Pelicans Pitcher Jasvir Rakkar to Represent Canada in Pan Am Games - July 5, 2015
July 5, 2015 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Myrtle Beach Pelicans News Release
Myrtle Beach Pelicans Pitcher Jasvir Rakkar
(Myrtle Beach Pelicans)
ZEBULON, N.C. (JULY 5, 2015) -- The Canadian Olympic Committee and Baseball Canada announced this week that Myrtle Beach Pelicans right-handed pitcher Jasvir Rakkar has been selected to represent the Canadian National Baseball Team at the 2015 Toronto Pan American Games in Ajax, Ontario. The baseball tournament will run from July 11-19. Rakkar, a native of North York, Ontario, Canada, joins a roster of 23 other professional Canadian baseball players for the tournament and the Americas Baseball Festival, which begins Sunday in Cary, North Carolina.
Rakkar, 24, has fired 30.0 innings from the Pelicans' bullpen this year, establishing a 2.40 ERA with 24 strikeouts and seven walks in the course of 23 games this season, the second-most appearances on the team despite beginning the year with Class-A South Bend where he appeared in the three games prior to a promotion to Myrtle Beach on April 19. In his fourth professional season, the right-hander has also saved 10 games this season, which ties him for the second-most in the Carolina League and ranks him second among all Cubs minor leaguers.
This will be Rakkar's first appearance as a representative for Canada in the Games. Similar to the Olympics, the Pan American Games run every four years. Canada is the defending gold medal champion, having defeated Team USA, 2-1, in Guadalajara, Mexico, in 2011. Teams from the United States, Canada, Colombia, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, and Puerto Rico will compete in a round robin-style tournament. After the two semifinal rounds, teams will compete in separate bronze medal and gold medal games on Sunday, July 19. A schedule for the baseball tournament can be found by clicking here.
The Canadian Mens National Baseball Team will also compete at the Americas Baseball FestivalJuly 5-8 in Cary, North Carolina, leading up to the Pan American Games.
The Pan American Games baseball tournament will be held at President's Choice Ajax Pan Am Ballpark, in Ajax, Ontario, approximately 28 miles northeast of Toronto. Rakkar's hometown of North York is a northern suburb of Toronto, just seven miles from downtown.
Complete team rosters will carry 24 players. Three pitchers for this year's squad have already withdrawn, making room for Rakkar to be added. Eleven players on the roster have Major League experience. The initial Team Canada roster can be found here.
The Pan American Games are a major athletic event, with more than 10,000 athletes representing countries across North, South, and Central America. Events range from basketball, golf, and soccer, to bowling, handball, and squash. The event will also premier the first international multi-sport Games women's baseball tournament. A full list of events can be found here.
While Rakkar is away from the team, he will be on the temporary inactive list. The Pelicans roster is now at 24 active players, which is one below the Carolina League limit, and includes seven players on the disabled list and one, Rakkar, on the inactive list.
The Birds continue their road trip on Sunday with a 6:00 p.m. ET meeting with the Carolina Mudcats at Five County Stadium in Zebulon, North Carolina.
The Pelicans return home on Tuesday to open a six-game homestand at TicketReturn.Com Field at Pelicans Ballpark. Myrtle Beach welcomes the Winston-Salem Dash for three games July 7-9 and the Carolina Mudcats on July 10-12.
The 2015 season marks the 17th season for the Pelicans franchise and first as the Class A-Advanced affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. For information on tickets to see the Pelicans in 2015, please call (843) 918-6000, e-mail info@myrtlebeachpelicans.com, or visit www.MyrtleBeachPelicans.com.
Images from this story
 Myrtle Beach Pelicans Pitcher Jasvir Rakkar |
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