Baseball in Germany

Last updated

Baseball in Germany started in 1936, with the first official baseball game being played at the 1936 Olympics. After World War II, baseball was popularized by American soldiers who were stationed in Germany. Today, baseball is a minor sport in Germany, although the country is still home to one of Europe's biggest baseball communities, with around 30,000 active players. The national governing body is the Deutscher Baseball und Softball Verband (German Baseball and Softball Federation), and the highest baseball league is the 1. Baseball Bundesliga. Max Kepler is currently the only German-developed player in Major League Baseball.

Contents

History

Before World War II

The first mention of baseball in Germany was found in a 1796 book on sports by German writer Johann Christoph Friedrich GutsMuths, where he was writing about a game called schlagbal, a very old German-Austrian game. Although Germans were exposed to bat-and-ball games from an early stage, baseball did not rise in popularity until after World War II. During the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, a lot of European countries received interest from major league players, one of which was Hall of Fame member John McGraw. From 1888 to 1889, A.G. Spalding went on a Major League Baseball world tour where he visited Italy, France and the United Kingdom, but not Germany since Berlin was covered in snow that winter. In 1912-1913, John McGraw and Charlie Comiskey went on another world tour, but again Germany, because of the threat of inclement weather during the tour, was left off the schedule. This likely was a reason why baseball was left more undeveloped than in other European countries like Italy or the Netherlands. [1]

During World War I, American soldiers played baseball in Germany but the first official game on German grounds took place in Berlin at the 1936 Olympics. [1] The sport was introduced in a demonstration tournament where the United States was planned to play against other nations, including Japan. The ongoing economic depression caused other nations to cancel their arrangements for the tournament, leaving the Americans to play a split-squad exhibition game in front of the German audience on the last day of the Olympics. On August 12, 1936, the World Amateurs and the U.S. Olympics played at the Olympiastadion in front of 92,565 spectators. [2] The stadium was not designed to accommodate baseball, leaving lights only 50 feet (15 m) into the air and Adolf Hitler's box in the right field fair territory. [1] The World Amateurs won the game 6–5 in 7 innings on a walkoff-inside-the-park-homerun by Les McNeece. [3]

After the game, the players were congratulated and praised by Dr. Carl Diem, the secretary of the German Organization Committee. "I have come officially to advise you that this has been the finest demonstration of any sport that any nation has ever put on at any Olympic Games," Diem said. After this event there were multiple teams that appeared around Berlin and even in southern Germany. When the war started though, the "American pastime" was no longer welcomed, and there was no more baseball played by Germans until after the war. [1]

During World War II

During World War II, baseball was played in many POW camps by American GIs, although it was mostly softball. There was difficulty obtaining equipment, and games were often played with modified rules. [4] Baseball was seen as a morale-booster for POWs, and was played in almost every camp housing Americans; hundreds of teams played in organized leagues. As the war came to an end, baseball began to be played outside of POW camps. Several professional Major League and Negro league players took part in those military competitions, including Hall of Famers Warren Spahn and Leon Day, as well as six-time All-Star Ewell Blackwell. The games were mainly played for military personnel, and as a result had little impact on the native Germans. [1]

1945–1980

After World War II, Germany was divided into four occupation zones, one of which was controlled by the United States. One of their goals was to expose the German youth to the "American way of life". In order to do that they created the GYA (German Youth Activities), where they used baseball, basketball and American football (as well as already-popular sports like boxing, athletics and gymnastics) to teach them American values. In the years following the war, baseball flourished in certain parts of Germany, mainly in Berlin and in the south around cities like Mannheim, Ramstein, Stuttgart, Nuremberg and Munich. [1] In the non-U.S. zones of Germany, baseball remained unknown. By 1948, there were 140 teams around Germany, and in 1949 the Frankfurt Juniors, the first German baseball club was founded. The Allgemeine Baseball-Foederation Deutschland (ABFD) was formed in 1950, and the first German championship tournament was held the following year. [5] By 1954, there were several other European countries playing baseball, and Germany became one of the five founding members of the Confederation Europenne de Baseball Amateur. [1] Germany played at the inaugural European Baseball Championship in 1954 where they placed fourth and last. [1]

