by Pim van Nes
Effective July 2nd the city of Rotterdam is the place to be for international baseball fans in Europe thanks to the 12th World Port Tournament. During 11 days the national teams of Cuba, USA, Japan, Taiwan and the Netherlands will play 8 games each meeting all other teams twice, before the Grand Finale between numbers 1 and 2 of the ranking on Sunday afternoon, July 12th.
As from last week World Port Tournament is ready to take your bookings for single day tickets and all days tickets. Except for the final day, all other 10 days will bring two top baseball games. The tournament organization has opened an English language version of its website www.worldporttournament.nl, allowing all baseball fans to make reservations to their own choice. Please respond soon, as Dutch fans are eager to attend games with the Netherlands national team and the foreign communities in Rotterdam and nearby The Hague want to cheer the baseball delegations from their countries.
Number 1 favorite for the 12th tournament since 1985 is the Cuban selection, which is warming up for the World Cup tournament to be held in September, just two months later again in Europe. Teams from Cuba conquered seven out of the 11 previous tournament titles. The first three Cuban delegations were selections from capital Havana, the mayor of which promised to send his best players to Rotterdam, providing this port city would initiate a big international baseball tournament.
His Rotterdam counterpart appointed a committee presided by Gerard Vaandrager to organize this tournament every two years. This was realized successfully to worldwide recognition, resulting to IBAF confiding the 2005 World Cup with 18 national teams to Rotterdam. In 1993 and 1995 the tournament’s fourth and fifth editions were won by Baltimore and MLB All Stars (featuring Dutch born ML pitcher Bert Blyleven), but all other editions were won by the national teams of either Cuba or Holland. The home team upset Baltimore in the 1989 finale and exactly ten years later the other visiting favorites from Cuba. Ever since 1999 the Cuban stars have won all events, beating the Dutch in 2001 and 2003 and Taiwan in 2007.
The attendance by baseball fans grew gradually from 30.000 in 1985 to 61.000 in 1993, the year with Bert Blyleven and the MLB All Stars. Then the figures dropped to 42.000 in 1997 but rose to a record high of 73.000 in 2001, when the Italian national team participated for the first (and so far last) time in WPT. Italy then played its 100th and 101st international game versus the Netherlands. Former Italian star pitcher Giulio Glorioso (70 yr) was invited from Rome for the ceremonial first pitch before the jubilee game in Rotterdam, where he met most of his opponents 45 years after the first rivalry games between the two nations.
Best pitchers awarded by the various World Port Tournament editions were Dutch Harry Koster (1989), Eelco Jansen (1995), Orlando Stewart (1999) and Leon Boyd (2007) and Cubans Jose Darcourt (1985 and 1987), Vicyohandri Odelin (2001) and Vladimir Hernandez (2003). Cubans recognized as tournament’s MVP were Rolando Verde (1985), Orestes Kindelan (1997) and Yosvani Peraza (2007). As MVP 1991 Barry Petrachenko helped Canada to a finale spot that year and so did American Brian Kowitz for Baltimore in 1989. Only American MVP to drive his team to final victory was Ryan Turner as member of the MLB All Stars in 1993. Dutch MVP were Jeffrey Cranston (1995), Mike Hofer combined with Robert Eenhoorn (1999), Dirk van’t Klooster (2001) and Raily Legito (2003).
Pim van Nes
Baseball writer for
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