  Dutch beat San Diego Padres in exhibition game
Nederlands
 PEORIA, Arizona (USA) -
The Dutch Baseball Team on Thursday played its first of two exhibition games against Major League-teams to prepare for the final round of the World Baseball Classic.
The team arrived in Arizona on Tuesday from Japan, where it had played the Second Round of the event and qualified for the final round in San Francisco.
Today, the Orange played against the San Diego Padres and added another fine game to its current list.
The Dutch convincingly won 9-3 and outhit San Diego, 14-10.
Seven of the nine starting Dutch players collected at least one basehit.
In total, eleven Dutch players hit a basehit.
Ten of the 14 Dutch basehits were extra-basehits, including eight doubles, one triple and one homerun.
...Jurickson Profar...
...Dutch debut...
(© Photo: Henk Seppen) |
Jurickson Profar, who was added to the Dutch roster on Wednesday, joined the squad today and made his debut in the National Team.
On Friday, the squad of Manager Hensley Meulens plays against the Seattle Mariners.
After completion of that game, the team flies to San Francisco.
There, it will play the semi-final on Monday against the winner of Pool 2 of the Second Round, which is underway in Miami, Florida.
On Thursday, the Dominican Republic win 3-1 vs. the USA.
In today's game, several changes were made by both Managers.
20 players played for the Dutch Team, while 25 played for the Padres.
Eight of these San Diego-players are currently on the 40-man Major League-roster of the Padres, including pitchers Eric Stults, Mike Mikolas and Brad Boxberger.
Six players were non-roster players, who were invited to be with the Major League-team for Spring Training.
The remaining eleven players came from Minor League-teams.
Today, three familiar faces were on the side of the San Diego Padres.
One of them being Dutch catcher Rodney Daal, who plays professionally for the Padres since 2011.
In that year, he played in the Rookie League-team of the Padres, but also was recalled to play one game in the Triple-A team.
Last year, Daal played in the Rookie League and Single-A Short Season-teams of the Padres.
The other familiar face was that of American Pat Murphy, who this year will be the Manager of the Tucson Padres, the Triple-A team of the organisation.
In 2011 and 2012, Murphy was the Manager of the Eugene Emeralds, the Single-A Short Season-team, where he was very successful.
While being with Eugene, Rodney Daal was one of his players.
As Manager of the AAA-team, Murphy is one of the coaches in the Spring Training Camp of the San Diego Padres.
Before being hired by the Padres, Murphy had an impressive and very successful career in coaching two big university teams.
From 1988-1994, he led the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish and in 1995-2009, Murphy was the Head Coach of the Arizona State University Sun Devils.
He won the Pac-10 title with Arizona State four times, led the team to four College World Series and was named Coach of the Year several times.
As Head Coach of Notre Dame and Arizona combined, he won 947 games and lost only 400.
For Dutch baseball, Murphy remains familiar as being the Manager of the Dutch National Teams in two years and also was successful in that position.
In 1987, he led the team to the European title in Spain, which meant qualification for the Olympic Games of 1988 in Seoul (South Korea).
Murphy was offered to led the team during the Olympics, but he had just become the Head Coach of Notre Dame.
In 2000, Murphy returned as Manager of the Orange squad and then got the opportunity to lead the during an Olympic Games.
He first led the team that year during the Haarlem Baseball Week, later followed by the Olympics in Sydney (Australia).
Before the Olympic baseball tournament, the Dutch Team played some exhibition games, one of them against Team USA, won by the Dutch 4-3, which then was only the second win against the Americans in history.
In the Olympics, the Dutch Team registered a historic victory against Cuba, winning 4-2.
It marked the first Olympic loss for Cuba after 21 consecutive victories.
In this game, current Dutch Manager Hensley Meulens was the leftfielder for the Dutch Team and decided the game with a double.
Playing at short stop then was Robert Eenhoorn, the current Bench Coach and Technical Director, but also the successor of Murphy as Manager in 2001.
Eenhoorn also played for Murphy in the 1987 European Championships.
Pitcher Rob Cordemans also was a member of the 2000 Olympic Team.
For the Olympic tournament, Murphy added several active professional players to the team.
The first time active professionals played in the Dutch National Team was in 1999, when it was first allowed to have active professionals on National Team-rosters.
