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Compiled and Copyright © 1997-2018 by Marco Stoovelaar

(Story by Marco Stoovelaar) Eugene Helder debuts in Spring Training with basehit Nederlands PEORIA / SURPRISE, Arizona / TAMPA / BRADENTON / SARASOTA / JUPITER, Florida (USA) - On Sunday (March 18), eight Dutch players played in a Major League Spring Training-games. One of them was Aruban infielder Eugene Helder, who played for Seattle Mariners and singled in his first at bat. Almost three weeks ago, he also was added for a game of the Mariners, but then didn't play. Also playing on Sunday were Xander Bogaerts, Didi Gregorius, Spencer Kieboom, Jurickson Profar, Jonathan Schoop, Sharlon Schoop and Andrelton Simmons. (March 18) Related Articles: Hendrik Clementina & Darren Seferina in Spring Training. (March 17) Ozzie Albies hits 2 homeruns (from both sides) for Atlanta. (March 16) Spring-debut Jansen; Simmons returns; Schoop HRs again. (March 15) Jonathan Schoop helps Baltimore to win with 4th homerun. (March 14) Didi Gregorius hits third homerun in Spring Training. (March 13) Sharlon Schoop in Spring Training; Italian Gasparini makes debut. (March 12) Gregorius HRs; Sicnarf Loopstok, Jiandido Tromp in action. (March 11) 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 Peoria, Seattle Mariners played at home against a split-squad of Cleveland Indians and suffered a bug 16-3 loss. Leading 4-2, Cleveland rallied for seven runs in the top of the third inning, then added five more runs in the eighth. Cleveland collected 17 basehits. In the top of the seventh inning, Eugene Helder entered the game and became the new short stop for Seattle, taking over from Taylor Motter. On February 27, Helder also was added to the main-squad of Seattle for a game, but then, he didn't play. Today, the Aruban Minor Leaguer was added again and made his Spring Training-debut. Helder, who played in five games in Triple-A last season, got his first (and lone) at bat in the bottom of the ninth inning. Tuffy Gosewisch led off with a single, then moved to second base when Helder also singled in his first Spring Training-at bat. Moments later, Helder was forced out when Andrew Aplin grounded into a double play. Gosewisch stranded on third base.

At Surprise, Texas Rangers hosted Los Angeles Angels and lost 4-2. Leading 2-0, Los Angeles added two runs in the top of the seventh inning. Texas scored its runs in the bottom of the seventh and eighth inning. Jurickson Profar was the starting second baseman for the home-playing Rangers and was 1-for-4. Andrelton Simmons started as short stop for the visting Angels and was 0-for-3. In the top of the first inning, Los Angeles took an 1-0 lead, but the inning ended with a force play-grounder from Simmons to Profar. In the fourth inning, Simmons again grounded out to Profar. He lined out to third base in the sixth at bat. Profar, who played a complete game, struckout in the bottom of the first inning. He then led off the fourth inning with a single, but later stranded on second base. In the sixth, Profar flied out. Simmons was replaced in the bottom of the seventh by new rightfielder Bo Way, while Nolan Fontana became the new short stop. Profar, who moved from third base to short stop in the top of the fifth, got one more at bat in the eighth inning, but then grounded out.

At Tampa, New York Yankees won 8-5 at home against Miami Marlins. New York rallied for four runs in the bottom of the first inning. Didi Gregorius was the starting short stop for New York and was 2-for-4. He also scored two runs. In the bottom of the first inning, Greg Bird hit a 2-run homerun for New York with one out. Hereafter, Giancarlo Stanton walked, but was forced out on a grounder by Gary Sanchez. A following single by Gregorius then led to runners on first and second base. Both Sanchez en Gregorius scored when Neil Walker followed with a double to make it a 4-0 score. Walker signed with the Yankees on March 12. In the third inning, Sanchez homered and thereafter, Gregorius flied out to close the at bat. In the bottom of the sixth, Stanton led off with a walk and moved to third base on a double by Gregorius. After the bases got loaded with a walk for Jace Peterson, Stanton and Gregorius scored on a single by Brandon Drury. The seventh inning ended with a line out from Gregorius, who was replaced in the top of the eighth by new short stop Abiatal Avelino.

At Bradenton, Boston Red Sox visited a split-squad of Pittsburgh Pirates and won 2-1. Both teams scored their runs in the fifth inning. Xander Bogaerts was the starting short stop for Boston and was 0-for-3. With runners on second and third base and one out in the top of the first inning, Bogaerts struckout. He then led off the fourth inning, but popped out. In the top of the fifth, Andrew Benintendi hit a 2-out, 2-run homerun for Boston. Hereafter, Mitch Moreland walked, but was forced out on a grounder by Bogaerts. Bogaerts was replaced in the bottom of the sixth by new third baseman Chad De La Guerra, while Deven Marrero entered as new short stop.

At Sarasota, Baltimore Orioles played at home against New York Mets and lost 5-4. Trailing 5-1, Baltimore scored three runs in the bottom of the eighth, but ended up just short. Both Schoop-brothers played in this game for Baltimore. Jonathan Schoop started at second base and he was replaced by his brother Sharlon Schoop. Jonathan was 1-for-3, Sharlon 0-for-2. In the bottom of the first inning, Jonathan was the second out when he lined out to rightfield. He then grounded into a double play to end the third inning. With one out in the bottom of the sixth, Jonathan singled, then was replaced by his brother Sharlon as pinch-runner. The elder Schoop then advanced to second base on a following single by Manny Machado, but the two runners were left behind. In the top of the eighth, Sharlon became the new the second baseman. Sharlon got two at bats in the remainder of the game, but he struckout in the eighth and ninth inning.

At Jupiter, Washington Nationals visited St. Louis Cardinals and was shutout 10-0. Leading 1-0, St. Louis rallied for five runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. Washington recorded only three basehits. In the top of the ninth inning, with one out, when the pitcher's spot in the batting order was up for Washington, Spencer Kieboom was inserted as pinch-hitter for pitcher Tim Collins. Kieboom connected well, as he hit a line drive, but that was caught by short stop Alex Mejia. St. Louis, which used 23 players in the game, collected 13 basehits.

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