(Story by Marco Stoovelaar; Photos by Alfred Cop Fotografie & Marco Stoovelaar)
 René Rijst named Pitching Coach of DSS/Kinheim
Nederlands
 HAARLEM (Neth.) -
René Rijst, who played in the Dutch big league in four decades, has been named the new Pitching Coach of DSS/Kinheim, the club announced on Saturday (November 12).
In the past, the former pitcher played for Kinheim in three different stints and a total of eleven seasons (1984-1986; 1988-1994; 2000).
...René Rijst after completion of the 2009 season...
...with Almere '90 when the team promoted...
(© Photo: (Alfred Cop Fotografie) |
In the past few days, the Haarlem-based club announced the additions of four new players.
On Sunday, the club announced that young infielder Amarensio Franka, who comes from Neptunus Tridents, was added to the roster.
On Monday, DSS/Kinheim announced that righthanded pitcher and former pro Donny Breek, who played for L&D Amsterdam Pirates, also comes to the Haarlem-team.
On Tuesday, it was announced that outfielder Urving Kemp has transfered from Twins Oosterhout to DSS/Kinheim.
And on Wednesday, the club confirmed that infielder Jesse van den Berg was added from Sparks Haarlem.
DSS/Kinheim also announced that outfielder Julian Toppen and pitcher Finn Blokker are promoted to the main-squad from the second team.
The transfer-period ends on November 15.
On October 27, DSS/Kinheim announced that Etienne Meijer was named the new Head Coach of the team.
He succeeded Michael Crouwel, who retired after the season had ended.
Back then, 3B Coach Kevin Weijgertse and Pitching Instructor Glenn Wassink also stepped down.
Amsterdam-born René Rijst started his career with Quick Amersfoort, but never played for that club in the highest league.
He made his debut in the big league in 1980 when he played in four games for Giants Diemen.
That was the start of a very long active playing-career in the highest league as righthanded pitcher and outfielder.
As a two-way player, Rijst was a powerful hitter and effective pitcher, who was used as both a starter and reliever.
After his debut in 1980, Rijst immediately became a regular player in the team of Giants Diemen in the following season.
Rijst played for the Diemen-based team through 1983.
Thereafter, Rijst transfered to Kinheim for whom he first played in 1984 when the team played in the First Division.
The team then promoted and so, Rijst returned to the big league in 1985.
He played for Kinheim through 1986 when the team relegated from the big league.
Next, Rijst played for HCAW in 1987, but after that season, he returned to Kinheim, which still played in the second highest league.
In 1988, he helped Kinheim promoting back to the highest league.
With that, Rijst made another comeback in 1989, this time to stay for the next six seasons.
In 1989, René Rijst batted .393 for Kinheim with 53 basehits, including eleven homeruns, scored 35 runs and batted in 43, which were all career-highs.
He led the big league league with his 43 RBI's and 11 homeruns and was named Most Valuable Player.
Through 1994, Rijst played for Kinheim in the big league.
Thereafter, the pitcher/outfielder made a second transfer to HCAW and played for the Bussum-based team through 1999.
However, after five seasons with HCAW, Rijst went on to play for Kinheim for a third time.
But this time, his stay in Haarlem lasted only one season (2000).
It wasn't his last year in the big league, as he played in the highest league for six more full seasons.
Rijst first played for ADO (2001) and PSV (2002), then in four seasons for Almere '90 (2003-2006).
Rijst then became Pitching Coach of the big league-team of Almere '90 and made two brief comebacks during the 2007 and 2010 seasons.
Overall, René Rijst played in (parts of) 27 big league-seasons.
As a pitcher, Rijst was a starter and reliever in the first six seasons of his long career.
Thereafter, he primarily was a reliever.
After two pitching-appearances in 1989, Rijst was a reliever in 1990 (12 games) and 1991 (11 games) when he was with Kinheim.
In the next six seasons, he threw in only a few games, but in 1998 and 1999, he made a comeback on the mound.
He then played for HCAW and in these two seasons combined, Rijst pitched in 47 games (three starts), striking out 87 batters in 111 innings.
...René Rijst with Asst. Coach Berry Eijgendaal (left)...
...and Bob van Aalen, Hans van Renselaar...
...and Ronald Stoovelaar at the...
...1989 European Championship in Paris (France)...
(© Photo: Marco Stoovelaar) |
When he was with Kinheim in 2000, Rijst only played as pitcher, appearing in 28 games (one start) and proved that he still was very effective on the mound.
He then was 2-0 and led the league with 12 saves.
In his next three seasons with ADO, PSV and Almere '90, he primarily played as first baseman or designated hitter, but also made several pitching-appearances, most of them as reliever.
In 2004 and 2005, Rijst was a two-way player again, throwing frequently in relief, while also getting several at bats.
During the 2005 season, he hit his 82nd and final big league-homerun.
In 2006, his last full season, Rijst primarily was a pitcher again.
He then pitched in 18 games (8 starts), was 2-5 and earned two saves, while striking out 42 batters.
And he also played in his 700th career regular season-game in the highest league.
During the 2007 season, when he was Almere's Pitching Coach, Rijst pitched in two games.
The team relegated, but Rijst stayed with the team and assisted Head Coaches Ritchie Daal (2008) and Marco Wels (2009).
In the 2009 season, Almere '90 promoted.
With three saves, Rijst played a valuable role in the Promotion/Relegation Series.
Afterwards, he retired, but in the 2010 season, back in the big league, he did make two more appearances on the pitching-mound.
In his career, René Rijst played in seven Holland Series and won three Dutch Championship-titles with Kinheim (1994) and HCAW (1996, 1998).
Rijst made his Netherlands Team-debut in 1985.
With the Orange-squad, he participated in three World Championships, two European Championships, two Haarlem Baseball Weeks and one World Port Tournament, amongst other tournaments.
In more recent years, René Rijst went on to play slowpitch softball and again made the National Team.
In 2018, Rijst batted .419 during the European Men's Slowpitch Championship in the Czech Republic, with 18 basehits (one homerun), scoring twelve runs and batting in fourteen.
This year, Rijst assisted Head Coach Etienne Meijer at the Netherlands Slowpitch Team during the European Championship in Italy.
There, the Netherlands finished in second place after losing the Final against Great Britain with a 47-31 score.
Coming year, he again will assist Meijer, but this time with DSS/Kinheim.
(November 12)
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