Indonesian baseball team spared whitewash

Indonesian baseball team spared whitewash

Associated Press, Manila

Indonesia's baseball team lost to the host team on Tuesday,
but at least they did not suffer the humiliation of Malaysia.

Indonesia went down 5-11 in the same Philippine ballpark that
once welcomed baseball great Babe Ruth and witnessed one of
sport's biggest blowouts on Monday.

The Philippines beat Malaysia 38-0 on Monday in a Southeast
Asian Games preliminary game at Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium,
which was built in 1934 and had the distinction of being visited
by Major League greats Ruth and Lou Gehrig shortly after it
opened.

Ruth and Gehrig were part of an all-star team, which included
Jimmy Foxx, that embarked on an 18-game tour of Asia in 1934.
Ruth and Gehrig's team stopped for a week at the Philippines in
December that year.

Gehrig took bragging rights as the first to hit a home run at
Rizal stadium on Dec. 2. Ruth hit the second home run in the same
game, and another on Dec. 9.

The Philippines put together a mostly collegiate team for the
championships, and judging by early results, will be favorites in
the tournament.

The Philippines scored 22 runs in the second inning and had 24
hits in 4 1-2 innings before the mercy rule was invoked. Pitchers
Joseph Orillana and Roy Baclay combined for a no-hit, no-run
game, with Orillana striking out seven of nine batters he faced.

"I've never seen a game like it, and probably never will
again," tournament executive director Ely Barabas said Tuesday.