EulaMatos4236 at 03:57, 5 May 2025

2025-05-05T03:57:42Z

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{{refimprove|date=March 2016}}
{{Infobox sport overview
| boxwidth = 
| title = 
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| union = [[Amateur Baseball Federation of India]]
| country = India
| sport = Baseball
| nationalteam = [[India national baseball team|Men]]<br>[[India women's national baseball team|Women]]
| nickname = 
| first = Early 1940s
| registered = 
| clubs = 
| national_list = [[National Baseball Championship]]
| club_list = 
| intl_list = [[Asian Baseball Championship]]<br>[[Asian Baseball Cup]]<br>[[Women's Baseball World Cup]]
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| league = 
| fan_org = 
}}
{{HistBaseball nav}}
[[Baseball]] is played in local clubs, schools and at the [[college baseball|university]] level in India.

== History ==
[[File:An Airbase Baseball Game (BOND 0296).jpg|thumb|1944 U.S. military game in the [[Alipore]], [[Kolkata]] air base]]
Baseball was [[Sports in Manipur#Baseball|played in Manipur]] as early as [[World War II]] when the [[US Army Air Force]] flew supplies to China over the [[Himalayas]], known as "[[Flying the Hump]]", and the locals learned the game from the [[airman|troops]] stationed there.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.baseballebm.com/single-post/2016/09/09/Gaining-Ground|title=Gaining Ground {{!}} European Baseball & Softball Magazine/Home|website=European Baseball & Softball Magazine/Home|date=9 September 2016 |language=en|access-date=2018-07-09}}{{dead link|date=May 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

The Amateur Baseball Federation of India was founded in 1983 and India's first national baseball championship occurred in 1985, taking place in [[New Delhi]]. That same year, it joined both the [[International Baseball Federation]] along with the [[Baseball Federation of Asia]]. In 2006, [[MLB International]] sent Envoy coaches to India to train local coaches and players in partnership with First Pitch, an India-based grass-roots baseball organisation.<ref name=":0">{{cite web|url=http://mlb.mlb.com/content/printer_friendly/mlb/y2006/m07/d17/c1560943.jsp|title=MLB International Envoy Program to send coaches to India|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714214539/http://mlb.mlb.com/news/press_releases/press_release.jsp?ymd=20060717&content_id=1560943&vkey=pr_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb|date=17 July 2006|archivedate=14 July 2014}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/Its-just-not-cricket-US-exports-baseball-to-India/articleshow/322761.cms|title=It's just not cricket: US exports baseball to India|last=Rajghattal|first=Chidanand|date=5 November 2006|newspaper=[[Times of India]]|agency=TNN}}</ref>
[[File:Joe logan in India.jpg|left|thumb|Kids learning baseball as part of an [[United States Department of State|American State Department]] program]]
The first [[ballpark]] in India was opened on 5 February 2017 at a farmhouse on the [[Gurgaon]]-[[Delhi]] border by Grand Slam Baseball and recognised by [[World Baseball Softball Confederation|WBSC]] President [[Riccardo Fraccari]].<ref name=":4" /> Built by social entrepreneur and baseball enthusiast Raunaq Sahni, India's first and only regulation-size baseball ground is named Field of Dreams in homage to the [[Field of Dreams|1989 American film of the same name]].<ref name=":3">{{cite web |title=Field of Dreams: Giving wings to India's baseball aspirations |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/gurgaon/field-of-dreams-giving-wings-to-indias-baseball-aspirations/articleshow/56990335.cms |website=[[The Times of India]] |last=Kohli |first=Sharad |date=6 February 2017 |accessdate=9 July 2018}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{cite web |title=WBSC President welcomes India's first-ever Baseball Stadium|url=http://www.wbsc.org/wbsc-president-welcomes-indias-first-ever-baseball-stadium/ |website=[[World Baseball Softball Confederation|WBSC]] |accessdate=9 July 2018 |date=2 September 2017}}</ref> Sahni had set up Grand Slam Baseball in 2013 as a grass-roots sports initiative to help organise tournaments and coaching programmes for youths across the country. Before the birth of Grand Slam Baseball, the sport was mostly played among [[expatriate|expats]] and among government school players. Grand Slam Baseball changed this by starting pay-for-play programmes at elite private schools in [[National Capital Region (India)|Delhi-NCR]] while also sponsoring an equal number of government school players.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/sports/other-sports/story/major-league-baseball-field-of-dreams-grand-slam-baseball-959930-2017-02-09|title=Major League Baseball coaches train kids in India's first pro-baseball field in Delhi|last=Gupta|first=Shivani|date=9 February 2017|website=[[India Today]]|language=en|access-date=2019-04-23}}</ref><ref name=":6">{{Cite web|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/sports/sport-others/chasing-a-home-run-india-takes-its-first-steps-towards-baseball-4933290/|title=Chasing a Home Run: India takes its first steps towards baseball|date=12 November 2017|website=[[The Indian Express]]|last=Amsan|first=Andrew|language=en-IN|access-date=2019-04-23}}</ref><ref name=":7">{{Cite web|url=https://littleindia.com/batter-bringing-baseball-billion/|title=Batter Up! Bringing Baseball to a Billion|date=16 November 2017|first=Aswati|last=Anand|website=Little India: Overseas Indian, NRI, Asian Indian, Indian American|language=en-US|access-date=2019-04-23}}</ref>

