After an emotional and suspenseful championship, we’re back to tradition in the final. The two best teams from the regular season face off (even if it’s only the 10th time in 20 seasons that this happens), and a sixth showdown between the Huskies and Lions, with the first five all won by the Rouen side, in 2003 (3-0), 2005 (3-1), 2009 (3-1), 2010 (3-1), and 2022 (3-1). It’s the 3rd final in four seasons between the two teams, if you include the 2021 France Challenge. Two powerhouses, then, two veterans, one of those classic end-of-season clashes that captivates and will add some color to the autumn.
Their Season
Rouen struggled at the start of the season, with very unconvincing outings in La Rochelle, Toulouse, and Montigny. Things started to fall into place in… Savigny. While the Huskies seemed headed for a double defeat and a probable internal crisis, the wind of rebellion suddenly blew, Rouen won the match and decided not to lose anymore: 12 straight wins, then, after a hiccup against Metz, 8 consecutive victories, including the 3 in the semifinals.
Savigny made waves at the start of the season, with a streak of 4 consecutive wins where the Lions scored more than 10 runs in each match and hit more than 13 hits. The Jiminian/Acuna duo was extremely dominant. The Lions then went through ups and downs, alternating series of 2/3 losses with those of 2/3 wins. They proved that moral strength remains innate in Savigny with two big late-game victories against Toulouse to finish the season and secure 2nd place, and an impressive sweep in Veyrassi, before overcoming a 0-4 deficit in the decisive match.
Note that both teams were piteously eliminated in the first round of the France Challenge.
The Batting
You can’t talk about offense without stopping for a moment on Ivan Acuna. In five seasons, he has monstrous statistics: .356 average, 1.021 OPS, 118 RBI, and, to top it off, .439 with runners in scoring position or .435 with the bases loaded. He is obviously the soul of the Lions’ attack, and even with a very rare dry spell of 4 straight games without hits in September, he still played an important role in the semifinals (6 in 18, 2 RBI). But he’s not alone. After taking another dimension last season, Léo Jiminian confirmed this year. He is the most complete French hitter, both in power (14 doubles, 2 HR) and speed (21 stolen bases in 23 attempts). Despite a slight weakness in on-base percentage (.377, 17th in that category), he represents a constant danger. Together, Jiminian and Acuna account for 25% of the Lions’ offense. They have with them the Amoros brothers, who are very impactful, 19 RBI for Axel, 18 and 3 home runs for Lilian, and Luc Viger, also effective with his 17 RBI. If Manuel Tissera is a bit disappointing (.248 only), he has shown that he can be decisive at the end of the game (6 RBI in late-inning pressure situations). It gets a bit complicated in the bottom of the lineup, with several hitters below .200 and therefore some difficulties in finishing (.225 collectively with runners in scoring position, .227 with 2 outs).
After some trial and error, Rouen found its winning formula by lining up Defries – Masson – Smith – Blondel in the top 4 spots. The key player might be Blondel, who found all his form in the second half of the season, to the point of finishing 4th (and 1st French) in average, 2nd (and 1st French) in OBP, 6th (and 1st French in OPS), 3rd (and 1st French) in BABIP. The spark plug of the Huskies is Jake Defries, a constant danger on the bases (26 stolen bases in 28 attempts) and a true regularity at the plate, with notably his streak of 14 straight games with at least one hit. Jalen Smith also exploded in the second half of the season, a very complete hitter, as evidenced by his 1.059 OPS. If the Quebecer Masson is a bit below expectations, he is the best run producer in the championship, proving his ability to raise his level when it counts. Behind this top 4, hitters like Brainville, Harrison, Gleeson, Bert, Vissac, although sometimes irregular, remain very solid supports, capable of hitting with power and making the difference. And the emergence of Joseph Toubeaux (.269) adds even more depth.
The Huskies’ lineup is therefore more complete, more dangerous, more likely to give headaches to opposing pitchers.
The Pitching
The depth of the bullpens can make the difference. Rouen has 5 pitchers who are capable of holding their own, and we must not overlook the young Laval-Quesney who signed 2 saves against the Lions by not giving them any runs in 5 innings. The Huskies really have lethal weapons, with Josh Vincent as the leader who has only given up one run in his last 6 games and 31 innings (38 K in the process). Igami is successful in relief (0.40 ERA in 8 appearances), but when he is designated as a starter, he does the job, as evidenced by his 14 K against Sénart. Esteban Prioul is also effective in both situations, and he has unparalleled experience in finals, where he is extremely dominant (5W – 1L, 1.46 ERA, 30K in 24.2 innings, .191 BAA). And then Moulin and Mercadier would be the number 1s in any other team. Coach Becquey is not short of solutions, as he showed in the semifinals with 3 different starting pitchers.
