CURACAO CONGRATULATES WLADIMIR “COCO” BALENTIEN WITH HIS 56TH AND 57TH HOME RUN
New home run king from Curaçao crowned in Japan
Tokyo Yakult Swallows player Wladimir “Coco” Balentien from the island of Curaçao, a former major leaguer hit his 56th and 57th home runs on Sunday September 15, 2013, breaking the Japanese single-season record set by Sadaharu Oh 49 years ago.
“Former big-league outfielder Wladimir Balentien, Japan’s new single-season home run king with 57 blasts (and counting), has a couple of friends in the Twins’ bullpen. One of them is right-hander Shairon Martis, who comes from the same hometown (Willemstad) on the tiny island of Curacao. Martis was doing a group chat online with Balentien a few weeks ago when he predicted his countryman would break Sadaharu Oh’s 49-year-old record of 55 homers. (…) “I told him to keep hitting them so he can hold the record for even longer,” Martis said. “Everybody is talking about him right now (on Curacao). This is big. Coming from a small island like us — only 150,000 people — everybody is going to Google us to see where Curacao is.” (click here for the source)
Click here for ESPN’s coverage of this story: from Curaçao to super stardom! Home runs 1 – 55: click here. And for home run number 58 click here… バレンティン58号ソロホームラン 記録更新！
BTW, Churandy Martina is also from Curaçao… Curaçao is the Pearl and the Capital of the Caribbean.
Karel Frielink
(17 September 2013)
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Wladimir “Coco” Balentien 選手プロフィール:
生年月日: 1984年7月2日
出身地: オランダ領アンティル
身長・体重: 185cm・100kg
投・打: 右・右
出身校及び球歴: セント・ポール・コーリション高-マリナーズ-レッズ-東京ヤクルト(11～)
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Watch the future: Asoshashon Akademia di Beisbòl Bándabou Tigers (ABBT), establesé na Kòrsou, ta duna entrenamentu na e hubentut ku ke hunga beisbòl, ta organisá evenementonan di beisbòl i ta duna aporte na e hóben hungadónan di beisbòl na kompetenshanan. E hungadónan di beisbòl lo paga un kontribushon chikitu pa esaki. ABBT ta un organisashon no komersial. E sèn generá pa ABBT ta konsistí di e kontribushon menshoná ariba, donashonnan i kontribushon di spònser. ABBT ta aspirá un invershon duradero den e desaroyo humano di e hóbennan hungadó di beisbòl, pero tambe un kontinuidat di su aktividatnan.
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