In July 2019, [[Major League Baseball]] (MLB) announced plans to open an office in New Delhi to promote the growth of baseball in India. The league also announced to plans to stream one regular season game a week on Facebook in India.<ref>{{cite web |title=MLB to open New Delhi office in bid to gain India foothold |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-baseball-mlb-india/mlb-to-open-new-delhi-office-in-bid-to-gain-india-foothold-idUSKCN1TX2NT |website=Reuters |accessdate=24 September 2019 |language=en |date=3 July 2019}}</ref> MLB also stated that it would relaunch ''Million Dollar Arm'' holding tryouts in India between September and December 2019. MLB also announced the launch of First Pitch, a grassroots program for primary school children from 300 schools across New Delhi, Bangalore and Mumbai to learn baseball through workshops by MLB coaches.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://sportstar.thehindu.com/other-sports/major-league-baseball-looks-to-spread-baseball-in-india-delhi-capitals-mohammed-kaif-jim-smalls-million-dollar-arm/article28262988.ece|first=Bhrigu|last=Bagga|title=MLB and Delhi Capitals look to spread baseball in India|work=[[Sportstar]]|publisher=The Hindu Group|date=2 July 2019}}</ref> MLB has said that there may be collaboration with [[Board of Control for Cricket in India|BCCI]] to increase the spread of both cricket and baseball.<ref>https://www.outlookindia.com/website/story/sports-news-major-league-baseball-may-take-crickets-help-to-spread-footprint-in-india/359420""We could work together with the BCCI and give them a value proposition in the United States. When India goes to play cricket in the US, they play in baseball stadiums. So there can be synergy," Small explained."</ref>

== ''Million Dollar Arm'' ==
In 2007, struggling MLB agent [[J.B. Bernstein]] decided to start a competition in India titled ''Million Dollar Arm'', a talent search for the best throwing arms in India. He gained his inspiration after watching [[ESPN]]'s broadcast of a cricket match featuring [[bowling (cricket)|bowlers]] that bowled at speeds as high as {{convert|150|kph|mph|abbr=on}} and realising that India was one of the largest untapped environments for baseball. Despite being inspired by cricketers, the two winners were 19-year-old [[javelin throw]]ers [[Rinku Singh (wrestler)|Rinku Singh]] and [[Dinesh Patel]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Tucker |first=Reed |date=2014-05-11 |title=The wacky but true story behind ‘Million Dollar Arm’ |url=https://nypost.com/2014/05/11/the-wacky-but-true-story-behind-million-dollar-arm/ |access-date=2025-03-09 |language=en-US}}</ref> Although he did not reach the million-dollar mark, Singh won [[United States dollar|US$]]100,000 for the fastest delivery of the contest and Patel won US$5,000. They were also invited to the United States to train and try out for [[Major League Baseball]] (MLB) teams. Eventually, both [[Pitcher (baseball)|pitchers]] were signed by the [[Pittsburgh Pirates]] organisation and became the first two Indians to play [[professional baseball]].

Patel ended up having a successful 2009 season for [[Gulf Coast League Pirates|Pirates' Gulf Coast League team]], finishing with a 1–0 [[win–loss record (pitching)|record]] and a 1.42 [[earned run average|ERA]] in {{frac|6|1|3}} [[innings pitched]]. His 2010 season was not successful, with his ERA going up to 8.59 in {{frac|7|1|3}} innings. He was released after the season and returned to India to teach baseball and prepare kids for subsequent seasons of ''Million Dollar Arm''.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2014-05-15 |title=Crasnick: Baseball changed lives of Singh, Patel |url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/10935566/million-dollar-arm-remarkable-journeys-rinku-singh-dinesh-patel |access-date=2025-03-09 |website=ESPN.com |language=en}}</ref>

The screen rights to their story were purchased in 2009, and in 2014 Disney released the film titled ''[[Million Dollar Arm]]''. It made $3.9 [[Indian numbering system|crore]] off a budget of $2.5 crore.

== See also ==

* [[Baseball United]], a Middle Eastern and South Asian baseball league
* [[India national Baseball5 team|Baseball5 in India]]
* [[Softball in India]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.abfi.in/ Amateur Baseball Federation of India]

{{Sport in India}}
{{World baseball}}

[[Category:Baseball in India| ]]

Baseball in India - Revision history

EulaMatos4236 at 03:57, 5 May 2025