In the mid-1950s, many American troops returned to the United States, which had a negative impact on the popularity of baseball in Germany. [6] The next generation were not exposed to the game, and many American coaches returned home. In the 1970s, Germany traveled to Managua, Nicaragua, twice to compete in the Baseball World Cup, but they failed to win a single game, placing last in both tournaments. In 1970, the ABFD was disbanded, and between 1969 and 1981 there was no national champion crowned. By 1979, there was only one club left, the Mannheim Tornados. [1]

1980 to now

In 1980, a process to rebuild baseball in Germany began. That year, the German baseball community officially registered the Deutscher Baseball und Softball Verband (DBV) as the governing body with German authorities. The 1. Baseball Bundesliga was reformed in 1982 and is still active. The number of active players has grown from less than 2,000 in 1989 to almost 30,000 players today. [1]

The 1. Baseball Bundesliga is one of the most competitive leagues in Europe, just below the Honkbal Hoofdklasse in the Netherlands and the Italian Baseball League. However, the Germans have not had a first or second place finish at the European Championship since the inaugural tournament in 1954. [1] There have still been several German players that were able to sign with MLB clubs in the past 18 years, with Max Kepler and Donald Lutz being the two players to have played professionally at the highest level in the United States. [7] It has been suggested that Kepler's success in particular could have an enormous impact on the popularity of baseball in Germany, as a role model for children. [8] Since 2017, MLB games have been broadcast on German television, with the channels SPORT1, SPORT1 US and DAZN showing more than 75 games a season. [9]

Baseball Bundesliga

The Baseball Bundesliga, established in 1984, [10] is the highest German baseball league. It is divided into two levels, 1. Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga, each with two divisions (North and South) containing five to eight teams each. [11] The regular season is played between March and July, followed by a playoff postseason. [12]

The Mannheim Tornados are the only team that has played in the league since its inception. They also, as of 2018, have the most national titles (10), followed by the Paderborn Untouchables (6) and the Buchbinder Legionäre Regensburg (5). [13]

Germans in MLB

American-born players with German ancestry

German Americans comprise a significant percentage of players in baseball history. Between 1871 and 1875 they made up 30% of players, and between 1900 and 1920 roughly 28% of players were of German heritage. Famous German American players include: [14]

German-born players in MLB

In total, there have been 44 German-born players who have played in Major League Baseball. Of those, 25 played in the Majors before 1933, and 11 players played between 1933 and 1999. [27] During the latter time period, only one German-born player appeared in a Major League All-Star Game, [28] Glenn Hubbard, a former second baseman and later on a first base coach with the Atlanta Braves. [29] Since 2000, eight German-born players have appeared in MLB, one of whom is Edwin Jackson. Jackson was an MLB All-Star in 2009 and threw a no-hitter on June 25, 2010. In 2018, he also tied a Major League Baseball record when he made a pitching appearance for his 13th Major League team, then, in 2019, played with his 14th different team, the Toronto Blue Jays. [30]

German-developed players in MLB

Brothers Klaus and Jürgen Helmig were the first German-developed players to sign a professional baseball contract. In 1956, after practicing daily and playing alongside military teams for several years, they received an offer from the Baltimore Orioles. The Orioles wanted to use this signing for press exposure, leading to the Helmig brothers receiving media attention upon their arrival in the United States. They were invited to the White House and visited the Annual Baseball Writers' Association dinner where they were special guests. Their baseball careers in the minor leagues did not last long, as they were released by the Orioles after a couple of months. Instead, they started playing for the Baltimore Elite Stars in the Negro leagues. They are credited with being two of the few white players to ever play in the Negro leagues. [6] At the end of the 1956 summer, they returned to Germany, where they continued their baseball careers until 1978. [1] They were elected into the German Baseball Hall of Fame  [ de ] in 2006. [31]

