Liga Baseball Philippines stages maiden amateur tilt

MANILA, Philippines – Liga Baseball Philippines (LBP) successfully launched its inaugural non-commercial amateur tournament over the weekend at the historic Rizal Memorial Coliseum, in cooperation with the Philippine Sports Commission and the Philippine Amateur Baseball Association.  

The tournament is slated to run until August. There are eight participating teams: PK Holdings Thunderz, Katayama Baseball Association, IPPC, UST, Ateneo, NU, Samurai U18 and the Dumaguete Unibikers. 

"These top teams will slug it out in the inaugural LBP 'Tingzon Cup' (titled in honor of the legendary baseball leader Rodolfo Tingzon Sr.), which will showcase high level competition," said LBP chairman Wopsy Zamora.

"All the teams can be a contender for the historic LBP maiden season. Rivalry looms as baseball kibitzers and enthusiasts will surely follow their team from tri-media to social media, and by that time, baseball fans are back at the venue, the historic Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium," added LBP president Pepe Munoz.

For his part, LBP executive director Rodolfo Tingzon Jr. expressed the importance of rivalry in the league with collegiate teams from the UAAP, and the monumental battle every time the two teams owned by locally based Japanese nationals face each other. 

“They're here to help baseball back on its feet with consent from baseball leaders here and in giving opportunities to play in the Japan League while they learn more about the game. The proud Japanese will surely outhit each other every time they meet. Let's bring it on," said Tingzon. 

Spectators were thrilled the opening day games where the PK Holdings Thunderz beat the Dumagete Unibikers, and the Samurai U18 team upset the IPPC Hawks.  

On the second day, UST defeated Ateneo in a much-awaited match up from the previous UAAP baseball season, and the Thunderz beat KBA in a nail-biting game.

With these games the league promises to deliver to everyone a new level of competition, ensuring to gain the interest of all sports afficionados in country. 

LBP is launching Philippine Baseball into a new era, and giving crowds of all ages something to look forward to. This aligns with their goal of bringing back the