(Story by Marco Stoovelaar; Photos by Freek Bouw & CPBL)
    First win Team WBSC in Taiwan
Nederlands
 TAICHUNG (Taiwan) -
Team WBSC has recorded its first victory in this years Asia Winter Baseball League after having lost the first two games.
On Monday (November 27), the squad won 12-4 against NPB West, one of the three teams from Japan in this league.
There are six teams in the league, the other representing the Korean Baseball Organization (South Korea) and the Chinese Professional Baseball League (Taiwan).
...Phildrick Llewellyn hitting for the Netherlands during...
...preparations for the WBC in February in Arizona (USA)...
(© Photo: Freek Bouw/Phrake Photography) |
Representing the Netherlands Kingdom in Team WBSC is Phildrick Llewellyn.
The 24-year old Curaçao-born catcher and utility player plays professionally since 2012.
He first played in the organization of the Arizona Diamondbacks (2012-2013), then for Baltimore Orioles (2014-2015).
Since 2016, Llewellyn plays in Independent Leagues.
In 2013 and in February of this year, Llewellyn was on the preliminary roster of the Netherlands Kingdom Baseball Team for the World Baseball Classic, but he didn't made the final roster for the event.
The WBSC-squad scored three runs in the second inning.
Gabe Perez (Dominican Republic) started for Team WBSC and threw five innings.
He was then relieved by Brett Lee (USA), who pitched the next two innings.
Clayton Mortensen (USA) and Ryan Kussmaul (USA) then respectively threw the eighth and ninth inning for Team WBSC.
The 32-year old Mortensen is the only player on the WBSC-roster who has Major League-experience.
In 2009-2013, he pitched in 74 games for St. Louis Cardinals (2009), Oakland A's (2009-2010), Colorado Rockies (2011) and Boston Red Sox (2012-2013).
After the 2013 season, he became a Free Agent and signed with Kansas City Royals, for whom he played in the Minors.
In March of this year, he was purchased by Miami Marlins.
On November 6, he became a Free Agent for the fourth time.
Leading 3-0, Team WBSC rallied for seven runs in the top of the seventh inning and added two more runs in the eighth.
The Japanese opponent scored its first runs in the bottom of the seventh.
Trailing 10-0, the team then scored three runs.
The NPB-squad scored its last run in the ninth.
Team WBSC collected 14 basehits, including three by Matt Dean, who hit two doubles and a homerun.
Phildrick Llewellyn also hit two doubles, scored once and batted in a run.
The NPB-team recorded 12 basehits, but also made six defensive errors.
...Steve Janssen (left) is the Manager of Team WBSC in this...
...years Asia Winter Baseball League...
(© Photo: CPBL) |
Team WBSC opened this year AWBL last Saturday with a 6-2 loss against Team KBO (South Korea).
On Sunday, a 6-6 tie followed against Team JABA from Japan.
It marks the first time that Team WBSC participates in the Asia Baseball Winter League, which is in its fifth season.
The past two years, Team Europe participated, a team compiled of players coming from European countries.
Team WBSC plays under the auspices of the World Baseball Softball Confederation.
The 28-man roster is compiled of players coming from six countries, who all have a professional background, 17 of them coming from the USA.
Eleven of the 14 pitchers are coming from the USA.
The other players come from the Dominican Republic (4), Venezuela (4), Brazil (1), Curaçao (1) and Puerto Rico (1).
The American players all play professionally in either the Minor Leagues or Independent Leagues.
Six players are playing in Italy.
Catcher Rudy Van Heydoorn, who played for the Netherlands National Team some years ago, is listed as Dominican and he plays for Verona.
Dominican-born Van Heydoorn played in the Dutch big league for ADO Lakers (2012) and Neptunus (2013).
He then transfered to UVV for the 2014 season, but instead, Van Heydoorn went on playing in Italy.
Van Heydoorn played for the Netherlands Team in both 2012 and 2013.
The other players who are active in Italy are American pitcher Josh Kimborowicz and Venezuelan infielders Erick Epifano and Leonardo Ferrini play for San Marino.
Outfielder Vicente Lupo, also from Venezuela, plays for Redipuglia and Dominican infielder Leo Rodriguez plays for Nettuno.
The team is led by Manager Steve Janssen, who also is the Manager of the Netherlands Baseball Team.
Assisting the Belgian in the coaching-staff are Andrea D'Auria (Bench Coach), Renny Duarte (1B Coach), Kevin Randel (3B Coach) and Manny Olivera (Pitching Coach).
In 2015, Team Europe was led by Italian Gilberto Gerali, the current Manager of the Italian National Team.
Last year, American Desi Relaford managed the squad.
The season of the AWBL ends on December 17.
(November 27)
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