It’s more complicated in Savigny. There is certainly the Coste-Orozco duo. The left-hander is having his best season ever, with 7 quality starts. He is sometimes in trouble, but overall his 2024 performance has been convincing, he even recorded his first win against Rouen. As for Orozco, he has done it all, closer of close games, entering in relief at the start of the game to hold for 6 or 7 innings, he has really been dreadfully effective. But it’s more complicated after them. Coste and Orozco, that’s 11W-5L, a 2.45 ERA, a .601 OPSopp, 19.7% strikeouts and 6.0% walks. The rest of the pitchers: 5W – 7L, 4.78 ERA, .692 OPSopp, 15.5% strikeouts and 12.1% walks. It’s complicated to win with only 2 pitchers. Lilian Amoros could be a solution, but he hasn’t pitched since July 7th. The further the final goes, the more the Huskies will have the advantage on the mound.
The Defense
A few fewer errors on the Huskies’ side, 43 against 50, a minimal difference in fielding percentage (.961 for Rouen, .959 for Savigny), more double plays for the Lions (18 against 13), a better efficiency ratio (ability to make outs) for the Huskies: 71.2% against 66.6%, a few more points of success against stolen bases for Rouen. It’s very balanced defensively between the two teams. Except for second base (11 errors for Savigny, 0 for Rouen at that position in the regular season), the Lions are a bit more solid in the infield, with fewer errors at shortstop and first base. In the outfield, both teams have 4 assists, but Savigny has made more errors (6 against 2).
The Hidden Card
Rouen: Dylan Gleeson. The Huskies’ captain probably doesn’t have his best offensive season, but he remains a very solid value behind the plate. We’ll forget his 7 passed balls in Toulouse, an epiphenomenon that belongs to the parallel universe, to note that he has made no errors and has caught 11 runners out of 34 in stolen base attempts. But above all, he hits .375 against Savigny this season, the best Huskie in that category. He knows what finals are all about, and could well be decisive in this one.
Savigny: Luc Viger. Rouen never really gave him a chance. He has seized it in Savigny, and perhaps holds a grudge against the Huskies. In any case, he made them pay with a 3-for-4 performance on May 26th to lead the Lions to victory. A very useful player due to his versatility (he can play at the ends of the diamond, in the outfield, behind the plate), a solid and disciplined hitter, capable of running well (10 stolen bases), an excellent team player, he has proven his know-how in the last 2 games against the Barracudas. He can hurt the Huskies in support of the Lions’ big guns.
The X Factors
. Ivan Acuna is one of the 2 or 3 best hitters in the championship since his arrival in France in 2009. You don’t hit .371 in more than 550 at-bats for nothing. But against the Huskies, it’s not necessarily the case: in his last 10 games against Rouen, he is 3 for 29 (.103). And against the 5 Rouen pitchers, in his career, he hits only .236 (13 for 55). The Huskies seem to have the recipe against him: but if that changes, the final could tip.
The field at Limeil-Brévannes can play a role. It’s the one with the most errors this season: 63, far ahead of the 2nd, the Argoulets in Toulouse (54). Only 42 were counted in Rouen. But the Lions know better than anyone how to manage their field: they have only committed 28 errors there, and therefore their opponents 35. And Rouen, which is very comfortable on the Pierre-Rolland field (.974 fielding average), is more fragile away (.949). Capricious bounces can play a role during the first weekend.
The Lions have rejuvenated their roster in recent seasons. Mathis Bausset (17 years old) and Joss Neyraud (19 years old) have been given responsibilities on the mound, Maxendre Proust (17 years old) and Théo Rioux (18 years old) are starters in the infield, Théo Saxemard (21 years old) has been very solid in the outfield, Thomas Demory (20 years old) hit his first home run… There is still a lot of room for progress, especially offensively, but that’s the nature of youth to overturn everything and fear nothing. And if the young Lions topple the Pack?
Conclusion
Rouen will have to lose a final one day, which has never happened to them. But it shouldn’t be this year. It’s really very risky to bet against the Huskies at this point in the season. They know how to manage this kind of situation so well, they seem to dominate their subject so much, they have all the weapons to make the difference. Prediction: Rouen in 3.
François Colombier
