Philippines national baseball team

Early history

Baseball has a long history in the Philippines, with the sport's introduction in the islands dating back in September 1899.^[5][6][7] The Philippines, along with the Republic of China, and Japan frequently fielded teams in the baseball tournament of the Far Eastern Championship Games prior to World War II.^{[8][9][10][11]} The team from the 1920s to the 1930s was considered as a baseball power in Asia.^[12]

Post-World War II

At the sidelines of the 1954 Asian Games, the Philippines and other countries established in the Baseball Federation of Asia.^[13]

At the inaugural 1954 Asian Baseball Championship, the Philippines finished in first place.^[14] The team won 8–1 against Japan in the final and was led by head coach and manager Mariano Saberon.^[15]

The 1950s to the 1970s, the Philippines experienced a "golden age" in baseball. Until the 1971, the Philippines finished either third or fourth in seven of the eight Asian Baseball Championship editions held during that period. The tournaments were typically dominated by Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan (later competing as Chinese Taipei). The Philippines' last podium finish of this era was in 1971, when the team placed third.^[16]

2000s

The Philippines participated in the 2003 Asian Baseball Championship, which also served as a qualifier for the 2004 Summer Olympics, placing fifth.^[16] The national team won the inaugural baseball tournament at the 2005 SEA Games at home.^[17][18]

In November 2006, the Philippines competed in the Intercontinental Cup but failed to win a match in nine games; their best result was a 5–1 loss against South Korea in the seventh-place game. At the 2006 Asian Games, the team finished last in a field of six, though they performed competitively, scoring nine runs over five contests.^[16]

During the preliminary round of the 2007 Asian Baseball Championship, the Philippines remained undefeated, securing wins against Pakistan (2–0) and Hong Kong (4–1) before drawing with Thailand. Before the final round of the Asian Championship resumed, the Philippines attempted to defend their title at the 2007 SEA Games but suffered a close 5–4 defeat to Thailand, who emerged as champions. In the Asian Baseball Championship final round, the Philippines went winless against the "Big Three" Asian teams: Japan, South Korea, and Chinese Taipei.^[16]

Based on their performance at the 2007 Asian Baseball Championship, the team qualified for the "A" round of the subsequent tournament, where they faced Japan, Thailand, and Indonesia.^[16]

2010s

By 2010, the national team was inactive due to administrative and financial challenges within the Philippine Amateur Baseball Association (PABA), including internal leadership disputes.^[13] To address these issues, Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Peping Cojuangco appointed Marty Eizmendi to mediate the situation. Recognizing the team's historical potential, the POC urged PABA to assemble a squad for the 2011 Southeast Asian Games.^[19]

The two organizations cooperated to hold open tryouts—the first in decades—to select the national team members.^[13] The resulting team captured the gold medal at the 2011 SEA Games, defeating host Indonesia 3–1 in the final.^[19]

In 2012, the Philippines participated in the qualifiers for the 2013 World Baseball Classic but did not advance.^[19] Following the death of long-time PABA president Hector Navasero in late 2013, Marty Eizmendi was elected as the new president. The association continued to grapple with financial and management difficulties during this transition.^[13]

The team successfully defended its regional standing by winning the 2015 East Asia Cup in Jakarta with a 10–0 victory over Indonesia. This win qualified them for the 2015 Asian Baseball Championship; however, the team withdrew from the continental tournament citing financial constraints, allowing the runner-up Indonesia to participate instead.^[13]

In February 2016, the team competed in the 2017 World Baseball Classic qualifiers under American manager Tim Hulett.^[20] For the 2017 Asian Baseball Championship, the roster was primarily composed of collegiate players from SCUAA and UAAP, managed by Egay delos Reyes.^[21]

The team concluded the decade by retaining the gold medal at the 2019 Southeast Asian Games, continuing their reign after the sport's eight-year absence from the regional meet.^[22]

2020s

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Philippines national team did not compete in international tournaments from 2020 to 2022. The team returned to action in May 2023 by participating in the East Asia Baseball Cup. Under manager Orlando Binarao^[23], the team swept the tournament and defeated Hong Kong 10–2 in the final to capture their fifth title in history.^[24]

This victory qualified the team for the 2025 Asian Baseball Championship held in Fuzhou, China, where they faced strong competition from Japan and China in the group stage. The team finished the tournament in sixth place overall.^[25]

In December 2025, the team competed in the 33rd Southeast Asian Games in Thailand. Now coached by Orlando Binarao, the Philippines swept the elimination round with a 6–0 record, highlighted by a 10-inning walk-off victory (8–7) against host Thailand and a shutout win over Laos.^[26] In the gold medal match, the team defeated Thailand again 5–3 to secure a perfect 7–0 tournament sweep, extending their reign as regional champions for a third consecutive contested edition.^[27]

Notable players during this period include pitcher Junmar Diarao, infielder Lord Aragorn de Vera, and outfielder Carlos Alberto Muñoz, who were key contributors to the team's resurgence.

World Baseball Classic

More information Opponent, Tournaments met ...

