A disappointing European Cup for Montpellier and Montigny highlights the struggles of French baseball at the highest level of European competition.
There’s little to say other than sheer disappointment after Montpellier and Montigny’s week in Valencia. Once again, the level was too high for our representatives, and worse, France lost a spot in the 2nd tier of European competitions, and Montpellier (or the championship finalist if the Barracudas pull off the double) will have to play in the 3rd division, in the Confederation Cup.
We’ll long remember that terrible Saturday when both French clubs lost their footing and all hope. For Montigny, it was over after one inning and five consecutive walks. The Vienna Metrostars didn’t ask for more and comfortably won 14-3, saving Austria’s spot at this level. For Montpellier, the collapse began in the second inning before crumbling in the third, ultimately suffering a heavy defeat against the future competition winners, the Marlins of Tenerife. Over these two games, the two French clubs posted an earned run average of 21.89, allowed 24 walks and 12.1 innings, and hit half as many as their opponents (9 to 18). Sad and concerning.
Yet, Montpellier had started strong, beating Vienna and perfectly navigating the trap game against Deurne. Canelon and Ozanich were dominant, the offense was on fire, with home runs from Antonac, Rogriguez, Brossier, Zan, in short, the Barracudas seemed in line with the France Challenge. Then, when the level truly rose, when they had to face Spanish clubs, the beautiful machine jammed. A respectable 5-8 loss to Valencia, in a match that still carried some importance, with the pool’s first place and a presumably more manageable semifinal at stake, then the 1-17 against Tenerife and another loss to the Astros, 1-8, for the bronze medal. The French champions can’t settle for this 4th place.
For Montigny, it had also started well, with a 4-0 victory against Wiener-Neustadt, in another stellar performance by Yorfrank Lopez (complete game, 10 strikeouts), who will be elected the competition’s best pitcher, a small consolation, but a consolation nonetheless. After logically skipping the match against the Marlins, the Cougars came close to victory against Karlovac. But coming close in the European Cup isn’t enough. We believed for five innings, Montigny having given themselves a good cushion of 4-0, capitalizing opportunistically on the Austrians’ errors. Then the first difficulties arose in the sixth inning, after one out, a succession of three hits and a walk put Karlovac back in the game (3-4). The two teams then flirted with knockout, the Croatians filling the bases in the seventh inning without scoring, Montigny finding themselves with runners on first and second and their best hitter, Dylan Mayeux, at bat, without being able to score either. Montigny still had their ticket to the semifinals in the ninth inning, before Pereira tied the game with a triple, then, after two outs, Pacic finally pushed Pereira home with a single. You can’t really blame Robinson Mastre, who had just passed the 150-pitch mark, you can also say that Karlovac was the competition’s surprise team with their superb victory against Valencia in the semifinal, nevertheless, this defeat, and especially the one after against the Austrians, leaves a serious sense of unfinished business.
The title ultimately went to Tenerife, without really knowing if the Marlins will be invited to the Champions League party, the construction of European competitions remaining curiously very vague for next season.
This disappointing European Cup only confirms the difficulties of French baseball at the European level. BaseballTV France has compiled the performances of clubs and national teams over the past six seasons. It must be acknowledged that our baseball remains, at all levels, stuck in the 5th or 6th continental place, except for a few standout moments. And these, by the very nature of a standout moment, are certainly very enjoyable to follow, but also very rare. Over time, France fails to break through the glass ceiling and compete with the big guns of European baseball. The figures against Spanish, Italian, Czech, German, or Dutch clubs or national teams demonstrate this with sad rigor: France does not play in the same category. May the new generation, which is rubbing shoulders with US colleges or professional baseball, finally manage to reverse the trend.
2017
Clubs
- Champions Cup: Rouen 5th
- CEB Cup: Sénart 3rd
National Teams
- U12: France 2nd
- U15: France 4th
- U23: France 6th
2018
Clubs
- Champions Cup: Rouen 4th
- CEB Cup: Sénart 4th
National Teams
- U12: France 5th
- U18: France 5th
2019
Clubs
- Champions Cup: Rouen 5th
- CEB Cup: Montigny 3rd
National Teams
- U12: France 5th
- U15: France 7th
- U23: France 4th
- European Championship: France 7th
2021
Clubs
- Champions Cup: Rouen 8th
- Confederations Cup: Sénart 2nd
National Teams
- U12: France 6th
- U15: France 2nd
- U18: France 5th
- U23: France 6th
- European Championship: France 15th
2022
Clubs
- Confederations Cup: Rouen 1st, Montpellier 4th
National Teams
- U12: France 5th
- U18: France 6th
- European Championship Qualifier: France 1st
2023
Clubs
- Champions Cup: Rouen 8th
- Confederations Cup: Savigny 2nd
National Teams
- U12: France 5th
- U15: France 4th
- U23: France 3rd
- European Championship: France 7th
2024
Clubs
- European Cup: Montpellier 4th, Montigny 7th
The Opponents
- Lithuania 1.000 (5-0)
- Belarus 1.000 (4-0)
- Slovakia 1.000 (4-0)
- Switzerland 1.000 (3-0)
- Bulgaria 1.000 (2-0)
- Poland 1.000 (2-0)
- Sweden 1.000 (1-0)
- Georgia 1.000 (1-0)
- Slovenia 1.000 (1-0)
- Croatia .875 (7-1)
- Ukraine .833 (5-1)
- Austria .818 (9-2)
- Belgium .818 (9-2)
- Hungary .800 (4-1)
- Russia .750 (3-1)
- Great Britain .714 (5-2)
- Israel .500 (2-2)
- Germany .320 (8-17)
- Spain .214 (3-11)
- Netherlands .176 (3-14)
- Italy .118 (2-15)
- Czech Republic .100 (2-18-1)
- Greece .000 (0-1)
CP: WBSC Europe
