{{short description|Dutch baseball player (1919–1973)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2025}}{{Infobox baseball biography | name = Roel de Mon | image = Roel de Mon.jpg | position = Pitcher | birth_date = {{birth date|1919|11|5|df=y}} | birth_place = Haarlem, Netherlands | death_date = {{death date and age|1973|11|2|1919|11|5|df=y}} | death_place = Haarlem, Netherlands | bats = Unknown | throws = Right | debutleague = | debutdate = | debutyear = | debutteam = | finaldate = | finalyear = | finalteam = | statyear = | statleague = | stat1label = | stat1value = | stat2label = | stat2value = | stat3label = | stat3value = | teams = | medaltemplates= | hofcolor = Orange | hoflink = Royal Netherlands Baseball and Softball Federation | hoftype = Netherlands | hofdate = 1984 }} '''Roel de Mon''' (5 November 1919 – 2 November 1973) was a Dutch baseball player. He was claimed to be the fastest Dutch pitcher of all time. He played most of his career between 1940 and 1948, winning the Hoofdklasse national baseball championship four times with {{Interlanguage link|Sparks Haarlem|lt=SC Haarlem|nl}} and Schoten.<ref name=":1">{{cite web |last=Hiemstra |first=Herman |date=26 April 2024 |title=De snelste Nederlandse honkbalwerper ooit |trans-title=The fastest Dutch pitcher ever |url=https://fastballmagazine.nl/de-snelste-nederlandse-honkbalwerper-ooit/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240528135824/https://fastballmagazine.nl/de-snelste-nederlandse-honkbalwerper-ooit/ |archive-date=2024-05-28 |access-date=21 January 2025 |website=Fastball Magazine |language=nl}}</ref>
== Career == Considered one of the most dominant pitchers of his era (along with Han Urbanus), Dutch baseball historian Chris Kabout observed that "when you managed to get a hit against [de Mon], you had a starting spot in the Dutch national team."<ref name="chetwynd">{{cite book |author=Chetwynd |first=Josh |url=https://archive.org/details/baseballineurope0000chet/page/308/mode/2up |title=Baseball in Europe: A Country by Country History |date=2008 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=9780786437245 |pages=308}}</ref>
World War II disrupted de Mon's international career. He played only two games internationally against Belgium and, right after the war, one against an American-Canadian Army team. An army officer who was a Major League manager in daily life invited de Mon to come and play baseball in the U.S. However, de Mon stayed in the Netherlands to help build up the country after the war. {{Citation needed|date=January 2008}}
== Legacy == de Mon still possesses the Hoofdklasse records for single-season strikeouts (235 in 1943 over 14 games) and single-game strikeouts (26, from a 1943 game between Schoten and {{Interlanguage link|VVGA|nl}}). He fanned 683 batters in 40 games in 1940, 1941 and 1943, averaging over 17 per game.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Awards|url=https://www.knbsb.nl/over-ons/onderscheidingen/awards/|access-date=2025-08-15|website=KNBSB|language=nl}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Hiemstra |first=Herman |date=5 June 2019 |title=Goed zoeken dan vind je ze: onbreekbare Nederlandse honkbalrecords |trans-title=Look carefully and you will find them: unbreakable Dutch baseball records |url=https://honkbalsoftbal.nl/2019/06/05/goed-zoeken-dan-vind-je-ze-onbreekbare-honkbalrecords/ |website=HonkbalSoftbal.nl |language=nl}}</ref>
de Mon's hard throwing and frequent pitching, including starting both weekend Hoofdklasse games, caused a serious injury to his throwing arm, which shortened his baseball career.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news |date=1960-07-20 |title=Snelste pitcher, die wij ooit hadden, kijkt nooit naar honkbal Men vraagt zich af of De Mon soms demon heette |url=https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=ddd:110587827:mpeg21:a0229 |access-date=2026-03-05 |work=De Telegraaf |language=nl}}</ref>
de Mon was inducted into the Netherlands Baseball Hall of Fame in 1984.<ref name=":3">{{cite web |title=Roel de Mon - Eregalerij |url=https://www.honkbalensoftbalmuseum.nl/eregalerij-namen/roel-de-mon/ |access-date=21 January 2025 |publisher=Nederlands Honkbal en Softbal Museon |language=nl}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Stoovelaar |first1=Marco |title=Fred van Groningen Schinkel and Robert Eenhoorn inducted into Dutch Hall of Fame |url=https://catcher.home.xs4all.nl/bb18-0812-fred-van-groningen-schinkel-and-robert-eenhoorn-inducted-into-dutch-hall-of-fame.htm |website=Grand Slam Stats & News |access-date=21 January 2025 |date=8 December 2018}}</ref>
Since 1969, the Roel de Mon Award has been awarded to the best pitcher in the Dutch youth league, which was called the Roel de Mon League till the late 1980s.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Stoovelaar |first1=Marco |title=Dashenko Ricardo MVP; Rob Cordemans Best Pitcher; More Awards |url=https://catcher.home.xs4all.nl/bb15-1212awards.htm |access-date=21 January 2025 |website=Grand Slam Stats & News}}</ref> Winners have included {{Interlanguage link|Harry Koster|nl|Harry_Koster_(honkballer)}}, Alexander Smit, David Bergman, and Tom de Blok.<ref name=":0" />
== Personal life == de Mon was married in 1946.<ref>{{Cite news |date=1946-11-22 |title=Stad en omgeving |url=https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=MMNHA03:179230018:mpeg21:a00039 |access-date=2026-03-05 |work=Nieuwe Haarlemsche courant |page=2 |language=nl}}</ref><ref name=":1" /> They had a son.<ref name=":2" /> de Mon died in 1973 after serious heart failure, at age 53.<ref name=":3" />
==References== {{reflist}}
{{Baseball in the Netherlands}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mon, Roel de}} Category:1919 births Category:1973 deaths Category:Baseball players from Haarlem Category:Dutch baseball players