It appears that Rick van den Hurk is to stay in Japan for the 2021 season. According to a Japanese news website, the Dutch hurler is about to be signed by the Yakult Swallows. After forty-three victories for the SoftBank Hawks, Rick appears not to be re-signed by the team from Fukuoka. But luckily the…
With the rapid spreading of the corona virus, the 2020 baseball season in Japan may be at stake. Two upcoming practice games between the Yomiuri Giants and the Yakult Swallows will be played without fans in an attempt to prevent a further spreading of the virus. The two games are scheduled for the upcoming weekend….
According to yahoo.co.jp, Curaçao born Wladimir Balentien has reached a basic agreement with the Softbank Hawks. The Japanese news website states that the news will be announced officially by the Hawks later this year. That Balentien has decided to join the Hawks, doesn’t come as a surprise. In the past months, he could not hammer…
According to several Japanese news outlets, the Softbank Hawks from Fukuoka will make Curaçaoan slugger Wladimir Balentien an offer for a two-year deal worth about $9 million. One of the demands/wishes Balentien has is to play with number four, the number he has worn during his NPB career with the Yakult Swallows. The Softbank Hawks…
Even though he has the right to do so, Wladimir Balentien didn’t use his free-agent rights yet. Apparently, he wants to talk with the club he has spent his entire NPB career with first. Due to this move, the Yakult Swallows will have exclusive negotiation rights until the end of November. If both parties will…
Wladimir Balentien comes off his ninth season in the NPB. The Curaçao-born slugger joined the Yakult Swallows in 2011 and has not left the club ever since. Since his first season in the NPB, Balentien has hit at least 30 home runs per season. He only fell short on that mark in 2015 as his…
Hensley Meulens, the Curaçao-born bench coach of the San Francisco Giants made his first step in Major League Baseball, today 30 years ago. With the New York Yankees, Meulens became the first player from Curaçao to make it to the bigs. Meulens was signed by the Yankees as an undrafted free agent in 1985. After…
According to a tweet by American baseball journalist in Japan, Jim Allen, the Yakult Swallows have placed Curaçaoan outfielder Wladimir Balentien on the inactive list as they worry about the condition of his upper body. Balentien is hitting considerably better than the past four years, when he never topped. 270. So far this season, he…
On the first day of Spring Training in Japan, several Japanese relief pitchers defied the laws of nature as they threw ridiculously long bullpen sessions. Relief pitcher Yuma Ohshita of the Yakult Swallows threw a bullpen session of 106 pitches. He almost repeated that feat on the second day as he threw a hundred pitches….
In this episode of Dutchies around the world we pay attention to Andrelton Simmons, Ademar Rifaela, Ray-Patrick Didder, Kirvin Moesquit, Wladimir Balentien and Kevin Kelly. MLB Andrelton Simmons is still one of the best shortstops in the game. He is capable of the most amazing plays. In the past few years, his fielding percentage was in…
