News

Most of the 30 Major League Baseball organisations have locked in their 26-man rosters ahead of Opening Day on Friday, leaving 14 players with Australian Baseball League service time in the mix.

Last season’s American League Reliever of the Year Liam Hendriks will be the only Australian on an Opening Day roster while two former Helms Award winners have been named after not being on season-opening rosters for the abbreviated 2020 season.

Former Canberra ABL import Kevin Kiermaier hit his second homer of the World Series and Tampa Bay walked off 8-7 in a wild game four in Arlington.

The Rays and Los Angeles Dodgers combined to score a run in a World Series-record eight straight half-innings ahead of Tampa scoring two runs with two out in the bottom of the ninth to knot the best-of-seven battle.

Former Australian Baseball Leaguers drove in all three of Tampa Bay’s runs in game one of the World Series but it was not enough as the Rays went down 8-3 at Globe Life Field.

Mookie Betts homered in the sixth and sparked the Los Angeles Dodgers with two stolen bases in a decisive four-run fifth inning and Clayton Kershaw limited Tampa to one run on two hits over six innings in a dominant game one start.

Fifteen players with Australian Baseball League service time will be active across Major League Baseball rosters on Opening Day.

All 30 big league organisations have lodged their 30-man Opening Day rosters ahead of the remaining 26 teams starting their 2020 campaigns tomorrow.

Ji-Man Choi became the latest former Australian Baseball League import to blast a walk-off homer, lifting Tampa Bay to a 2-1 win over the New York Yankees at Tropicana Field.

A day after former Canberra import Anthony Alford went deep for his first big league homer as Toronto secured a 15-inning win over Baltimore, it was the past Adelaide star’s turn.

Jake Fraley’s hopes of a win in his MLB debut were dashed as former Canberra import Kevin Kiermaier homered in the bottom of the ninth to spark a comeback victory for Tampa Bay.

Kiermaier’s solo shot – which drove in his fourth run of the night – was followed by a wild pitch which scored a run and lifted the Rays to a 7-6 win over Seattle in a game that featured five ABL players.

Three former ABL stars have featured in MLB’s Top-10 Plays of the Week for the week of 12-19 August.

No surprise to anyone who watched Melbourne Aces games in 2016-17, former Aces outfielder Ronald  Acuña Jr. shows up at No. 9 throwing out New York’s Todd Fraizer who was attempting to score from second base on a single to left field.