...Robert Eenhoorn, Rob Cordemans and Hensley Meulens...
...with their former Manager Pat Murphy...
(© Photo: Henk Seppen) |
The third familiar face was that of catcher John Baker.
In 2010, he was one of the participating Major League-players in the first European Big League Tour, organized by Dutch pitcher Rick van den Hurk.
In 2008-2010, Van den Hurk and Baker played together for the Florida Marlins.
In today's game, the Padres opened the score in the first inning off of starter Diegomar Markwell.
He gave up a lead-off single to Everth Cabrera, who then was safe on an error following a pick-off and went to score on a 2-out single by Jesus Guzman.
After being retired in order in the first at bat, the Dutch Team came alongside immediately in the second inning when Andruw Jones hit a lead-off homerun.
Jones homered off of starting pitcher Eric Stults, who is the predicted number 4 starter this season in the rotation of the Padres.
After the Padres left the bases loaded in the third inning off of Rob Cordemans, the Dutch Team took the lead in the fourth inning.
Andruw Jones led off with a walk, then scored on a 2-out double by Kalian Sams.
The Orange increased the lead to 4-1 in the sixth inning.
Roger Bernadina (recovering from his wrist-injury) led off with a triple and scored on a following single by Andruw Jones.
Xander Bogaerts replaced Jones as pinch-runner and scored the next run on an one-out single by Jonathan Schoop.
San Diego narrowed the deficit to 4-3 in the bottom of the sixth off of Orlando Yntema.
Corey Spangenberg led off with a single, then Jeff Decker followed with a homerun.
The Padres got the bases loaded hereafter with two outs on two singles and a walk, but Yntema then closed the at bat with a strikeout.
The Dutch then took more distance with a 3-run rally in the seventh inning, hitting four doubles!
Randolph Oduber led off with a double, then stole third base and was awarded home plate on a balk.
Next, Hainley Statia doubled and scored on a 2-out double by Xander Bogaerts.
Moments later, Bogaerts scored the third run on the fourth double in this at bat, off the bat of Curt Smith to make it 7-3.
The Orange squad added two more runs in the top of the ninth inning to increase the lead to 9-3.
With two outs, Roger Bernadina doubled, moved on a wild pitch and scored on a single by Xander Bogaerts.
Next, Curt Smith walked and Jonathan Schoop added an RBI-single.
Loek van Mil pitched the final inning for the Dutch and faced another Dutch professional player, when, with one out, Rodney Daal entered the game as pinch-hitter.
Daal popped out in foul territory for the second out.
Van Mil then walked the next two batters, but a line drive to centerfielder Roger Bernadina then ended the game.
| Pitching Stats |
| pitcher | INN | SO | BB | H | R | ER |
| Diegomar Markwell | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Rob Cordemans, W | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Orlando Yntema, H | 2 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 2 |
| Mark Pawelek | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Leon Boyd | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Loek van Mil | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Playing in today's game were:
Andrelton Simmons (SS, 1-for-3), Hainley Statia (SS, 1-for-2), Jurickson Profar (2B, 0-for-4), Michael Duursma (2B, 0-for-1), Roger Bernadina (CF, 2-for-5), Andruw Jones (DH, 2-for-2, walk), Xander Bogaerts (PR-DH, 2-for-2), Curt Smith (1B, 1-for-4, walk), Jonathan Schoop (3B, 2-for-5), Kalian Sams (LF, 1-for-3), Quintin de Cuba (RF, 0-for-2), Dashenko Ricardo (C, 0-for-3), Bas Nooij (C, 0-for-1), Randolph Oduber (RF-LF, 2-for-4).
...Jonathan Schoop hands out signatures to spectators... | | 
...Andruw Jones rounds 3rd base after his 2nd inning homerun... |
...Michael Duursma looks on from the dug-out...
| | 
...John Baker is forced out in the 4th inning...
...2B Jurickson Profar completes a double play... |
...Catcher John Baker hitting for San Diego...
...In 2010, he participated in the European Big League Tour... | | 
...Rico Noel dives back to first base in the 5th inning...
...1B Curt Smith receives the pick-off from Orlando Yntema... |
...Jurickson Profar turns for a bunt... | | 
...Loek van Mil pitched the final inning for the Orange squad... |
| (© All Photos: Henk Seppen) |
(March 14)
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