1965 European Baseball Championship
The Netherlands players holding their trophies after winning the tournament | |
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Country | Spain |
| City | Madrid |
| Dates | 29 August–5 September |
| Teams | 5 |
| Defending champions | Netherlands |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Netherlands (7th title) |
| Runners-up | Italy |
| Third place | West Germany |
| Fourth place | Spain |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Games played | 10 |
| Most HRs | Augusto Savignano (3) |
| Awards | |
| MVP | Hamilton Richardson |
The 1965 European Baseball Championship was held in Madrid, Spain at La Elipa Stadium. The Netherlands won their seventh consecutive European title. The Dutch run differential was 57–0 in the tournament and their all-time record in the tournament was 27–0. The Netherlands defeated second-place Italy 16–0. West Germany finished the third place after defeating Spain for the first time. The largest blowout was Italy's 30–1 win over winless Sweden.[1][2]
Offensively, the Netherlands was led by three players from the Netherlands Antilles who played for Honkbal Hoofdklase club Sparta: Hamilton Richardson, who was named the most valuable player, Hudson John, and Simon Arrindell, who hit a home run against Italy that reportedly traveled 150 m (490 ft).[3] Richardson batted .538 and John batted .500 in the tournament, though organizers said neither had enough at bats to qualify for the batting title.[4]
Standings
| Pos. | Team | Record | RS | RA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Netherlands | 4–0 | 57 | 0 |
| 2 | Italy | 3–1 | 53 | 26 |
| 3 | West Germany | 2–2 | 18 | 21 |
| 4 | Spain | 2–2 | 28 | 43 |
| 5 | Sweden | 0–4 | 7 | 73 |
Awards
- Most valuable player: Hamilton Richardson
- Best pitcher: Herman Beidschat[6][1]
- Best batting average: Alfredo Lauri, .438[7]
- Best catcher: Wim Crouwel
- Best first baseman: Boudewijn Maat
- Best manager: Glenn Gostick
- Most sporting team: Sweden[8]
- Most home runs: Augusto Savignano, 3[9]
References
- ^ a b c Chetwynd, Josh (2008). Baseball in Europe : a country by country history. McFarland. p. 240. ISBN 978-0-7864-3724-5.
- ^ a b "Archief Europees kampioenschap". Honkbalsite archief (in Dutch). Retrieved 2025-01-30.
- ^ "Nederland behaalde zevende titel - Fantastische overwinning op Italië (16-0) en geen enkele run tegen". Honkbal nieuws (in Dutch). Vol. 32, no. 25. Koninklijke Nederlandse Honkbal Bond. 9 September 1965. p. 1.
- ^ "Slaggemiddelden per ploeg". Honkbal nieuws (in Dutch). Vol. 32, no. 25. Koninklijke Nederlandse Honkbal Bond. 9 September 1965. p. 9.
- ^ "Baseball - European Championships 1965 - Calendar & Results". the-sports.org. Retrieved 2026-01-30.
- ^ "Italianen zijn slechte verliezers | De honkballers weer Europees kampioen". Het Vrije Volk (in Dutch). 1965-09-06. p. 19. Retrieved 2026-01-30.
- ^ Stoovelaar, Marco (January 4, 2024). "Italian pitching-legend, Hall of Famer and Nettuno-icon Alfredo Lauri passed away". Grand Slam * Stats & News Netherlands. Retrieved 2026-01-30.
- ^ "Vijf persoonlijke prijzen gingen naar Nederland". Honkbal nieuws (in Dutch). Vol. 32, no. 25. Koninklijke Nederlandse Honkbal Bond. 9 September 1965. p. 10.
- ^ "Home runs". Honkbal nieuws (in Dutch). Vol. 32, no. 25. Koninklijke Nederlandse Honkbal Bond. 9 September 1965. p. 10.