Still plenty of close calls, standings that aren’t clearing up, games decided by a single run—we’re loving this 2024 championship!
Welcome to France
Air traffic controllers’ strike didn’t stop many players returning from across the Atlantic to bolster rosters, often with success. It’s great, as it raises the level. But it’s also a shame, if you only look at the purely sporting aspect of the championship, as these reinforcements won’t be around by the end of the season. It’s the slightly negative effect of having so many players in the USA (which, in itself, is obviously excellent for French baseball) causing a certain weakening of the top division’s level.
Let’s see how this played out club by club.
Metz: José Paul quickly proved himself with a double in the 3rd inning, extending the Cometz lead to 3-0. That was his only solid hit of the day (1 in 9). Used in the 5th spot then the 4th, he adds depth to Metz’s line-up. We’ll also look forward to seeing him on the mound.
Toulouse: Baptiste Blancot (1 in 6) played the field and caught, giving Randy Perez defensive solutions. He can play an interesting role at the bottom of the line-up.
Sénart: Tanguy Meurant was a bit in the shadow of his brother at Cochise. He took all the spotlight for his return in the colors of the Templiers, with 5 hits including a home run. It was a bit more complicated for Pierre Doat (0 in 7). Mathis Nayral was a bit below what we can expect from him (3 earned runs in 5 innings). But Sénart is a much more dangerous team with these three reinforcements. It was more complicated for Valentin Blanc-Jouvain who only lasted a third of an inning and gave up 4 runs.
Montpellier: The Barracudas’ offensive line-up gained serious muscle with the returns of Maël Zan, one of France’s best hitters, and Julien Monks. They combined for 8 hits. Luc Polit brings solutions to the bullpen, which remains a weak point for the Barracudas in the absence of Couvreur.
Where Did the Cougars Go?
We could have hoped that the returns of Coopman and Soliveres would do some good for the Cougars’ struggling offense, but the punishment was two more losses to Montpellier. We need to stop for a moment on the case of Yorfrank Lopez. He has an earned run average of 0.60, has struck out 30 in 30 innings, with a batting average against of .196… But he has a record of 0-0. The reason is simple: when he pitches, he gets almost no support from his offense: 0.90 runs per 9 innings. As long as the bats of Montigny (also struggling in the JFL match) don’t wake up, the situation won’t improve for the Cougars, who are already off the pace in the standings and in a really perilous situation regarding survival. The flamboyant 2023 edition of the Cougars, for now, belongs to the past.
Ink Bottle
Toulouse kept the championship lead, pulling through a logistically difficult away game in Metz, without Perdomo and Laot on the mound. But not without taking a severe 0-10, reminding us that the Stade can sometimes collapse (remember the 4-19 against Rouen). But also, not without winning 8-7 in the second game, reminding us that Toulouse is 6 for 6 in one-run games. With just 4 small games separating the 1st and 7th places, the suspense remains total. Montpellier has shifted up a gear since the Challenge de France, Sénart has forgotten its poor start to the season (0-4 then 4-2), La Rochelle is dangerous at any moment, Savigny is showing its power, Metz continues to surprise, Rouen is hanging in there without convincing, but without cracking… We won’t risk any predictions about the 4 teams that could qualify for the semi-finals, and every match will be important until the end of the season.
Too Many Gaps
It’s not easy to build a schedule. You have to plan days for postponed matches, take into account the French team and the All-Star Game, fit in the Challenge de France, not forget the summer break, inherent in the organization of French society. It’s a shame, by the way, not to play in the summer, the best season for baseball, but well, that’s how it is. But the problem with all these constraints is that the championship has gaps. That it’s not a real soap opera, for which we get passionate from one Sunday to the next, with regular appointments that offer media visibility and facilitate the public’s attendance. This season got off to a good start, with 5 consecutive matchdays. But then, a 3-week break, then another of 15 days. We then find 4 consecutive matchdays, then nothing between July 21 and September 1 (except for two postponed matches). As a result, the season will end on the weekend of October 26-27, which is risky weather-wise. We’ll be 7 months into the season after the first matchday, which is a lot for a championship with 8 teams. It would be good for everyone’s interest to try to tighten up these deadlines a bit.
The Podiums
Pitching
- Elliot Ten Eyck (Metz). He had been used with great caution until now, hardly exceeding one turn of the line-up. But Shane Priest left his young starter for 5 innings, during which he shut out the leader’s offense, giving up only 2 hits. The best outing of his career.
- Esteban Prioul (Rouen). The only pitcher of the day to last 7 innings. He fought to keep his team in the game despite a defense that let him down (5 errors), finishing with just 1 run allowed, 3 hits, 2 walks, 4 strikeouts. Solid.
- Jefferson Escorcha (La Rochelle). He didn’t have an easy task, with a lot of traffic on the bases, but he managed to keep his team in the game until the 9-run explosion in the 7th inning.
Batting
- Tanguy Meurant (Sénart). What a return! 5 in 9, 3 RBIs, a home run, an important RBI right in the first inning of game 1, he eclipsed his teammate Hrytischvilli and his grand slam…
- Maxence Esteban (La Rochelle). 4 RBIs for a first hitter, that’s not so common, even less with only 2 hits. The Boucaniers’ leadoff set the tone in game 2 against Sénart.
- Eloi Baisse-Depontieu (Toulouse). The very young Stade Toulousain leadoff confirmed his excellent start to the season with a solid performance of 5 in 9 and an RBI.
Photo Credits: Jeremie Valette, Fréderic Launay and Clubs
