Czech Baseball Extraliga

Extraliga
ClassificationSemi-pro
SportBaseball
Founded1993; 31 years ago (1993)
First season1993; 31 years ago (1993)
No. of teams8
CountryCzech Republic
ContinentEurope
Most recent
champion(s)		Draci Brno
Most titlesDraci Brno (25)
Relegation to1. Liga
Official websitehttps://extraliga.baseball.cz/

The Czech Baseball Extraliga, or simply Extraliga, is the highest level of baseball in the Czech Republic. The league was established in 1993 after the dissolution of Czechoslovakia. The league is currently contested by eight teams and the games are played from April to May with the playoffs beginning in June.

The Extraliga operates a promotion and relegation system with the 1. Liga (the second tier baseball league in Czech Republic) where the bottom teams from the Extraliga are relegated to the 1. Liga and the top teams from the 1. Liga are promoted to the Extraliga.[1][2]

History

The Czechoslovak Baseball League was established in 1979, and Tempo Praha became the first baseball champions. However, in 1993, after the dissolution of Czechoslovakia, the league was disbanded and the Czech Baseball Extraliga was established, comprising teams only from the Czech Republic.[3]

The first Extraliga champions were Technika Brno, winners of the 1993 and 1994 seasons.[4] Draci Brno rapidly became the dominant team in the league, winning every season from 1995 to 2010 and eight more times after that, totalling 24 championships, the most recent in 2023.[1][5] In recent years, Arrows Ostrava won two championships back to back in 2018 and 2019 and again in 2021, becoming the second most winning team in the Extraliga, tied with Technika Brno.[6]

The Extraliga was one of the first sports leagues in Europe, and the first major baseball league in the world, to restart following lockdowns concerning the COVID-19 pandemic.[7][8]

Foreign players

Since 2016, the Extraliga allows a maximum of five foreign players on a team roster and there is a limit of three foreigners in the team's lineup at the same time during a game.[9] This changed during 2020, when, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, foreign players were banned, except for residents of the Czech Republic. This ban was lifted for the 2021 season and the rules remained as they were before 2020.[10]

Notable Extraliga foreign players include some former major leaguers. Panamanian pitcher Roger Deago played for Technika Brno in 1997 and 1998 before signing as an amateur free agent by the San Diego Padres in 2002 and making his Major League Baseball debut in 2003; Deago returned to Technika for the 2011 season.[11] In 2019, Draci Brno signed Australian pitcher Peter Moylan, who played 11 games, winning three and losing one.[12]

Historically, the majority of foreign players in the Extraliga come from North America, Latin America and Australia.[9]

Current teams

Team City/Town Field Founded
Arrows Ostrava Ostrava Arrows Park Ostrava 1973
Cardion Hroši Brno Brno Sportovní areál Hroch 2003
Draci Brno Brno Městský baseballový stadión 1972
Eagles Praha Prague Baseballový a softballový areál Eagles Praha 1981
Sokol Hluboká Hluboká nad Vltavou Baseballové hřiště Hluboká nad Vltavou 1994
Technika Brno Brno Hřiště Technika Brno 1971
Tempo Praha Prague Baseballový a softballový areál TJ Tempo Praha 1963
Třebíč Nuclears Třebíč Stadion Na Hvězdě 1986
Czech Baseball Extraliga is located in Czech Republic
Prague
Prague
Brno
Brno
Arrows
Sokol
Nuclears
Prague teams: Eagles Tempo
Prague teams:
Eagles
Tempo
Brno teams: Draci Hroši Technika

Winners

Team Champions Runners-up Winning seasons Runners-up seasons
Draci Brno 25 4 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024 2011, 2015, 2018, 2021
Technika Brno 3 6 1993, 1994, 2011 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2010
Arrows Ostrava 3 6 2018, 2019, 2021 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2017, 2020
Kotlářka Praha 1 3 2015 2013, 2014, 2016
Eagles Praha 0 4 – 1999, 2004, 2012, 2019
SaBaT Praha 0 3 – 1993, 1995, 1996
Tempo Praha 0 3 – 1994, 2003, 2023
VSK Express Brno 0 1 – 2007
Hroši Brno 0 2 – 2022, 2024

References

  1. ^ a b Hughson, Callum (13 September 2012). "Baseball In The Czech Republic". Mop-Up Duty. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  2. ^ Votinská, Evženie (24 February 2022). "Systém Extraligy 2022". extraliga.baseball.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  3. ^ Chetwynd, Josh (2019). Baseball in Europe: A Country by Country History. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-1-4766-7912-9.
  4. ^ "Historie klubu". technikabrno.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  5. ^ Ferková, Zuzana (26 August 2022). "Draci Brno won the sixth game and 23rd title". Milujeme Baseball. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  6. ^ "Arrows Ostrava wins Czech national baseball championship". World Baseball Softball Confederation. 23 August 2021. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  7. ^ "Europe's first games in 2020: Czech Baseball ExtraLiga set to open". Confederation of European Baseball. 22 May 2020. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  8. ^ "Czech Extraleague Baseball starts on Friday, May 22 into 2020 Season". Mister Baseball. 21 May 2020. Archived from the original on 11 August 2020. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  9. ^ a b Ercoli, Lukáš (2021). "Zahraniční osobnosti v České republice". Využití zahraničních hráčů v České baseballové extralize (PDF) (Thesis) (in Czech). Univerzita Karlova. p. 37. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  10. ^ Ercoli, Lukáš (29 March 2021). "Zahraniční hráči v Extralize 2021". extraliga.baseball.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  11. ^ Hanus, Michal (6 April 2011). "Technika Brno reinforces Roster on Eve of Opening Weekend in Extraleague". Mister Baseball. Archived from the original on 7 June 2011. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  12. ^ Harding, Thomas (14 March 2019). "Veteran reliever Moylan signs with Czech team". MLB.com. Retrieved 20 April 2023.