sportpark Ookmeer, Amsterdam
Attendance: 91
LP: Stephen P. Spragg Boxscore WP: Hyun-June Park
16 September 2009
Round 2, Group F 		Nicaragua  4–1 Great Britain Netherlands Familie Stadion, Rotterdam
Attendance: 112
WP: S. Diego Garcia Boxscore LP: Brian C. Essery
17 September 2009
13:00
Round 2, Group F 		Great Britain 4–5  Puerto Rico Netherlands Pim Mulier Stadion, Haarlem
Attendance: 1,477
LP: Alexander D. Smith Boxscore WP: Angel Garcia
Sv: Orlando B. Roman
18 September 2009
Round 2, Group F 		Netherlands  6–0 Great Britain Netherlands Familie Stadion, Rotterdam
Attendance: 2,225
WP: Tom Stuifbergen Boxscore LP: Aeden McQueary-Ennis
19 September 2009
Round 2, Group F 		Spain  3–10 Great Britain Netherlands Familie Stadion, Rotterdam
Attendance: 433
WP: Rhiner A. Cruz Boxscore LP: Stephen P. Spragg
20 September 2009
Round 2, Group F 		Great Britain 6–1  Venezuela Netherlands Pim Mulier Stadion, Haarlem
Attendance: 800
LP: Thomas Stack-Babich Boxscore WP: Roger Luque

European Baseball Championship

[edit]

Team Great Britain have played in 17 tournaments, with a current unbroken streak going back to 1997. The best result a silver medal (1967 and 2007).

Notable among these appearances was 2019, with former MLB pitchers Barry Enright and Michael Roth playing for the team.[15]

 

References

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  1. ^ "The WBSC World Ranking". WBSC. 18 December 2023. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
  2. ^ "History of Team GB in Baseball". British Baseball Federation. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  3. ^ "England Baseball Team to Tour". Leeds Mercury. 30 July 1938. p. 11.
  4. ^ BaseballSoftballUK. "GB Baseball Team gets mention in Parliament" [permanent dead link], baseballsoftballuk.com, 6 February 2008
  5. ^ Great Britain Baseball."Great Britain moves up the baseball world rankings", greatbritainbaseball.com, 20 October 2009
  6. ^ "Rankings - WBSC". Archived from the original on 23 November 2018. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
  7. ^ a b Bloom, Barry (22 September 2016). "Hoffman honors British ties as coach". Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  8. ^ "Great Britain punches ticket to World Baseball Classic". MLB.com.
  9. ^ "Spain 9, Great Britain 10 Final Score (09/20/2022)". MLB.com. 20 September 2022. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
  10. ^ "Mule Sports Daily - June 30, 2011". Muhlenberg College. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
  11. ^ "Great Britain in the WBSC Ranking (Men's baseball)". World Baseball Softball Confederation. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  12. ^ World Baseball Classic 2013 Qualifiers: Canada 11 – 1 Great Britain
  13. ^ World Baseball Classic 2013 Qualifiers: Great Britain 12 – 5 Czech Republic[permanent dead link]
  14. ^ World Baseball Classic 2013 Qualifiers: Germany 16 – 1 Great Britain (7inn) Archived 10 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine
  15. ^ "Statistiken der Baseball-EM 2019 — Baseball EC 2019". www.baseball-em.de. Archived from the original on 12 April 2020. Retrieved 14 September 2019.
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