1987 European Baseball Championship
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Country | Spain |
| Dates | 17–26 July |
| Teams | 7 |
| Defending champions | Netherlands |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Netherlands (13th title) |
| Runners-up | Italy |
| Third place | Spain |
| Fourth place | Belgium |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Games played | 29 |
| Awards | |
| MVP | Rikkert Faneyte |
The 1987 European Baseball Championship was held in Barcelona and Sant Boi, Spain. The Netherlands won its second consecutive championship, which qualified the team for the 1988 Summer Olympics.[1] Italy finished as runner-up.[2]
Rikkert Faneyte, who would later play in Major League Baseball, was the tournament MVP.[2] Future National League Manager of the Year Pat Murphy managed the Dutch team.[3] He left immediately after the tournament to coach the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.[4]
Format
The seven teams were split into two groups that played a round-robin tournament. The top two teams of each group, the Netherlans, Italy, Spain, and Belgium, competed in another round-robin tournament, as did the remaining three teams. The top two teams from the second round competed in a championship series, which the Netherlands won after winning two games, with their win over Italy in the second round counting toward a 3–2 victory.[5][2] The Netherlands blew out Italy in the decisive game, 16–1.[1][4] Spain bested Belgium in a third-place series, again winning three games to two, with the second round win counting.[2]
Standings
| Pos. | Team | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Netherlands | 7–2 |
| 2 | Italy | 5–3 |
| 3 | Spain | 5–4 |
| 4 | Belgium | 3–5 |
| 5 | Sweden | 3–3 |
| 6 | France | 2–4 |
| 7 | Germany | 1–5 |
Awards
- Most valuable player: Rikkert Faneyte
- Best hitter: Marcel Kruyt
- Best pitcher: Pedro Valarezo[2]
References
- ^ a b "Sports Digest". UPI. 1987-07-27. Retrieved 2026-01-05.
- ^ a b c d e f Chetwynd, Josh (2008). Baseball in Europe : a country by country history. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Co. p. 247. ISBN 978-0-7864-3724-5. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
- ^ Stoovelaar, Marco (November 16, 2023). "Former Netherlands Team Manager Pat Murphy new Manager of Milwaukee Brewers". Grand Slam * Stats & News Netherlands. Retrieved 2026-01-05.
- ^ a b Kohler, Joop (1987-07-27). "Nederland voor dertiende keer Europees kampioen Brief inspireert honkbalnegental". NRC Handelsblad (in Dutch). Retrieved 2026-02-10.
- ^ a b "Baseball - European Championships 1987 - Calendar & Results". the-sports.org. Retrieved 2026-02-10.
- ^ "Archief Europees kampioenschap" [Archive European Championship]. Honkbalsite Archief (in Dutch). Retrieved 2026-01-05.
External links
"Rosters of top three teams at the European Championship". sport-komplett.de (in German). Retrieved 2026-01-05.