Amsterdam Pirates

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Amsterdam Pirates
AMSPIR.jpg
Information
League Honkbal Hoofdklasse
Location Osdorp, Amsterdam
BallparkLoek Loevendie Ballpark
(2,000 capacity)
Founded1959
Holland Series championships7 (1987, 1990, 2008, 2011, 2019, 2021, 2023)
ColorsBlack, gold, white
   
ManagerMervin Gario
Uniforms
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Home
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Away

SV Amsterdam Pirates, commonly referred to as Amsterdam Pirates, is a Dutch baseball and softball organization based in Amsterdam that plays in the Honkbal Hoofdklasse. It was founded as an expansion of the football club SV Rap on 17 February 1959 by Loek Loevendie. In the first years it was known as the RAP Pirates, but after a few years the club changed its name according to American tradition (first city name, then franchise name) and became the Amsterdam Pirates.

Contents

The club celebrated a Dutch Championship in 1987 and 1990. The next few years it was at the lower end of the League, which is dominated by Neptunus from Rotterdam. In earlier years there was another team in Amsterdam, called Amstel Tijgers (Tigers) and football club AFC Ajax also played baseball, and has been champions a number of times. The club is the second largest baseball club of the Netherlands (after Almere).

For sponsorship reasons, the baseball team plays under the name L&D Amsterdam.

History

Amsterdam Pirates was founded in 1959 by Loek Loevendie and Jaap van der Zee as the baseball department of SV Rap. In 1973, the baseball and softball teams decided to separate from SV Rap and continued as an independent association named SV Amsterdam Pirates starting from 1974. [1]

In 1981, the baseball team was promoted to the Honkbal Hoofdklasse, and a few years later the softball team was also promoted to the Softbal Hoofdklasse. In 1987, the Amsterdam Pirates become national champion for the first time. This was followed by a second title in 1990. In 2000, the Pirates moved to their current stadium in Sportpark Ookmeer in the Osdorp neighborhood. [1]

In 2007 it reached the playoffs of the Dutch Honkbal Hoofdklasse for the first time in 15 years. [2] It almost reached the Holland Series, coming back in a best of five series, after being 2–0 down, in the end they lost.

2008 did saw their third championship (and their 2nd holland series championship). They reached the playoffs by being 3rd in the regular season, then beating Neptunus in the first round and defending champions Kinheim in the 2008 Holland Series. The Holland Series was a clean sweep, with the final game ending 12–0. [3]

In 2011 they were champions again, beating Hoofddorp Pioneers. In 2019 Amsterdam Pirates won its fifth championship, beating Neptunus with 4–3 in the Holland Series after a 3-0 backlog.

In 2016, Amsterdam Pirates won the European Champions Cup defeating A.S.D. Rimini in the championship game 5–4 in extra innings. [4]

After the departure of many veteran players, head coach Ronald Jaarsma and main sponsor L&D, Amsterdam Pirates won its sixth championship in 2023, defeating Neptunus 4–3 in the 2023 Holland Series. [5]

Ballpark

Loek Loevendie Ballpark Amsterdam Pirates.jpg
Loek Loevendie Ballpark

The Pirates play at the Loek Loevendie Ballpark located in Osdorp, in the west of Amsterdam. The Pirates moved to this stadium in 2000. The sports complex has a main and a secondary baseball field, two softball fields and an indoor hall and a restaurant.

The ballpark has hosted the 2005 Baseball World Cup, the 2007 European Softball Championship, the 2023 European Champions Cup. [6] [7]

In May 2019, the ballpark, originally named Sportpark Ookmeer, was renamed to Loek Loevendie Ballpark to honor Loek Loevendie, one of the founders of the Pirates. [8]

Roster

L&D Amsterdam roster
Active rosterCoaches
Pitchers
  • 54 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Nelmerson Angela
  • 21 Flag of the United States.svg Michael Bennett
  • 16 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Finn Kragt
  • 66 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Naut Kragt
  • 27 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Yassir Lachkar
  • 43 Flag of the United States.svg Ben Meyer
  • 32 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Scott Prins
  • 17 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Maickel Rietel
  • 34 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Sven van de Sanden
  • 29 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Jelle van der Lelie
Catchers
  •  4 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Jules Cremer
  • 33 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Luca Pastor
  • 25 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Pim Vijfvinkel

Infielders

  • 10 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Kenny Berkenbosch
  • 13 Flag of Curacao.svg Alex Madera
  • 50 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Tieme Nahuis
  • 12 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Duco Nuijten
  • 28 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Jorrit Penseel
  • 23 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Tommy van de Sanden
  •  7 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Oliver van der Wijst

Outfielders

  •  9 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Roelie Henrique
  •  1 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Jason Jakobus
  • 71 Flag of the United States.svg J Rhet Montana
  •  8 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Denzel Richardson
Manager
  •  2 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Mervin Gario

Coaches

Roster updated on 2 February 2024


Retired numbers

The Amsterdam Pirates have retired the following numbers: [9]

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References

  1. 1 2 "Pirates bestaan 60 jaar vandaag" (in Dutch). Amsterdam Pirates. 17 February 2019. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
  2. ↑ http://www.playoffshonkbal.nl/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=13&Itemid=28%5B%5D
  3. ↑ "Amsterdam Pirates".
  4. ↑ "Amsterdam tops Rimini to win the Champions' Cup". fibs.it. Federazione Italiana Baseball Softball. 7 June 2016. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
  5. ↑ "Honkbalsprookje Amsterdam Pirates compleet met landstitel: 'Wonderen bestaan'". nos.nl (in Dutch). 22 October 2023. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  6. ↑ "Lokaties / stadions". World Cup Baseball 2005 (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 10 March 2007. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  7. ↑ "Baseball European Champions Cup 2023 - Infopack for teams - 1" (PDF). WBSC Europe. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  8. ↑ "Welkom op het Loek Loevendie Ballpark —". amsterdampirates.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  9. ↑ Stoovelaar, Marco (18 May 2019). "Amsterdam Pirates renames home site after Loek Loevendie". Grand Slam * Stats & News Netherlands. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
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