Orlando Yntema – back from hospital – one inning so far

The Dominican born right handed pitcher Orlando Yntema (31) returned from World Baseball Classic with health problems to the Netherlands: the native country of both his father and his son.

At first he was treated for a virus in his residence city Amsterdam, but he did not recover satisfactorily. Then his baseball club Curacao Neptunus intervened and arranged for a second check in reputed Haven Ziekenhuis (Port Hospital) in Rotterdam. Here a tumor in his thyroid gland was diagnosed and another treatment started, while his club competed in national Hoofdklasse and in European Champions Cup.

Last Saturday July 29, in Neptunus away game versus Pickles UVV, starting pitcher Yntema made his first appearance in this season with the intention of about 20 pitches only. He allowed a single and a walk, but no run thanks to a strike-out, a fly-out and a force-out grounder, conserving his teammates 2-0 lead in the first inning.

One inning was a great job for this frequent complete games pitcher, who came back from the deepest crisis of his career. His baseball talents brought him from Dominican Republic to USA, Italy and the Netherlands. A few months ago he was not expected to come back to his team before the end of 2017 season.

http://baseballua.com/2017/08/03/orlando-yntema-back-from-hospital-one-inning-so-far/ 

“The Pride of the Yankees” by Samuel Wood

Recently, a famous American writer Richard Sandomir has published a book based on the movie “The Pride of the Yankees” by Samuel Wood. So we decided to remind you the origin story.

“The Pride of the Yankees” is a 1942 American film produced by Samuel Goldwyn, directed by Sam Wood, and starring Gary Cooper, Teresa Wright, and Walter Brennan. It is a tribute to the legendary New York Yankees first baseman Lou Gehrig, who died only one year before its release, at age 37, from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, which later became known to the lay public as "Lou Gehrig's disease".

Though subtitled "The Life of Lou Gehrig", the film is less a sports biography than an homage to a heroic and widely loved sports figure whose tragic and premature death touched the entire nation. It emphasizes Gehrig's relationship with his parents (particularly his strong-willed mother), his friendships with players and journalists, and his storybook romance with the woman who became his "companion for life," Eleanor. Details of his baseball career—which were still fresh in most fans' minds in 1942—are limited to montages of ballparks, pennants, and Cooper swinging bats and running bases, though Gehrig's best-known major league record—2,130 consecutive games played—is prominently cited.

Yankee teammates Babe Ruth, Bob Meusel, Mark Koenig, and Bill Dickey play themselves, as does sportscaster Bill Stern. The film was adapted by Herman J. Mankiewicz, Jo Swerling, and an uncredited Casey Robinson from a story by Paul Gallico, and received 11 Academy Award nominations.

http://baseballua.com/2017/08/03/the-pride-of-the-yankees-by-samuel-wood/

US Embassy donates sports equipment to the Baseball and Softball Association of Ghana

The Embassy of the Unites States of America presented a set of bats, gloves and baseballs to the Ghana Baseball and Softball Association, in order to help them organize the participation of their National Teams in International competitions.

“This donation will help development of baseball in Ghana” said Jamiu Salami, the Head Coach of the National Teams.

He added that baseball and softball mean a lot to Ghana’s sport program and express desire for a more proficient cooperation with the USA Embassy.

http://baseballua.com/2017/08/03/us-embassy-donates-sports-equipment-to-the-baseball-and-softball-association-of-ghana/

European Championship B-Pool Miejska Gorka Lithuania beats Russia to claim 1st Place

Lithuania has won the European Championship B-Pool in Miejska Gorka, Poland.

On Saturday they defeated Russia 8-3 in the championship game. A five-run fifth laid the groundwork for the win. Andrius Polikaitis hit a home run and drove in three. Marius Balandis struck out eight in 7 1/3 innings for the win. Denis Leonov got charged with the loss.

Final Standings:

http://baseballua.com/2017/08/02/european-championship-b-pool-miejska-gorka-lithuania-beats-russia-to-claim-1st-place/

European Championship B-Pool Belgrade: Final

After four unsuccessful tries Austria finally won a European Championship B-Pool with a 12-2 win over Israel in the final of the tournament in Belgrade, Serbia.

Austria, Lithuania won European Championship B-Pool

Austria and Lithuania won the European Baseball Championships B-Pool 2017. Now they are going to compete for a spot in the 2019 European Baseball Championship.

In Belgrade on Saturday the 29th, July, Austria took the best of Israel 12-2, finishing the week with a 5-1 record while Lithuania stuned Russia with a big 5-run fifth in Miejska Gorka, Poland, to win its first B-Pool event ever.

Already qualified teams for the 2019 Euro Baseball are Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, The Netherlands, Spain and Sweden.

http://baseballua.com/2017/08/01/austria-lithuania-won-european-championship-b-pool/

Minnesota Twins release Dutch RHP Matz Schütte

The Minnesota Twins have released Dutch right-handed pitcher Matz Schütte. The 19-year-old played three season in affiliated minor league ball, all three in the Gulf Coast League.

This year he made six appearances before seeing his contract getting terminated. Overall he had an ERA of 4.11 in 33 games with 36 strikeouts and 23 walks in 61 1/3 innings. The past two winters he also was part of Team Europe during the Asia Winter League.

http://baseballua.com/2017/08/01/minnesota-twins-release-dutch-rhp-matz-schutte/