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(Story by Marco Stoovelaar; Photos by Freek Bouw/Phrake Photography & Reading Fightin Phils) Didi Gregorius homers; Sicnarf Loopstok and Jiandido Tromp in Spring Training Nederlands FORT MYERS / SARASOTA / LAKELAND / JUPITER / WEST PALM BEACH, Florida / SURPRISE / TEMPE / PEORIA, Arizona (USA) - On Sunday (March 11), nine Dutch players got into action in the Major League Spring Training-games in Florida and Arizona. Amongst them, two players who played in their first Spring Trainining-game of this year. Sicnarf Loopstok and Jiandido Tromp, both 24 and both from Aruba, were added to their respective teams earlier in the day. In the afternoon, Loopstok played for Cleveland Indians and in the evening, Tromp made his debut with the Philadelphia Phillies. This brings the total of Dutch players in Spring Trainig this year to 18. The other Dutch players wwo played on Sunday were Ozzie Albies, Xander Bogaerts, Didi Gregorius, Carter Kieboom, Spencer Kieboom, Jurickson Profar and Jonathan Schoop. Gregorius hit his second Spring Training-homerun for New York Yankees. At Peoria (Arizona), veteran outfielder Ichiro Suzuki played in his first game for Seattle Mariners. In the home game against Cincinnati Reds, he was the lead-off hitter and was 0-for-3 for the Mariners, who lost 6-5. The 44-year old Suzuki signed a contract with Seattle last Wednesday (March 7). The past three seasons, the Japanese outfielder played for Miami Marlins, but he became a Free Agent in November. The popular player made his debut in the Major League in 2001 with Seattle, for whom he played through 2012. In July of that year, he was traded to New York Yankees. He became a Free Agent in October 2014 and was then signed by Miami. Suzuki has always stated that he wants to continue playing until he is at least 50 years old. In his impressive Major League-career, Suzuki has recorded 3,080 basehits. (March 11) Related Articles: Schoop hits 2nd Spring Training-HR; Pieters doubles. (March 10) Spring Training-debut Kenley Jansen postponed. (March 9) Gregorius homers, Simmons injured in Spring Training. (March 8) 3 Hits & 2 Runs by Dutch players in Spring Training. (March 7) Xander Bogaerts homers for Boston. (March 6) Only two Dutch players in Spring Training-action on Monday. (March 5) Productive day Dutch players in League Spring Training. (March 4) Another Kieboom in Major League Spring Training. (March 3) Didi Gregorius collects three hits in Spring Training-game. (March 2) Spencer Kieboom, Chadwick Tromp deliver game-winning hits. (March 1) Andrelton Simmons plays in first Spring Training-game. (February 28) Seattle adds Aruban Eugene Helder for Spring Training-game. (February 27) Jonathan Schoop homers for Baltimore. (February 26) Spencer Kieboom collects 2 basehits for Washington. (February 25) Baltimore adds 2 Curaçao-players for Spring Training-game. (February 24) First Dutch players in action in Major League Spring Training. (February 23) Major League Spring Training-season opens. (February 21)

At Fort Myers, Boston Red Sox played at home against a split-squad of Baltimore Orioles and lost 7-3. Baltimore led 4-3 after four innings and decided the game by adding three more runs in the top of the ninth. Xander Bogaerts started as short stop for Boston and was 0-for-3. It wasn't his best outing offensively, as he struckout in the first, third and fifth inning. Baltimore-starter Hunter Harvey struck him out twice. In the fifth, Bogaerts struckout facing reliever Keegan Akin. In the top of the sixth, Bogaerts was replaced by Aneury Tavarez, who went on to play in centerfield. Tzu-Wei Lin entered the game as new short stop. Making his Spring Training-debut for the Orioles was outfielder Mike Yastrzemski, Jr., who was 1-for-2 after being added to the team earlier in the day. He is the grandson of legendary outfielder Carl Yastrzemski, who played 23 seasons in the Major League for Boston and was elected into the Hall of Fame in 1989. The son of 'Yaz', Mike Yastrzemski (the father of Mike Jr.) played five seasons in the Minor League for Atlanta Braves and Chicago White Sox. As a guest-player, Mike Sr. participated with the baseball-team of Mississippi State University in the 1982 Haarlem Baseball Week in Haarlem (Netherlands). Unfortunately, he passed away in 2004 at age 44 of a heart attack following hip surgery. 27-year old Mike Jr. plays professionally since 2013, but has not yet played in the Major League.

...Jiandido Tromp... (© Ph: Reading Fightin Phils) In the evening, at Sarasota, another split-squad of Baltimore Orioles played at home against Philaldephia Phillies and won 4-0. Mike Yastrzemski also played for Baltimore in this game. Jonathan Schoop started at second base for Baltimore, while Jiandido Tromp made his Spring Training-debut with Philadelphia. Schoop was 1-for-2 and scored a run. In the bottom of the second inning, Schoop popped out. He then led off the fifth inning with a double Schoop advanced to third on a bunt, then scored on a 2-out single by Austin Hays. Hereafter, Caleb Joseph homered to make it a 3-0 score. In the seventh inning, Schoop led off with a walk and then Yastrzemski entered the game as his pinch-runner. He became the new leftfielder in the eighth, while Erick Salcedo took over at second base. In the top of the eighth, catcher Cameron Rupp led off for Philadelphia with a single. After reaching first base, he was replaced by Jiandido Tromp as pinch-runner. He moved to second base on a single, but later stranded at third base. In the bottom of the eighth, Tromp was replaced by Logan Moore, who became the new catcher. Tromp, who was added to the team earlier in the day, plays professonally since 2012. Last year, he played at Double-A and Triple-A, hitting .284 (130-for-456) with 31 doubles, three triples and 18 homeruns. He scored 64 runs and batted in 62.

