Amsterdam Pirates
Encyclopedia
Amsterdam Pirates is a baseball and softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...

 team in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...

, Netherlands. It was founded as an expansion of the soccer club S.V. RAP
S.V. RAP
S.V. RAP is a Dutch football club based in Amsterdam, Netherlands, that plays in the Vijfde Klasse, the eight tier of football in the Netherlands, and the sixth tier of Dutch amateur football....

. In the first years it was known as the RAP Pirates, but after a few years the club changed its name according to American tradition (first city name, then franchise name) and became the Amsterdam Pirates. Their nickname is: geile trutjes

The Pirates play at the Pirates Resort in Osdorp
Osdorp
Osdorp is a borough of Amsterdam, The Netherlands in North Holland. Osdorp has 45,627 residents. There is also an original area which is now called Oud Osdorp which is in Sloten.Since 2001 there has been major modernisation in Osdorp.-Transport:...

, in the west of Amsterdam. This stadium is a candidate to be one of the hosts of the 2007 European Softball Championship.

The club celebrated a Dutch Championship in 1987 and 1990. The next few years it was at the lower end of the League, which is dominated by Neptunus
Neptunus
Neptunus is the baseball team of the Neptunus Sporting Club in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. The title sponsor of the club is currently DOOR Training so that the official name of the team is DOOR Neptunus....

 from Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...

. In earlier years there was another team in Amsterdam, called Amstel Tijgers (Tigers) and football club AFC Ajax also played base ball, and has been champions a number of times. The club is the second largest baseball club of the Netherlands (after Almere
Almere
Almere is a planned city and municipality in the province of Flevoland, the Netherlands, bordering Lelystad and Zeewolde. The municipality of Almere comprises the districts Almere Stad, Almere Haven, Almere Buiten, Almere Hout, Almere Poort and Almere Pampus .Almere is the youngest city in the...

).

The first team plays under the name of L&D Amsterdam for sponsorship reasons.

New hopes and championship

In 2007 it reached the playoffs of the Dutch Honkbal Hoofdklasse
Honkbal Hoofdklasse
The Honkbal Hoofdklasse is the highest level of professional baseball in the Netherlands. It is an eight-team league that plays a 42-game schedule and is overseen by the Royal Netherlands Baseball and Softball Federation . Games are played principally on weekends...

 for the first time in 15 years. It almost reached the Holland Series
Holland Series
The Holland Series has been the annual championship series of the highest level of professional baseball in the Netherlands since 1987, concluding the postseason of Honkbal Hoofdklasse...

, coming back in a best of five series, after being 2–0 down, in the end they lost.

2008 did saw their third championship (and their 2nd holland series championship). They reached the playoffs by being 3rd in the regular season, then beating Neptunus in the first round and defending champions Kinheim in the 2008 Holland Series
2008 Holland Series
The 2008 Holland Series involved the defending champions Corendon Kinheim being defeated by the Amsterdam Pirates in three straight games. The first two games were postponed due to heavy rainfall...

. The Holland Series was a clean sweep, with the final game ending 12–0.

In 2011 they were champions again, beating Hoofddorp Pioneers

External links

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