Philippines World Baseball Classic Qualifiers Record by opponent
Opponent	Tournaments met	W-L record	Largest victory		Largest defeat		Current streak
			Score	Tournament	Score	Tournament
Australia	1	0-1	–		11–1 (F/7)	Australia 2017	L1
Chinese Taipei	1	0-1	–		16–0 (F/7)	Taiwan 2013	L1
New Zealand	2	0-2	–		16–7 (F/8)	Australia 2017	L2
Thailand	1	1-0	8–2	Taiwan 2013	–		W1
Overall	2	1–4	Against  THA		Against  TPE		L4
			8–2	Taiwan 2013	16–0 (F/7)	Taiwan 2013

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Asian Championships

More information Asian Baseball Championship, Year ...

Champions    Runners up    Third place    Fourth place Asian Baseball Championship Year Round Position Pld W L RS RA 1954 Round robin Champions - - - - - 1955 Round robin 4th Place - - - - - 1959 Round robin 4th Place - - - - - 1962 Round robin 4th Place - - - - - 1963 Round robin 4th Place - - - - - 1965 Round robin 4th Place - - - - - 1967 Round robin 4th Place - - - - - 1969 Round robin 3rd Place - - - - - 1971 Round robin 3rd Place - - - - - 1973 Round robin 4th Place - - - - - 1975 Round robin 5th Place - - - - - 1983 Round robin 5th Place - - - - - 1985 —N/a Did not participate 1987 —N/a Did not participate 1989 Round robin 6th Place - - - - - 1991 Round robin 5th Place - - - - - 1993 Round robin 6th Place - - - - - 1995 Round robin 5th Place - - - - - 1997 Round robin 5th Place - - - - - 1999 Round robin 5th Place - - - - - 2001 Round robin 4th Place - - - - - 2003 Round robin 5th Place - - - - - 2005 Round robin 5th Place - - - - - 2007 Round robin 4th Place - - - - - 2009 Round robin 5th Place - - - - - 2012 Round robin 5th Place - - - - - 2015 —N/a Withdrew 2017 Bronze Match 4th Place 7 2 5 23 75 2019 Consolation 5th Place 5 4 1 31 13 2023 Bronze Match 4th Place 6 2 4 22 32 2025 Placement 6th Place 5 2 3 24 34 Total 1 Title Champion

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Asian Games

More information Asian Games Record, Year ...

Champions    Runners up    Third place    Fourth place Asian Games Record Year Round Position Pld W L RS RA 1994 —N/a Did not participate 1998 Preliminary 5th Place 4 1 3 - - 2002 Preliminary 5th Place 4 0 4 - - 2006 Round robin 6th Place 5 0 5 - - 2010 —N/a Did not participate 2014 —N/a 2018 —N/a 2022 Placement 5th Place 5 3 2 - - Total 0 Titles 5th Place

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Other tournaments

Asian Baseball Cup

More information Asia Baseball Cup, Year ...

Asia Baseball Cup
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	L	RS	RA
1995	-	Champions	-	-	-	-	-
1997	-	7th Place	-	-	-	-	-
1999	-	Champions	-	-	-	-	-
2001	-	No Info
2002	-	No Info
2004	-	No Info
2006	-	No Info
2009	-	Did not enter
2010	-	Did not enter
Eastern Division
2012	-	Champions	-	-	-	-	-
2015	-	Champions	-	-	-	-	-
2017	-	Champions	-	-	-	-	-
2020	-	Cancelled
2023	-	Champions	7	7	0	86	8
2024	-	Champions	5	5	0	65	10
Total	7 Titles	Champions

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SEA Games

More information SEA Games, Year ...

SEA Games
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	L	RS	RA
2005	Finals	Champions	6	6	0	95	6
2007	Round Robin	Runners up	5	4	1	56	6
2011	Finals	Champions	5	5	0	35	2
2019	Finals	Champions	5	5	0	75	5
2025	Finals	Champions	7	7	0	96	14
Total	4 Titles	Champions	28	27	1	357	33

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Far Eastern Championships

More information Far Eastern Championship Games, Year ...

Far Eastern Championship Games
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	L	RS	RA
1913	-	Runners up	No Info
1915	-	Champions	No Info
1917	-	Runners up	No Info
1919	-	Champions	No Info
1921	-	Champions	No Info
1923	-	Champions	No Info
1925	-	Champions	No Info
1927	-	Runners up	No Info
1930	-	Runners up	No Info
1934	-	Champions	No Info
Total	6 Titles	Champions

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Current technical staff

More information Position, Name ...

Position	Name
Manager	Orlando Binarao
First Base Coach	Ricardo Jiminez
Third Base Coach	Romar Landicho
Pitching Coach	Joseph Orillana[28]

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Managerial history

• Regino Ylanan (1921–1923)
• Juan Taduran (1930)
• Mariano Saberon (1954)^[15]
• Eladio Baradas (2001)^[29]
• Edgar "Egay" Delos Reyes (2005, 2007, 2011)^[30]
• Jim Ramos (2012)^[31]
• Tim Hulett (2016)^[32][33]
• Edgar "Egay" Delos Reyes (2017)^[34]
• Orlando Binarao (2019^[35][36], 2022–2023)^[37][38][39]
• Vince Sagisi (2024)^[40]
• Orlando Binarao (2025–present)^[41][28]