This past September, the Czech Republic logged its greatest achievement in baseball. They secured a spot in the World Baseball Classic for the very first time. This surprised many but not me. This was a long time coming. The Czechs had been teasing a major breakthrough for some time now and their baseball program has steadily improved over the last decade or so to become one of the best in Europe. To boot, they did it mainly with players from the local Extraliga. What we have here is as pure a grassroots success story as you will see in modern baseball; a model for other emerging national baseball programs. This article has the purpose of exploring and understanding the Czech miracle on the baseball diamond.
In The Former Czechoslovakia
Baseball in the former Czechoslovakia began as an American import, as it did in so many other countries. It gained a cult following of sorts during the interwar years and a boost from American occupation forces in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War. And then came Communism. With the new ideology came a ban on the grand old game. You see, such western influences needed to be eradicated so that paradise on Earth could take hold. Before paradise was lost in the velvet tidal wave of 1989 (I’m being sarcastic about the whole paradise thing), the insidious influence of baseball would re-insert itself into Czech society. In 1964, a students’ club would take it upon itself. Within two years, that had become several clubs which tested their mettle against their peers elsewhere in Europe as much as was possible in the days of the Iron Curtain. The governing body of Czech baseball, the Czechoslovakia Baseball and Softball Association (today the Czech Baseball Association) was established by 1969, a year after the Prague Spring. By the 80’s, there was a functional league which became the bedrock of Czech professional baseball today. After the Velvet Revolution, the end of travel restrictions meant full integration into the European baseball community. This remained the case for both Czechia and Slovakia after their split into two nations.
Foundations For Success
The Groundwork for the success that Czech baseball enjoys today began to accelerate its pace as the millennium turned. The Extraliga continued to run with its regular season and playoff format not being too distant from that which we know in America. The one distinction is its promotion/relegation system (similar to soccer) that exists between the first and second tiers of Czech professional ball. Major League Baseball also took it upon itself to expand its European academy apparatus into the Czech Republic which led to more opportunities and better training for young talents which now form the nucleus of the team that you will see at the WBC in March. Another key improvement over the last couple of decades has been on the infrastructure front. More and much better facilities exist in modern Czechia than did in the former Czechoslovakia. The easier access of highly qualified foreign coaches has also helped cultivate the national program by better equipping not only local players but local coaches.
This has all paid dividends in the form of strong results within the confines of European competition. The Czechs have held onto A tier status in Europe and up to 2010 only failed to secure a top 10 placing at the European Championships once. However, since then, they have improved markedly, finishing no worse than 5th at any edition of the Euros since 2012. They have yet to medal at the competition, but this is just a matter of time and with the advantage of being the hosts of the 2023 edition, the maiden medal likely comes this year. As far as WBSC rankings are concerned, the Czechs have risen from 25th to top 15 status in the span of five years, and largely held among the top 15 in the world since 2016. In the 2019 Olympic qualifiers, the Czechs inflicted the only defeat incurred by eventual qualifier Israel and finished a creditable 3-2. As far as WBC qualifiers are concerned, the first attempt was ahead of the 2013 edition but consecutive heavy defeats ended the dream. Qualifying for the 2017 edition brought the first qualifying victory but not a spot in the main tournament.
The Czech Miracle
Going into the qualifier in Regensburg, one could have been forgiven for dismissing the Czechs. There were countries with stronger track records and Great Britain could count on several strong, young talents that eventually secured their first trip to the WBC. A heavy defeat to Spain in their opener only reinforced the idea that the Czechs were still far away. And yet, this was a team that dug deep. They won do or die games against both South Africa and hosts Germany to get themselves within a game of the WBC. Fate being what it is, a rematch with Spain was on the cards and baseball being what it is, this game ran very differently from the first. Spain scored first again, but this time Czech pitching held, and the bats eventually cobbled together a 3-1 lead. Innings came and went and as the night grew older, and colder, we viewers began to realize that not only was a major upset potentially on the cards, but that a sensational moment in the history of our game was about to unfold. As the final out was recorded, we saw the coming of age of a baseball program. It was more than a triumphant moment. It was a watershed moment.
Who knows what the Czech team will achieve in Tokyo. We have seen Cinderella runs at this tournament before, including at the last edition in 2017. It can happen again. But regardless of what does happen, the very fact that Czech born and developed players will be sharing a field with Shohei Ohtani, Yu Darvish, Tommy Edman, Hyun Soo-Kim and other stars. Even one win would be a boon to Czech baseball and inspire a new generation of Czech talents that can push things to the next level with time. Perhaps, Elmer Valo will cease to be the only Czech born major leaguer. Maybe we’ll be talking about Czechia the way we do about places like Panama or Mexico or Canada one day, a bonafide producer of major league level talent. Watch them in March. They will be far more competitive than people realize.
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