Australian Baseball League (1989-1999)
| Sport | Baseball |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1987 |
| Founder | Australian Baseball Federation |
| Inaugural season | 1989–90 |
| Ceased | 1999 |
| No. of teams | 17 (total) |
| Country |
 Australia |
| Last champion(s) |
Gold Coast Cougars (1998–99) |
| Most titles | Waverly/Melbourne Reds (3) |
| Related competitions |
Claxton Shield |
The Australian Baseball League (ABL) was a baseball league, established in 1987 and disbanded in 1999.
Before the formation of the Australian Baseball League, the Claxton Shield, established in 1934, was Australia's premier baseball tournament. The idea of an Australian baseball league was first conceived in 1987, possibly prompted by the success of Australia's National Basketball League. The final Claxton Shield competition was held in 1988 by the Auburn Baseball Club in New South Wales at its home ground of Oriole Park. Auburn funded all visiting teams' fares and accommodation with the expectation of recouping from gate takings and increased revenue at its social club. Soon after, the ABL was formed, with eight teams from around Australia.
The Australian Baseball League was much like many other professional baseball leagues around the world, with teams playing home and away series during a regular season, playing to compete in the playoffs, the winner of which being crowned champions.
The season length ranged from 42 to 62 games, depending on the number of teams in the season. The competition used the designated hitter rule, much like the Major League Baseball's American League, but allowed aluminium bats for non-MLB contracted players, with the contracted players using wood. There were also allowances in place for pinch runners to run for a catcher if he made base safely, this was put in place for not only speed up the break between innings waiting for a catcher to change into his gear, but to create more excitement on the basepaths. Import restrictions also applied in the League as to nurture home grown talent
The ABL experimented with many different types of scheduling to try to increase attendances, including day and night games at different times of the week, seven-inning double headers. The length of games became a problem as many grounds had night curfews.
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