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The Italian Baseball League (IBL, Italian: Campionato italiano di baseball), officially known as the Serie A (Italian pronunciation: [ˈsɛːrje ˈa]), is the top-level baseball league in Italy. Founded in 1948, it is governed by the Italian Baseball & Softball Federation (FIBS), which has its headquarters in Rome.

Quick Facts Sport, First season ...
Italian Baseball League
SportBaseball
First season1948
PresidentRiccardo Fraccari
No. of teams33
Country Italy
 San Marino
Most recent
champion(s)
Parma Clima
(2024)
Most titlesNettuno BC 1945
(17 titles)
Relegation toSerie B
Official websitewww.fibs.it
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Many of the teams are based in the northern Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, which has historically been the hotbed of baseball in the country; a team from the Republic of San Marino also plays in Serie A.

Like most professional sports leagues in Europe, and unlike professional baseball leagues in North America and Asia, the IBL uses a promotion and relegation system; the bottom five clubs are relegated to the Serie B minor league. Winners of the league are awarded a scudetto, and earn the right to represent Italy in the European Champions Cup.[a]

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History

Until 2010, the IBL featured a promotion-and-relegation league format that demoted the last place finisher to the minor leagues (Series A2), while the Serie A2 (baseball) champion would be promoted into the IBL. This was changed in late 2009, when FIBS approved the decision to introduce a fixed-team franchise format (similar to that found in Major League Baseball) starting with the 2010 season.

However, in 2018, the promotion-and-relegation system was reintroduced.[1]

In 2021, the Italian Baseball League was rebranded as Serie A, bringing together the previous eight-team Serie A1 and the second-tier Serie A2. The new league was structured into 33 participating teams in 8 divisions, or gironi (lit. "groups"). The 8 gironi winners compete for the league championship (the scudetto), while the remaining 25 will fight to avoid being among the five relegated to Serie B.[2][3] In 2023, the league size was reduced to 30 teams, divided into five gironi; the top two in each group of the first phase (prima fase) advance to the poule scudetto (and then to the playoffs), while those not qualified fight to avoid relegation.

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Teams

As is the practice in Asian baseball leagues like Japan's NPB and South Korea's KBO, many of the official team names in the Serie A include the team's corporate sponsor — though unlike Asian baseball, a sponsorship name does not necessarily indicate ownership.

2023 poule scudetto teams

Of the 33 teams participating in the 2023 Serie A season, ten qualified for the poule scudetto (the championship pool). The top eight teams in the poule scudetto qualify for the postseason.

More information 2023 Team, Location ...
2023 Team Location 2023 prima
face position
(Group)
First season
in Serie A
No. of seasons
of current spell
in Serie A
Scudetto
titles
Most recent
Scudetto
Girone F
Hotsand Macerata AngelsItaly Macerata1st (A)20204
Godo BaseballItaly Russi2nd (C)20065
Nettuno BC 1945Italy Nettuno1st (D)19503172001
Comcor ModenaItaly Modena1st (E)19663
New Black PanthersItaly Ronchi dei Legionari2nd (B)19693
Girone G
Fortitudo BolognaItaly Bologna1st (C)196326142023
Senago BCItaly Milan2nd (E)20213
BSC GrossetoItaly Grosseto2nd (D)1999952014
Parma ClimaItaly Parma1st (B)195059102010
San Marino BaseballSan Marino San Marino2nd (A)19853862022
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Ronchi dei Legionari
Ronchi dei Legionari
Macerata
Macerata
Senago
Senago
Italian Baseball League team locations

Defunct teams

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Champions

Single-table era (1948–85)

