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.
| Great Britain national baseball team | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Information | |||
| Country |  United Kingdom | ||
| Federation | British Baseball Federation | ||
| Confederation | Confederation of European Baseball | ||
| Manager | Drew Spencer | ||
| Captain | TBD | ||
| WBSC ranking | |||
| Current | 18  (18 December 2023)[1] | ||
| Highest | 18 (October 2023) | ||
| Lowest | 38 (2 times; latest in December 2018) | ||
| Uniforms | |||
| |||
| World Baseball Classic | |||
| Appearances | 1 (first in 2023) | ||
| Best result | 15th (2023) | ||
| Olympic Games | |||
| Appearances | 0 | ||
| World Cup | |||
| Appearances | 2 (first in 1938) | ||
| Best result |  1st (1 time, in 1938) | ||
| Intercontinental Cup | |||
| Appearances | 0 | ||
| European Championship | |||
| Appearances | 15 (first in 1967) | ||
| Best result |  2nd (3 times, most recent in 2023) | ||
History edit
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.
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.
On September 20, 2022, Great Britain qualified for its first World Baseball Classic by defeating Spain 10–9 in 10 innings in Regensburg, Germany. [8]
Notable figures edit
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 edit
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
 Drew Spencer |
Manager |
 Albert Cartwright |
Bench coach |
| Zach Graefser |
Pitching coach |
| TS Reed |
First base coach |
| Brad Marcelino |
Third base coach |
| Conor Brooks |
Bullpen coach |
 Jesse Guffey |
Athletic Trainer |
| Alan Dean |
Strength Coach |
Current roster edit
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
| ||
Results and fixtures edit
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 edit
| Euro Championship GS | September 8 | Germany 
|
1–0 | Great Britain
|
Bonn 1, Germany |
| 19:30 CET | Boxscore | Attendance: 1,350 |
| Euro Championship GS | September 9 | Czech Republic 
|
3–4 (F/10) | Great Britain
|
Weyersberg Park, Germany |
| 12:30 CET | Boxscore | Attendance: 150 |
| Euro Championship GS | September 10 | Great Britain
|
4–7 |  Israel
|
Weyersberg Park, Germany |
| 12:30 CET | Boxscore | Attendance: 150 |
| Euro Championship GS | September 11 | Sweden 
|
7–13 | Great Britain
|
Bonn 2, Germany |
| 13:00 CET | Boxscore | Attendance: 50 |
| Euro Championship GS | September 11 | Great Britain
|
2–10 |  Netherlands
|
Bonn 2, Germany |
| 17:15 CET | Boxscore | Attendance: 150 |
| Euro Championship RR | September 12 | Austria 
|
6–1 | Great Britain
|
Bonn 1, Germany |
| 11:00 CET | Boxscore | Attendance: 100 |
| Euro Championship RR | September 13 | Great Britain
|
12–2 (F/8) | Sweden
|
Weyersberg Park, Germany |
| 12:30 CET | Boxscore | Attendance: 80 |
| Euro Championship RR | September 14 | Croatia 
|
1–5 | Great Britain
|
Weyersberg Park, Germany |
| 12:30 CET | Boxscore | Attendance: 150 |
| Euro Championship 9th | September 15 | Austria
|
9–11 | Great Britain
|
Weyersberg Park, Germany |
| 11:00 | Boxscore | Attendance: 150 |
2021 edit
| Euro Championship GS | September 12 | France 
|
2–7 | Great Britain
|
Paolo II Palace, Italy |
| Boxscore |
| Euro Championship GS | September 13 | Great Britain
|
6–7 |  Russia
|
Paschetto Stadium, Italy |
| Boxscore |
| Euro Championship GS | September 14 | Great Britain
|
4–11 | Israel
|
Aluffi Stadium, Italy |
| Boxscore |
| Euro Championship QF | September 16 | Netherlands
|
7–5 | Great Britain
|
Paschetto Stadium, Italy |
| Boxscore |
| Euro Championship CG | September 17 | Belgium 
|
11–12 | Great Britain
|
Aluffi Stadium, Italy |
| Boxscore |
| Euro Championship 5th | September 18 | Great Britain
|
5–8 | Czech Republic
|
Paolo II Palace, Italy |
| Boxscore |
2022 edit
| World Baseball Classic Q | September 16 | 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 | September 17 | 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 | September 20 | 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 | March 11 | 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 | March 12 | 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 | March 13 | 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 | March 14 | 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 | |||||||
| 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 |
|
 |
1 of 2 | 4 | 1 | 20 | 14 | |
| 2009 |
|
2 | 15 of 22 | 1 | 9 | 23 | 70 | |
| Total | 2/39 | 1
|
5 | 10 | 43 | 84 | ||
| 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 |
| 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 edit
- ^ "The WBSC World Ranking". WBSC. 18 December 2023. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
- ^ "History of Team GB in Baseball". British Baseball Federation. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
- ^ "England Baseball Team to Tour". Leeds Mercury. 30 July 1938. p. 11.
- ^ BaseballSoftballUK. "GB Baseball Team gets mention in Parliament" [permanent dead link], baseballsoftballuk.com, 6 February 2008
- ^ Great Britain Baseball."Great Britain moves up the baseball world rankings", greatbritainbaseball.com, 20 October 2009
- ^ "Rankings - WBSC". Archived from the original on 23 November 2018. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
- ^ a b Bloom, Barry (22 September 2016). "Hoffman honors British ties as coach". Retrieved 31 July 2020.
- ^ "Great Britain punches ticket to World Baseball Classic". MLB.com.
- ^ "Spain 9, Great Britain 10 Final Score (09/20/2022)". MLB.com. 20 September 2022. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
- ^ "Mule Sports Daily - June 30, 2011". Muhlenberg College. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
- ^ "Great Britain in the WBSC Ranking (Men's baseball)". World Baseball Softball Confederation. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
- ^ World Baseball Classic 2013 Qualifiers: Canada 11 – 1 Great Britain
- ^ World Baseball Classic 2013 Qualifiers: Great Britain 12 – 5 Czech Republic
- ^ World Baseball Classic 2013 Qualifiers: Germany 16 – 1 Great Britain (7inn)
- ^ "Statistiken der Baseball-EM 2019 — Baseball EC 2019". www.baseball-em.de.