1964 European Baseball Championship

1964 European Baseball Championship

The Netherlands players celebrating their 1964 championship
Tournament details
Country	Italy
City	Milan
Dates	29 August–6 September
Teams	5
Defending champions	Netherlands
Final positions
Champions	Netherlands (6th title)
Runners-up	Italy
Third place	Spain
Fourth place	Sweden
Tournament statistics
Games played	10
Best BA	Boudewijn Maat  [ nl ] (.727)
Awards
MVP	Boudewijn Maat  [ nl ]
←  1962 1965  →

The 1964 European Baseball Championship was held in Milan, Italy. The Netherlands was the undefeated champion for the sixth consecutive tournament. Italy finished in second place for the fourth consecutive time. In the decisive match, 6,000 people watched the host Italy lose to the Netherlands, ^[1] who bested Italian pitcher Giulio Glorioso  [ it ], 3–1. ^[2] The Dutch and Italians both scored at least 10 runs in every game they played. Sweden, appearing in its second championship, won its first-ever game, beating winless France. ^[1]

The tournament was played at JF Kennedy Sports Center, which was inaugurated by Milan mayor Pietro Bucalossi for the event. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce helped pay for construction of the stadium, named after the recently killed U.S. president. ^{[3] [1]}

Standings

Pos.	Team	Record
1	Netherlands	4–0
2	Italy	3–1
3	Spain	2–2
4	Sweden	1–3
5	France	0–4

Sources ^{[4] [1]}

Awards

• Most valuable player: Boudewijn Maat  [ nl ]
• Best batting average: Maat, .727
• Best pitcher: Rob Hoffmann  [ nl ] ^[1]
• Best catcher: Wim Crowel  [ nl ]
• Best manager: Archie Allen
• Best umpire: Frank Fernandez ^[5]

References

1. Chetwynd, Josh (2008). Baseball in Europe : a country by country history . McFarland. pp. 239, 240. ISBN   978-0-7864-3724-5.
2. "Nederlands negental werd in Milaan voor de zesde achtereenvolgende maal kampioen". Honkbal-nieuws (in Dutch). 31 (25). Koninklijke Nederlandse Honkbal Bond: 1,2. 1964-09-11.
3. "60° anniversario dello stadio Kennedy - Municipio 7 - Comune di Milano". Municipio 7 (in Italian). Retrieved 2026-02-03.
4. "Baseball - European Championships 1964 - Standings / Rankings". the-sports.org. Retrieved 2026-02-03.
5. "Prijzen voor de beste spelers" [Awards for the best players]. Honkbal-nieuws (in Dutch). 31 (25). Koninklijke Nederlandse Honkbal Bond: 2. 1964-09-11.