1958 European Baseball Championship
An Italian baserunner rounds third base during the tournament | |
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Country | Netherlands |
| City | Amsterdam |
| Teams | 6 |
| Defending champions | Netherlands |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Netherlands (3rd title) |
| Runners-up | Italy |
| Third place | West Germany |
| Fourth place | Belgium |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Games played | 10 |
The 1958 European Baseball Championship was held in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The Netherlands won the championship, going undefeated for the third year in a row. Italy finished in second for the second consecutive championship.
The Dutch needed extra innings to defeat Italy and West Germany in its first two games, with outfielder Gé Oosterbaan making a diving catch in the 12th inning to prevent Italy from scoring. The Dutch won a rematch against Italy for the title 5–2.[1][2] The championship was a double-elimination tournament, which meant the Netherlands only played twice to reach the championship game while Italy played five games. Because of the increased workload, Italy did not start the tournament's top pitcher, Giulio Glorioso, in the title game, which was attended by 10,000 people and featured a fireworks display.[3][4][5]
Ron Fraser managed West Germany and was named the best manager of the tournament.[5] The Netherlands hired him after the tournament. Fraser would later coach the Miami Hurricanes and be inducted into the American College Baseball Hall of Fame and Dutch baseball hall of fame.[1][6][7]
France, after missing the 1957 championship, was blown out in both of its games, losing to Spain and Belgium, two teams that lost all of their other games.[1][8]
Standings
| Pos. | Team | Record | RS | RA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Netherlands | 3–0 | 15 | 10 |
| 2 | Italy | 4–2 | 38 | 19 |
| 3 | West Germany | 1–2 | 10 | 10 |
| 4 | Belgium | 1–2 | 20 | 13 |
| 5 | Spain | 1–2 | 32 | 23 |
| 6 | France | 0–2 | 6 | 46 |
Awards
- Best pitcher: Giulio Glorioso
- Best hitter: Piet de Nieuwe
- Best catcher: Gigi Cameroni
- Best infielder: Giovanni Macri
- Best outfielder: Dieter Heller
- Best manager: Ron Fraser
- Best umpire: Mario Ottaviani
| Position | Name | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Pitcher | Giulio Glorioso | Italy |
| Han Urbanus | Netherlands | |
| Jürgen Helmig | West Germany | |
| Catcher | Gigi Cameroni | Italy |
| Joop Geurts | Netherlands | |
| First base | Juan Comellas | Spain |
| Second base | Henk Keulemans | Netherlands |
| Third base | Karl Phillipp | West Germany |
| Shortstop | Giovanni Macri | Italy |
| Outfielders | Pueyo III | Spain |
| Dieter Heller | West Germany | |
| Gé Oosterbaan | Netherlands | |
| Pinch hitters | Piet de Nieuwe | Netherlands |
| Giampiero Faraone | Italy |
Sources[5][9][10][11][12][2][13]
References
- ^ a b c d Chetwynd, Josh (2008). Baseball in Europe : a country by country history. McFarland. p. 238. ISBN 978-0-7864-3724-5.
- ^ a b Stoovelaar, Marco (27 February 2019). "Former big league and Netherlands Team-outfielder Gé Oosterbaan passed away". Grand Slam * Stats & News. Retrieved 2026-02-06.
- ^ "Italië in finale tegen ons land | Europees Kampioenschap Honkbal". Nieuwsblad van het Zuiden (in Dutch). 1958-07-11. p. 11. Retrieved 2026-02-06.
- ^ "Nederlands honkbalteam weer ongeslagen Europees kampioen: Italië inde finale met 5—2 verslagen". Eindhovensch dagblad (in Dutch). 1958-07-12. p. 5. Retrieved 2026-02-06.
- ^ a b c "Italiaan Glorioso beste werper". Algemeen Handelsblad (in Dutch). 1958-07-12. p. 9. Retrieved 2026-02-06.
- ^ "FSU's Ron Fraser To Pilot Dutch Nine". The Tennessean. Nashville, Tennessee. AP. March 26, 1960. p. 12. Retrieved April 14, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ Pezdirtz, Rick (January 16, 1963). "The Dutch Lose A Coach And It's U-M's Gain". The Miami News. p. 3C. Retrieved April 14, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Baseball - European Championships 1958 - Calendar & Results". the-sports.org. Retrieved 2026-02-06.
- ^ "Nederland weer Europees kampioen honkbal De Nieuwe en Keulemans op dreef". Winschoter courant (in Dutch). 1958-07-12. p. 14. Retrieved 2026-02-06.
- ^ "Ottaviani Mario". Museo del Baseball (in Italian). Retrieved 2026-02-06.
- ^ "Baseball & Softball Portal Stats". baseball-softball.de (in German). Retrieved 2026-02-06.
- ^ "Glorioso miste examens, Comellas richtingsgevoel". Het Parool (in Dutch). 1958-07-08. p. 9. Retrieved 2026-02-06.
- ^ "Faraone Giampiero". Museo del Baseball (in Italian). Retrieved 2026-02-06.