(Story by Marco Stoovelaar; Photos: Billings Mustangs, Idaho Falls Chukars & Fred Versluis)
  Dutch pitcher Harcksen misses Play-Offs; Curaçao outfielder Martijn in Play-Offs
Nederlands
  BILLINGS, Montana / GRAND JUNCTION, Colorado (USA) -
On Tuesday (September 8), the final day of the regular season in the Pioneer League (Rookie League), Curaçao-born Outfielder Jonathan Martijn captured the second half championship-title in the North Division with his team, Billings Mustangs (Cincinnati Reds).
On the same day, Dutch pitcher Misja Harcksen ended his season with his team, Ogden Raptors (Los Angeles Dodgers) losing and missing the Play-Offs.
In the first half of the season in the Pioneer League, Missoula Osprey (Arizona Diamondbacks) won the title in the North Division, while Orem Owlz (Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim) were the winners in the South Division.
With that, both teams qualified for the Play-Offs.
In the second half, which ended on Tuesday, Billings Mustangs became the champion in North, while Idaho Falls Chukars (Kansas City Royals) captured the South-title.
That left Ogden Raptors empty-handed.
Despite losing on Tuesday, Ogden finished the season with an overall 43-33 record, which is the best in the entire Pioneer League.
But the team misses the Play-Offs.
In the first half, Ogden finished in third place.
The team had a much better second half, but ended up in second place, only game behind winner Idaho Falls.
On Tuesday, Ogden closed with a 5-4 loss at last placed Grand Junction Rockies (Colorado Rockies).
Idaho Falls ended with a 4-3 loss at Orem Owzl, but had an advantage over Ogden.
In case Ogden had won, it had ended in a tie for first place with Idaho Falls, but the latter had the tiebreaker in its favor, as it had won the head-to-head series against Ogden during the entire season.
And with that, Ogden had the best overall record, but didn't qualify for the Play-Offs.
...Jonathan Martijn...
(© Billings Mustangs) |
At their home stadium Dehler Park, the Billings Mustangs won 6-1 vs. Great Falls Voyagers (Chicago White Sox) to win the second half championship in the North Division.
Billings broke an 1-1 tie in the seventh inning by scoring three runs, then added two more in the eighth when Cuban Reydel Medina hit a 2-run homerun.
Curaçao outfielder Jonathan Martijn only played defensively in rightfield in the top of the ninth inning.
Martijn was a starter in before, but he batted 0-for-10 in his previous three games after having hit 4-for-9 in the two games before that.
The 21-year old Martijn is playing professionally since 2013, all in the Rookie League.
In that year, he played in seven games for the AZL Reds, where he also played last season.
This year, Martijn played in 45 games for Billings and batted .268 (42-for-157) with seven doubles, three triples and two homeruns.
He scored 19 runs and batted in 22.
...Marten Gasparini...
(© Idaho Falls) |
Martijn opens the best-of-three Pioneer League North Division Play-Off with Billings Mustangs on Thursday at home against Missoula Osprey.
In the South Division Play-Off, Idaho Falls Chukars meets Orem Owlz.
And that will have an European flavour, as Italian Marten Gasparini is the short stop for the Chukars.
In the 4-3 loss on Tuesday vs. Orem, Gasparini was 1-for-3.
The 18-year old Gasparini was born in Ruda (Italy) and made his professional debut a year ago.
This season, he played in 54 games for the Chukars, hitting .259 with two homeruns and 25 runs batted in.
The season of Misja Harcksen ended with a 5-4 loss.
Playing at Grand Junction Rockies, the Ogden Raptors failed to hold the lead twice.
The team took an 1-0 lead in the second, then trailed 2-1 moment later, but came alonsgide in the third.
The home team also scored a run in its third to re-take the lead (3-2).
In the top of the seventh, Ogden scored twice to make it 4-3 in their favor.
Again, the lead was shortlived, as Grand Junction tied the score in the bottom of the seventh.
The Rockies then won 5-4, thanks to a 2-out, walk-off homerun by Collin Ferguson in the tenth inning.
...Misja Harcksen wins...
...the Roel de Mon...
...Award in 2013...
(© Ph: Fred Versluis) |
In this game, with the score tied at 2-2, Harcksen relieved starter Kevin Brown in the third inning.
But the righthander was greeted with a lead-off single by Anthony Brito, followed by a triple by Collin Ferguson that gave the Rockies a 3-2 lead.
Harcksen then struckout the next two batters and a flyout ended the inning.
He was relieved an inning later.
The 20-year old Harcksen, who pitched in the Dutch big league for Neptunus, is in his second professional year.
He made his debut last season, pitching in seven games (0-0, 4.91 ERA) for the AZL Dodgers.
This season, he also started with this team, throwing in ten games in relief.
He was 1-0 with two saves and an 1.46 ERA, while striking out 18 batters in 12 1/3 inning.
Harcksen was then added to the squad of Ogden, where he appeared in eight games, also in relief.
There, he finished with an 0-0 record, no saves and nine strikeouts in 11 2/3 inning in which he gave up 20 hits and 12 runs.
In 2013, Harcksen pitched in two regular season-games in the Dutch big league for Neptunus, then appeared in two Play-Off games for the Rotterdam-squad.
Hereafter, Neptunus captured the championship-title by winning the Holland Series, but he didn't pitch in the final.
Last year, Harcksen pitched in eight games for Neptunus and was 5-0, before leaving for the States to make his professional debut.
In 2013, he won the Roel de Mon Award for best Dutch junior-pitcher.
(September 9)
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