The French National Baseball team represents the French Federation of Baseball and Softball in international competitions, such as the

World Baseball Classic The World Baseball Classic (WBC) is an international baseball tournament sanctioned from 2006 to 2013 by the International Baseball Federation (IBAF) and after 2013 by World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) in partnership with Major Lea ...

, the

European Baseball Championship The European Baseball Championship is the main championship tournament between national baseball teams in Europe, governed by the Confederation of European Baseball (CEB). History Italy won the inaugural European Baseball Championship in , and ...

, and the

World Cup of Baseball The Baseball World Cup was an international tournament where national baseball teams from around the world competed. It was sanctioned by the International Baseball Federation (IBAF). Along with the World Baseball Classic, it was one of two acti ...

. They are currently ranked 25th in the world.

Roster

History

The history of the French team began in 1929 with their first official game against

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

with a 10–6 victory. The team made its debut in competition in 1955 when it played in the finals of the second

, finishing fifth out of five teams. The French team has qualified for the

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...

finals three times, the first time in 1994. In order to qualify for the finals a playoff game was played against

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

. France lost seven games during the competition, and finished in 16th place out of 16 teams. In 2001, as well as 2003, les Bleus (the nickname of the team) made their way into the

finals. During the 2001 edition the French team finished in 15th place, tied for last with the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. They also finished in 15th place in 2003, out of 15 teams. In the fall of 2012, France participated in their first

Qualifier. The team played in the Jupiter, Florida, pool alongside South Africa, Spain, and Israel. France lost both its games to Spain and South Africa. In September 2013, France named former MLB pitcher

Éric Gagné Éric Serge Gagné (; born January 7, 1976) is a Canadian former professional baseball pitcher who played 10 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), most notably for the Los Angeles Dodgers. After signing with the Dodgers as a free agent in 1995 ...

new head coach. The team played a series of trial games in Florida in October 2013 and in

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1,608,139 residents as of 2020. It is the fifth-most populous city in the United States, and the on ...

, in March 2014 in preparation for the 2014 European Championships. In early September 2014, France hosted the inaugural France International Baseball Tournament. France won the first exhibition game 8-7 vs. Japan before claiming game 1 6-3 over Belgium and game 2 10-5, again over Japan. "Les Bleus" claimed their first-ever victory over the Netherlands with a 12-8 win on September 8, 2014, before falling 3-2 against the Dutch in the championship game the following night. Every two years, France participates in the

. France's best result came in 1999 when the team finished third. The French National team finished 6th in the 2014 European Championships, going 4-1 in Regensburg, GER before falling to Czech Republic, Holland and Spain in the Brno, CZ. In March 2015 French pitcher Owen Ozanich was France's lone representative on Team Europe, which split two contests at the Tokyo Dome against Samurai Japan. In July 2015 France sent many of its national team players to participate in the 2015 World University Summer Games in South Korea. Rouen manager Keino Perez was the manager for this competition. France finished in 8th place. Once back in Europe, the national team played a series of games in Antwerp, Belgium, July 23–24 against Sweden and the host country, Belgium. With a 2-0 record, France won the

Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to cultu ...

invitational tournament with Belgium coming in second and Sweden third. In November and December 2015 Ozanich along with Leonel Cespedes represented France on Team Europe during the Asian Winter League held in

Taichung Taichung (, Wade–Giles: ''Tʻai²-chung¹'', pinyin: ''Táizhōng''), officially Taichung City, is a special municipality located in central Taiwan. Taichung has approximately 2.8 million residents and is the second most populous city of Ta ...

, Taiwan. Cespedes had a 4.50 ERA out of the bullpen. Ozanich led the team in innings pitched, strikeouts, and ERA. The French National Team competed in the 2016 World Baseball Classic Qualifiers held in March 2016 in Panama. In game one, Panama beat France behind long-time MLB catcher Carlos Ruiz's two home runs in front of a crowd of over 11,000. In game two, Cespedes pitched France to a victory over European rival Spain at

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. The 5-3 victory marked the first win in four tries at the WBC Qualifiers for the French. In the semi-final game, France, led by offensively by first baseman Rene Leveret's home run in the fifth inning, found themselves tied with Panama in the fifth inning, but were not able to close out the game, falling 7-4, ending their hopes of qualifying for the 2017 WBC. In April 2016 Kieran Mattison replaced Eric Gagne as French National Team Manager. On July 16, 2016 the FFBS hosted its first-ever All-Star Game in

La Rochelle La Rochelle (, , ; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''La Rochéle''; oc, La Rochèla ) is a city on the west coast of France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department. Wi ...

