3 days off the plane and I'm back on the mound again with a 2-game exhibition series against the 2009 Dutch Head Class Champions DOOR Neptunus. Saturday's first game didn't go so well. I’m talking 24-2 annihilation by arguably the #1 team in all of Europe. Sunday got off to a better start, we were much closer in the game with a strong outing by a young kid who is a new addition to our team Dennis Burgersomething. Really it's the most difficult Dutch name I've encountered, we have a few new guys on our roster this year, so I hope that I can learn most of their names by the end of the season. Today I pitched two innings in relief against Neptunus in Rotterdam. It was cold. I mean freezing. Going from 30 degrees celcius the last time I pitched in Perth to about 3 degrees here in Holland... everything was tight, everything was cramping, so I just really tried to get my pitches going, my arm warmed up, and tried not to hurt myself.
This is the top team in the league and I did quite well. 2 innings pitched, and the first one I got two quick outs when there was a pop up to LF that was missed, a ground ball in between SS and 3B, then on the starting shortstop from the national team I threw a 2 strike slider that was topped down the 3B line and our 3B let the ball roll, hoping it was going to just veer foul but it stayed on the line and he reached first base safely. This was followed by a walk, and then a single that scored 2 runs who should have never been on. I got the third out and came into the dugout to be told I was at my 40 pitch count. Now I've never been to over reliant on pitch counts, I'm a rhythym pitcher. I tend to get better, and looser, the more pitches I throw and originally I told our pitching coach, I could go 40-50, so I said, well I'm starting to feel good now, how about 10 more. He said "okay, just 10 and then I'm coming to get you." I came back for the next inning got two groundballs on 5 pitches, then struck out former Major Leaguer and currently one of the top players on the Dutch National team Eugene Kingsdale with some heat on the oustide corner. That made my day. I think I gave up the least amount of runs the weekend for our team...but it was only exhibition and we were playing without our starting SS, in transit from Australia, Mitch Graham, without our starting DH Churandy la Cruz, without our young stud lefty pitcher Jim Ploeger, and was throwing to a brand new catcher, Jurien Overman, since my guy from last year Giovanni Samboe is taking it easy on the catching duties this spring training.
Strange Dutch Experience of the Day: (after using the facilities at DOOR Neptunus stadium in Rotterdam)
Why aren’t there soap dispensers in most toilet areas-(bathrooms as we call it)? Very unsanitary folks.
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