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.

意大利棒球联赛是意大利国内最高级别的棒球比赛。该联赛由意大利棒球协会组织,吸引了来自全国各地的顶级球队参与。比赛通常在夏季举行,持续数月,各支球队之间进行激烈的角逐。

意大利棒球联赛的比赛场地遍布全国各地,包括一些著名的棒球场馆。比赛期间,球迷们可以欣赏到高水平的棒球比赛,球员们展现出精湛的技巧和团队合作精神。

参与意大利棒球联赛的球队都是经过选拔的顶级球队,他们在比赛中展现出了强大的实力和竞争力。比赛中,球队之间的对抗激烈,每一场比赛都充满了紧张和激情。

意大利棒球联赛不仅仅是一项体育赛事,也是一个聚集棒球爱好者的社交活动。球迷们可以在比赛中与其他球迷交流,分享他们对棒球的热爱和支持。

无论是对于球员还是球迷来说,意大利棒球联赛都是一个令人期待的盛会。它展示了意大利棒球的发展和进步,同时也为棒球运动在意大利的推广做出了重要贡献。无论是国内还是国际上,意大利棒球联赛都享有很高的声誉,吸引了众多观众的关注和支持。