A narrow, but justified victory for the Netherlands. That’s how national coach Evert-Jan ‘t Hoen described the first game of the Haarlem Baseball Week against Italy. “This event is important for baseball, for the Netherlands and certainly for Haarlem. The stands were full of enthusiastic people again, that’s what you do it for.”
The thirtieth edition of the Baseball Week started on Friday for the Dutch baseball players with a victory over the Italians (2-1)† Due to corona, the last edition was in 2018 and a year later the World Port Tournament was held in Rotterdam. “This year is the thirtieth edition, so you are talking about an event that has existed for sixty years. A few years ago it was uncertain whether it would take place. That is why I am very happy that it is being held again. It is also nice that strong teams are participating, then we will be well challenged this week. Then it is always nice to start this tournament with a win.”
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It was not going well for Orange, ‘t Hoen also admitted. “It is unnecessary that it was so close, only 2-1. We had enough chances to score more runs, it is a shame we didn’t. Our pitcher Lars Huijer (HCAW ed.) started throwing with difficulty, but recovered well and was sharp. The same was true for Kevin Kelly, who replaced him after five innings. Kelly did a fantastic job afterwards.”
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In the first inning, the Netherlands immediately faced a deficit, but that was quickly wiped out. “It was a turning point that we came right back with two points. It was nice that we didn’t have to fight against the deficit for long. There was still a lot to play, so I wasn’t too worried.”
Final
In conversation with the KNBSB (National Baseball and Softball Association), ‘t Hoen had set the final as its target. “You have to go for that too. It only goes game by game. We play against Cuba on Saturday, they have not yet played. Of course we go for the win again. If you participate in a tournament you always want the final and win. The players have to go for that. Some countries only want to ‘join in’, that’s not what we’re here for.”
On Saturday, the Netherlands will play its second game against Cuba from 7.30 pm.
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