SEA GAMES | THE BLU BOYS WIN GOLD

The Philippines just won the gold medal in baseball, thanks in large part to Romeo Jasmin’s insanely accurate pitching.

At least for the first five innings, he was lights out.

But by the sixth, fatigue started to creep in, and the Thais took advantage with a string of long balls. Their defense also tightened up, and they pulled off several double plays.

Still, Jasmin held on all the way until the middle of the ninth before finally giving way.

Then Ace De Guzman came in, flashed his hand signals, and shut the door with back-to-back strikeouts to seal the 5–3 win.

For me, Erwin Bosito was the workhorse on offense with two hits and two runs. Jennald Pareja, John Reymond Vargas, and Mark Beronilla each added a run as well. Sure, the Thai pitchers helped us a bit since they gave up freebies through walks, but that is also why I think the Philippines is simply the better baseball team. Jasmin was throwing crisp pitches right into catcher Mark Steven Manaig’s mitt while the Thais had trouble controlling theirs. At one point, the Blu Boys got two free bases because the pitches were too wild. Their defense also looked shaky. Yes, the Philippines misplayed three deep hits that Thailand converted, but the Thais also botched throws to first base and even let a routine fly ball drop because no one called for it.

This was my first time watching a full SEA Games baseball game. I barely understood 90 percent of what the announcer was saying, but it helped that my baseball IQ has grown over time thanks to my love for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The biggest problem for Philippine baseball is exposure. People love to say there is no height or size advantage in baseball, but come on, have you seen Shohei Ohtani? Vladimir Guerrero? Even Jasmin, who has that Babe Ruth-ish build, is packed with muscle. The guy was throwing monster pitches for almost nine innings, and that is not something an average-sized athlete pulls off easily.

When the score was 4 to 0, it felt like Thailand was completely lost. But as the innings went on, they found their rhythm. Our hitters needed Jasmin’s steadiness to counter their late-game surge. And that is why we need to grow baseball more in this country. As of November 2025, we rank 24th in the world and fifth in Asia behind Japan, Chinese Taipei, South Korea, and China. But in a nation filled with basketball courts and, more recently, mobile gaming, we tend to forget that we have always been pretty good at this sport.

That gold medal game was wild. I hope to see more from the Blu Boys, and hopefully, they get the exposure and funding they truly deserve.