Coming weekend will be full with decisive games in Dutch baseball. Not only in the Dutch Hoofdklasse (highest league in the Netherlands) but also in lower leagues. I will focus on the Hoofdklasse championship series and the playdown series between the team that ended at the bottom of the Hoofdklasse and the winner of the Overgangsklasse.
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In the Holland Series (championship series of the Hoofdklasse), DOOR Neptunus will host L&D Amsterdam Pirates in game six on Saturday. If DOOR Neptunus will win this game a decisive seventh game is necessary. So far Pirates won their first two road games. Neptunus won two road games as well, but Pirates won one of their homegames. Looking to the stats, Pirates should win tomorrow’s game then…. 😉
I thnk it is pretty safe to say that L&D Amsterdam will send Rob Cordemans to the mound tomorrow and that Diegomar Markwell* will start for Neptunus.
* There is a big IF when it comes to Diegomar Markwell. He was tossed in from game two after a bench clearing brawl in which he threw a punch at an opponent. The KNBSB has suspended him for four games. If he protests the decision the committee will deal with the case tonight. There is a very slim chance that this decision will be overruled.
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In the play down series between Mampaey The Hawks from Dordrecht and DSS from Haarlem the decisive fifth game will be played tomorrow at the homefield of Mampaey The Hawks. DSS won game one in Dordrecht 11-6. The Hawks won game two in Haarlem 7-6. The next game in Dordrecht was won by DSS 1-0. Game four in Haarlem was won by…. The Hawks 5-10. So in fact no team has won their home game yet. What homefield advantage? Looking to the previous games, I think that DSS’ manager Frank Koot will start Tim Halderman on the mound. It is very likely that Evan Simons will take the mound for Mampaey The Hawks.
Even though I am rooting for L&D Amsterdam Pirates to clinch the title, I wish all teams good luck.
Dutch Baseball Hangout 