(Story by Marco Stoovelaar)
 Spencer Kieboom contributues in win; Nigerian player in Spring Training
Nederlands
   DUNEDIN / PORT ST. LUCIE / FORT MYERS, Florida (USA) -
Spencer Kieboom was 2-for-3, homered and batted in three runs to help Washington Nationals win 6-5 against New York Mets on Monday (March 18).
In the same game, his brother Carter Kieboom was 2-for-4.
Xander Bogaerts (Boston Red Sox) and Jonathan Schoop (Minnesota Twins) played against each other.
Also on Monday, Toronto Blue Jays added outfielder Demi Orimoloye to its team for the game against a split-squad of Detroit Tigers at Dunedin Stadium in Dunedin (Florida).
The 22-year old outfielder didn't play, but he was the first baseball-player in Spring Training, who was born in Nigeria.
Oluwademilade Oluwadamilola (Demi) Orimoloye was born in Nigerian capital Lagos, but moved with his family to Canada when he was 18 months old.
Since then, Orimoloye grew up in Canada where he started playing volleyball and basketball.
Baseball followed when he was 10 years old and he went on to play for the National Junior Team of Canada when he was fifteen.
Orimoloye was signed by Milwaukee Brewers in 2015, then made his professional debut in the same year, playing in 33 games in Rookie League.
He promoted to Single-A in 2017 and 2018.
The outfielder was traded in August last year to Toronto Blue Jays.
Orimoloye can become the first player born in Nigeria to reach the Major League.
There has been one other player from Nigeria in professional baseball recently.
That was outfielder Babawande Onaolapo (Wande) Olabisi, who played in Rookie League and Single-A for San Diego Padres in 2009-2011.
Wande Olabisi, who was also born in Lagos, started playing baseball after his family had moved to Saudi Arabia.
He represented this country in the Little League World Series in 2000.
Olabisi later studied in the USA.
There has been only one player in Major League-history who was born in a country from the African continent.
That was infielder Gift Ngoepe, who made his debut on April 26, 2017, while playing for Pittsburgh Pirates.
Ngoepe is born in Pietersburg in South Africa.
In 2017, Ngoepe played in 28 games for Pittsburgh.
After that season, he was traded to Toronto Blue Jays for whom he played in 13 Major League-games last year.
Ngoepe was released in August, then was signed by Philadelphia Phillies in January.
As a non-roster player, the 29-year old Ngoepe has played for Philadelphia in Spring Training.
His brother Victor Ngoepe, also an infielder, plays professionally in the organization of Pittsburgh Pirates.
The 21-year old short stop plays in Rookie League since 2016.
He was added to a Spring Training-game of Pittsburgh on March 14.
So far, Ngoepe got one at bat, but then struckout.
At First Data Stadium in Port St. Lucie (Florida), a split-squad of Washington Nationals played at New York Mets.
The team trailed 3-2 after seven innings, then rallied for four runs in the top of the eighth and went on to win 6-5.
Spencer Kieboom, who was the designated hitter, contributed with three runs batted in.
Washington recorded twelve basehits, including four by the Kieboom-brothers.
New York took a 2-0 lead in the first inning on a homerun by Michael Conforto.
Washington got a run back in the fifth on a triple by Wilmer Difo, then came alongside in the seventh when Spencer Kieboom homered.
However, New York re-took the lead (3-2) in the bottom of the seventh, thanks to a sacrifice fly by Adeiny Hechavarria.
In the top of the eighth, Washington scored four runs.
With one out, Carter Kieboom singled and was then replaced by pinch-runner David Masters.
He moved to third base on a double by Anderson Franco.
The bases got loaded when O'Koyea Dickson walked, which led to a pitching change.
Masters then scored the tying run on a single by Tres Barrera.
Hereafter, a single by Armond Upshaw gave Washington a 4-3 lead.
Moments later, Spencer Kieboom contributed with a 2-run single to lift the lead to 6-3.
An error led to two runs for New York in the eighth, but Washington hold on to the minimal lead.
Carter Kieboom started as second baseman and was 2-for-4, but also struckout twice.
At Hammond Stadium at the CenturyLink Sports Complex in Fort Myers (Florida), Minnesota Twins played at home against Boston Red Sox and won 4-1.
Xander Bogaerts started at short stop for Boston and was 0-for-3 with two strikeouts.
Jonathan Schoop was the starting second baseman for Minnesota.
He was 1-for-3 with one strikeout.
(March 18)
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