Czech Baseball Extraliga
| File:Czech Baseball Extraliga.svg | |
| Classification | Semi-pro |
|---|---|
| Sport | Baseball |
| Founded | 1993 |
| First season | 1993 |
| No. of teams | 8 |
| Country | Czech Republic |
| Continent | Europe |
| Most recent champion | Draci Brno |
| Most titles | Draci Brno (26) |
| Relegation to | 1. Liga |
| Official website | https://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
[edit | edit source]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
[edit | edit source]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
[edit | edit source]| 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 |
| Kotlářka Praha | Prague | Stadión Markéta | 1980 |
| SaBaT Praha | Prague | Baseballový a softballový areál SaBaT Praha | 1969 |
| Sokol Hluboká | Hluboká nad Vltavou | Baseballové hřiště Hluboká nad Vltavou | 1994 |
| Třebíč Nuclears | Třebíč | Stadion Na Hvězdě | 1986 |
Winners
[edit | edit source]| Team | Champions | Runners-up | Winning seasons | Runners-up seasons |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Draci Brno | 26 | 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, 2025 | 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 |
| Hroši Brno | 0 | 3 | – | 2022, 2024, 2025 |
| VSK Express Brno | 0 | 1 | – | 2007 |
External links
[edit | edit source]- Extraliga (in Czech)
References
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