In 2000, Mitch Franke became the first player from the German baseball Bundesliga to sign a professional contract with an MLB organization, the Milwaukee Brewers. [1] He never made it to the top, but he opened the doors for other Germans like pitcher Tim Henkenjohann, who played in the Minnesota Twins organization between 2002 and 2005, [32] and catcher Simon Gühring, a player in the Milwaukee Brewers organization in 2002 and 2003. [33] Since 2007, there have been multiple German-developed players that signed professional contracts. Most of them only played a few seasons with different minor league teams, before returning to Germany. They include:

In April 2013, outfielder Donald Lutz became the first German-developed player to play in Major League Baseball when he made his debut for the Cincinnati Reds. [44]

Max Kepler of the Minnesota Twins also trained in his native Germany before being signed by the Twins at age 16, [45] making his major league debut six years later, in 2015. [46] [47] He has since been a consistent force in the Minnesota Twins lineup, hitting 56 homeruns between 2016 and 2018. [48]

German Baseball Hall of Fame

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a key component of America's national pastime, which is why the German Baseball and Softball Federation launched the German Baseball Hall of Fame  [ de ] in 1994. It honors those people who have excelled as players, managers, or officials and who have been vital to the development of German baseball. To this date, the German Baseball Hall of Fame has 19 members. [31]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Minnesota Twins</span> Major League Baseball franchise in Minneapolis, Minnesota

The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities moniker for the two adjacent cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rod Carew</span> Panamanian–American baseball player/coach (born 1945)

Rodney Cline Carew is a Panamanian-American former professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a second baseman, first baseman and designated hitter from 1967 to 1985 for the Minnesota Twins and the California Angels. The most accomplished contact hitter in Twins history, he won the 1977 AL Most Valuable Player Award, setting a Twins record with a .388 batting average. Carew appeared in 18 straight All-Star Games and led the AL in hits three times, with his 239 hits in 1977 being the twelfth most in a season at the time. He won seven AL batting titles, the second most AL batting titles in history behind Ty Cobb, and on July 12, 2016, the AL batting title was renamed to the Rod Carew American League batting title.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Morris</span> American baseball pitcher (born 1955)

John Scott Morris is an American former professional baseball starting pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) between 1977 and 1994, mainly for the Detroit Tigers. Morris won 254 games throughout his career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bert Blyleven</span> Dutch-American baseball player (born 1951)

Rik Aalbert Blyleven is a Dutch-American former professional baseball pitcher who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1970 to 1992, primarily with the Minnesota Twins. Blyleven recorded 3,701 career strikeouts, the fifth-most in MLB history. He won 287 games, 27th-most all-time, and pitched 4,970 innings, 14th-most all-time. A renowned curveball pitcher, Blyleven was also a two-time All-Star and World Series champion. Although under-appreciated during his playing career, he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2011—his second-to-last year of eligibility.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Kaat</span> American baseball player and analyst (born 1938)

James Lee Kaat is an American former professional baseball player and television sports commentator. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a left-handed pitcher for the Washington Senators / Minnesota Twins (1959–1973), Chicago White Sox (1973–1975), Philadelphia Phillies (1976–1979), New York Yankees (1979–1980), and St. Louis Cardinals (1980–1983). His playing career spanned 25 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Deshaies</span> American baseball player and analyst (born 1960)

James Joseph Deshaies is an American former professional baseball left-handed starting pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for six teams over the course of 12 big league seasons. He is currently a color commentator for broadcasts of Chicago Cubs games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Cuddyer</span> American baseball player (born 1979)

Michael Brent Cuddyer is an American former professional baseball outfielder who played for 15 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins, Colorado Rockies, and New York Mets. He batted and threw right-handed. Cuddyer was a two-time MLB All-Star, and won a Silver Slugger Award in 2013, when he led the National League in batting average. Cuddyer announced his retirement after the 2015 season. He was inducted into the Minnesota Twins Hall of Fame on August 19, 2017. Primarily a right fielder, Cuddyer made starts at every defensive position except catcher and shortstop over the course of his career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mudcat Grant</span> American baseball player (1935–2021)

James Timothy "Mudcat" Grant Jr. was an American baseball pitcher who played 14 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the Cleveland Indians, Minnesota Twins, Los Angeles Dodgers, Montreal Expos, St. Louis Cardinals, Oakland Athletics, and Pittsburgh Pirates from 1958 to 1971. He was a two-time All-Star.