, won by the French League Foreign All-Stars by a score of 12-7 over the French National Team. Prior to the game, French national team shortstop Felix Brown won the first annual home run derby. In September 2016, the French Federation hosted the second edition of the France International Baseball Tournament (also known as the Yoshida Challenge), featuring France, Germany, Netherlands, and International Stars. France finished in third place behind Germany and the Netherlands. France finished in 7th place in the 2016 European Championships which were held in

Hoofddorp Hoofddorp (; ) is the main town of the Haarlemmermeer municipality in the province of North Holland in the Netherlands. In 2021, the population was 77,885. The town was founded in 1853, immediately after the Haarlemmermeer had been drained. His ...

, NL. They beat Croatia, Greece, and Sweden, while falling to Italy, Belgium, and Spain. Third baseman Maxime Lefevre hit .500 for the tournament while P/OF Leonel Cespedes posted a 2-0 record with a 0.64 ERA. French pitchers Owen Ozanich and Marc-Andre Habeck represented France at the 2016 Asian Winter League with Team Europe. In July 2017 French/Cuban 1B/OF Ernesto Martinez Jr. signed with the Milwaukee Brewers for $880,000, the largest-ever bonus for a French player. The big lefty served as France's designated hitter at just 16 years old in the 2016 WBC Qualifier where he played alongside his father, Ernesto Martinez Sr. a longtime star in the French D1 for Senart. Through the 2021 MiLB season, Martinez, now 22, has hit .254/.364/.417 with 20 HR, 100 RBI and 41 SB. In July 2017 the French national team again participated in the annual All-Star Game, again held in La Rochelle, falling 5-1 to the All-Star Team made up of the best foreign players. In August 2017, the French University team participated in the Summer Universiades in Taipei, Taiwan. The team had a surprise win over the highly favored Chinese Taipei, before falling to Korea and Czech Republic. Overall the team, again coached by Keino Perez finished 7th out of 8. In November 2018 les bleus, managed by Kieran Mattison, headed to South Africa for a 7-game series against the South African National Team where they went 2-5 in the seven contests held in

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Dem ...

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, and

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

. Minor league pitcher Yoan Antonac (Phillies) made his national team debut for France. Jose Paula was named to the all series team where he took home best defensive player for the week, Maxime Lefevre led all players in stolen bases. The 2019 French season featured a 12-team Division 1, the league previously had 8 teams in the top division prior to this expansion. In late February, the national team held spring training in

Tenerife Tenerife (; ; formerly spelled ''Teneriffe'') is the largest and most populous island of the Canary Islands. It is home to 43% of the total population of the archipelago. With a land area of and a population of 978,100 inhabitants as of Janu ...

