(Story by Marco Stoovelaar; Photo by Henk Seppen)
    Palacios, Rafaela homer in Dominican Spring Training-game; Two other prospects also in action
Nederlands
  SANTO DOMINGO (Dominican Republic) / SCOTTSDALE, Arizona (USA) -
On Sunday-afternoon (March 10), Boston Red Sox won 7-6 against Tampa Bay Rays to complete a sweep of a 2-game series that was played in Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic.
On Saturday, Boston had recorded a 4-0 shutout-win.
The two Spring Training-games were part of this years MLB World Tour in which Major League-teams play games outside the USA or Canada to promote baseball worldwide.
The 2-game Dominican Republic Series was the first of this season.
The next series is the 2-game Seoul Series in South Korean capital.
There, Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres will play on March 20-21 in what will be the official opening-games of the regular season in the Major League.
That will mark the ninth time (and first since 2019) that the MLB-season opens outside the USA or Canada and the sixth time in Asia.
On April 27-28, Houston Astros and Colorado Rockies will meet in two regular season-games in the Mexico City Series in the Mexican capital.
And on June 8-9, New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies will play two games in the London Series.
That will mark the third time that regular season-games will be played in the British capital (and in Europe).
In 2019, New York Yankees defeated Boston Red Sox twice.
Last year, Chicago Cubs won twice against St. Louis Cardinals.
In Sunday's game at Estadio Quisqueya Juan Marichal in Santo Domingo, Ceddanne Rafaela was the centerfielder for Boston, while Richie Palacios played the entire game as rightfielder for Tampa Bay.
Rafaela was 1-for-5 with two strikeouts.
Palacios was 2-for-4.
Last year, Palacios made his debut in the Netherlands Team during the World Baseball Classic, as did his brother Josh, who plays for Pittsburgh Pirates.
...Richie Palacios hitting for the Netherlands...
...during the 2023 World Baseball Classic...
(© Photo: Henk Seppen) |
Tampa Bay opened the score with two runs in the third inning.
In the fourth, Palacios homered to make it a 3-0 lead.
Boston got runs back in the fourth and fifth at bat.
In the fourth on a basesloaded walk and in the fifth when Rafaela homered.
That narrowed the deficit to 3-2, but Tampa Bay reacted with two runs in the sixtn.
Moments later, in the bottom of the sixth, Boston answered with a 5-run rally.
Now trailing 7-5, Tampa Bay managed to score one more run in the seventh inning, but ended up short.
Boston was outhit 12-6.
In Saturday's game, Rafaela also was the starting centerfielder for Boston and then was 1-for-3 with two runs batted in.
Palacios didn't in that game.
In the weekend, two talented Dutch Minor League-players were added to a Major League-team as additional player and both also played.
On Saturday, 19-year old outfielder Jakey Josepha was added by Arizona Diamondbacks, which played two games with a split-squad.
Josepha was with the team that played a home-game against Cincinnati Reds (which won 7-5) in Scottsdale and played the same day.
Josepha, who was born on Curaçao, entered the game in the top of the sixth as rightfielder.
He got two at bats, but struckout both times.
Last year, Josepha played in two Spring Training-games for Arizona.
He then got one at bat, which also was a strikeout.
Josepha plays professionally since 2021.
Since then, he played at the Rookie League-level.
Last season, he played in 34 games for two teams and batted .315 (35-for-111).
In 2022, Jakey Josepha participated with the Netherlands Under-18 Team in the Under-18 World Cup in Florida (USA).
On Sunday, Kay-Lan Nicasia was added to the Major League-team of Milwaukee Brewers and also played the same day.
Nicasia, who was born in the Dutch city Oss, played for Milwaukee in an away-game in Scottsdale against Colorado Rockies, which won 3-1.
Milwaukee Manager Pat Murphy inserted the 21-year old Nicasia in the bottom of the eighth inning as centerfielder.
Nicasia didn't get an at bat.
Like Josepha, Nicasia has been added as an additional player before during Spring Training.
In 2022, he played in one game for Milwaukee and delivered a pinch-hit single in his lone at bat.
Last year, Nicasia was 2-for-3 and scored once in three games for Milwaukee.
Nicasia also plays professionally since 2021.
After having played in the Rookie League in his first two seasons, Nicasia played in Single-A last year.
He then batted .216 (62-for-287) in 90 games.
(March 11)
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