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March 9, 2006

Prospectus Today

Passion

by Joe Sheehan

“Hey, do you know who South Africa’s closer is?”

“Huh?”

“We’re about to find out.”

I had that exchange with Rany Jazayerli Tuesday night around 10 p.m. Arizona time, when I thought I was about to witness the greatest upset in baseball history. The Republic of South Africa’s team, consisting largely of amateurs from a nation with no professional baseball, had just taken an 8-7 lead over Canada, maybe the seventh- or eighth-best national team in the world. A team that would go something like 4-158 in a full season of play among the World Baseball Classic teams was three outs away from being 1-0.

It wasn’t to be, as RSA’s lack of pitching depth hurt them. (I joked that South Africa couldn’t have a closer because they’d never had a lead in the ninth, which isn’t far from the truth.) A triple and a double on back-to-back pitches tied the game, and Canada went on to score three more runs for an 11-8 win. It was fairly entertaining watching them celebrate in the ninth, so excited to beat a team that might have trouble reaching the postseason in a quality high-school conference.

They’ve been playing baseball in South Africa for more than a century, but the game hasn’t developed deep roots. Most of the players on the national team play in local leagues, what we might equate to Men’s Adult Baseball League baseball here in the States. Their roster includes a number of teenagers, and just six players who have professional experience. Losing 11-8 while holding two leads (4-3 as well) during the game, is arguably the second-biggest achievement in the nation’s baseball history, after a win at the 2000 Olympics.