Bundesliga (baseball)
Current season, competition or edition:
Current sports event 2023 Baseball-Bundesliga
SportBaseball
Founded1984
No. of teams13
CountryGermany
Most recent
champion(s)
Heidenheim Heideköpfe
(7th title)
Most titlesMannheim Tornados
(10 titles)
Official websitebaseball-bundesliga.de

The Baseball-Bundesliga is the professional elite competition for the sport of baseball in Germany. In it, the men's German championship is determined annually. Like most European sports leagues, the Bundesliga uses a system of promotion and relegation. The highest division of the Bundesliga currently consists of thriteen teams in two divisions, with each team playing four games against each other team. The league is regulated by the German Baseball and Softball Federation (DBV).

History

A precursor to the Baseball-Bundesliga was founded between 1951, with the Stuttgart Phillies winning the inaugural national championship.[1] However, the league disbanded following the 1970 season, leaving Germany without a national league for 11 years.[2]

The Baseball-Bundesliga, in its current incarnation, was established in 1982.[3] Two teams produced dynasties during the league's first two decades of operation: the Mannheim Tornados won every championship from 1984 to 1989, and the Paderborn Untouchables won every championship from 2001 to 2005. The league claims that in 1990, there were 2000 baseball players in Germany, while that number has grown to exceed 30,000 today.[4]

In 2010, the league promoted the Dohren Wild Farmers and the Neuenburg Atomics.[5] At the end of the season, the Neuenburg Atomics were relegated with the worst record in the Southern Division (1–27). The Saarlouis Hornets voluntarily relegated themselves for financial reasons, despite posting the best record (19–21) in a ten-year history in the first division, causing the Southern Division to contract from eight to seven teams.[6] The two teams were replaced by the Bad Homburg Hornets. In the Northern Division, the Cologne Cardinals were relegated at the end the season and replaced by the champions of the second division, the Berlin Sluggers.[7][8]

A motion to reduce the league from 16 to 12 teams was denied by a Competition Commission established by the DBV prior to a general meeting of all the baseball clubs in Germany in Frankfurt am Main on 13 November 2010. At the meeting itself, it was agreed to add an All Star Game for the 2012 season.[9]

Season Format

The Regular Season For The 1. (1st) Bundesliga is split into 2 different sub-divisions, Nord (North) and Süd (South) each having 8 teams. The season has a total of 28 games with each team playing every other team in 2 games which are normally hosted on the weekends. The game format is the same as The MLB with a 9-inning format and extra-innings after if the game is still a tie. Unlike The MLB the 1. Bundesliga also has a mercy rule if one of the 2 teams is leading by 10 runs or more before the last 2 innings of the game, they will stop playing and give a automatic win to the team that is winning by 10 or more runs.

The four best-placed teams in each group/sub-divisions of the 1. Bundesliga play in an interleague round with subsequent play-offs for the German championship, while the other teams in each group determine possible relegation in the play-downs.

In the interleague round, the top four of each group play in a match against the top four of the other league, with teams playing back-to-back double-header matches in a ballpark on the same day, giving each team a chance to play at home and away.

After the interleague round, the seeding list for the playoffs is determined, this only includes the games of the regular season and the interleague round, between the eight teams involved in the interleague round. 1st vs 8th, 2nd vs 7th and so on.

The play-off rounds are a little bit different to the inner-league round although they have a similar concept. All rounds are best of 5 games with the quarter and semi-finals being in a double header format over 2 weekends and on Saturdays. If a game 5 is necessary then the final game will be played on the Sunday after game 3 and 4. The final series is played in individual games instead of the double header format and games are divided up between the teams. Game 1 and 2 are played at the team who did better in the regular season and game 3 and 4 are played in the worse teams home field. Game 5 is played at the better regular season team again if needed which crowns the German Champions (Deutscher Meister).

