1989 European Baseball Championship

1989 European Baseball Championship
Tournament details
CountryFrance
Dates1–10 September
Teams8
Defending champions Netherlands
Final positions
Champions Italy (6th title)
Runners-up Netherlands
Third place Spain
Fourth place Sweden
Awards
MVP Robert Niggebrugge

The 1989 European Baseball Championship was held in Paris, France and was won by Italy, which defeated the Netherlands in a three-game championship. Eight teams competed, the largest field since the 1971 championship.

The tournament had many blowout games. In the group stage, the Netherlands beat Great Britain 35–0, Italy defeated Germany 24–4, and Spain defeated Germany 22–4. The Italians beat the Netherlands 15–2 in the second round, and Spain beat Sweden 18–9 to win the bronze medal.[1][2]

The defending-champion Dutch team was without several of its best players, including Robert Eenhorn and Rikkert Faneyte, both of whom were playing in the American minor leagues during the tournament.[3][4]

Standings

Pos. Team Record
1  Italy 6–2
2  Netherlands 6–2
3  Spain 5–3
4  Sweden 3–5
5  France 4–4
6  Belgium 4–4
7  Great Britain 3–5
8  Germany 1–7

Sources[1][5][2]

Awards

  • Most valuable player: Robert Niggebrugge
  • Best hitter: Claudio Cecconi
  • Best pitcher: Peter Callenbach

Sources[1][3][6]

References

  1. ^ a b c Chetwynd, Josh (2008). Baseball in Europe : a country by country history. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Co. p. 248. ISBN 978-0-7864-3724-5. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  2. ^ a b "Baseball - European Championships 1989 - Calendar & Results". the-sports.org. Retrieved 2026-01-05.
  3. ^ a b Kohler, Joop (1989-09-11). "Eerste stap naar Spelen 1992 voor honkbalselectie mislukt". NRC (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 2026-01-05. Retrieved 2026-01-05.
  4. ^ Kohler, Joop (1989-09-08). "Verpletterende winst honkballers op Italië". NRC (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 2026-01-05. Retrieved 2026-01-05.
  5. ^ "Archief Europees kampioenschap" [Archive European Championship]. Honkbalsite Archief (in Dutch). Retrieved 2026-01-05.
  6. ^ Ireland, Jack (November 2, 1989). "Baseball abroad is a Dutch treat". Newspapers.com. The News Journal. p. 99. Retrieved 2026-01-05.

"Rosters of top three teams at the European Championship". sport-komplett.de (in German). Retrieved 2026-01-05.