The big baseball finals in both Division 2 and Division 1 are taking place this weekend, running almost simultaneously with the World Series, which looks set to feature the Yankees and Dodgers—or Judge versus Ohtani. But let’s focus on the French Series, kicking off this weekend with their first two games.

Division 1 Baseball

In our previous article, we already assessed the strengths of the teams. Opinions in the editorial team are divided, but Rouen seems to have the upper hand at the end of the season, something the Lions appear unable to contain.

Let’s take a quick look at media coverage by the newspaper L’Équipe on the occasion of this final, available here

The situation is still a stalemate between the clubs and the Federation. The management of Rouen Huskies and Savigny Lions complain about the difficulty of their relationship with the federation, accusing them of doing nothing for infrastructure and media coverage of the sport. From the FFBS side, represented by its director, Elliot Fleys, the focus is on urging clubs to broadcast their own games. From the players’ perspective, the usual complaint is that everything is done to develop players internationally rather than consolidating the foundations of clubs in France. Of course, everyone is playing their role, and once again, it shows that our sport lacks the maturity to develop with a shared vision of « all together toward a common goal. »

Comments on the article and social media clearly show the indifference of the French sports-loving public. Between criticism of the complex rules, the boring side of the game, the discovery that it exists, and the idea that it should remain the domain of those for whom it’s a culture—Americans or Japanese—it’s clear that the French public at large won’t engage until a proper TV channel exists in France for high-level competitions, with at least one flagship infrastructure.

Fortunately, it’s Rouen in the final, and they’ll provide coverage of the second weekend. A simple rule could have been established: « Semi-finals and finals are played on neutral ground with broadcasting facilities, » and that’s already possible—maybe next year?

A match on Saturday at 3 PM and another on Sunday at 11 AM at the Limeil-Brévannes field.

Editor’s prediction: Two wins for Rouen

Division 2 Baseball

A rematch from 2023, we’re seeing the same two teams: Valenciennes and Béziers. Béziers won in three shutouts last year, showing their dominance. What about 2024? The two teams haven’t faced each other yet and were both leaders of their pools in the regular season.

Valenciennes hosts the first two games (which will be broadcast on Vipères TV). The balance of power seems to have shifted slightly between the two teams. However, in the two main areas of the game—offense and pitching—Béziers are leading. A team batting average of .336 for Béziers compared to .290 for Valenciennes, and an ERA of 2.83 for Béziers versus 4.76 for Valenciennes. Clearly, pitching will be the Southern team’s strong suit. Let’s also look at defense, the third area, by comparing the number of errors during the competition, weighted by the fact of a different number of games, and once again, Béziers leads, conceding only 35 compared to 51 for Valenciennes.

Clearly, if Valenciennes can’t pull off a home win this Sunday, the outcome could be decided for next weekend.

Editor’s prediction: One win for each team

Two matches on Sunday at 10:30 AM and 1:30 PM