1977 European Baseball Championship

1977 European Baseball Championship
Italy players holding a championship trophy in Haarlem
Tournament details
CountryThe Netherlands
CityHaarlem
Dates10–15 July
Teams5
Defending champions Italy
Final positions
Champions Italy
Runners-up Netherlands
Third place Belgium
Fourth place Spain
Awards
MVP Ted Alfieri

The 1977 European Baseball Championship was held in Haarlem, the Netherlands. Italy won its second consecutive championship. The Netherlands also repeated as runner-up. Italy clinched its championship with a 1–0 no-hitter win over the Netherlands.[1]

Future Los Angeles Dodgers owner Peter O'Malley attended the championship.[2][3] More than 40,000 fans attended the tournament, with more than 6,000 at the final game at Pim Mulier Stadium.[1][2]

West Germany chose not to attend the event due to a disagreement with European tournament organizers.[4] As a result, the country was banned for five years[5] and did not return to the continental championship until 1987.[2]

Standings

Pos. Team Record
1  Italy 6–2
2  Netherlands 5–3
3  Belgium 4–2
4  Spain 1–5
5  Sweden 1–5

Sources[6][7]

Awards

  • Most valuable player: Ted Alfieri (hit three home runs)
  • Best hitter: Rick Landucci (hit three home runs, also 1–0 as a pitcher)[8][2]
  • Best pitcher: Bertil Haage[2][1]
  • Press award (manager): Ernie Myers[5]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Italië blijft in bezit van Europese honkbaltitel" [Italy retains European baseball title]. NRC Handelsblad (in Dutch). 1977-08-01. Retrieved 2026-01-15.
  2. ^ a b c d e Chetwynd, Josh (2019). Baseball in Europe: A Country by Country History. McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers. p. 244. ISBN 9780786437245.
  3. ^ "Touching Bases with Countries Around the World". Walter O’Malley : Official Website. Retrieved 2026-01-15.
  4. ^ "Europees honkbal door ruzietjes op verkeerde weg". NRC Handelsblad (in Dutch). 1977-07-27. Retrieved 2026-01-15.
  5. ^ a b "Voogd hoopt op toppers". Het Parool (in Dutch). 1977-08-01. Retrieved 2026-01-15.
  6. ^ "Baseball - European Championships 1977 - Calendar & Results". the-sports.org. Retrieved 2026-01-15.
  7. ^ "Archief Europees kampioenschap" [Archive European Championship]. Honkbalsite Archief (in Dutch). Retrieved 2026-01-15.
  8. ^ "Il Baseball del Bats: Nazionale italiana (1977-1980)". batsweb.org (in Italian). Retrieved 2026-01-15.