PHL to bank on bullpen to clinch spot in 2013 World Baseball Classic


The Philippines will be banking on a strong pitching staff when it takes on Thailand at the start of the qualifying round of the 2013 World Baseball Classic (WBC) today at the Xinzhuang Stadium in New Taipei City, Taiwan.

The 28-member Philippine team will be reinforced by Filipino-American players from US-based Major League Baseball when they vie for the coveted spot against host Taiwan, Southeast Asian neighbor Thailand and New Zealand in the qualifiers from November 15 to 18 at the Xinzhuang Baseball Stadium in New Taipei.

Taiwan ranked third in Asia, will be the Philippines’ toughest opponent since they are ranked fifth behind two-time WBC champion Japan, South Korea, and China.

Leading the Philippine squad’s bullpen are lefty pitchers Eugene Espineli of seven-time World Series champions San Francisco Giants and Ryuya Ogawa of the Chunichi Dragons in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball.

Head of delegation Tom Navasero said that overall the Philippine team is strong in batting, defense (outfield and infield), and pitching, strengthened by players from various MLB ballclubs.

“We have strong hitters and good pitching staff. Our outfield will be composed of a few Major and Minor league players who were allowed by their mother ballclubs to play,” said Navasero.

“We have the height, we have built and a strong arm. It all starts with one pitch. All we need to do is get base hits and get strikeouts hopefully we can survive this round and advance.”

Most of the Filipino-American players are from the Giants, Chicago White Sox, San Diego Padres, Cleveland Indians, and New York Yankees organizations.

Jim Ramos will be the Philippine team’s manager and will be assisted by Billy Champion, Wilfredo Hidalgo Jr., and Billy Thomas.

Thailand will be reinforced by former Boston Red Sox slugger Johnny Damon, whose mother is of Thai descent, while unranked New Zealand is composed mostly of a young but still dangerous team.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bishop Hagemoen challenges pilgrims to be Prophets of the New Millennium

Image
SASKATOON — As Catholic youth gear up for the 2023 World Youth Day in Lisbon, Portugal, Bishop Mark Hagemoen urged those who participated in the Mount Carmel Pilgrimage Site to embrace their role as prophets of the new millennium. On the Day of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel feast, hundreds of pilgrims gathered at the Mount Carmel Pilgrimage site on Sunday, July 16, to participate in the annual liturgical services, and the day commenced with the recitation of the rosary and Marian hymns, culminating in a concelebrated mass led by Bishop Hagemoen. Bishop Mark Hagemoen During his homily, Bishop Hagemoen echoed the words of Pope Francis, calling on the pilgrims to embrace their prophetic calling and spread God's word to all. He emphasized that each individual, through baptism, has received the gift of Messianic prophecy, becoming a prophet themselves. "The pope says, ‘Each of us, brothers and sisters, is a prophet. In fact, with baptism, let us all receive the gift of the Messian
Read more

Papal visit hopes to repair relationship with Indigenous Peoples

Image
SASKATOON — The Vatican has released the official itinerary of Pope Francis with the pontiff heading straight to Edmonton to make his first visit to Canada to meet with Indigenous Peoples, especially residential school survivors. The Holy Father will leave Rome on July 24, Thursday, at 9:00 a.m. local time and will arrive at the Edmonton International Airport for the official welcome at 11:20 a.m. the same day. Rome is eight hours ahead of Alberta, which follows mountain daylight time. The theme of the papal visit is “Walking Together” which will focus on reconciliation and healing the strained relationship between the Catholic church and Indigenous Peoples, especially the survivors of the abuses caused by attending the Canadian residential school system. Pope Francis’ six-day trip is a combination of public and private events and meetings, especially with Indigenous Peoples. The visit comes after a few months when a historic meeting between First Nations, Inuit and Métis delegates in
Read more

A letter to Tatay

SASKATOON—My father died in February 2018, more than a month after our last vacation in the Philippines where we get to spend Christmas and New Year with our family and friends. I have no idea that would be the last time we would see Tatay alive, the last time he would see my family and spend time with two (Macky and Nathan) of his more than 10 grandchildren, and the last time I would speak to him in person and my last time to mano before heading to the airport the early morning of Jan. 9, 2018. He died while we were back on Saipan, thousands of kilometres away east of the Philippines; while I was busy covering House and Senate sessions at the CNMI Legislature or busy hounding the governor about a local or federal issue, and while I was working on an island surrounded by the ocean in the Western Pacific. I haven't mentioned this to anyone—and I'm not sure if Nanay or my sister who was then taking care of him remembers this—but I got furious at him when we talked on the ph
Read more