Netherlands and Cuba collaborate in Olympic preparations in Haarlem and Korea

Jul 06

by Pim van Nes

The first public appearance of the friendly cooperation between the Netherlands and Cuban baseball delegations on their way to the Beijing Olympics was last week in Rotterdam, where a friendly game was played between the two national teams. This week the two teams, managed by Robert Eenhoorn and Antonio Pacheco, participate in the 24th Haarlem Honkbal Week in the Netherlands and after the tournament the two teams will leave for South Korea for more warm-up games, also versus home team Korea and local university teams.

In today’s Honkbalweek schedule the Netherlands are to meet Taiwan in the afternoon, televised by national network NOS, and tonight Cuba will face Team USA for the first time since the 2007 World Cup finale. Each of the two teams has won its first game in the Haarlem tournament: last Friday Cuba 2-1 versus their co-Caribbean’s from the Netherlands Antilles and last night the Netherlands 5-1 versus the same team of their compatriots from the Caribbean Antilles.

Strong Antillean pitching in each of above mentioned games postponed the final outcome to the late innings. Versus Cuba on Friday it was 18-year-old Juan Carlos Sulbaran to limit the Cuban attacks to only one hit and one run in the first six innings. Last night it was 32-year-old Simon Panthoplet feared by the Netherlands batters in the game and wanted by their manager Eenhoorn for his Olympic mission. After two games for Japan and the Antilles and one for each of the other four teams, the Netherlands, Cuba and USA have a positive score (1.000), ranking on the top three positions before the 0.500 for Japan and 0.000 for Taiwan and the Caribbean Dutch. Last night game was the first sold out game in the tournament, which means 4.300 fans paying for their tickets and 700 visitors of sky boxes rented by even better paying sponsors. Five more games scheduled in the week are already sold out by pre-bookings.

The 5.000 crowd saw the best Hoofdklasse pitcher Rob Cordemans take on the Dutch mound with three hitless innings and four scoreless innings with only 13 batters faced. Three consecutive hits in the fifth combined in the first and only run conceded by Cordemans in seven innings interrupted twice by south-western rain showers. Relievers Dave Drayer, Nick Stuifbergen and Michiel van Kampen worked each for approximately one inning to defend the lead. After nine Antillean innings Cordemans turned out to be the winner of the 5-1 victory of the home playing local Dutch team: five strikeouts, two walks and five hits.

As man of the match was announced lineup leadoff Danny Rombley with two hits, a run and a run batted in. Another multiple hitter was Percey Isenia with also two hits and the score opening run in the third inning, batted in by Rombley. Also Roel Koolen and Rombley scored in that inning, thanks to Raily Legito’s single. The Antillean score was produced by center fielder Ardely Jansen (ex-Atlanta Braves). He had opened the fifth inning with the only double off Cordemans and scored 4-1 on a single by designated hitter Rafael Josefa. All together the game, after start at 19.00 h, was interrupted three times for rain. The first time after the 4-1 for half an hour, but Cordemans came back with three outs. The third delay was from 21.50 till 22.50, but over 500 fans remained singing in the rain and were cheered by the players after the game.