by Pim van Nes
Olympic baseball is history for Europe after Korea has beaten the Netherlands 10-0 in the last round-robin game of the China Games of 2008. The England Games of 2012 will be played without baseball, although at the same time neighboring Netherlands will celebrate its first century of federation baseball, founded in 1912. The Netherlands will participate in the second World Baseball Classic in spring 2009 and in World Cup tournament in fall 2009. At both occasions more pro players will be available for the Netherlands to reach better results than in present Olympic Games. Without defender Hainley Statia (disabled) and offenders Roger Bernadina and Gregory Halman, manager Robert Eenhoorn saw his national team finish seventh in the final eight teams ranking by only beating hosting China 6-4.
The other six games were lost by the Netherlands, including five shutouts: the first three and the last two games. This year the Netherlands pitchers were insufficiently supported by their teammates in the box and had to give up their mound performances earlier in the games than expected. In the 26 innings of their first three shutout games the Dutch batters produced just nine hits, including two doubles. The sudden resurrection of the hitting power lasted just two games versus China and Cuba, conceding eleven and ten hits including five homeruns. The key game number six versus Canada was lost due to shutout number four and once out of competition for playoffs, also the last game was lost scoreless with the second ten-run rule eight innings. The first eight innings game was lost versus Team USA, due to an improvised ruling for rain despite a no-outs bases loaded situation in the ninth inning.
Four out of five homeruns hit by the Netherlands during the tournament came from the bats of regular Hoofdklasse players, who will continue their national major league games on Thursday August 28. A three-run homerun was hit by Sidney de Jong (Pirates Amsterdam) and solo homeruns were signed by Percey Isenia (Sparta/Feyenoord Rotterdam) and twice by Bryan Engelhardt (Kinheim Haarlem). The only homerun by a pro player was produced by Sharnol Adriana, Triple A player in Mexico. Adriana in his seven games also delivered a double and two singles and he stole a base for the Netherlands. The other batter on loan from Minor League Baseball, Yurendell de Caster, singled twice and doubled twice during his absence for the Washington Nationals Triple A farm team in Columbus.
Deeply missed in the Netherlands selection was the Columbus Clipper Roger Bernadina, who often hit and stole for his national team in last year’s European Cup and World Cup tournaments before he debuted in Major League Baseball in June 2008. When he was requested to join Eenhoorn’s team in the Beijing Olympics, Bernadina preferred to remain available for the Washington Nationals, even if he was actually playing at the Triple A level in Columbus. Eenhoorn has also in vain been after Dutch talents like sluggers Wladimir Balentien and Gregory Halman and pitcher Rick van den Hurk, but all of them are considered too strategic for their Major League clubs, blocking their flights to the Olympic Games. In fact Dutch players individually succeeding in American pro ball caused the disappointing results of the Dutch national team in the first international tournament since finishing fourth in Intercontinental Cup and World Cup in Taiwan and first in European Cup in Barcelona.
Without Barcelona and Taiwan heroes Halman, Statia and Bernadina the Netherlands were struck out 60 times in 60 Olympic innings, during which the batters produced only 36 hits, varying from one hit versus USA to ten versus Cuba and eleven versus China. Remarkable are the two bases stolen by Dutch runners: only Sharnol Adriana versus Japan and Danny Rombley versus Taiwan attempted successfully. Because of early trailing in the games, the bullpen had to rescue the Netherlands mound earlier than expected.
As out of ten pitchers in Beijing only three were experienced relievers (Michiel van Kampen, Dave Draijer and Pim Walsma), Eenhoorn had to call regular starters as occasional relievers to substitute Shairon Martis twice, Alexander Smit twice, David Bergman once, Leon Boyd once and debutant Juan-Carlos Sulbaran once. Usual starting pitchers appearing as rare reliever were best Hoofdklasse pitcher Rob Cordemans three times, Diegomar Markwell three times, David Bergman once and Leon Boyd once. Most innings were played by Minor League pitchers Shairon Martis and Alexander Smit (10 2/3 in two games) and Hoofdklasse pitcher Rob Cordemans with eight innings in three games. The only save was for closer Michiel van Kampen with his two final outs in the game versus China.
Next rendezvous of international baseball is the 2009 World Baseball Classic, where Major League players can join freely their national teams. Robert Eenhoorn as last time national team manager is looking forward to welcome this category’s pitchers Jair Jurrjens (Atlanta Braves), Sidney Ponson (New York Yankees) and Rick van den Hurk (Florida Marlins) and sluggers Wladimir Balentien and Gregory Halman (Seattle Mariners), Roger Bernadina (Washington Nationals) and excellent defender Hainley Statia (Los Angeles Angels) as regular additions for the optima forma representation of Netherlands baseball on this real top event of worldwide tournaments. After World Baseball Classic Two Robert Eenhoorn, 41 by then, will be relieved as national team manager in order to take the position of KNBSB Technical Director of baseball.
Netherlands at Olympics:
Taiwan – Netherlands 5-0 Recap
Netherlands – USA 0-7 (8) Recap
Japan – Netherlands 6-0 Recap
China – Netherlands 4-6 Recap
Netherlands – Cuba 3-14 (8) Recap
Netherlands – Canada 0-4 Recap
Netherlands – Korea 0-10 (8) Recap
Pim van Nes
Baseball writer for
www.honkbalsite.com
www.sporttribune.nl
www.baseball.it
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