The Italian Baseball League (IBL, Italian: Campionato italiano di baseball), officially known as the Serie A (Italian pronunciation: [ˈsɛːrje ˈa]), is the top-level baseball league in Italy. Founded in 1948, it is governed by the Italian Baseball & Softball Federation (FIBS), which has its headquarters in Rome.

Many of the teams are based in the northern Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, which has historically been the hotbed of baseball in the country; a team from the Republic of San Marino also plays in Serie A.

Like most professional sports leagues in Europe, and unlike professional baseball leagues in North America and Asia, the IBL uses a promotion and relegation system; the bottom five clubs are relegated to the Serie B minor league. Winners of the league are awarded a scudetto, and earn the right to represent Italy in the European Champions Cup.

History

Until 2010, the IBL featured a promotion-and-relegation league format that demoted the last place finisher to the minor leagues (Series A2), while the Serie A2 (baseball) champion would be promoted into the IBL. This was changed in late 2009, when FIBS approved the decision to introduce a fixed-team franchise format (similar to that found in Major League Baseball) starting with the 2010 season.

However, in 2018, the promotion-and-relegation system was reintroduced.

In 2021, the Italian Baseball League was rebranded as Serie A, bringing together the previous eight-team Serie A1 and the second-tier Serie A2. The new league was structured into 33 participating teams in 8 divisions, or gironi (lit. "groups"). The 8 gironi winners compete for the league championship (the scudetto), while the remaining 25 will fight to avoid being among the five relegated to Serie B. In 2023, the league size was reduced to 30 teams, divided into five gironi; the top two in each group of the first phase (prima face) advance to the poule scudetto (and then to the playoffs), while those not qualified fight to avoid relegation.

意大利棒球聯賽(Italian Baseball League)是意大利最高級別的棒球聯賽,也是該國最受歡迎的棒球賽事之一。該聯賽由意大利棒球協會(Federazione Italiana Baseball Softball)主辦,每年舉辦一次。

意大利棒球聯賽吸引了來自全國各地的頂尖球隊參賽,包括米蘭馬爾蒂尼隊(Milano Marittima)、羅馬野牛隊(Roma Bulls)和佛羅倫薩野獸隊(Firenze Panthers)等知名球隊。這些球隊在聯賽中展示了高水平的棒球技巧和競爭力。

比賽通常在夏季進行,持續數個月。聯賽採用循環賽制,每支球隊都會與其他球隊進行多場比賽,以確定排名。最終,排名前幾位的球隊將晉級到季後賽,爭奪冠軍寶座。

意大利棒球聯賽的比賽場地通常是現代化的棒球場,設施齊全,觀眾席位眾多。觀眾可以在這些場地中觀賞到精彩的比賽,並享受到棒球運動的激情。

該聯賽不僅僅是一個棒球比賽,還是一個聚集了棒球愛好者和球迷的社交活動。觀眾可以在比賽期間與其他球迷交流,分享他們對棒球的熱愛,並為自己支持的球隊加油打氣。

意大利棒球聯賽為意大利的棒球運動發展做出了重要貢獻,提高了國內棒球水平,並為年輕球員提供了一個展示自己才華的平台。無論是球迷還是球員,參與意大利棒球聯賽都能夠感受到棒球運動的魅力和激情。