Lukas Van Der Linden

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Biographical Information

Lukas Van Der Linden played for the Belgian national team.

The first season for which First Division stats are available online (as of 12/2/2020) is 1988. That year, Van Der Linden hit .310/.398/.381 and was 1-0 with a 3.46 ERA for the Antwerp Royal Greys. He did not play in 1989-1990. In '91, he had a 0-9, 10.72 record and hit .221/.309/.256. Only Johnny Peerens and Norman Caes had more losses. In 1992, he batted .299/.413/.493 for the champion Brasschaat Braves and pitched six innings (2 UER, 0 ER).

In '93, he hit .272/.350/.466 and had a 3-3, 8.56 record. He made Belgium's team for the 1993 European Championship. He was 1 for 10 with a RBI in the event and pitched 2/3 IP (5 UER, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 H, 2 K). Backing up Roberto de Boey in left field, he got his lone hit off Russia's Leonid Korneev. 1994 was one of his better seasons - .355/.452/.441, 16 SB; 1-5, 10.80. He was 4th in the loop in swipes.

Van Der Linden was at .281/.366/.371 with 13 SB in 1995, while posting a 1-4, 6.17 mark on the mound. He tied for 4th in steals. In the 1995 European Championship, he was 0-2 with a 6.91 ERA and went 1 for 5 on offense for the Bronze Medalists. He lost to #2 Italy and #1 Netherlands, getting tough assignments. His lone hit came off Eelco Jansen. He was 9th in the Euros in IP (14 1/3), 7th in walks (11, between Carlos Ros and Frank Mathys) and tied Alexander Bogatyrev and Korneev for 3rd in losses (one behind Tine Zaletel and Oleg Venger).

Lukas's batting line in 1996 was .256/.337/.308 and he was 0-2 with a 24.43 ERA but went 9-for-9 in steal attempts. The next season, he hit .275/.329/.333 and had a 0-1, 15.35 record. After not playing in 1998, he had a 9.28 ERA in 1999 (his last year pitching) and hit .269/.380/.343. He kept playing, but it appears in men's softball rather than baseball.

Sources: Belgian Baseball and Softball Federation, Harry Wedemeijer