Europe

Europe is a continent containing several countries, some of which have produced many Major League Baseball players. The top leagues in Europe are Hoofdklasse Honkbal in the Netherlands and Serie A1 in Italy and San Marino. Other countries where baseball has a presence include Germany, France, Spain, Belgium, Great Britain and the Czech Republic. There was a also a push in Russia to develop baseball at the end of the Cold War, but these efforts were largely ended when the sport was dropped from the Olympics following the 2008 games.

The major international competitions are the European Championship and European Cup. Europe has also been the site of the Olympics, Baseball World Cup and other worldwide competitions. Europe is generally considered a distant fourth or fifth in international baseball, behind North America, South America, Asia and possibly Australia, clearly ahead of only Africa among continents.

The first major league baseball game to be played in Europe took place on June 29, 2019, when the New York Yankees defeated the Boston Red Sox, 17-13, in the first game of a two-game series staged in London, England. Another series of games will take place in London in 2023.

Further Reading

• Josh Chetwynd: Baseball in Europe: A Country By Country History, McFarland, Jefferson, NC, 2019. ISBN 978-1-4766-7912-9. (Originally published in 2008).