POMONA, Calif. - With fall training coming to an end for Cal Poly Pomona baseball, Broncos' assistant coach
Jimmy Ramos has traveled across the globe to represent the game internationally at the World Baseball Classic.
Selected to be the manager of the Philippines National Team, Ramos will lead the squad into its first qualifying game on Wednesday with a 7:30 p.m. PST first pitch against Thailand. The game will be held at Xinzhuang Stadium in New Taipei City, Taiwan and will be broadcasted on MLB Network. Fans can also watch a free, live stream of the game at
worldbaseballclassic.com.
As a member of qualifying group 4, the Philippines team will look to advance past New Zealand, Thailand and Chinese Taipei for a spot in next year's tournament held at different sites such as Japan, Taiwan, Puerto Rico and Arizona.
Ramos has been part of the Broncos' coaching staff for 29 years. The players know him as “Kimo” and after 41 years of coaching you can still find him sprinting out to the first base box every single inning.
Having played for legendary coach John Scolinos, Ramos still holds his ideals dear to his heart.
“Coach Scolinos used to say 'surround yourself with good people,' and I follow that motto everyday,” Ramos says.
Ramos has been a Major League Baseball envoy coach for 12 years and has gone to Australia, New Zealand, Mongolia, Japan, China, Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines putting on clinics and helping develop the game of baseball. This will be his first time coaching at the World Baseball Classic.
Arriving in Taiwan just days before the first qualifying game, Ramos will only have a few days to be with his team before competition. Thankfully, the native Filipino players have been working out together for months, vying for spots on the final roster.
When asked about the strengths of his team, Ramos said: “It's a different style of play. We will have to play more small ball… bunting, stealing bases. We can't wait for a the long ball like they do in the U.S.”
This year marks the first trip to the World Baseball Classic qualifying stage for the Philippines National Team, which is ranked 34th globally.
“The players are excited to play on a national stage," Ramos said. "It is a big step in the development of baseball in that region.”
