Xu itching to represent China in Majors

SARASOTA, Fla. — It was drizzling on Itchy Xu’s head, and a dark rain cloud accompanied the thunder over Ed Smith Stadium. Xu paid no attention to it. Instead, he smiled as he played catch with the teenage son of one of the Gulf Coast League Orioles’ coaches. Next to him, shortstop Alexis Torres joked with him by chanting “Itchy, Itchy” over and over.

Gui Yuan “Itchy” Xu is just one of the guys playing rookie ball here. Like the 34 others on the roster, he watches Orioles games at Camden Yards on television, allowing himself to briefly escape reality and think of what it’d be like for him to take that field.

But unlike his teammates, and unlike every other player in professional baseball, Xu is from China, which has yet to send an athlete to the Major Leagues. Xu is their lone pro ball representative.

“The P.E. coach, he just led me to the baseball team,” Xu said, speaking of his 10-year-old self. “That’s the first time I touched a baseball. I don’t know what it is. I just continued to play, I just fell into it. Just crazy for baseball every day.”

When he joined the Orioles organization, Xu told his coaches and teammates he wanted to be called “Ichiro.” It was to honor the Japanese star-turned-Major Leaguer who was Xu’s childhood hero and fellow …

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