At Lakeland, Atlanta Braves lost 6-3 at Detroit Tigers. Trailing 5-0, Atlanta scored twice in the top of the sixth inning, but Detroit added another run in its sixth at bat. Ozzie Albies started as second baseman for Atlanta and was 1-for-3. Albies flied out in the first inning. With two outs in the third inning, Ender Inciarte doubled and Albies followed with a single, but the two runners stranded. Albies struckout in the fifth inning and was replaced in the sixth by Charlie Culberson, who also took over as second baseman.

At Jupiter, New York Yankees played at Miami Marlins and lost 7-5. Miami held an early 5-0 lead after three innings and led 7-2 after five. From the sixth inning on, New York was able to narrow the deficit to 7-5. Didi Gregorius started as short stop for New York and was 1-for-3. His basehit was a 2-run homerun, his second homer this Spring Training. In total, Gregorius batted in three of the five Yankee-runs. Gregorius led off the second inning and then grounded out. Trailing 5-0, the Yankees scored twice in the top of the fourth inning. Greg Bird and Gary Sanchez led off with singles and moved on a passed ball. Hereafter, the two runners scored on a grounder by Gregorius and a sacrifice fly by Miguel Andújar. With Miami leading 7-2, New York added two runs in the sixth. With one out, Sanchez reached on an error and was replaced by pinch-runner Kyle Higashioka, who then scored when Gregorius followed with a homerun. In the seventh, Aaron Judge (who struckout twice) hit his first Spring Training-homerun for New York to make it a 7-5 score. In the bottom of the seventh, Gregorius was replaced by Danny Espinosa, who also became the new short stop.

At West Palm Beach, Washington Nationals played at home against St. Louis Cardinals and lost 4-3. Trailing 3-0, Washington scored in the fifth, sixth and seventh inning to come alongside. St. Louis then added a run in the top of the eighth. The brothers Spencer Kieboom and Carter Kieboom both played again at the same time for Washington in this game. Spencer was 1-for-2, Carter was 0-for-2. In the top of the sixth inning, Carter Kieboom entered the game for Victor Robles and became the new short stop. With St. Louis leading 3-2, Washington came alongside in the bottom of the seventh when Chris Dominguez homered with one out. Hereafter, Spencer Kieboom was inserted as pinch-hitter for Miguel Montero and singled. He then advanced to third base when his brother Carter reached on an error, resulting in the two brothers being baserunner at the same time! Carter was able to move to second base on the error, then the bases got loaded when Andrew Stevenson walked. A pitching change followed, then the inning ended with a double play. In the top of the eighth, Spencer became the new catcher for Washington. In the bottom of the ninth, with a runner on second base and one out, Spencer grounded out, then the game ended when Carter struckout.

...Sicnarf Loopstok... (© Photo: Freek Bouw) At Surprise, a split-squad of Cleveland Indians played at Kansas City Royals and won 3-1. Cleveland took a 2-0 lead in the third and added a run in the top of the fifth. Earlier in the day, Aruban Sicnarf Loopstok was one of six Minor League-players who were assigned to the Major League Spring Training Camp for the two split-squads games to be played today by Cleveland. Loopstok was added to the squad for this game. In the bottom of the eighth inning, he entered the game as replacement for veteran Mike Napoli and took over as first baseman. Napoli was signed to a Minor League-contract by Cleveland on February 28. Napoli played in the Major League the past 12 seasons, including last year with Texas Rangers. Loopstok didn't get an at bat in the game. While playing two innings at first base, Loopstok made only one putout. In the eighth, the three outs were two pop-outs (3B, SS) and a strikeout. The ninth began with a line-out to leftfield and another pop-up to third base. The game then ended when Loopstok made the final out, completing a grounder to third. Loopstok plays professionally since 2013. Last year, he played in Single-A Advanced and batted .249 (105-for-421) with 28 doubles, four triples and 17 homeruns. He scored 67 runs and batted in 65. He made his Spring Training-debut playing in one game for Cleveland in 2016.

At Tempe, Texas Rangers played at Los Angeles Angels and lost 4-3. Trailing 2-1, Los Angeles rallied for three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. Jurickson Profar started as short stop for Texas and was 0-for-3. Andrelton Simmons has not played yet for the Angels since sustaining a shoulder-injury last Thursday. In the top of the second inning, Profar flied out. He then led off the fifth and seventh inning for Texas, but both times, he grounded out. Profar was replaced in the bottom of the seventh by Michael De Leon, who also became the new short stop.

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