Japan and the Netherlands have already qualified for the four-team, single-elimination championship round of the 2017 World Baseball Classic (scores, schedule, standings) that starts March 20 in Dodger Stadium. That’s good news for the upstart Dutch, of course. Here’s more good news ...
Kenley Jansen said he is going to pitch for the Netherlands in the next round of the WBC.
— Andy McCullough (@McCulloughTimes) March 15, 2017
Yep, Dodgers lockdown closer and Curacao native Kenley Jansen will be available to Team Netherlands in the next round of play. That’s huge, of course, especially considering that Jansen earlier this month indicated he wouldn’t participate in the WBC this time around. The 28-year-old Jansen is of course one of the best relievers in all of baseball. For his career, he’s pitched to a 2.20 ERA (169 ERA+) across parts of seven big-league seasons, and along the way he’s struck out a remarkable 39.8 percent of opposing batters. In related matters, Jansen’s cutter is one of the single best pitches in the game today.
Aside: Let’s not forget that Jansen back in 2009 made his WBC debut ... as a catcher.
