(Story by Marco Stoovelaar)
 Two more Dutch players in Spring Training; Kieboom homers
Nederlands
     GOODYEAR / MESA, Arizona / PORT ST. LUCIE / FORT MYERS / WEST PALM BEACH, Florida (USA) -
When Spring Training went underway a week ago, there were nine players from the Netherlands in Major League-camps.
Eight of them on 40-man rosters, the ninth as a non-roster invitee.
On Saturday (February 23), two Dutch players were added as additional players for an exhibition game, being catcher Hendrik Clementina (born on Curaçao) and short stop Ray-Patrick Didder (born on Aruba).
Last Thursday, the first exhibition game was played at Mesa, Arizona when Oakland Athletics played against Seattle Mariners.
Jurickson Profar, who was traded by Texas Rangers to Oakland in December, was the starting second baseman and was the first Dutch player to get into action.
Unfortunately, the game was halted halfway the second inning due to rain.
On Friday, four games were scheduled, but no player from the Kingdom of the Netherlands played.
On Saturday, 16 games were played and all Major League-teams got into action.
In those games, five Dutch players played: Ray-Patrick Didder (Atlanta Braves), Jurickson Profar (Oakland A's), Jonathan Schoop (Minnesota Twins), Carter Kieboom and Spencer Kieboom (both Washington Nationals).
Commonly, most regular players don't play in the first few exhibition games or play briefly.
In those games, new players, rookies, some back-up players, non-roster players and added players will play.
And so, Ozzie Albies (Atlanta Braves), Xander Bogaerts (Boston Red Sox), Kenley Jansen (Los Angeles Dodgers) and Andrelton Simmons (Los Angeles Angels) didn't play on Saturday.
Didi Gregorius (New York Yankees) will not play during Spring Training, as he is recovering from Tommy John-surgery.
Last season, 21-year old catcher Hendrik Clementina played in 96 games in the Single-A team of Cincinnati Reds.
He batted .268 with 18 homeruns, scored 38 runs and batted in 59.
On Saturday, Cincinnati played against Cleveland Indians.
The game ended with a 3-3 tie in nine innings, but Clementina didn't play.
Clementina also briefly was in Major League Spring Training with Cincinnati last year, but then also didn't play.
24-year old Ray-Patrick Didder played in 76 games in Single-A last season and 46 in Double-A in the organization of Atlanta Braves.
Combined, in 122 games, he batted .232 with four homeruns, scored 54 runs and batted in 39.
In 2017 and 2018, Didder also played for Atlanta during Spring Training, playing in nine games in both years.
On Saturday, Atlanta played an away-game against New York Mets and lost 4-3 at First Data Field in Port St. Lucie, Florida.
Didder entered the game in the bottom of the fourth inning, taking over at short stop for Johan Camargo.
He got his first at bat when he led off the seventh inning and then reached on an error.
Didder advanced to third base on a following single by Izzy Wilson, but was left behind.
With one out in the ninth inning, Didder singled, but this time, he stranded on first base.
At Mesa, Arizona, in Hohokam Stadium, Oakland A's played at home against a split-squad of Chicago White Sox and won 6-5.
Jurickson Profar was the starting second baseman for Oakland and was 0-for-2.
Last Thursday, Profar was about to come to bat for the first time when the game was halted by rain.
Today, he got hit first at bat in the bottom of the first inning.
With runners on first and second base and two outs, Profar flied out.
In the fourth, Profar grounded out.
He left the game after five innings.
At Hammond Stadium at the CenturyLink Sports Complex in Fort Myers, Florida, Minnesota Twins played home against Tampa Bay Rays and won 10-5.
Jonathan Schoop was the starting second baseman for Minnesota and batted second.
In the bottom of the first inning, with a runner on first base, Schoop got got first at bat, but lined out to leftfield.
Hereafter, Minnesota went on to score four runs.
In the third inning, Schoop struckout to end the at bat.
He also struckout to close the fourth inning.
Schoop was replaced after five innings.
Last season, Schoop started with Baltimore Orioles, for whom he had played since 2013.
On July 31, he was traded to Milwaukee Brewers, where he completed the season, but didn't bat that well.
Schoop became a back-up infielder and was not offered he new contract at the end of the season.
He became a Free Agent on November 30 and was signed by Minnesota on December 6.
At FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches in West Palm Beach, Florida, Washington Nationals played at home against Houston Astros and won 7-6.
Halfway the game, both Spencer Kieboom and Carter Kieboom entered the game for Washington.
In the top of the fifth, Spencer took over behind the plate and in the top of the sixth, Carter became the new short stop.
Both had a major contribution in the victory.
In the bottom of the sixth, with Washington trailing 6-2 and one out Adrian Sanchez singled.
With two outs and after a pitching change, Chuck Taylor doubled and thereafter, in his first Spring Training-at bat, Spencer Kieboom hit a 3-run homerun.
In the bottom of the seventh, Carter Kieboom led off with a double, advanced on a wild pitch, but stranded on third base.
In the eighth, Washington scored the tying run when a throwing error followed trying to complete a double play after a force out-grounder by Spencer Kieboom.
In the bottom of the ninth, Carter Kieboom led off with a walk, advanced on a sacrifice bunt.
After another walk and with two outs, Kieboom scored the winning run when Adrian Sanchez delivered a walk-off double.
(February 23)
Related Article:
 Jurickson Profar first Dutch MLB-player to get into action. (February 21)
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