The Nationals won their first game of the 2009 season in Major League Baseball and the starting pitcher was a member of the Netherlands National Team. Shairon Martis pitched 6 1/3 solid innings to lead Washington to an 8-2 win over the Philadelphia Phillies. The 22-year-old right-hander gave up five hits, two runs and two walks, while striking out one. He threw just 86 pitches, 49 for strikes. It was his second big league start of the year and his ERA now stands at 4.82.
Adam Dunn’s homerun provided him with a three-run cushion in the bottom of the first. When Martis left in the seventh, the Nats led 3-2, before the offense added five more runs, including solo shots by Elijah Dukes, Josh Willingham and Alberto Gonzalez. Roger Bernadina, who was called up this week, entered the game in the eighth to play left field. He later walked, stole second and scored on a RBI single by Anderson Hernandez.
Other notes from Europeans in the United States:
Double-A:
- Leon Boyd finally has his work visa and made his professional debut this week. The closer of the Dutch World Baseball Classic team also served as the ninth-inning man for the New Hampshire Fisher Cats in his first two appearances. He threw two perfect innings and struck out three in his first two games in the Eastern League, collecting two saves.
Single-A:
- The Italian third baseman Alex Liddi, who is under contract with the Seattle Mariners organization, is batting .367 (OBP .375/SLG .633) with one homerun, a triple, three doubles, six runs scored and five RBI through eight games for the High-A affiliate High Desert Mavericks of the California League. He already has four multi-hit games on his belt.
- Catcher Kai Gronauer of the Savannah Sand Gnats (Mets, South Atlantic League) has hit safely in all four of his games so far and has an on-base-percentage of .438. He scored twice and drove in a run.
- Reliever Dennis Neuman, who was on the Dutch team in the WBC, is also playing in the Sally League. He pitched in one game for Greenville Drive this season, allowing three hits, two runs and a walk in 2 1/3 innings, striking out two.
- Outfielder Kalian Sams, who was born in The Hague, Netherlands, is batting .200 (.273/.300) with a triple, a run scored and three RBI in six games for the Mariners affiliate Clinton LumberKings in the Midwest League.
- First baseman Curt Smith is playing in the Florida State League for the Palm Beach Cardinals. He is hitting .292 (.333/.500) with a homerun, a triple, three runs scored and four RBI in six games for the St. Louis Cardinals affiliate.