D1 Roundup: Controversy and Split Decisions

It could have been a meaningless matchday where everyone splits the points, with no impact on the standings. But plenty happened this weekend. The most significant match was the one that didn’t take place. Sénart chose not to travel to Montpellier, fearing the heatwave, traffic jams, hotel prices, the sound of cicadas, or, according to some rumors circulating in French baseball—though we refuse to give them any credence—the lack of players. This sparked a social media furor, with threats flying left and right.

The Templiers already found themselves at the center of heated debates last season with their two suspensions, and now they’re back in the spotlight at the start of summer. It’s not yet a trend, but it’s becoming one. The Federation responded with a well-balanced statement on managing heatwave episodes, the only criticism being that it came 72 hours too late. All this mess, which adds nothing to the prestige of D1, could certainly have been resolved intelligently with a bit of communication beforehand, but apparently, that wasn’t possible. In any case, the face of the championship has changed, with Montpellier taking the top spot and Sénart falling out of playoff contention. Those two forfeit losses could weigh heavily in the balance. We regret this kind of incident that spoils the fun of a season where the suspense helped forget the lack of quality. With controversies and forfeits, the off-field level matches the on-field level, and that’s rather sad.

But let’s look at what happened with those who did play.

There was a small event in La Rochelle. Romain Krzykawiak, who had dominated every opposing line-up, took a beating against the worst offense in the league. He, who hadn’t given up a run in any of the first innings he had pitched, surrendered twice in the 1st. He had facing him a man who likely had the game of his life, Bret Bowers with his 3 HR, his 7 RBI, his 2 BB including an intentional one. But the second inning was just as painful, and he couldn’t get past two batters in the 3rd. His ERA jumped from 2.70 to 3.57, and he suffered his 1st loss of the season. It will be very interesting to see if this is just an off day, which can happen to anyone, or if fatigue has caught up with him. The future of the Boucaniers depends a lot on the answers to these questions. La Rochelle fought with a lot of energy, coming close to victory, and bouncing back in style in the next match. After one loss this season, coach Briones’ men are 5-0, a sign of their mental strength and resilience. Avoiding a losing streak is often a sign of a mature team. There was also news in the roster, with the arrival of Moore, which seems to confirm the departure of Yashimoto, whose whereabouts are unknown. Is this just a brief stay, like Dadlani’s? These Rochelais have their mysteries.

For PUC, it was a much-needed win, with an offense in fireworks mode and relief from Morris, who, until then, with a 0-3 record and an 8.47 ERA, was struggling but held up perfectly. PUC nearly cracked with too many mental and technical errors, with pitching that struggled to hold, but managed to contain La Rochelle’s comeback and earned the right to keep dreaming a little.

A little only, because Béziers won’t let go. The Pirates were more than convincing in securing a split with Rouen. After losing the 1st game on a walk-off HR by Megumi and seeing how much that loss hurt, we feared Béziers would collapse on Sunday morning. But that wasn’t the case, and by signing their 2nd shutout in D1 (after the 7-0 against Metz last year), committing only one error in two games for the 1st time, and finally having a bullpen that holds up (what a relief out by Hilal under maximum pressure, after a masterpiece by Hernandez), the Biterrois pulled their heads out of the water. Nice image, they received congratulations and encouragement from the Great Britain U12 team sharing their hotel. When baseball transcends borders, it’s at its best. Can Béziers launch a frantic sprint to chase a 4th place that’s still far away? It seems complicated, but the Pirates have all the cards in hand to finish the season well.

That might not be the case for Rouen, where the offense is dangerously struggling. Compared to last season after 18 games, the numbers are clear: .248 in 2026 against .304 in 2025, 92 runs scored against 134, 48 strikeouts against 64, 3 games with 10+ runs against 5, 7 games with 10+ hits against 10. Only extra-base hits save face (36 against 24), but the chronic unproductivity with runners on base is painfully catching up with the Huskies, who we struggle to see suddenly switching to playoff mode and sweeping everything in their path in September’s showdowns. They’ll still need to significantly raise their level of play before dreaming of the 20th title of the 40th anniversary. Megumi (.193 average) and Nishikawa (.260) absolutely must wake up, otherwise we don’t see how Rouen will score runs.

Toulouse can’t capitalize on Rouen’s struggles. The Stade managed to beat Pena, which is no small feat, with a Laot – Rojas duo that really dominates in relief, but can’t impose themselves enough at home, letting the second game slip away. For ten games, the Toulousains have only split the points, and that won’t be enough to hope for a spot in the semifinals for a fourth consecutive year. On the other side, the Lions confirmed their offensive solidity, with a line-up where everyone hits, and pitching that seems to find its groove. There are still defensive problems, 5 more errors this weekend, but Savigny is strong, solid, and has nothing to fear from anyone. And we can’t wait to see the very appetizing Savigny – Montpellier matchup next weekend, which will have the feel of a final, and in any case will give very good indications on the team with the means to finish in 1st place in the standings.

F. Colombier