If a Baseball TV France reader predicted all 8 results from the opening round of the French D1 championship, they should contact the editorial team—we might have a chief tipster position for them! In a French baseball scene not known for parity or surprises, there were a few earthquakes last Sunday. Here’s a roundup of the key highlights from a very promising season opener.
So, these JFLs?
First, the numbers. In 2023, during the opening round, the JFL (who weren’t called that yet) pitched 49 innings, while the non-JFLs pitched 89 2/3. This season, the JFLs had the ball for 79 innings, while the non-JFLs had 68 1/3.
Initial observation: it’s working. French pitchers have more responsibilities, and teams have adapted. We saw very young pitchers, including the rising star Ben Couvreur (16 years, 9 months), but also E. Davy (16 years, 2 months), N. Chevet (15 years, 6 months), L. Perrois (17 years, 3 months), H. Py (15 years, 6 months)… The next generation is on the way, not forgetting the Loats, E. Brelle, and others like Launay who aren’t that old.
Did the JFL rule impact the overall results? Not necessarily, even though some teams had to work around it, like the Barracudas who only gave the JFL the 7 regulation innings, while others took bolder risks, like Metz (more on that below). It’s in the long term that we’ll truly judge the rule’s effectiveness, how teams adapt, and trust their young arms in tough situations. For now, it’s encouraging.
What a Debut!
Montpellier and Metz had faced each other 10 times before last Sunday. 10 wins for the Barracudas, 80 runs scored against 15, and only once in 10 games did Metz score more than 2 points. Needless to say, the trend favored the French champions. But bold pitching (they dared to give the ball to Elliot Ten Eyck, not yet 20 years old, with a 12.63 ERA in D1, but 3 superb innings to start) and exceptional defense made the difference. We won’t forget Antoine Takezawa’s two decisive assists, one in the 6th inning to retire Pontiac in the 3rd on a Kovacs fly ball, and even more the game-saving play in the 9th inning to retire former Metz player Sigiura at home plate and prevent the tying run on a Brossier single. Metz turned three double plays, benefited from a dominant top of the lineup (3 hits for Victorien Roze, in particular), and fully deserved their victory by showing great character in not giving in and climbing back in the 8th inning. The final score of the 2nd game (1-6) doesn’t do justice to their level of play, as only a late lapse gave that margin to the deficit, while the Lorrainers still led 1-0 after 5 innings.
Welcome to the Newcomers
Recruiting is always a tricky business. The Rouennais know this well, having failed in this exercise last year but seemingly hitting the mark this season. They’re very solid at the plate with Defries, Smith, and Masson, and on the mound with a promising Igami. However, they’ll need to prove themselves against tougher opposition, as the Templiers’ Japanese trio didn’t really convince, with a very disappointing Kurima on the mound.
In La Rochelle, it’s a bit mixed so far, with Gonzalez batting 1 for 8, a tough start for Izquiedro (5 hits, 4 walks in 4.1 IP), but decisive relief in game 1 for Escorcha. The Boucaniers, who are awaiting Paul Simon’s arrival, won their 2 games, and that’s what counts for them. In Montigny, Lot remained silent against his former team, and Soliveres only appeared in one game. Notably, Coopman had a two-out-of-two performance in his big return.
In Montpellier, we’ll expect better from Spring (2 for 7), while the veteran Douglas Rodriguez (2 for 6) will have an important role. Metz has made many changes, and so far, it’s paying off. Ruiz is still as effective as ever (4 for 9), Algeni brings solidity, Paredes will be the key to the mound, Launay surprised, and not everyone has arrived yet.
In Savigny, Romero needs to be more effective on the mound, as does Tissera (1 for 9) at the plate. Finally, Toulouse was quiet in the transfer market, but Scavo will be useful all season long (2 for 7).
Unwritten Rule?
10-1 for the Huskies in the 7th inning of game 2 against Sénart. American Jacob Defries of Rouen draws a walk, then steals 2nd, 3rd, and scores on a wild pitch. 10-run lead, mercy rule, game over. But did the Rouennais break an unwritten rule of baseball that says you stop stealing (and bunting) when the lead is big enough? Or did the Rouennais do the right thing, after nearly 6 hours of play, by cutting short a meaningless game and saving some arms and legs for the rest? Interpretations vary, but it will be interesting to see if, in the next match between the two teams, the Templiers take it badly and react with a well-placed fastball to a Rouen batter’s ribs.
Boucaniers on the Attack
After their strong 2022 season, the Rochelais fell back into line in 2023. They want to return to the path of success and made their mark on this round by triumphing twice at home, against the vice-champion and the reigning challenge winner. Many positives for La Rochelle, a very balanced pitching staff with many solutions, and a solid lineup, but one that only batted .236 against Montigny. We’ll see what happens in the top-of-the-table clash on the second matchday against Rouen.
The Podiums
Pitching
- Franklin de la Rosa (La Rochelle). This is what you call quality relief. The left-hander entered in the 4th inning of the 2nd game against Montigny with 1 out, a runner on 2nd, and a 5-3 lead for the Boucaniers. He slammed the door shut by striking out Anouar and his former teammate Lot Martins on two strikeouts, and continued in the same vein until the 9th with 0 walks (which isn’t his usual style) and 9 strikeouts.
- Alexis Paredes (Metz). He managed to extinguish the Barracudas’ surge in the 5th inning of the first game, when everything could have tipped, then held firm (well helped by a superb double play on a sacrifice bunt in the 6th), despite several tense situations, giving the Cometz a superb prestigious victory.
- Yorfrank Perez (Montigny). He didn’t win, but the Cougars’ star pitcher picked up where he left off last year in the 1st game against La Rochelle: nine innings and over 100 pitches, 8 strikeouts, just one earned run. He’ll be one of the toughest pitchers to face again this season.
Batting
- Hugo Blondel (Rouen). The Rouen slugger was unstoppable on Sunday. 6 hits in 7 at-bats (admittedly, 6 singles, but still not bad), 2 walks to top it off, he feasted on Sénart’s pitching.
- Mateo Algeni (Metz). The Cometz catcher played a major role in his team’s victory in game 1, producing the first run of the game, then hitting a resounding triple that was at the heart of the 3-run winning surge in the 8th inning.
- Jacob Defries (Rouen). The Huskies’ new shortstop showed his power with 1 HR (the only one of the day) and 5 RBI.
Photo Credits: Club, Julien Bario
