(Story by Marco Stoovelaar; Photo by Robert Bos)
  Sem Robberse pitches in Futures All-Star Game
Nederlands
 SEATTLE, Washington (USA) -
Dutch pitcher Sem Robberse was one of the pitchers in the All-Star Futures Game, which was played on Saturday (July 8) at T-Mobile Park, the home of Seattle Mariners.
The Futures Game is played annually a few days ahead of the Major League All-Star Game.
That game will be played coming Tuesday, also in Seattle.
The 21-year old Sem Robberse was selected for this years game and pitched for the AL Futures, the team compiled of players who are affiliated with American League-teams.
The NL Futures won the game with a 5-0 score.
Two of the runs were credited to Robberse in the sixth inning.
The NL Futures opened the score with two runs in the top of the second inning.
With the NL Team still leading only 2-0, Robberse became the new pitcher for the AL-squad in the top of the sixth and became the team's sixth pitcher in the game.
Robberse gave up singles to Yanquiel Fernandez and Brady House, which gave the NL Team runners on first and second base.
The righthander then followed by striking out BJ Murray, Jr., but thereafter, he was relieved by Yosver Zulueta.
He got the bases loaded when he hit the first batter he faced, then gave up a baseclearing double to Nasim Nuñez (who was named MVP of the game).
As Robberse was responsible for Fernandez and House, their runs were credited to him.
On the double, the NL Team increased its lead to 5-0, which also became the final score in the 7-inning game.
The All-Star Futures Game was first played in 1999.
From the first game through 2018, one team compiled of prospects from the USA which played against a team with prospects from other countries (World Team).
Since 2019, teams are compiled of prospects who play in American League-affiliated Minor League-teams against those from the National League.
...Sem Robberse pitching for Quick Amersfoort in the...
...Dutch big league during the 2019 season...
(© Photo: Robert Bos) |
Robberse is the twelfth player with a Dutch passport (born in the Netherlands, Aruba, Curaçao or the USA) to play in the Futures Game.
Last year, Curaçao-born outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela (Boston Red Sox) played in the AL Futures Team.
Sem Robberse plays professionally since 2019 in the organization of the Toronto Blue Jays.
In his first season (2019), he pitched in five games in Rookie League and was 2-0 with nine strikeouts.
After the 2020 season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Robberse returned into action in 2021.
He then played for two teams at the Single-A level and was 5-7 with a 4.36 ERA in 21 games (19 starts) with 90 strikeouts in 88 2/3 innings pitched, walking 38 batters.
Last year, Robberse again pitched for two teams.
He began the season with Vancouver Canadians (Single-A) and was 4-4 in 17 games (all starts).
Halfway August, Robberse was promoted to Double-A and then pitched in five games (all starts) for New Hampshire Fisher Cats.
There, he was 0-3 with a 3.65 ERA and 19 strikeouts.
Before the start of this year's season, Robberse was a non-roster player on the Blue Jays Major League-roster during Spring Training.
The righthander then appeared in three games (one as a starter) and was 0-1 with a 4.50 ERA and four stikeouts in six innings pitched.
This season, Robberse started again with the Double-A team.
So far, he pitched in 15 games (all starts) and is 1-5 with a 4.19 ERA.
In 73 innings pitched, he struckout 69 battters, walked 28 and gave up 56 basehits, including twelve homeruns.
Robberse, who is the number 7 prospect in the Blue Jays-organization, was assigned to the club's Rookie League-team in Florida on July 2.
Sem Robberse, who started his career with Red Caps in Leusden, made his debut in the Dutch big league during the 2018 season when he pitched in six games (three starts) for HCAW.
He was 1-3 with an 1.80 ERA and struckout twelve batters in twenty innings on the mound for the Bussum-team.
In the 2019 season, Robberse pitched in nine games (all starts) for Quick Amersfoort and was 6-3 with an 1.83 ERA and 62 strikeouts.
He then signed with Toronto Blue Jays in July of that year and made his professional debut shortly thereafter.
Sem's brother Mees Robberse this season plays in the Dutch big league for DSS/Kinheim after having played for Quick Amersfoort in the previous two seasons.
(July 9)
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