The Blue Jays game 7 loss is still a little too raw for me to attempt to do any sort of writing about it, but I will at least say how proud I am of the team for winning a pennant. The team is incredibly likeable and I really hope that they’re able to run it back next year.
Now on to the Adelaide Giants of the Australian Baseball League. Adelaide will be the first of four Giants teams I write about here (Ottawa, Yomiuri, Busan Lotte, Adelaide).
Their season kicks off 9 days from now (Eastern Canada time) against the Perth Heat. Adelaide finished 2nd in the league last season going 23/17 and Perth finished 3rd with a 20/20 record. Perth also knocked Adelaide out of the playoffs in two straight games.
The Adelaide Giants are once again taking on some players from Nippon Professional Baseball’s Yomiuri Giants.
19 year old Infielder Yusei Ishizuka who spent last season in the Japanese Eastern League, making 55 appearances and going .327/.432/.891
22 year old 1B/3B Yu Aramaki who made his NPB debut for Yomiuri going .296/.377/.747
21 year old LHP Yamato Shiroki Shiroki spent last season in the Japanese Eastern League picking up a 2.57 ERA, 6 strikeouts and 3 walks in 14 innings.
21 year old RHP Tomoki Tamura pitched 41.2 innings for the Giants in the Japanese Eastern League and the Kufu Hayate Ventures Shizuoka in the Japanese Western League. He had a 4.32 ERA, giving up 43 hits, 14 walks and striking out 20.
Nick Ward returns to the Giants after spending the offseason with the independent Lancaster Stormers of the Atlantic League. He went .329/.407/.552 in 105 games played.