, Spain. Five national team members played in Italy in 2019: Owen Ozanich and Marc-Andre Habeck with Parma (Serie A), Andy Paz with Bologna (Serie A) Leonel Cespedes with Redipuglia (Serie A), and Franklin de la Rosa with Grosseto (Serie B). In September 2019 the French National Team competed in the 2019 European Championships. Maxime Lefevre led the team with a .435 average, followed by Bastien Dagneau (.429), Andy Paz (.400) and Fred Hanvi (.350). France finished in 7th place, beating Austria, Belgium and Croatia, while falling to Italy, Spain, Israel and Germany. On the mound, Marc-Andre Habeck led France in innings pitched (11.0), Leonel Cespedes logged 7.2, and Owen Ozanich 6.0. Habeck also led the staff in strikeouts (12), ahead of Ozanich (5), Yoann Vaugelade (4) and Franklin de la Rosa (4). Daniel Camou and Lilian Amoros each logged three scoreless innings to lead the staff in ERA. The FFBS shocked the European baseball community when they announced former San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy would take over as manager of the national team. The announcement came in late 2019, and confirmed rumors that the future hall of fame skipper would lead the team in the 2020 World Baseball Classic Qualifier. Due to the world wide Coronavirus outbreak in March 2020, the WBC qualifiers have been postponed to 2022. The 2020 French Division 1 season was cancelled on May 6, 2020. French minor leaguers Yoan Antonac and Ernesto Martinez Jr. also had their minor league seasons cancelled due to covid-19. Ariel Soriano (Nettuno) and Owen Ozanich (Parma) played 2020 in Italy. Norbert Jongerius and Robyn Clara played in the Netherlands. The 2021 French Division 1 season began in June 2021. The French Series saw Perez's Rouen Huskies beat Senart in five games to win their 16th French Title. National team outfielder Martin Vissac took home MVP honors. In early September 2021, the Montpellier Barracudas took home the Challenge de France. Rouen and Montpellier will represent France in the 2022 CEB Cup. The French national team finished a disappointing 15th (out of 16) in the 2021 European Championships held in Turin, Italy. France lost to Great Britain, Israel, Germany, and Greece. They beat Russia and Slovakia. The team struggled under newly appointed interim manager Keino Perez, who took over for Bochy, who cancelled his trip to Europe over covid concerns. Offensively, only Andy Paz (.364) hit over .300 for a team that hit a collective .167 over 6 games. On the mound, the French did slightly better, with the 32 year-old Ozanich leading the team in innings (10.0) and strikeouts (13) while 17 year-old Mathis Nayral allowed just 1 run over 7.1 IP (1.23 ERA) while punching out 7 batters. Outfielder Jose Paula also contributed on the mound, giving up 2 ER in 5.0 IP, striking out 9. France will now look ahead to July 2022, where they will head to Bulgaria for the 'B' pool qualifier. France needs a good finish in order to again participate in the 2023 European Championships. First, the French national team, managed by Perez, will head Prague, Czech Republic in late June for a week of exhibition games against Spain and Czevh Republic amongst other teams. The World Baseball Classic will be back in the spring of 2023. France lost the opening round to Great Britain, and fell to the Czech Republic in Lower round 1, with the latter securing their place for the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

Results and fixtures

The following is a list of

professional A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and ski ...

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

match results currently active in the latest version of the

WBSC World Rankings The WBSC World Rankings is a ranking system for national teams in baseball and softball. The teams of the member nations of the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC), baseball's world governing body, are ranked based on their tournament re ...

, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled. ;Legend

2022

2021

2019

2018

Results

Equipe de France de baseball Espoirs 2006

Baseball World Cup

* 1994 : 16th * 2001 : 15th * 2003 : 15th

Intercontinental Cup

* 1991 : 10th * 1993 : 10th * 1997 : 7th

European Baseball Championship

* 1954 : did not qualify * 1955 : 5th * 1956 : did not qualify * 1957 : did not qualify * 1958 : 6th * 1960 : did not qualify * 1962 : 6th * 1964 : 5th * 1965 : did not qualify * 1967 : did not qualify * 1969 : 7th * 1971 : 9th * 1973 : 6th * 1975 : 6th * 1977 : did not qualify * 1979 : did not qualify * 1981 : did not qualify * 1983 : 6th * 1985 : did not qualify * 1987 : 4th * 1989 : 5th * 1991 : 4th * 1993 : 4th * 1995 : 5th * 1997 : 5th * 1999 : 3rd * 2001 : 4th * 2003 : 7th * 2005 : 6th * 2007 : 5th * 2010 : 6th *

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

: 8th *

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

: 6th *

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

: 7th *

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

: 7th

French players in professional baseball

French national team players who have played professional baseball: * Rene Leveret: Minnesota Twins (RK/A),

Quebec Capitales Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirteen p ...

Amarillo Thunderheads The Amarillo Thunderheads, formerly known as the Amarillo Sox, were a professional minor league baseball team based in Amarillo, Texas. They were members of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball, an independent baseball l ...

