(Story by Marco Stoovelaar; Photo by Robert Bos & Henk Seppen)
   Pitcher Juancarlos Sulbaran also makes debut in Nicaraguan league
Nederlands
 MANAGUA (Nicaragua) -
Curaçao-born pitcher Juancarlos Sulbaran also had made his debut in the Liga de Beisbol Profesional Nacional (LBPN), the professional league in Nicaragua.
On Saturday (December 3), the righthander was the starter for Indios del Bóer against Leones de León, the team of the other three Netherlands Team-players, who are currently active in Nicaragua, being Roger Bernadina, Denzel Richardson and Jiandido Tromp.
On Tuesday (November 29), Indios del Bóer released Venezuelan righthanded pitcher Roldan Ochoa Diaz.
He was replaced on the active roster by Sulbaran, who celebrated his 33rd birthday on November 9.
Sulbaran, who will play with uniform number 62, was eligible to play from Wednesday on.
...Juancarlos Sulbaran pitching for Neptunus...
(© Photo: Robert Bos) |
On Saturday, Sulbaran was the starter for Indios del Bóer in a home-game against Leones de León at Estadio Nacional Dennis Martínez in capital Managua.
Outfielders Roger Bernadina and Juandido Tromp play for Leones since the start of the season on November 16.
First baseman/outfielder Denzel Richardson joined them on November 22.
In his first start in Nicaragua, Sulbaran gave up five runs in the second inning and left the mound after four innings.
In the first inning, the righthander gave up a lead-off single to Darrel Campbell, but two flyouts followed, one of them hit by Roger Bernadina.
With two outs, Campbell advanced to third base on a passed ball and a wild pitch, but Sulbaran then closed with a strikeout.
Sulbaran was less successful in the second inning, as he then gave up five runs with two outs.
Denzel Richardson led off with a double.
Again, two flyouts followed.
But this time, Leones struck with a 5-run rally.
Richardson scored on a single by Adrian Moreno and Arnol Rizo followed with a double.
Moments later, Moreno scored the second run on a wild pitch.
After next batter Darrel Campbel had walked, Benjamin Alegria hit a 3-run homerun to lift the lead to 5-0.
Bernadina then flied out to end the inning.
Sulbaran gave up another single to Richardson in the third inning, but he standed on first base.
He retired the side in the fourth.
However, the early lead wasn't that comfortable, as Bóer came back and even took over the lead.
The home-team scored once in the second and third inning.
In the bottom of the fourth, Bóer added two more runs, then scored the tying run on a fielder's choice-grounder in the fifth.
With that, Sulbaran had a no-decision, as he was replaced by Santos Jarquin in the top of the fifth.
Leones re-took the lead in the sixth inning on a 2-out single by Darrel Campbell, but again, Indios came alongside.
This time in the bottom of the seventh on a single with one out by Melvin Novoa.
Jiandido Tromp didn't start the game for Leones.
He entered in the top of the eighth inning as a pinch-hitter and struckout, then was replaced again.
Leones took the lead for the third time by scoring twice in the top of the ninth.
Roger Bernadina led off with a double, advanced on a single by Ramon Flores and scored the go-ahead run on an one-out single by Enmanuel Meza.
Flores later scored on a force play-grounder by Mark Joseph.
Again, Bóer was able to come back, this time thanks to a costly error with two outs.
In the bottom of the ninth, Manuel Geraldo led off with a homerun.
With two outs, Javier Robles singled.
He then moved to third base on a double by Aldo Espinoza and scored the tying run on an unnecessary and errant throw to second base.
Moments later, Espinoza scored the winning run on a walk-off single into deep leftcenterfield by Oscar Hurtado.
And with that, Bóer won 9-8.
This year, Juancarlos Sulbaran pitched in the Dutch big league for Curaçao Neptunus.
The righthander started 14 games (one complete) and was 9-2 with a 2.20 ERA.
In 82 innings, Sulbaran struckout 70 batters and walked 25.
In the postseason, he was 1-0 in the Play-Offs, but then 0-1 in the Holland Series against HCAW, which captured the title.
Sulbaran left Neptunus during the transfer-period.
...Juancarlos Sulbaran pitching for Amsterdam Pirates...
(© Photo: Henk Seppen) |
Last year, Sulbaran had a more successful season when he played for Amsterdam Pirates.
In the regular season, he was 8-2 with an 1.61 ERA.
In twelve games (all starts), he struckout 62 batters in 61 1/3 inning.
With Pirates, Sulbaran went on to capture the Dutch Championship-title, defeating Neptunus in the Holland Series.
Sulbaran also played for Pirates in the abbreviated 2020 season and then was 5-2 with a 3.60 ERA.
The righthander made his debut in the Dutch big league during the 2018 season when he pitched in three games for Storks and was 0-1.
In 2018, Sulbaran also played in an Independent League in Canada.
In 2019, Sulbaran pitched for DSS and was 2-9, but led the pitching-staff of the Haarlem-based team with a 4.16 ERA.
Before coming to the Netherlands, Sulbaran played professionally in the American Minor Leagues in 2009-2016.
After being signed by Cincinnati Reds in May 2009, he pitched in the Single-A teams of this organization in 2009-2011.
Sulbaran promoted to Double-A in 2012, but during the season (in July), he was traded to Kansas City Royals for whom he then also played in Double-A.
Sulbaran pitched in the Royals-organization through 2015.
In 2013 in Single-A and Double-A, then then entire 2014 season in Double-A.
In the 2015 season, Sulbaran started in Double-A, but promoted and pitched in eight Triple-A games, then became a Free Agent.
In 2016, the righthander pitched in Double-A (17 games, 3-4) and Triple-A (11 games, 2-6) in the organization of St. Louis Cardinals.
Juancarlos Sulbaran made his debut in the Netherlands Team in 2008.
In that year, he participated with the Orange Team in the Olympic Games in Beijing (China).
Since then, Sulbaran participated in two World Baseball Classics (2009, 2017), was a member of the team that captured the title in the 2011 World Championship and participated in three European Championships (2012, 2019, 2021).
Last year, he played with the Netherlands in the Olympic Qualifier and he also participated in the 2019 World Port Tournament in Rotterdam.
This year, Sulbaran won the Baseball Week Haarlem in Haarlem with the Netherlands Team.
(December 4)
|
