Baseball makes memorable Dubai debut in All-Star Showcase

It was bat against ball, but not as we knew it. Professional baseball made its debut in the region on Friday night at a cricket stadium in Dubai Sports City that had been specially reappointed for two nights only.

A decent-sized crowd came to watch the opening night of Baseball United’s All-Star Showcase. It was evenly split between those who couldn’t believe what they were seeing and those who couldn’t really understand what they were seeing.

There were the baseball diehards who were reveling in having their favourite pastime played out in front of them for the first time in the Middle East.

They were appreciating Bartolo Colon, the 50-year-old starting pitcher and four-time MLB all-star, dusting off some of his old hits.

They also might have been wondering if the sight of eight-time all-star Robinson Cano making a comeback on a playing field in the desert was just a mirage.

And then there were those who were trying to figure out why the umpires weren’t signaling four when the ball hit the fence. And trying to work out what precisely the pitcher was aiming for.

And also how they had such a good view of the action. It has been said by baseball fans that there are no good seats at cricket, essentially because all the action happens a good 70 metres away from the front row.

On Friday night, the majority of spectators were sat behind – or at least close enough - to home plate. They could feel the whizz of a fastball and the swish of the bat far more intimately than in cricket.

Some were closer still to the action. A few metres outside the foul lines on either side of the field were “cabanas” from where spectators could have a meal while watching the game.

Kash Shaikh, the founder of Baseball United, had promised to