PHOTO COURTESY: PHILIPPINE SPORTSWRITERS ASSOCIATION
KEANNA WREN
Coach Sagisi: “We are trying to elevate baseball here in the PH”
After flourishing at the Baseball Federation of Asia (BFA) East Asia Men’s Baseball Cup last year, higher stakes are on the table as the Philippine men’s baseball team hopes for a repeat act when they commence their campaign when the country hosts the 14th East Asia Baseball Cup slated October 28 to November 3 at Clark, Pampanga.
According to Philippine Amateur Baseball Association (PABA) president Chito Loyzaga, the nation is rarely given the chance to organize an event of this nature; the previous one was held in 1995, or about thirty years ago. For this reason, the Philippines is making sure that everything is ready for the occasion.
“The BFA really wanted us to host a cup. It's almost 30 years since we last hosted a baseball tournament. Not, of course, counting the Southeast Asian games,” said Loyzaga in Tuesday’s Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex.
“When we hosted Southeast Asian games, we always had baseball. But from the BFA perspective, the last hosting, which was in 1995, so they were requesting if we could, and we did a nice presentation to them, and they were happy, and they awarded the hosting to us. And this only happened in the month of May of this year,” he added.
A fruitful outcome will invigorate their participation in the Asian championships, which will provide them an opportunity to qualify for the world championships.
“I didn't travel all the way from the United States to come to the Philippines to come in second place,” said Vince Sagisi, head coach of the Philippines men’s baseball team.
“So, most definitely we are putting together a quality group of baseball players here in the Philippines that's going to compete for many championships. Not just the East Asia Cup, but also in 2025. That's the goal. We're trying to elevate baseball here in the Philippines,” added the former scout of Texas Rangers and Cleveland Guardians.
In a country where basketball and volleyball culturally reign supreme as the sport of choice and entertainment, leagues are introducing a new brand of sports that are not usually prevalent and patronized by Filipino communities.
Sagisi also added that they are bringing in a different perspective. Despite being traditionally the powerhouse of Southeast Asia, the country’s national team aims to be the next great baseball team who can compete against teams from Japan, China, and Korea.
Modifying a system that was already established for quite some time could overwhelm a team, but not for baseball players Clarence Caasalan and Agon de Vera, who also graced the forum.
“We focused on our goal in our preparation. At first, our head coach changed, but we took it as a new subject. We became open-minded, and it was a challenge for us. We followed his instructions. For us, it was effective, and it was a big help for us,” shared Caasalan in Filipino.
With baseball being included back in the calendar of sports of the Los Angeles 2028 Summer Olympics, Loyzaga expressed that it is situated at the back of their heads as their main focus is with the 2026 Asian Games.
“That's four years down the road. But before perhaps we look at 2028, there is one other tournament that we are looking forward to, which is the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya,” said Loyzaga.
“So, I believe that we will prepare for that, and I believe we will participate in that. And I guess we can talk more about LA perhaps after the Nagoya stint.”
Countries participating in the qualifier event for the Asian Championship this year are Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Cambodia, and Hong Kong. Only the top two teams will advance to the big game — the Asian Championship.
