Baseball in the United Kingdom

This article is about American code of baseball in the UK. For the traditional codes, in England, see English baseball. For those in Wales, see Welsh baseball. For historical use of the term baseball, see Origins of baseball.

Baseball in the United Kingdom
CountryUnited Kingdom
Governing bodyBritish Baseball Federation
National team(s)Men's national team
Women's national team
First played1862
National competitions
  • British Baseball Federation
    National League,
    AAA,
    AA and
    A divisions

Baseball is a growing minor sport in the United Kingdom, with an estimated 22,500 people playing in 2020.[1]

The sport is governed by the British Baseball Federation, which runs a multi-tier national league. There are also independent regional leagues, and around 20 universities field teams. At various times in history, there have been professional teams, most notably the 1890 National League of Baseball of Great Britain.

In 1938, the Great Britain national baseball team won the Baseball World Cup, and were runners-up in the 1967 and 2007 European Baseball Championship.[2] As of 2020, Great Britain competed internationally at under 12, under 15, under 18, under 23 and senior levels. The under 23 team placed fifth at the 2019 European Under 23 Baseball Championship.[3]

Despite relatively low numbers of participants today, historically there have been a number of players born in the United Kingdom who have played in U.S Major League Baseball (MLB),[4] Of over 90 players who have played in MLB[5] Danny Cox, Lance Painter and Bobby Thomson being the most notable. Thomson hit the Shot Heard 'Round the World that took the New York Giants to the World Series in 1951.

  1. ^ "Baseball & softball participation England 2016-20". Statista. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  2. ^ Sulat, Nate (26 July 2013). "Why isn't baseball more popular in the UK?". BBC News. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
  3. ^ Morosi, John Paul (5 March 2020). "Classic, London Series growing game in UK". MLB. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  4. ^ Katz, Gregory (27 June 2019). "Baseball hasn't taken off in Britain, despite deep roots there". Global News. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  5. ^ Lynch, Steven (9 April 2013). "Britain's Baseball Stars". ESPN. Retrieved 14 July 2020.