French Series: We Want Fun

Logic prevailed. The two best teams from the regular season are facing off in the finals, which was also the case in 2024 and 2025, though only five times in the last 10 seasons.

Rouen dominated, though with some nerves, an outstanding La Rochelle team whose aggressive offense put serious pressure on the best pitching staff in the league, and Savigny managed to escape the Montpellier trap by demonstrating an impressive collective strength. There was an insane intensity, the kind that comes with playoff games. But this time, it’s even better, it’s even stronger—it’s the finals. With two heavyweights facing off, ready to deliver a fierce battle. On one side, loaded with medals and confidence, the reigning champion, dreaming of nothing but keeping its perfect finals record and especially winning its 20th title, in the year of its 40th anniversary. On the other, a team that keeps fighting to survive, without a home field, which ended 20 years of failure last year by winning the Challenge de France and now wants to forget 24 years without a championship title. Two of the best since 2021: 98 wins and 42 losses for Rouen (.700), 88 wins and 51 losses for Savigny (.633), with only Montpellier slipping between them (100-44, .694), but the Barracudas are no longer there—or barely—in the playoffs, 18-6 for Rouen, 7-7 for Savigny, 7-12 for Montpellier.

The Lions are facing a mountain. So many teams have failed against it. 19 finals, 19 titles for Rouen—hoping to trip them up is almost like science fiction, though someone will certainly pull it off one day. Every series has an end. So why not Savigny? Or rather, why Savigny? First reason: the Lions have a deadly weapon—Pena. The Venezuelan is fully capable of winning his two starts. He proved against Montpellier that he can elevate his game when needed. He had been average against the Barracudas during the season, but he was ruthless last Saturday and even treated himself to a ninth-inning closer role in the decisive game. If he maintains this level of play—and especially if he avoids wildness (with 51 walks, he leads the league, plus 8 wild pitches and 8 hit batsmen)—he can put his team on the right track. Second reason: the offense. The Lions are one of two teams to surpass 200 points this season, they have the most extra-base hits (86), they’ve drawn the most walks, and they’re 2nd in stolen bases. Axel Amoros is 2nd in RBI, Lilian Amoros is 3rd in home runs, Acuna leads in slugging percentage, Saxemard is 3rd in walk percentage, Nunez is 3rd in doubles—the danger can come from anywhere. It’s especially striking that Savigny beat Montpellier even though Acuna and the Amoros brothers hit just 5 in 29 (.172). That’s a sign of a complete lineup. Those three won’t stay at those averages. That’s a good sign for the Lions.

But we’re not going to carve Savigny’s name on the Cup just yet. There are some weaknesses in the Lions’ pitching staff, whose importance in a finals series cannot be overstated. There are also defensive mistakes that could be decisive when a game hinges on details, fundamentals, and execution. That ball dropped in the first inning of Game 3, which should have been the third out and cost a run, could have had far more dramatic consequences, like that error in right field in the second inning that allowed two runners to score with just one out. That won’t be forgiven against Rouen.

Because the biggest problem for the Lions is that they’re facing Rouen. Let’s not even mention the six finals losses to the Huskies (2003, 2005, 2009, 2010, 2022, 2024), though history always weighs on you. But it’s clear that Rouen is once again in full control to claim the title. The Huskies are on a streak of 9 straight wins, scoring 86 runs while allowing just 23, and hitting 102 safe hits while allowing only 56.

The Rouennais answer blow for blow to the Lions’ strengths. They’ve got Pena? Rouen can bring out Mercadier, the best ERA, the lowest batting average, the 2nd-lowest WHIP (behind teammate Taido), and the 3rd-highest strikeout rate. He just came off a complete game against La Rochelle, where he was sometimes in trouble (8 hits) but always managed to make the difference when needed (0 in 9 against him with runners on base), which is the mark of a great pitcher. The Lions have multiple offensive weapons? Rouen can say exactly the same thing. Just look at the performances of the top four hitters in the lineup during this 9-game winning streak: Megumi, .316, 5 home runs, 11 RBI; Harrison, .424; Nishikawa, .444, 13 RBI; Blondel, .452, 12 RBI. Enough to make any pitcher sweat, especially since Rouen also had big hits from other players last weekend, like Vissac’s two-run triple in Game 1 or Lebouc’s game-winning single in the 8th inning of Game 2. And when it comes to weaknesses, Rouen seems a bit more complete on the pitching side (Taido, Ito, Prioul, Manaranche—solid) and can rely on a defense that minimizes errors.

This finals series looks extremely balanced, with the scales not tipping clearly one way or the other. It’s a clash between the Lions’ resilience and the Huskies’ quiet strength. You can actually look back at the regular-season games to see that the show will likely be worth watching. Two of them went down to the final at-bat. A three-run Lions surge in the 8th inning to turn the tide and hold on in the 9th in the first match, a triple by Lebouc in the 9th inning for the win in the last one. There was an easier win for Rouen, 7-1, with a masterclass from Mercadier (8 innings, 2 hits, 0 walks, 10 strikeouts), and then a completely wild scenario with 29 hits, 6 errors, and 25 runs—12 in the last two innings—and a 15-10 Savigny victory. We forget about the 22-7 win by the Huskies in the Confederation Cup, a June morning in Karlovac, because it didn’t mean much and had no real sporting interest. Suspense, talent, pitching, offense—all the ingredients are there for a top-tier spectacle. It’s needed, because the last two finals lacked spice, with two Huskies sweeps in 2024 against the Lions and in 2025 against the Barracudas. This time, we want a fifth game, dramatic twists, heroic plays, tears… We want a great finale. We want fun.

F. Colombier