| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country |  |
| Teams | 15 |
| Defending champions | |
| Final positions | |
Champions | |
Runner-up |  |
Third place |  |
| Fourth place |  |
← 2000 2009 → | |
The 2004 ISF Men's World Championship was an international softball tournament. The final was held in Christchurch, New Zealand on 2 September 2004. It was the 11th time the World Championship took place. Fifteen nations competed, including defending champions New Zealand.
Softball is a variant of baseball played with a larger ball on a field that has base lengths of 60 feet, a pitcher's mound that ranges from 35-43 feet away from home plate, and a homerun fence that is 220 feet away from home plate. It was invented in 1887 in Chicago, Illinois, United States as an indoor game. The game moves at a faster pace than traditional baseball. There is less time for the base runner to get to first while the opponent fields the ball; yet, the fielder has less time to field the ball while the opponent is running down to first base. The name softball was given to the game in 1926, because the ball used to be soft, however in modern day usage, the balls are hard.
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. The Christchurch urban area lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula. It is home to 404,500 residents, making it New Zealand's third-most populous city behind Auckland and Wellington. The Avon River flows through the centre of the city, with an urban park located along its banks.
New Zealand is a sovereign island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. The country geographically comprises two main landmasses—the North Island, and the South Island —and around 600 smaller islands. New Zealand is situated some 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi) east of Australia across the Tasman Sea and roughly 1,000 kilometres (600 mi) south of the Pacific island areas of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga. Because of its remoteness, it was one of the last lands to be settled by humans. During its long period of isolation, New Zealand developed a distinct biodiversity of animal, fungal, and plant life. The country's varied topography and its sharp mountain peaks, such as the Southern Alps, owe much to the tectonic uplift of land and volcanic eruptions. New Zealand's capital city is Wellington, while its most populous city is Auckland.
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In the end, New Zealand won their third consecutive World Cup, over a win against runner-up Canada. [1]
The Canada men's national softball team participated in the 1988 World Championships held in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. The team played 13 games in the round robin round. Canada beat Australia 7-4 in one game in this round. The team competed at the 1992 ISF Men's World Championship in Manila, Philippines where they finished with 11 wins and 1 loss. The team competed at the 1996 ISF Men's World Championship in Midland, Michigan where they finished with 13 wins and 2 losses. The team competed at the 2000 ISF Men's World Championship in East London, South Africa where they finished fourth. The team competed at the 2004 ISF Men's World Championship in Christchurch, New Zealand where they finished second. The team competed at the 2009 ISF Men's World Championship in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan where they finished third.
