A championship full of surprises
What if the championship went completely crazy? Sure, Rouen leading over Montpellier isn’t exactly shocking. But several trends are emerging that could lead to plenty of excitement.
The first is that anyone can beat anyone. Metz, for example, took down the Boucaniers, relying on their two fiery duos, Pastran and Brantley at the plate and Paredes and Paredes on the mound, but also counting on their lower line-up, with two doubles and a crucial RBI by Axel Hansch. Savigny delivered a solid beating to the league leaders, an 8-1 effort backed by another authoritative outing from Coste (just 1 earned run in 5 innings, after shutting out the Barracudas the previous matchday) and a promising relief performance from Orozco, who had been struggling all season.
The second is that there’s a team that fears nothing and seems perfectly determined to cause trouble, to disrupt the established order of French D1. The Béziers Pirates have won 3 of their last 4 games, beating Sénart twice with several weapons. Starting with the very effective pitching of Luis Gonzalez (0.78 ERA over his last 3 games, 32 strikeouts in 23 innings), which allows them to hold their own against any offense. And then this offense that can set the field on fire at any moment, with a new explosion of 18 hits, following the 22 against Savigny or the 19 against Toulouse. No pitching staff enjoys facing the Béziers line-up, where Pilar, Meza, and Torres are having a blast.
The third is that the level remains average, and no one seems to dominate without sharing. Very erratic defenses contribute greatly to this. Another 35 errors this weekend, there were 36 the previous week, 34 just before that (in 6 games) and 50 during the last matchday. The 29 of the 1st matchday and the 20 of the 3rd matchday are exceptions. Any ball put into play can potentially turn into an inside-the-park home run and tip any game. And then the pitching remains concerning. There was an epidemic of hit-by-pitches this weekend: 19 in total, a lot in 8 games, especially since control wasn’t really there: 79 walks were thrown, or 5.8 per 9 innings (the 2024 season average was 4.06). That’s a lot of traffic on the bases, a lot of scoring opportunities, and a chance to turn games around.
The fourth is that we don’t always know what’s happening, and surprises can come at any moment. Thus, Montpellier did without the best pitcher in the league, Vera, and brought in a new Venezuelan arm, Quinonez, in the 9th inning against Toulouse. Sénart brought back Frédéric Hanvi (0 in 6, to be seen) and barely used Lopez on the mound. Savigny announced the signing of a Venezuelan pitcher, Adrian Pena. Rouen did not pitch their ace Bellina. In short, a lot can still happen in the rosters and change the balance of power.
By mixing all this, an uncertain hierarchy, a global level leaving room for uncertainty, changing rosters, we could very well see the standings tighten as the games go on, and a new batch of surprises. No one seems safe from a setback.
There are also brilliant moments in this championship. Thus, Toulouse’s victory over Montpellier, 4-2 in the 2nd game. A brilliant moment because it highlighted an old warrior, Euri Garcia-Martinez, who, at 36, delivered a performance not seen in a long time. He could have been in trouble when, on his second pitch of the game, Brossier sent the ball over the right-field fence. But he kept his composure, kept the Barracudas’ offense off balance for the next 7 innings, and left Garcia-Delgado to finish the job. A huge performance that allowed Toulouse – who had suffered 3 straight losses – to stay in touch with the top of the table. Also notable was Esteban Briones’ grand slam for La Rochelle against Metz. That’s also D1, fun at every moment, not necessarily when you expect it.
F.C.
C.P coverage: P.Davesnes
