Preview: Panama face Netherlands to open WBSC Premier12 action in Mexico

Panama and Netherlands will officially open the WBSC Premier12 2024 presented by RAXUS when they face each other at 1pm local time at Estadio Panamericano Charros de Jalisco, in Guadalajara, Mexico. 

Both managers announced their starting pitchers during the pre-tournament press conference on Friday, with two former big-leaguers taking the mound. Panama's skipper Jose Mayorga will send Jaime Barria; while Netherlands manager Evert Jan ‘t Hoen will give the ball to Shairon Martis.

Barria, a 28-year-old right handed pitcher with six seasons and 134 appearances in MLB, will be one of the main weapons for Panama. Barria has posted a 4.38 ERA pitching for the Los Angeles Angels, and this year he made 19 starts with the Hanwha Eagles of the Korean Baseball Organisation (KBO), posting a 6-7 record and a 5.15 ERA. He pitched for Panama at the World Baseball Classic last year.

Martis is a veteran right-hander with a 6-7 career record at MLB level. In 26 games he pitched 116 innings while striking out 64. He had a 5.35 ERA in his Major League career.

Last year, the two teams faced off at the World Baseball Classic on March 9 2023, with a win for the European squad, 3-1 for Pool A contested in Taichung, Taiwan. Both Barria and Martis were the starters of that game too. Martis was the winning pitcher of the game after pitching 3.1 scoreless innings while giving up three hits and two walks. He struck out four.

Barria was the losing pitcher, after tossing 2.2 innings giving up four hits and one run. The only run he allowed was a homer by Xander Bogaerts in the third inning.

This game represents Panama's historic debut in the Premier12. For the Netherlands, this is their 10th game in the Premier12, carrying a 3-6 overall record. They posted a 3-3 mark in 2015 and went 0-3 in Guadalajara in 2019.