Like many Twins teams of its half-decade, the 1998 Minnesota Twins neither impressed nor contended. The team finished with a 70–92 record, with subpar batting and pitching. The season was not without its bright spots, as individual players had solid seasons and Hall of Fame designated hitter Paul Molitor announced his retirement at the end of the season. Tom Kelly's team had plenty of lowlights, most notably David Wells' perfect game against the team on May 17 at Yankee Stadium.

The 1994 Major League Baseball season began on April 3, but ended prematurely on August 11, 1994, with the 1994–95 Major League Baseball strike, canceling the remaining 669 games of the season. The season started despite the expiration of MLB's previous collective bargaining agreement at the end of 1993. It was the first season played under the current three-division format in each league. It was also the first with an Opening Night game involving two National League teams, which did not become permanent until 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philadelphia Phillies all-time roster</span> List of baseball players

The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The team has played officially under two names since beginning play in 1883: the current moniker, as well as the "Quakers", which was used in conjunction with "Phillies" during the team's early history. The team was also known unofficially as the "Blue Jays" during the World War II era. Since the franchise's inception, 2,081 players have made an appearance in a competitive game for the team, whether as an offensive player or a defensive player.

The following are the baseball events of the year 2010 throughout the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phantom ballplayer</span> Baseball concept

A phantom ballplayer is either a baseball player who is incorrectly listed in source materials as playing in a Major League Baseball (MLB) game, often the result of typographical or clerical errors, or a player who spent time on an MLB active roster without ever appearing in an MLB contest during his career. Most of the first form of phantom players date from the 19th or early 20th century, with at least one showing up as late as World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Max Kepler</span> German-American baseball player (born 1993)

Maximilian Kepler-Różycki is a German-American professional baseball outfielder for the Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2015. Before signing with the Twins, he played for Buchbinder Legionäre Regensburg of the Baseball-Bundesliga. He bats and throws left-handed. He holds the record for home runs hit in a career by a German-born player.

The following are the baseball events of the year 2014 throughout the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jake Cave</span> American baseball player (born 1992)

Andrew Jacob Cave is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Colorado Rockies of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Minnesota Twins and Philadelphia Phillies. He was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 6th round of the 2011 MLB draft. He made his MLB debut in 2018.

The following are the baseball events of the year 2017 throughout the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brent Rooker</span> American baseball player (born 1994)

Terry Brent Rooker Jr. is an American professional baseball outfielder and designated hitter for the Oakland Athletics of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2020 with the Minnesota Twins and has also played for the San Diego Padres and Kansas City Royals. He was selected to the 2023 Major League Baseball All-Star Game.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pitching by position players</span> Occurrence within the game of baseball

