Great news for Czech baseball fans as Marek Chlup has been added to the NPB roster of the Yomiuri Giants. A first in Japanese baseball. In September, 2024, Marek Chlup signed a so-called developmental contract with Nippon Professional Baseball’s Yomiuri Giants. It was the first for Japanese baseball that a player from the Czech Republic…
Since last Thursday, the 2023 MLB season is on its way. With a lot of fanfare, MLB and the American media shouted that baseball was back. But is that really the case? Not if you’d ask me. After the final out of the World Series, many fans go into hibernation because baseball is over. But…
Dutch right-handed pitcher Rick van den Hurk officially announced his professional retirement today. Through his Instagram account he announced to end his professional career after twenty years. The thirty-six year old righty, was born in Eindhoven and debuted in professional baseball in 2003 with the Rookie farm team of the Florida Marlins. After spending five…
Like previous years, Dutch hoofdklasse club Oosterhout Twins has added a pitcher from Japan. Just like last year, the hurler is coming from partner club Ibaraki Astro Planets. Almost a year ago, Oosterhout Twins and the Ibaraki Astro Planets signed an agreement on exchanging players. Last year, two pitchers of the club from the Baseball…
Turn back the clock jerseys… Something that happens quite a lot in MLB. In Japan, it is not that common. But during the coming season, the Hanshin Tigers and the Yomiuri Giants will wear jerseys based on those from 1936 in six games. Three of those games will be played at the famed Koshien Stadium…
Curaçao-born baseball player Wladimir Balentien has announced his retirement. Last year, you could read here that Balentien already hinted at his retirement. Now the word is out. Always known as a hitter with a powerful bat, Balentien broke into the Majors in 2007 with the Seattle Mariners. In that season, he played only three games…
Another championship for Tokyo. But not the Giants. No, this time the other team from the Japanese capital is the best of Japan. At a cold Hotto Motto Field in Kobe, the Yakult Swallows on game six of the Nippon Series, clinching their first championship since 2001. In another close game, both teams were kept…
In a surprising Nippon Series, in which the two ugly ducklings of Japanese baseball are facing each other, the Yakult Swallows are one win away from clinching their first title since 2001. The Yakult Swallows reached the finals by sweeping the Yomiuri Giants 3-0 in the Climax Series, the semi-finals of the NPB. The opponent…
Today the Nippon Series takes off. The contestants are rather unexpected: The Yakult Swallows and the Orix Buffaloes. Both teams resided near the bottom of the standings at the half of the season. The Series will be played in a best-of-seven format in which the Buffaloes will play four home games (1, 2, 6, and…
A few weeks ago, Curaçao native Wladimir Balentien posted a somewhat mysterious Tweet about things having an end. Yours truly’s first thought was “He is retiring.” But from there no new Tweet or answer to the questions that came after that specific Tweet. The specific Tweet, Wladimir Balentien started all confusion with, is shown below….
