THE PHILIPPINES smothered Hong Kong (HK), 9-2, on Sunday to complete a sweet sweep of the East Asia Baseball Cup and a spectacular five-peat feat in the event at The Villages Sports Center in Clark, Pampanga.
Romeo Jasmin was the Filipinos’ deliverance as he allowed just one-run in the first six innings that helped set the tone before catcher Mark Manaig belted a three-run homer that lit the decisive five-run eighth inning.
The crown underscored the country’s dominance of the biennial event after reigning supreme for the fifth straight time in the edition presented by Smart, PLDT Home and the Philippine Sports Commission.
“It’s a sense of relief, honestly,” said Philippines manager Vince Sagisi, a former Cleveland Indians scout who took the challenge to coach the country where he was born to honor his Filipino parents.
“Anytime you play a tournament of this magnitude in your home country, there’s a lot of expectations. So the eventual winning of the championship, it’s almost a relief,” he added.
The championship sealed the nation a spot to next year’s Asian Championships next year.
Mr. Jasmin was eventually named MVP for his heroics.
He was nothing short of magnificent on this one after he yielded just a run on four hits and fanned out four batters, and, in the fourth inning with the bases loaded, escaped with a double play that helped quashed Hong Kong’s attempt to turn things around in its favor.
Up by just two, 4-2, Mr. Manaig blasted away with that three-run homer that nailed the coffin of the Hong Kong batters to the delight of the good-sized weekend crowd that went home with smiles on their faces.
Thailand took the bronze by edging Singapore, 11-10, in the tournament also supported by San Miguel Foods, Clark Development Corp., Pythos Technologies, Metro Pacific Tollways, Meralco, MWell, Genesis, Kenko, SSK, Brett, Carmen’s Best, Cogent, and CEDC. — Joey Villar