Mannheim Tornados
Encyclopedia
The Mannheim Tornados are a baseball and softball club from Mannheim
, Baden-Württemberg
. Founded in 1975, it is the oldest continuing baseball club in Germany. The first men's team plays in the first division of the Baseball Bundesliga
and has won 11 championships, the most of any club to reach the top tier of German baseball. The team won every championship between 1984 and 1989. However, the Tornados have not won a championship since 1997, though they perennially make the playoffs.
Each member pays an annual club fee, ranging from €55 for ordinary members to €170 for active adult members. The club also set up a separate organization, The Friends of the Baseball Club Tornados Mannheim eV. It is classified as a charitable organization by the City of Mannheim, and has an annual membership fee of €24.
Mannheim
Mannheim is a city in southwestern Germany. With about 315,000 inhabitants, Mannheim is the second-largest city in the Bundesland of Baden-Württemberg, following the capital city of Stuttgart....
, Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states of Germany. Baden-Württemberg is in the southwestern part of the country to the east of the Upper Rhine, and is the third largest in both area and population of Germany's sixteen states, with an area of and 10.7 million inhabitants...
. Founded in 1975, it is the oldest continuing baseball club in Germany. The first men's team plays in the first division of the Baseball Bundesliga
Bundesliga (baseball)
The Baseball-Bundesliga is the elite competition for the sport of baseball in Germany. In it, the men's German championship is determined annually. Like most European sports leagues, the Bundesliga uses a system of promotion and relegation...
and has won 11 championships, the most of any club to reach the top tier of German baseball. The team won every championship between 1984 and 1989. However, the Tornados have not won a championship since 1997, though they perennially make the playoffs.
Club Structure
The full club consists of 12 teams:- 1st Men's, plays in Bundesliga's 1st Division
- Men's Regional
- Association Men's League
- 1st Women's
- Association Women's League
- Juniors (16–18 years)
- Youth (13–15 years)
- Student (9–12 years)
- Junior Women (17–19 years)
- T-Ball (4–8 years)
- 2 recreational teams (Slow Pitch)
- Mixed Team League Softball Fast Pitch
Each member pays an annual club fee, ranging from €55 for ordinary members to €170 for active adult members. The club also set up a separate organization, The Friends of the Baseball Club Tornados Mannheim eV. It is classified as a charitable organization by the City of Mannheim, and has an annual membership fee of €24.
Season by Season Performance (1st Bundesliga)
| Year | Rank | Games | W | L | Win% | Season Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 3 | 28 | 18 | 10 | .642 | Lost to Solingen Alligators in Quarterfinals, 1-3 |
| 2008 | 3 | 28 | 18 | 10 | .642 | Lost to Regensburg Legionaere Buchbinder Legionäre Regensburg Regensburg Legionaere is a baseball and softball club from Regensburg, Bavaria. The team is also known as Buchbinder Legionaere, following a sponsorship deal with German car rental company Buchbinder Autovermietung .... in Finals, 2-3 |
| 2009 | 3 | 24 | 15 | 9 | .625 | Lost to Heidenheim Heideköpfe Heidenheim Heideköpfe Heidenheim Heideköpfe is a baseball and softball club from Heidenheim an der Brenz, Baden-Württemberg. The club was established in 1992 as the baseball arm of Heidenheimer Sportbund , a parent organization that contains several clubs in different sports, and played its first season in 1993 in the... in Finals, 2-3 |
| 2010 | 3 | 28 | 17 | 11 | .607 | Lost to Paderborn Untouchables Paderborn Untouchables The Paderborn Untouchables , is a German baseball team in the Baseball-Bundesliga located in the city of Paderborn in Nordrhein-Westfalen. The club was established in 1990.... in Quarterfinals, 2-3 |
Retired Numbers
The team has five retired numbers:- 30 - Frank Jäger, played 390 games with the Tornados from 1984 to 2000, batting .314 lifetime
- 22 - Bernard Pickett, known as "Yogi," played 213 games with the Tornados and batted .413 lifetime
- 20 - Stephan Jäger, hit .425 for the Tornados over 194 games
- 35 - Eddy Polanco, hit .413 over 221 games for the Tornados
- 44 Klaus Knüttel, played 498 games in his Tornados jersey, pitched 1121 strikeouts in 1129 innings. Also a power hitter, he had 97 home runs, 20 triples, and 9 doubles during his career