A Tough Road in Germany

The French national team faced off against Germany in two friendly matches last weekend, both played on German soil. Two defeats for the young French side, who are aiming to build team chemistry.

Image: Striky, the French team’s mascot, losing his balance in the stands—a fitting symbol!

The positives

Many new players got their first taste of international competition. The young generation is stepping up (Pierre, Briones…)

The pitchers held their own, and the batters weren’t to blame for the results. In the first match, Franklin de la Rosa shut down the German bats, while Gédéon Coste and Nathan Laot limited the damage to just 2 runs. Nayral and Esteban conceded twice as many in the second game but didn’t disgrace themselves.

Team stalwarts like Félix Brown, who hit a home run, and Leo Jiminian, who made a spectacular diving catch in the outfield, played their part. Jiminian also drove in two runs in the first match.

On paper, the German side is stronger (Germany ranks 18th, France 21st), so the defeats aren’t as bad as they look.

Areas for improvement

Hard for the coach to work with the French stars who were absent: the Espositos, Meurants, Paulas, Perrois… still in the USA and set to return in early June. The Lopes, Moulin, and Antoine, pros in Japan, the Martinez, Lacombe, Mercadier: pros in the USA and Quebec…

A few rookie mistakes—a hitter misses a hit, attempts a bunt, and doesn’t run to first, not believing he could make it, and the first baseman drops the ball. He would have been safe! Some batters lacking experience leading to strikeouts. Too many fly outs with no one on base…

However, we can be proud of this young team. If the French Baseball and Softball Federation can organize more gatherings like this to build team chemistry and unity, we can expect our French national team to rise under the guidance of their head coach, Keino Perez.