NOS Sport••Amended
Former baseball player Sidney de Jong, captain at the golden World Cup, died at the age of 46
Former baseball international Sidney de Jong has died suddenly at the age of 46. The Dutch Baseball Association has confirmed this. “A legend on the field and a very warm and loved person off it,” the association writes.
De Jong played as a catcher for the Kingdom team and later also worked as a coach. He made his debut for the Dutch team in 2001, with which he became European champion four times.
At the 2011 World Cup, as captain of the Dutch baseball team, he was an important link in achieving the historic title for Dutch baseball. After the world title he was appointed Knight in the Order of Orange-Nassau. He participated in the Olympic Games twice, in 2004 and 2008, and twice in the World Baseball Classic.
‘Made sure everyone stayed together’
“He was an established player, a veteran, who set the tone and made sure everyone stayed together,” says former baseball coach Charles Urbanus about that period. “He was the leader of a Dutch team that performed extremely well.”
Urbanus: ‘When it really mattered, Sidney was always there’
Urbanus had De Jong under his wing as coach of Amsterdam Pirates: “He may not have been much of a training animal, he may have hated training, but in matches you knew he was going to pull through.”
“In baseball we call that a clutch player”, continues Urbanus. “When it really mattered, Sidney was always there.”
After winning the World Cup, De Jong, who played 200 international matches, stopped playing baseball. He returned as coach. First as head coach of L&D Amsterdam and later in the technical staff of the Kingdom team. In 2017 he became national coach of the Kingdom team under 23.
This winter, De Jong was in full preparation with the Kingdom team for this year’s World Baseball Classic. Nothing has been released about the cause of death.
Last year we made an Andere Tijden Sport about the 2011 world title:
Other Times Sports: royal Dutch baseball gold in 2011
