Category Archives: International baseball

News from the European Leagues, International tournaments and the fortunes of the Great Britain National Team

WBC Broadcast details

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After wins for the Rays and the Red Sox last night, the participants in the two Championship series have now been confirmed.  With the opening games of the NLCS and ALCS scheduled for Thursday and Friday respectively, they promise to be enthralling contests.  However, the brief lull in proceedings gives us an opportunity to look ahead to next year’s World Baseball Classic.  MLB’s marquee international tournament will take place in March and the broadcast details have been announced today.  Continue reading →

Nicaraguans complete GB’s pool for 2009 World Cup

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Nicaragua lost 4-1 to Puerto Rico yesterday on what was the final day of the Baseball Cup of the Americas. This meant that Puerto Rico finished at the top of the group with a 7-1 record, while Nicaragua had to settle for second place (going 6-2). The significance of this for Great Britain is that Nicaragua will join Japan and the hosts Russia in Great Britain’s four-team pool in the Baseball World Cup next September.

Great Britain versus the Bangers: Game report

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Gb

The players line up at the Country Ground, Taunton, for the national anthem

The players line up at the County Ground, Taunton, for the national anthem

 
The much-anticipated contest between Great Britain and a team of cricketers more than lived up to expectations thanks to a classy performance from the national side, a willingness among the cricketers to apply raw talent, and an enthusiastic crowd made up of baseball fans and newcomers to the sport. Five’s Jonny Gould provided a commentary on the game through the ground’s PA system, which kept the aficionados entertained while guiding the newcomers through the intricacies of the match as it unfolded. Continue reading →

An Autumn Classic: Great Britain versus the Bangers

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Gb

Planned diamond at Taunton

On Saturday 4 October at 14:15, a person standing on a big patch of grass in Somerset and wearing a chest protector is going to say “Play ball” (or perhaps just “Play” if feeling economical). In case you’ve just returned from a holiday on Mars or have had your head in a long-jump pit for 6 months, the event of course is the baseball game between the Great Britain National Team and a squad of top cricketers picked by the blazing left-handed batter Marcus Trescothick (“Banger” to friends). Basic details of the event can be found here, while below I take a look at the make-up of the Great Britain squad. Continue reading →

Uncertainty over Britain’s place in the 2009 Baseball World Cup

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A press conference was held in Regensburg, Germany two weeks ago to announce details of next year’s IBAF Baseball World Cup.  The marquee international tournament is being held in Europe and promises to be a great showcase for the sport; however two weeks on and there is still some uncertainty over Great Britain’s involvement in the competition.  Continue reading →

Olympic Baseball 2008 – In Review

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It’s now a week since the Olympic Baseball tournament was brought to a close by a thrilling final that saw Korea crowned as champions over Cuba.  Following the International Olympic Committee’s decision to boot baseball (and softball) off the Olympic list for the 2012 London Games, this year’s event represented a great opportunity for the sport to show what everyone would be missing in four years time.  The eight teams involved made sure that they didn’t let this chance pass them by.  Continue reading →

A review of the extra-innings rule in the 2008 Olympic baseball tournament

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The new extra-innings rule came into effect in five of the 36 games that made up the 2008 Olympic baseball tournament. Here I provide some statistics on its use in those games. In considering the tactics employed (i.e. sacrifice bunt or swing away), I am not interested in the bottom half of innings played under the rule, as the situation is essentially the same as normal in the bottom half of the 9th or a later inning, with the first two players up reaching base – in other words, it is standard baseball. The difference with the top half is that you are playing knowing that your opponents will be in a stronger-than-normal position in the bottom half of the inning. For the choice of the spot in the line-up at which to start the 11th inning, though, I am interested in both the top half and the bottom half of the inning, as neither team’s decision crops up in standard baseball. Continue reading →

The U.S. win the bronze medal

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A game for a bronze medal provides just as much pressure and emotion as a gold medal contest.  In the latter, at least the loser will earn a silver medal.  A bronze medal game is a true ‘winner takes all’ contest: lose and you go home empty-handed.  With both teams determined to avoid that fate, the United States and Japan produced an enthralling game in which the Americans ultimately prevailed by a final score of 8-4.  Continue reading →