1985 European Baseball Championship
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 1985 European Baseball Championship was held in Haarlem and Eindhoven, the Netherlands and was won by the Netherlands, which swept Italy in a four-game championship series. Third-place Belgium won all three group games among the bottom-four teams.[1] San Marino, competing for the first time since 1971 championship, lost all 8 games.[2] The top three teams qualified for the 1986 Amateur World Series, also held in the Netherlands.[3]
.jpg)
The victorious Netherlands national team in Haarlem | |
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Country | Netherlands |
| Dates | 17–26 July |
| Teams | 6 |
| Defending champions |  Italy |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Netherlands |
| Runners-up | Italy |
| Third place |  Belgium |
| Fourth place |  Sweden |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Games played | 24 |
| Best BA | Judsel Baranco (.593) |
| Most HRs | Roberto Bianchi |
| Awards | |
| MVP | Marcel Joost |
The Italian team fielded fewer Italian American players, which weakened the team, particularly their pitching.[4]
The tournament attracted 50,000 spectators, exceeding organizers' goal of 30,000 to fund the tournament.[4]
Standings
| Pos. | Team | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Netherlands |
9–0 |
| 2 | Italy |
4–5 |
| 3 | Belgium |
6–2 |
| 4 | Sweden |
4–4 |
| 5 |  Spain |
2–6 |
| 6 |  San Marino |
0–8 |
Awards
.jpg)
- Most valuable player
Marcel Joost - Best hitter: Judsel Baranco, .593 batting average[6]
- Best pitcher:
Frank Lauwers[1] or Jan Hijzelendoorn[6][4] - Most home runs:
Roberto Bianchi - Most spectacular player: Jacky Jakoba[6]