Lincoln Saltdogs The Lincoln Saltdogs are a professional baseball team based in Lincoln, Nebraska, in the United States. The Saltdogs are in the American Association of Professional Baseball, an official Partner League of Major League Baseball. Since the 2001 sea ...

(2006–2016), Rouen Huskies 2017 *

Joris Bert Joris Bert (born 16 May 1987), is a French baseball player who plays center field. He bats left and throws left. He is nicknamed "Frenchie" by his teammates. Biography He started playing baseball as a child when he arrived late to a soccer pract ...

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

(RK)(2007–2008), Rouen Huskies 2006-2015; 2020–present * Fred Hanvi: Minnesota Twins (RK),

Gunma Diamond Pegasus The are a semi-professional baseball team in the Baseball Challenge League of Japan. The team was established as part of the expansion of the league, and began play in the 2008 season. Their home is Gunma Prefecture. Franchise history The Di ...

Kochi Fighting Dogs Kochi (), also known as Cochin ( ) ( the official name until 1996) is a major port city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of Ke ...

, Aigles Trois-Rivières (2008–2020) current club: Senart Templiers * Carlos Hereaud: Milwaukee Brewers (RK),

Edinburg Roadrunners The Edinburg Roadrunners were a professional baseball team based in Edinburg, Texas, in the United States. The Roadrunners were a member of the United League Baseball, an independent professional league which is not affiliated with Major League B ...

(2007–2012), Rouen Huskies 2013-2014 * Anthony Cross:

(2010), Montpellier Barracudas * Maxime Lefevre: Rouen Huskies 2010-2020,

(2013) current club: Rouen Huskies * Alex Roy:

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The team joined the American League as an expansion team ...

(RK) (2012–2014), Rouen Huskies 2012-2013 * Owen Ozanich: Rouen Huskies 2011-2018,

Adelaide Bite The Adelaide Giants are a professional baseball team that plays in the Australian Baseball League. They are one of the six foundation franchises of the league, in its first incarnation from 1989 to 1999. The team adopted the name Bite or Adelaid ...

(2012–2013) (Team Europe 2015-2016)

Parma Parma (; egl, Pärma, ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, music, art, prosciutto (ham), cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,292 inhabitants, Parma is the second mos ...

(ITA) (2019-2020) current club: Montpellier Barracudas * Felix Brown:

Hawaii Stars The Hawaii Stars were an independent professional baseball team based out of Hilo, Hawaii. They were charter members of the Pacific Association of Professional Baseball Clubs. They played their home games at Wong Stadium in Hilo and competed alo ...

, Aigles Trois-Rivières (2012–2014) current club: Senart Templiers * Andy Paz: Oakland Athletics (RK/A/AA),

Gary Southshore Railcats The Gary SouthShore RailCats are a professional baseball team based in Gary, Indiana, in the United States. The RailCats are members of the American Association of Professional Baseball, an official Partner League of Major League Baseball. The Rai ...

Bologna Bologna (, , ; egl, label=Emilian language, Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 1 ...

(ITA) (2011–2020) * Leo Cespedes: (Team Europe 2015), Senart Templiers, Toulouse Tigers, Rouen Huskies (2011-2018), Redipuglia (ITA) (2019) current club: Toulouse * Jose Paula: Oakland Athletics (RK), 2016-2017, Rouen Huskies 2018: current club: Senart Templiers * Marc-Andre Habeck: Rouen Huskies 2016-2017, (Team Europe 2016) (ITA) (2018)

(ITA) (2019+2022) current club: Parma * Jonathan Mottay:

Canberra Cavalry The Canberra Cavalry (nicknamed Cavs) is a professional baseball team from Canberra, ACT, Australia. Established in 2010, the team is a founding member of the Australian Baseball League (ABL). The Cavs home ground is Narrabundah Ballpark, kno ...

(2017–18) current club: * Ernesto Martinez: Milwaukee Brewers (2017–present) current club: Milwaukee Brewers * Yoan Antonac: Philadelphia Phillies (2018–2022) current club: Montpellier Barracudas

References

External links

France Baseball-Softball Federation official Website
{{FranceNationalTeams National baseball teams in Europe National sports teams of France Baseball in France