In baseball, pitching by position players refers to the act of a position player being used as a pitcher. A position player typically pitches when a game has a lopsided score or when the game has gone so far into extra innings that no other pitchers are available. The term is not used for a two-way player, a baseball player who is skilled at pitching and who plays another position.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Chetwynd, Josh (2008). Baseball in Europe. McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. pp. 109–126. ISBN   978-0-7864-3724-5.
  2. ↑ Gates, Jim. "Clicking Turnstiles". Baseball Hall of Fame. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
  3. ↑ Horvitz, Peter S. (2001). The Big Book of Jewish Baseball: An Illustrated Encyclopedia & Anecdotal History. S.P.I. Books. p. 222. ISBN   978-1561719730.
  4. ↑ Wolter, Tim (2001). POW Baseball in World War II: The National Pastime behind Barbed Wire . McFarland & Company. ISBN   9780786411863.
  5. ↑ Gilman, Sam (July 31, 2016). "German Baseball's American Roots". European Baseball & Softball Magazine. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
  6. 1 2 Klein, Alan M. (2006). Growing the Game: The Globalization of Major League Baseball. New Haven: Yale University Press. pp. 178–185. ISBN   9780300135121.
  7. ↑ "Deutscher Baseball und Softball Verband e.V."
  8. ↑ Vorkunov, Mike (Summer 2016). "German Kepler blazes trail; rookie's success could lead to more European players". Dayton Daily News– via NewsBank.
  9. ↑ Sport1.de. "MLB LIVE bis 2019 auf SPORT1 – auch erstmals im Free-TV". Sport1.de (in German). Retrieved October 10, 2018.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  10. ↑ "In eigener Sache". BaseBall Bundesliga (in German). Retrieved October 30, 2018.
  11. ↑ "2. Bundesliga". Baseball Deutschland (in German). Archived from the original on October 30, 2018. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
  12. ↑ "Spiele". BaseBall Bundesliga (in German). Retrieved October 30, 2018.
  13. ↑ "Meistertafel". BaseBall Bundesliga (in German). Retrieved October 30, 2018.
  14. ↑ The American game : baseball and ethnicity . Baldassaro, Lawrence., Johnson, Dick, 1955-. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press. 2002. ISBN   978-0585467993. OCLC   53080014.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  15. ↑ "Levi Meyerle". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
  16. ↑ "George Zettlein". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
  17. ↑ "Addie Joss". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
  18. ↑ "The Addie Joss Perfect Game in 1908". Misc. Baseball. August 10, 2011. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
  19. ↑ "Ed Reulbach". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
  20. ↑ "Frank Schulte". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
  21. ↑ "Rube Waddell". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
  22. ↑ "Honus Wagner". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
  23. ↑ "Chuck Klein". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
  24. ↑ "Babe Ruth". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
  25. ↑ "Lou Gehrig". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
  26. ↑ "Cal Ripken Jr". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
  27. ↑ "Major League Baseball Players Born in Germany". baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  28. ↑ Sommers, Paul M. (January 2003). "Baseball's All-Stars: Birthplace and Distribution" (PDF). The College Mathematics Journal. 34 (1): 24–30. doi:10.1080/07468342.2003.11921981. JSTOR   3595839. S2CID   118118815.
  29. ↑ "Glenn Hubbard". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 4, 2018.
  30. ↑ "Edwin Jackson". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  31. 1 2 "Hall of Fame". baseball-softball.de (in German). Retrieved November 7, 2018.
  32. ↑ "Tim Henkenjohann". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
  33. ↑ "Simon Guhring". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
  34. ↑ "Ludwig Glaser". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
  35. ↑ "Kai Gronauer". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
  36. ↑ "Markus Solbach". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
  37. ↑ "Daniel Thieben". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
  38. ↑ "Maik Ehmcke". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
  39. ↑ "Julsan Kamara". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
  40. ↑ "Sven Schueller". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
  41. ↑ "Nadir Ljatifi". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
  42. ↑ "Pascal Amon". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
  43. ↑ "Niklas Rimmel". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
  44. ↑ "Cincinnati Reds outfielder Donald Lutz becomes first German-developed player to play in the Major Leagues". MLB News. Major League Baseball. April 30, 2013. p. (Archived link: ). Retrieved October 30, 2018.
  45. ↑ "Max Kepler-Rozycki: 'Das ist wie bei der Bundeswehr'". Mittelbayerische Zeitung (in German). May 1, 2000. Retrieved July 26, 2012.
  46. ↑ Heneghan, Kelsie (February 9, 2016). "Kepler rides roller coaster to Minnesota: Twins prospect deals with disappointment, playoffs before first callup". MiLB.com. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
  47. ↑ Sheldon, Mark (May 1, 2013). "Lutz gets first big league start in finale". MLB.com. Archived from the original on April 17, 2017. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
  48. ↑ "Max Kepler". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.