Champions

See: German champions (baseball) § 1982-present
Year German Champions Southern League Winners Northern League Winners
1984Mannheim TornadosMannheim TornadosCologne Dodgers
1985Mannheim Tornadosplayed out as a single-track Bundesliga
1986Mannheim Tornadosplayed out as a single-track Bundesliga
1987Mannheim Tornadosplayed out as a single-track Bundesliga
1988Mannheim Tornadosplayed out as a single-track Bundesliga
1989Mannheim Tornadosplayed out as a single-track Bundesliga
1990Cologne CardinalsMannheim TornadosBerlin Challengers
1991Mannheim TornadosMannheim TornadosBerlin Challengers
1992Mannheim AmigosMannheim TornadosCologne Cardinals
1993Mannheim TornadosMannheim AmigosLokstedt Stealers
1994Mannheim TornadosMannheim AmigosLokstedt Stealers
1995Trier CardinalsTrier CardinalsLokstedt Stealers
1996Trier CardinalsTrier CardinalsLokstedt Stealers
1997Mannheim TornadosMannheim TornadosBonn Capitals
1998Cologne DodgersMannheim TornadosCologne Dodgers
1999Paderborn UntouchablesMainz AthleticsPaderborn Untouchables
2000Lokstedt StealersMainz AthleticsCologne Dodgers
2001Paderborn UntouchablesMannheim TornadosCologne Dodgers
2002Paderborn UntouchablesRegensburg LegionärePaderborn Untouchables
2003Paderborn UntouchablesMannheim TornadosPaderborn Untouchables
2004Paderborn UntouchablesMainz AthleticsPaderborn Untouchables
2005Paderborn UntouchablesRegensburg LegionärePaderborn Untouchables
2006Solingen AlligatorsRegensburg LegionäreSolingen Alligators
2007Mainz AthleticsRegensburg LegionäreSolingen Alligators
2008Buchbinder LegionäreHeidenheim HeideköpfeSolingen Alligators
2009Heidenheim HeideköpfeBuchbinder LegionäreSolingen Alligators
2010Buchbinder LegionäreBuchbinder LegionäreSolingen Alligators
2011Buchbinder LegionäreBuchbinder LegionärePaderborn Untouchables
2012Buchbinder LegionäreBuchbinder LegionärePaderborn Untouchables
2013Buchbinder LegionäreBuchbinder LegionäreSolingen Alligators
2014Solingen AlligatorsHeidenheim HeideköpfeSolingen Alligators
2015Heidenheim HeideköpfeBuchbinder LegionäreBonn Capitals
2016Mainz AthleticsMainz AthleticsBonn Capitals
2017Heidenheim HeideköpfeHeidenheim HeideköpfeBonn Capitals
2018Bonn CapitalsHeidenheim HeideköpfeBonn Capitals
2019Heidenheim HeideköpfeMainz AthleticsSolingen Alligators
2020Heidenheim HeideköpfeBuchbinder LegionäreBonn Capitals
2021Heidenheim HeideköpfeHeidenheim HeideköpfeBonn Capitals
2022Bonn CapitalsBuchbinder LegionäreBonn Capitals
2023Heidenheim HeideköpfeHeidenheim HeideköpfeBonn Capitals

Current teams

Division Team Location Field Founded
North Berlin Flamingos Berlin Berlin Flamingo Park 1990
Bonn Capitals North Rhine-Westphalia Bonn Stadion Rheinaue 1989
Cologne Cardinals North Rhine-Westphalia Cologne Baseballstadion Köln 1983
Dohren Wild Farmers Lower Saxony Dohren Baseballfeld Wild Farmers 1990
Hamburg Stealers Hamburg Hamburg Baseballfeld Langenhorst 1985
Paderborn Untouchables North Rhine-Westphalia Paderborn Ahorn-Ballpark 1990
South Regensburg Legionäre Bavaria Regensburg Armin-Wolf-Arena 1987
Heidenheim Heideköpfe Baden-Württemberg Heidenheim an der Brenz HellensteinEnergie Ballpark 1992
Hünstetten Storm Hesse Hünstetten Dickman Field
Mainz Athletics Rhineland-Palatinate Mainz Baseballstadion Hartmühlenweg 1988
Mannheim Tornados Baden-Württemberg Mannheim Roberto-Clemente-Field 1975
München-Haar Disciples Bavaria Haar Ballpark Eglfing 1990
Stuttgart Reds Baden-Württemberg Stuttgart TVC-Ballpark 1986
Bundesliga (baseball) is located in Germany
Stealers
Stealers
Cardinals
Cardinals
Wild Farmers
Wild Farmers
Flamingos
Flamingos
Reds
Reds
Storm
Storm
2023 Bundesliga teams (North Division and South Division )

See also

References

  1. "German Baseball-Bundesliga: History". baseballgermany.com. Archived from the original on 14 August 2013. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  2. "German Baseball-Bundesliga: Past Champions". baseballgermany.com. Archived from the original on 14 August 2013. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  3. all time club records: http://www.baseball-softball.de/bundesliga/index.php?id=00000117 (link does not work)
  4. Baseball-bundesliga Official Website, English. http://www.baseballgermany.com/index.php?id=33
  5. Baseball-bundesliga Official Website, English. http://www.baseballgermany.com/index.php?id=7&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=123&tx_ttnews[backPid]=9&cHash=e4963c48b7
  6. Mister-Baseball: Baseball and Softball in Europe. "Saarlouis Hornets withdraw from Baseball-Bundesliga." 20 October 2010. Retrieved 7 January 2011. http://www.mister-baseball.com/saarlouis-hornets-withdraw-baseballbundesliga/
  7. Mister-Baseball: Baseball and Softball in Europe. "Berlin Challengers win Game 1 of German Relegation Series." 10 October 2010. Retrieved 7 January 2011. http://www.mister-baseball.com/berlin-challengers-win-game-1-german-relegation-series/
  8. Mister-Baseball: Baseball and Softball in Europe. "German Federation releases 2011 Baseball and Softball Schedules." 23 December 2010. Retrieved 7 January 2011. http://www.mister-baseball.com/german-federation-releases-2011-baseball-softball-schedules/
  9. Mister-Baseball: Baseball and Softball in Europe. "No reformation of German Baseball Bundesliga." 16 November 2010. Retrieved 16 November 2010. http://www.mister-baseball.com/reformation-german-baseball-bundesliga/
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