Why does baseball take off? Is it as easy as wanting to grow the game? Or does it need a catalyst? By Jason Daniels. During the World Baseball Classic, many players and…
Takeaways from Italy’s 8-6 World Baseball Classic Quarterfinal Victory over Puerto Rico
By Ian Curtis. Photo by Gabriel Fidler. Italy’s semifinal run shows the beauty of the World Baseball ClassicTeam Italy captain Vinnie Pasquantino says that Italy’s Cinderella run to the World Baseball Classic…
Takeaways from Team USA’s 5-3 World Baseball Classic Quarterfinal Victory over Canada
By Ian Curtis. Clutch relievers carry Team USA to 5-3 win over rival Canada in QuarterfinalsFar from the trademark explosiveness that it showed in pool play, Team USA grabbed an early 3-0…
Pasquantino’s Three Homers Power Italy to Pool B Title in World Baseball Classic
Text and photos by Gabriel Fidler. HOUSTON, U.S. – Italy established itself as a 2026 World Baseball Classic title contender with a dominant performance against the fourth-ranked team in the world, Mexico,…
Italy Defeats USA; Undefeated in Pool B
Text and photos by Gabriel Fidler. HOUSTON, U.S. – Nine years ago, almost to the hour, Italy opened its 2017 World Baseball Classic schedule by coming from behind to defeat Mexico, 10-9….
Takeaways from Day 4 of the World Baseball Classic in Houston
By Ian Curtis. Great Britain clinches spot in next World Baseball ClassicFrom Watford to the Olympics, Great Britain performance director Gary Anderson has seen just about everything there is to see in…
Takeaways from Day 3 of the World Baseball Classic in Houston
By Ian Curtis. Italy prepares to pass the torch in 7-4 win over Great BritainPerhaps it was poetic that four of Italy’s seven runs were scored by Andrew Fischer and Miles Mastrobuoni….
Takeaways from Day 2 of the World Baseball Classic in Houston
By Ian Curtis. Lack of arm depth dooms Brazil againPitching depth doomed the Brazilians against Team USA in their opening game Friday evening, as they issued 17 walks en route to a…
Takeaways from Day 1 of the World Baseball Classic in Houston
By Ian Curtis. On my first day covering the 2026 World Baseball Classic in Houston, I learned two very important lessons. The first came courtesy of Brazil outfielder Lucas Ramírez, son of…
Mister Baseball at the World Baseball Classic; Instagram Launches
Members of the Mister Baseball team have begun their travels, and in the next few days, will end up in Houston and San Juan before travelling to Miami for the quarterfinals through…
Book Excerpt: “Into Curaçao”
By Jason Daniels. The following is an excerpt from an upcoming book that explores ten of the top baseball nations around the world. The accounts are told through a collection of vignettes,…
2028 Olympic Qualification Announced
The WBSC has announced the process of qualification for the Los Angeles Olympic Games, with significant effects for European countries. As a reminder, the tournament is a six-team event, two fewer than…
World Baseball Classic 2026 Preview: Netherlands
Rosters were announced for the 2026 World Baseball Classic in the early hours of Friday morning, and the ninth-ranked Netherlands features a veteran roster, including a typically strong infield. In total, six…
British Baseball to Begin Emerging Players Programme
Young British athletes will soon benefit from the Emerging Players Programme (EPP), an initiative designed to identify, develop, and increase the number of youth able to meet the standards for national team…
Dutch Southpaws Fredrikze, Hurkmans Sign MLB Contracts
Tijn Fredrikze has made his previously reported pact with the New York Yankees official, while KNBSB reports that Celwin Hurkmans has signed with the Toronto Blue Jays. Like Fredrikze a year prior,…
Packed with European Flavor, Baseball United Looks to Grow in the Middle East
*** By Jason Daniels, Guest Writer. With the camel collapsed to its knees, Konsta Kurikka swung his legs over the saddle. The dromedary jerked up, carrying the Finn, his blonde mane, and…
GB Baseball Announces New Head Coaches, Director of Operations
The British Baseball Federation (BBF) has announced several new staff for the 2026 season, including British Baseball Hall-of-Famer Craig Savage as Director of Operations, Matt Moran as Under-18 Head Coach, amd Lee…
WBSC World Rankings Update: Nov. 2025
The latest update to the WBSC men’s baseball world rankings has been published, with a whopping 15 countries in WBSC Europe changing positions. None of the top 16 nations changed places, including…
Cramman Wins EBCA Coach of the Year; First-Ever GB Recipient
It was quite the banner year for Jonathon Cramman. In August, the native Londoner led GB to the 2025 Under-23 European Championship, the first-ever title for Great Britain in a top continental…
2025 Baseball5 Euros Day 5: France, Spain Qualify for Baseball5 World Cup; First Medal for Türkiye
By Gabriel Fidler. France showed why it is the undisputed powerhouse of European baseball5 with a dominant final day at the 2025 Baseball5 European Championship, defeating offensive juggernaut Türkiye in two sets…
2025 Baseball5 Euros Day 4
All four undefeated teams at the 2025 Baseball5 European Championship won their quarterfinal matchups, creating semifinal pairings of France vs. Türkiye and Lithuania vs. Spain. These four teams finished at the top…
2025 Baseball5 Euros Day 3
One major upset and a couple of surprises made the 2025 Baseball5 European Championship Round of 16 especially interesting, while the quarterfinals are now set, with only eight teams now in the…
2025 Baseball5 Euros Day 2
Four teams finished group play with perfect records at the Baseball5 European Championship on Day Two, as France, Lithuania, Spain, and Türkiye have all won three consecutive games to start the tournament….
2025 Baseball5 Euros Day 1
The first day of play the 2025 Baseball5 European Championship is in the books, with Italy and the Netherlands both grabbing a pair of wins, while France, Lithuania, Spain, and Türkiye looked…
South Africa Qualifies for U23 World Cup; Zimbabwe Runner-Up for Africa
This article first appeared on www.extrainnings.co.uk [link] and has been used here with permission. South Africa romped to the African Under-23 Championship in a three-team tournament this past weekend, allowing only nine…