By George Farelli

Canadian Baseball Network

Legend has it Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León sailed from Puerto Rico in the 1500s in search of the Fountain of Youth.

He never discovered the fountain but he did discover Florida, claiming Florida for the Spanish Crown.

Jamie Romak set sail (at 35,000 feet) for Korea to play ball ... and he discovered his own Fountain of Youth.

In 2016, Romak (London, Ont.) played with the Yokohama Bay Stars in Japan in 2016. He hit .241 with six doubles, 11 homers, 28 RBIs and an .851 OPS.

He signed with the San Diego Padres and was assigned to triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas. After 25 games (11 homers, 25 RBIs and a 1.192 OPS) at El Paso, he headed to Korea and the SK Wyverns.

Does this sound youthful enough as he knocked down fences:

_ In 2017 playing 102 games he hit .242 with 19 doubles, 31 homers, 64 RBIs and an .898 OPS.

_ The next year he hit .316 with 19 doubles, 43 homers, 107 RBIs and a 1.001 OPS in 141 games.

_ Last season he hit .276 with 28 doubles, a triple, 29 homers, 85 RBIs and an .878 OPS in 137 games.

_ And this season he is hitting .276 with 20 doubles, 22 homers, 65 RBIs with a .902 OPS in 103 games.

And that includes this week which saw him hit .435 (10-for-23), with three homers and seven RBIs, to earn Canadian Baseball Network player of the week for the fourth time. No word if that activates an incentive bonus.

Wyverns lost its ace pitcher Kwang Hyun Kim in the offseason when he signed a two-year contract with the St. Louis Cardinals. Wyverns are managed by former Kansas City Royals skipper Trey Hillman.

In 2010, Romak was promoted to double-A Northwest Arkansas Naturals from the class-A Wilmington Blue Rocks when Mike Moustakas was elevated to triple-A Omaha.

Best Offensive Performances

Player / Class / Team AB R H HR RBI AVG

Jamie Romak - FGN SK Wyverns 23 6 10 3 7 .435

Michael Crouse - IND Chicago 24 3 6 - 1 .250

Wes Darvill - IND Winnipeg 25 4 6 - 3 .240

(Minimum 10 AB’s required)

Best Pitching Performances

Evan Rutckyj Lhp - Fgn Munchen-Haar Disciples

APP IP H R ER BB K W-L SV WHIP WK ERA

1 6.0 5 - - 2 8 1-0 - 1.17 0.00

For the second week in a row Evan Rutckyj had a dominant start for the Disciples. On Sept. 5 in a 7-3 victory over Mainz Athletics he pitched six scoreless innings, giving up five base hits while striking out eight Athletics batters, to earn his third win of the season. His overall record with Munchen-Haar in five Bundesliga pitching appearances is now 3-1 with a 1.96 ERA.

Sam Belisle-Springer Rhp - Fgn Hamburg Stealers

APP IP H R ER BB K W-L SV WHIP WK ERA

1 7.0 6 - - 1 6 1-0 - 1.00 0.00

Sam Belisle-Springer continues to impress in his role as the ace of Hamburg’s staff, and this week the young Montreal native had another excellent start. On Sept. 5th in a 3-2 win over the Paderborn Untouchables he pitched seven scoreless, allowing six base hits and no runs while striking out six Paderborn hitters, for his fourth win of the season. His overall record with the Stealers in five Bundesliga appearances now stands at 4-1 with a 2.24 ERA.

Seasons completed

FGN Swiss Federation - Regular Season ended August 15th

IND Constellation Energy League - Regular Season ended Aug. 30th

Still playing

IND American Association - Regular Season ends Sept. 10th

FGN Austria Federation – Regular Season ends Sept. 13th

FGN German Bundesliga - Regular Season ends Sept. 20th

FGN Korea ( KBO ) – Regular Season ends October 13th

FGN CPBL ( Taiwan ) - Regular Season ends October 14th

FGN Japan Pacific League - Regular Season ends Nov. 7th

Player Moves & Transactions

None

Previous winners

Week XI _ 1B Jamie Romak (London, Ont.) SK Wyverns.

Week X _ LHP Andrew Albers (North Battleford, Sask.) Orix Buffaloes.

Week VIX _ 1B Jamie Romak (London, Ont.) SK Wyverns.

Week VIII _ INF Wes Darvill (Langley, BC) Winnipeg Goldeyes.

Week VII _ INF Wes Darvill (Langley, BC) Winnipeg Goldeyes.

Week VI _ OF Michael Crouse (Port Moody, BC) Chicago Dogs.

Week V _ OF Michael Crouse (Port Moody, BC) Chicago Dogs.

Week IV _ 1B Jamie Romak (London, Ont.) SK Wyverns.

Week III _ OF Michael Crouse (Port Moody, BC) Chicago Dogs.

Week II _ LHP Andrew Albers (North Battleford, Sask.) Orix Buffaloes.

Week I _ 1B Jamie Romak (London, Ont.) SK Wyverns.