(Story by Marco Stoovelaar; Photo by Freek Bouw/Phrake Photography)
    Sherten Apostel hits first homerun in Major League Spring Training
Nederlands
 PHOENIX, Arizona (USA) -
Sherten Apostel hit his first Major League Spring Training-homerun on Friday (March 19).
Seven other players with a Dutch passport also played in games on Friday.
At Camelback Ranch-Glendale in Phoenix, Sherten Apostel played for Texas Rangers in an away-game against Los Angeles Dodgers.
In the first four innings, Los Angeles struck early and scored six runs en route to a 7-2 victory.
Apostel accounted for the second Texas-run.
Los Angeles was very productive in the first innings and recorded five runscoring doubles, including two by Chris Taylor.
In the top of the sixth, with Los Angeles leading 6-0, Rougned Odor walked for Texas with two outs.
He was then replaced by pinch-runner Sherten Apostel, but he stranded on first base, as the inning ended with a strikeout.
Apostel then became the new third baseman for Texas hereafter.
In the bottom of the sixth, Los Angeles added its seventh run on a single by Austin Barnes.
In the top of the seventh, Kenley Jansen took the mound for Los Angeles, taking over the pitching from Jimmy Nelson.
In his previous five outings, Jansen encountered no problems and struckout nine batters in five scoreless innings.
In today's game, he gave up two hits and a run.
Jansen gave up a lead-off homerun to Ronald Guzman.
The righthander followed with a strikeout, then gave up a single to Jason Martin.
A flyout accounted for the second out, then Adolis Gacia waked, the first walk issued by Jansen in this years Spring Training.
The inning ended with a pop-fly and with that, Apostel didn't face Jansen as a batter.
Blake Treinen took over for Jansen in the top of the eighth.
He began with a strikeout, but then Apostel drilled a line drive into rightfield for a homerun.
Treinen struckout the next two batters.
The 22-year old Curaçao-born Sherten Apostel (playing with uniform number 82) was signed as an international free agent in July 2015 by Pittsburgh Pirates.
In August 2018, the infielder was traded to Texas Rangers.
In 2019, Apostel played in his first Spring Training-game of the Major League-team of Texas and was 1-for-3 with a run scored in the lone game he played.
Last year, Apostel played in 13 Spring Training-games for Texas and then batted .211 (4-for-19), scored three runs and batted in two.
On September 12 last year, Apostel made his Major League-debut.
He went on to play in seven games in the abbreviated season and batted .100 (2-for-20), including a double.
This year, Apostel is on the 40-man roster for Texas and played in six games, before today.
In those games, he played at both first base and third base.
Apostel was 1-for-5 (.200) before Friday's game.
And in that game, he hit his first Spring Training-homerun, which also accounted for his first run scored and first RBI of this years Spring Training.
This year, Apostel will open the season in Triple-A with Round Rock Express.
He was optioned to Triple-A a week ago.
Also on Friday...
Ozzie Albies was 0-for-3 with two strikeouts for Atlanta Braves in a 4-2 win against Minnesota Twins.
In the same game, Andrelton Simmons was 0-for-3 for Minnesota.
Xander Bogaerts was 1-for-3, scored a run and batted in one for Boston Red Sox.
He doubled in a run in the third inning in a come-from-behind 11-7 win for Boston against Tampa Bay Rays.
The team trailed 5-0 halfway the third inning and 7-6 after seven innings, but then rallied for five runs in the eighth.
Carter Kieboom was 1-for-3 for Washington Nationals in a 10-9 win against Houston Astros.
Jonathan Schoop was 0-for-3 for Detroit Tigers in an 8-1 loss against Toronto Blue Jays.
Chadwick Tromp was 0-for-3 for San Francisco Giants in a 6-2 loss against Cincinnati Reds.
(March 19)
Related Articles:
 Albies homers, Jansen strikes out three in Spring Training. (March 17)
Albies, Gregorius, Schoop collect Spring-hits; Tromp to Triple-A. (March 16)
Jonathan Schoop plays in first game Spring Training. (March 14)
Didi Gregorius hits grand slam HR in Spring Training. (March 13)
Bogaerts & Simmons play in first Spring Training-game; Apostel to Triple-A. (March 12)
Hits for Kieboom, Hold for Jansen in MLB Spring Training. (March 10)
Zander Wiel plays in first game in MLB Spring Training. (March 7)
Profar and Tromp successful in MLB Spring Training. (March 6)
Singles for Apostel, Albies & Gregorius in MLB Spring Training. (March 5)
Albies homers; Run & RBI for Gregorius in MLB Spring Training. (March 3)
Strong first outing Kenley Jansen in MLB Spring Training. (March 1)
Tromp, Apostel first Dutch players in action in Spring Training. (February 28)
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