With a roster almost entirely homegrown and with players having day jobs ranging from firefighter to teacher to electrician (even the manager, Pavel Chadim, is a noted neurologist in Brno), Czechia became fan favorites at the 2023 World Baseball Classic. Despite having just one Major Leaguer on its roster -- second baseman Eric Sogard -- the team defeated China and more than held its own against the eventual champion, Japan. It earned the Czechs a feverish fanbase in the nation and even respect from Shohei Ohtani, who wore the nation’s cap on the flight to Miami for the semifinals -- despite striking out against electrical worker Ondřej Satoria’s changeup.
The performance didn't just ingratiate the team to Japanese baseball fans, though. Since the tournament, the team has been welcomed by the rest of the world and the national team has played exhibition contests against Japan, Chinese Taipei, Korea, and Minor League clubs -- experience that will only serve to help the nation's baseball program into the future.
Though there is still no Czech born-and-developed player to reach the Majors -- catcher and team star Martin Červenka reached Triple-A with the Orioles and Mets -- Marek Chlup became the first Czech player to play in the NPB. The outfielder debuted with the Tokyo Giants for two games last year before a wrist injury ended his season.
2023 WBC Performance
Things looked dire early on for Czechia. Facing China in the country’s first ever World Baseball Classic contest, the team blew an early lead and came up to bat in the ninth inning, trailing 5-4. While every game is important in a short tournament like this, this game was the Czechs’ best chance for a victory and a way out of avoiding the pressure of another Qualifier.
First baseman Martin Mužík changed all that when he hammered a go-ahead three-run home run into the left-field seats to give the Czechs the lead, which they would hold on to in a victory.
Though the team wouldn’t win another game, they took an early lead against Japan and electrical worker Ondrej Satoria became a viral sensation when he struck out Shohei Ohtani with a low-70s changeup that he calls “the worker.” The fans in the Tokyo Dome fell in love with a team whose devotion to baseball mirrored their own, and you’ll still find pockets of fans donning Czech Republic gear in the country.
2026 WBC schedule
The Czechs will face an uphill battle as they’re thrust into the difficult Tokyo pool and must face the WBSC’s No. 1 (Japan), No. 2 (Chinese Taipei), No. 4 (Korea), and No. 11 (Australia) ranked teams. Czechia is currently ranked 15th.
They’ll begin pool play on March 5th (March 4 in Tokyo) against Korea (5 a.m. ET). Here’s their full schedule in ET:
March 5: Korea - 5 a.m. ET
March 5: Australia - 10 p.m. ET
March 6: Chinese Taipei - 10 p.m. ET
March 10: Japan - 6 a.m. ET
Best WBC performance
To reach the country’s first World Baseball Classic in 2023, the Czechs had to run the table at the 2022 World Baseball Classic Qualifiers in Regensburg after dropping the opening contest to Spain, 21-7.
But the team stormed back, knocking off France and Germany to set up a rematch with a spot on the line. That night, aided by home runs from Martin Mužík and Marek Chlup and a hero’s performance from firefighter and pitcher Martin Schneider, the Czechs knocked off Spain and clinched their spot in the 2023 tournament.
(Not to make a blatant mid-story advertisement, but if you want to read more … I wrote a book about the team and its performance at the 2023 World Baseball Classic that comes out on April 1. You can buy a copy here!)
Biggest games in country history
The biggest game outside of the World Baseball Classic came this past fall. Playing in the European Baseball Championship, the Czechs upset Spain – again – to win a bronze medal. It’s the first European medal the nation has ever earned. Star catcher Martin Červenka, arguably the most talented player from Czechia, went 3-for-4 with a home run and seven RBIs in the 9-2 victory.
Notable MLB Players who may join the team
While no player born and developed inside Czechia has ever reached the Majors (the four MLB players listed as being from the country never played baseball there, and Czech baseball writer and researcher Jan Jabrocky has spoken to Carl Linhart’s family, who claim Slovak heritage), the World Baseball Classic team won’t be without any big league talent.
Though Eric Sogard – who played with the team at the 2023 World Baseball Classic – will have to miss the tournament due to injury, former Orioles super utility man Terrin Vavra is set to join the team. Vavra, whose great-grandfather is from Czechia, has played 68 big league games in his career.
Though it’s not MLB, Marek Chlup is expected to take his place in the outfield once again. The talented outfielder became the first Czech player to ever play in the NPB and he was the first European-developed position player in the league when he debuted last summer. Unfortunately, after just two games, Chlup suffered a broken wrist and missed the rest of the season. He has now signed with the Caliente de Durango of the Mexican League.
Minor League prospects who may join the team
There are no current Czech-born Minor Leaguers expected to join the team, but catcher Martin Červenka, shortstop Vojtech Menšík, and pitchers Jan Novák and Marek Minařík have Minor League experience. Pitcher Michael Senay is a talented arm who will be a freshman at USF this spring.
Story to watch
"Save the Queen." That's manager Pavel Chadim's James Bond-inspired catchphrase for this year's team -- the "queen" being maintaining the nation's spot in the World Baseball Classic. With fan attention skyrocketing across Czechia, it's crucially important that the team can continue to build on the past three years of work. It's not the end of Czech baseball should they have to play in another qualifier, but everyone loves a winner. The Czechs want to remain one for the fans back home.
Questions ahead of Upcoming Tournament
How can they top 2023? The Czechs won a game with a ninth-inning home run and followed that up by converting Shohei Ohtani and thousands of Japanese baseball supporters into fans. What could they possibly have for an encore?
How will the Czechs manage the bullpen? After watching Australian manager Dave Nilsson nearly reach the Miami pool after steadfastly refusing to let his pitchers work more than one time through the order, Czech manager Chadim has taken notes. Despite lacking big armed starters, Extraliga stars like Satoria and Tomáš Ondra -- who has drawn comparisons to a Czech Greg Maddux for his command-and-control profile -- have shown great pitchability beyond their stuff. Now, Chadim may look to swap these arms in and out more often, but there aren't many back-of-the-bullpen types who light up the radar gun. With Marek Minařík healthy again, he will likely be leaned on to close out games, but the question will be how to get him a lead.