(Story by Marco Stoovelaar; Photos by Henk Seppen)
 Japan replaces USA on World Port Tournament
Nederlands
 ROTTERDAM (Neth.) -
Japan will be taking the place of Team USA during this years World Port Tournament in Rotterdam (Netherlands).
The news of the change was announced in a press release by the Organizing Committee of the event.
The USA initially was to participate in the bi-annual international tournament, which also includes the baseball-teams of Taiwan, Cuba, Curaçao and the Netherlands.
These teams will now be joined by Japan during the 15th edition of the event, which is being held July 18 through 26 in the Neptunus Family Stadium in Rotterdam.
Japan last participated in the World Port Tournament in 2009 and then finished in fourth and last place.
Japan also was in Rotterdam in 2007 and then ended in fifth and last place.
In 1985, during the first edition of the event, a club-team from Kobe participated and ended up in second place.
Two years later, a team from Osaka finished in fourth place.
It then took 20 years before another team from Japan came to the Rotterdam-event.
,,When you can add a top-3 baseball-country to your tournament to join the Netherlands, Taiwan and Cuba, which all are in the top-5, you can state that you have a very strong field of participants'', said Bart Volkerijk, President of the Organizing Committee of the World Port Tournament.
,,When you also have Curaçao, maybe the biggest pool of talents for the Major League, in your line-up, you can expect a truly fantastic tournament.''
Team USA had to withdraw from the event due to a changing in its scheduling this summer.
The USA would return to Rotterdam for the first time since 2007.
Back then, the national American team first participated and finished in third place.
In the earlier events since 1985, American club-teams or university teams participated in Rotterdam.
This year, the event is back to the 5-team format.
Two years ago, only four teams participated and the event lasted shorter due to financial reasons.
In 2013, Cuba won the tournament, followed by the Netherlands, Taiwan and Curaçao.
| Game Schedule |
| Date | Time | Game | . | Date | Time | Game |
| Sat. July 18 | 1:30 PM | Japan vs. Curaçao | . | Thu. July 23 | 1:30 PM | Nr. 1 vs. Nr. 2 (Game A) |
| | 7:00 PM | Netherlands vs. Taiwan | . | | 7:00 PM | Nr. 3 vs. Nr. 4 (Game B) |
| Sun. July 19 | 1:30 PM | Curaçao vs. Netherlands | . | Fri. July 24 | 1:30 PM | Loser Game A vs. Nr. 5 (Game C) |
| | 7:00 PM | Cuba vs. Taiwan | . | | 7:00 PM | Winner Game A vs. Winner Game B (Game D) |
| Mon. July 20 | 1:30 PM | Taiwan vs. Curaçao | . | Sat. July 25 | 1:30 PM | Loser Game B vs. Loser Game C (Game E, 4th/5th place) |
| | 7:00 PM | Japan vs. Cuba | . | | 7:00 PM | Winner Game C vs. Loser Game D (Game F, loser=3rd) |
| Tue. July 21 | 1:30 PM | Taiwan vs. Japan | . | Sun. July 26 | 1:30 PM | Winner Game D vs. Winner Game F (Final) |
| | 7:00 PM | Cuba vs. Netherlands | . |
| Wed. July 22 | 1:30 PM | Curaçao vs. Cuba | . | (first mentioned team is 'home team') |
| | 7:00 PM | Netherlands vs. Japan | . |
...The Neptunus Familie Stadium during the event in 2013... | 
...Cuba celebrates the tournament's win in 2013... |
| (© Photos: Henk Seppen) |
(January 26)
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