The German Baseball and Softball community mourns the death of one of the country’s most important figures in the sport, as Claus T. Helmig died at the age of 80 on Wednesday. The Mannheim native was one of the pioneers for baseball in Germany. In 1956 he became the first player from Germany to play for a minor league team in the United States, when he suited up for the Baltimore Orioles. He participated in two Baseball World Cups and five European Championships. In 2006 he was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the German Baseball and Softball Federation.