More information Year, Winning Team ...
Year Winning Team Runner Up MVP
1948Libertas Bologna
Milano-
1949Mamoli Grosseto (LIB)
Lazio (FIBS)
Ambrosiana Milano (LIB)
Ferrovieri Roma (FIBS)
-
1950Libertas RomaUSCM Nettuno-
1951Nettuno B.C.Libertas Roma-
1952Nettuno B.C.Libertas Roma-
1953Nettuno B.C.Lazio-
1954Nettuno B.C.A.S. Roma-
1955LazioNettuno-
1956Chlorodont NettunoA.S. Roma-
1957Chlorodont NettunoLazio-
1958Algida Nettuno B.C.Rome-
1958C.U.S. MilanoLibertas Inter Milano-
1959Coca-Cola RomaAlgida Nettuno-
1960Seven Up MilanoRoma S.C.-
1961Europhon MilanoPirelli Milano-
1962Europhon MilanoSimmenthal Nettuno/
ACLI Bologna
-
1963Simmenthal NettunoLibertas Milano/
Europhon Milano
-
1964Simmenthal NettunoUGF Fortitudo Bologna-
1965Simmenthal NettunoEurophon Milano-
1966Europhon MilanoTanara Parma-
1967Europhon MilanoNettuno-
1968Europhon MilanoNettuno-
1969Montenegro BolognaNoalex Milano-
1970Europhon MilanoMontenegro Bologna-
1971Glen Grant NettunoBernazzoli Parma-
1972Montenegro BolognaBernazzoli Parma-
1973Glen Grant NettunoMontenegro Bologna-
1974Montenegro BolognaColombo Nettuno-
1975Cercosti RiminiBernazzoli Parma-
1976Germal ParmaColombo Nettuno-
1977Germal ParmaDerbigum RiminiMike Romano
1978Biemme BolognaCercosti RiminiCarlos Guzman
1979Derbigum RiminiGermal Parma /
Colombo Nettuno
John Long
1980Derbigum RiminiGlen Grant NettunoEd Oliveros
1981Parmalat ParmaPapà Barzetti RiminiJohn Guggiana
1982Parmalat ParmaSicma NettunoGiuseppe Carelli
1983Papà Barzetti RiminiNordmende Bologna-
1984BE. CA. BolognaWorld Vision Parma-
1985World Vision ParmaBE. CA. Bologna-
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Playoff era (1986–present)

More information Year, Winning Team ...
Year Winning Team Runner Up Result MVP
1986Grohe GrossetoTrevi Rimini4–3-
1987Trevi RiminiMamoli Grosseto4–1-
1988Ronson Lenoir RiminiSCAC Nettuno4–0-
1989Mamoli GrossetoRonson Lenoir Rimini4–2-
1990SCAC NettunoRonson Lenoir Rimini4–3-
1991Parma AngelsFlower Gloves Verona3-0
1992Telemarket RiminiEurobuilding Bologna3-0United States David Sheldon
1993C.F.C. NettunoTelemarket Rimini3–2United States Jessie Reid
1994Cariparma AngelsDanesi Nettuno4–1United States Brad Komminsk
1995Cariparma AngelsDanesi Nettuno4–1Italy Roberto Bianchi
1996Caffè Danesi NettunoCariparma Angels4–2Italy Francesco Casolari
1997Cariparma ParmaDanesi Nettuno4–3Italy Francesco Casolari
1998Danesi NettunoSemenzato Rimini4–1Italy Federico Bassi
1999Semenzato RiminiDanesi Nettuno4–3United States Ed Campaniello (Rimini)
2000Semenzato RiminiDanesi Nettuno4–0Italy Claudio Liverziani (Rimini)
2001Caffè Danesi NettunoSemenzato Rimini4–2Italy Juan Carlos Vigna
2002Semenzato RiminiDanesi Nettuno4–1Venezuela Orlando Muñoz (Modena)
2003Italeri BolognaGB Ricambi Modena4–1Italy Claudio Liverziani (Bologna)
2004Prink GrossetoItaleri Bologna4–2Puerto Rico Jaime Navarro (Grosseto)
2005Italeri BolognaT & A San Marino4–3Dominican Republic Jesús Matos (Bologna)
2006Telemarket RiminiColonie Maremma Grosseto4–1Italy Mario Chiarini (Rimini)
2007Montepaschi GrossetoDanesi Nettuno4–3Italy Giuseppe Mazzanti (Nettuno)
2008T & A San MarinoDanesi Nettuno4–3Italy Giuseppe Mazzanti (Nettuno)
2009UGF Banca BolognaT & A San Marino4–1Dominican Republic Eddie Garabito (Bologna)
2010Cariparma ParmaFortitudo Bologna4–2Venezuela Orlando Muñoz (Parma)
2011T & A San MarinoDanesi Nettuno4–3Venezuela Willie Vasquez (San Marino)
2012T & A San MarinoRimini Baseball4–2Dominican Republic Danilo Sanchez (Godo)
2013T & A San MarinoRimini Baseball3–2Italy Alessandro Vaglio
2014UGF Banca BolognaRimini Baseball4–3Italy Claudio Liverziani
2015Rimini BaseballFortitudo Baseball Bologna4–0Italy Giuseppe Mazzanti
2016UGF Banca BolognaRimini Baseball4–2Italy Sebastiano Poma
2017ASD RiminiT & A San Marino3–0
2018UnipolSai BolognaParmaclima3–1
2019UnipolSai BolognaT & A San Marino3–0
2020UnipolSai BolognaT & A San Marino4–3
2021T & A San MarinoUnipolSai Bologna3–2
2022T & A San MarinoParmaclima4–3
2023UnipolSai BolognaT & A San Marino4–0Italy Ricardo Paolini
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Notable former players

Notes

  1. That is, for Italian clubs; San Marino BC automatically qualifies to play in the European Cup as the sole representative of the Republic of San Marino.

References

See also

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