Today the World Basecall Qualifier 1 in Sydney took off. In the first game New Zealand hosted South Africa. The final score was rather lopsided as the winner only walked away in the final inning. The game was rather close until the ninth and the runs did not come cheap until then. South Africa started…
It is always good to see that there are people who intent to help other countries to develop the game of baseball. In the eighties there was a Dutch group, called the Trailblazers, that helped to develop the game in Eastern Europe, back then still under communist rule. After a career that brought him to…
Andruw Jones attended the Atlanta Braves FanFest this weekend. To reporters he unveiled that he will likely announce his retirement soon. In October 2015, Jones participated with team Kingdom of the Netherlands in the WBSC’s Premier 12 tournament in an attempt to showcase himself for a roster spot with any MLB club. The 38-year old…
The Dodgers have avoided salary arbitration with their star closer Kenley Jansen. They signed the 28-year old closer from Curacao, who filed for salary arbitration on Tuesday and who was the last of those Dodgers players that remained unsigned. This was the third time in a row that Kenley avoided salary arbitration by signing a…
Now the Premier 12 tournament is over, it is time for a review. What was a success and what went wrong? In sporting terms, the tournament was a success, despite the lack of (current) MLB players. Especially the fact that Korea blocked the way to the final for Japan was a major surprise. And the…
Sadaharu Oh and his typical stance Despite being born in Tokyo in 1940, Sadaharu Oh has been inducted to the Taiwanese Baseball Hall of Fame. I hear you wonder: “why?” Well, he was the son of a Chinese (Taiwanese) father and a Japanese mother. Despite the fact that he never played in Taiwan, Oh…
The new millennium started with a blast for the Dutch baseball world. With the Olympic baseball tournament in Sydney, the Dutch upset the Cubans by beating them 4-2. For the first time, the best possible team with (former) pro players that played in the US was put together. Players like Hensley Meulens, Rikkert Faneyte, Ralph…
The current Japanese champion, the Softbank Hawks, are still interested in Dutch pitcher Rick van den Hurk. After the winner of the Nippon Series signed Daisuke Matsuzaka they are still looking to improve their rotation. But the team from Fukuoka aren’t the only team in Japan that want him. The Yomiuri Giants from Tokyo…
