Czech Baseball Extraliga

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.{{cite book|last=Chetwynd|first=Josh|author-link=Josh Chetwynd|date=2019|title=Baseball in Europe: A Country by Country History|url=|publisher=McFarland & Company, Inc.|page=|isbn=978-1-4766-7912-9}}

The first Extraliga champions were Technika Brno, winners of the 1993 and 1994 seasons.{{cite web|title=Historie klubu|url=https://technikabrno.cz/historie|website=technikabrno.cz|access-date=20 April 2023|language=cs}} 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.{{cite web|title=Draci Brno won the sixth game and 23rd title|url=https://milujeme-baseball.cz/2022/08/draci-brno-won-the-sixth-game-and-23rd-title/|website=Milujeme Baseball|first=Zuzana|last=Ferková|date=26 August 2022|access-date=20 April 2023}} 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.{{cite web|title=Arrows Ostrava wins Czech national baseball championship|url=https://www.wbsc.org/en/news/arrows-ostrava-wins-czech-national-baseball-championship|website=World Baseball Softball Confederation|publisher=|date=23 August 2021|access-date=20 April 2023}}

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.{{cite web|title=Europe's first games in 2020: Czech Baseball ExtraLiga set to open|url=http://www.baseballeurope.com/post/europe_s_first_games_in_2020_czech_baseball_extra|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200627160824/http://www.baseballeurope.com/post/europe_s_first_games_in_2020_czech_baseball_extra|url-status=usurped|archive-date=June 27, 2020|website=Confederation of European Baseball|date=22 May 2020|access-date=20 April 2023}}{{cite web|title=Czech Extraleague Baseball starts on Friday, May 22 into 2020 Season|url=https://www.mister-baseball.com/czech-extraleague-baseball-starts-friday-22-2020-season/|website=Mister Baseball|date=21 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200811013727/https://www.mister-baseball.com/czech-extraleague-baseball-starts-friday-22-2020-season/|archive-date=11 August 2020|access-date=20 April 2023}}

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.{{cite thesis|last=Ercoli|first=Lukáš|date=2021|title=Využití zahraničních hráčů v České baseballové extralize|url=https://dspace.cuni.cz/bitstream/handle/20.500.11956/127329/120391934.pdf|p=37|chapter=Zahraniční osobnosti v České republice|publisher=Univerzita Karlova|access-date=20 April 2023|language=cs}} 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.{{cite web|title=Zahraniční hráči v Extralize 2021|url=https://extraliga.baseball.cz/clanek-7773/zahranicni-hraci-v-extralize-2021|website=extraliga.baseball.cz|first= Lukáš|last=Ercoli|date=29 March 2021|access-date=20 April 2023|language=cs}}

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.{{cite web|title=Technika Brno reinforces Roster on Eve of Opening Weekend in Extraleague|url=https://www.mister-baseball.com/technika-brno-reinforces-roster-eve-opening-weekend-extraleague/|website=Mister Baseball|first=Michal|last=Hanus|date=6 April 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607163746/https://www.mister-baseball.com/technika-brno-reinforces-roster-eve-opening-weekend-extraleague/|archive-date=7 June 2011|access-date=20 April 2023}} In 2019, Draci Brno signed Australian pitcher Peter Moylan, who played 11 games, winning three and losing one.{{cite web|title=Veteran reliever Moylan signs with Czech team|url=https://www.mlb.com/braves/news/peter-moylan-joins-draci-brno-in-czech-republic|website=MLB.com|first=Thomas|last=Harding|date=14 March 2019|access-date=20 April 2023}}

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

{{location map+|Czech Republic|float=center|width=450|caption=|places=

{{Location map~|Czech Republic|lat=50.083333|long=14.416667|marksize=10|label=Prague|position=top}}

{{Location map~|Czech Republic|lat=49.227162|long=16.586276|marksize=10|label=Brno|position=bottom}}

{{location map~|Czech Republic|lat=49.804314|long=18.255961|label=Arrows|position=left}}

{{location map~|Czech Republic|lat=49.051389|long=14.435833|label=Sokol|position=left}}

{{location map~|Czech Republic|lat=49.215|long=15.881667|label=Nuclears|position=left}}

{{Location map~|Czech Republic|lat=51.1|long=19.0|mark=TransparentPlaceholder.png|label=Prague teams:
{{nowrap|Eagles}}
Tempo}}

{{Location map~|Czech Republic|lat=48.9|long=19.0|mark=TransparentPlaceholder.png|label=Brno teams:
{{nowrap|Draci
Hroši}}}}

}}

• [https://extraliga.baseball.cz/ Extraliga] (in Czech)

{{Reflist}}

{{Baseball leagues}}

Category:Baseball leagues in Europe

Category:Professional sports leagues in the Czech Republic