2015 Nippon Series unique from a Dutch point of view

In the past there have been Dutchies who played in the NPB; Hensley Meulens to name one, even won a Nippon Series title with the Yakult Swallows in 1995. Or Andruw Jones and Loek van Mil, who played for the Rakuten Golden Eagles in 2014. But when it comes to Dutchies this year’s Nippon Series is rather unique. Never have two Dutchies faced each other in a Japanese championship series.

This year, Dutch born Rick van den Hurk and Curacao born Wladimir Balentien will face each other at least one time. Both players won their league with their team, meaning that they were automatically qualified for the Climax Series of their league and were rewarded a 1-0 lead in games at the start of the series.

In the Climax Series of the Pacific League, the Softbank Hawks faced the Chiba Lotte Marines (also a team where Hensley Meulens played for). The Marines were not really a match for the Hawks as they were swept by the team from Fukuoka. Rick van den Hurk took the mound in game two and gave up a run in the fourth inning. Apparently Rick did not bring his A stuff as he battled through four innings, using around 100 pitches. But after that sole run he settled down and left after the top of the sixth inning as he had thrown 118 pitches, with a 1-1 score. Luckily for him, his team mates caught fire in the bottom of the same inning and scored five runs to hand him the win (1-0, 1.50 ERA).

In an all Tokyo Central League Climax Series, Wladimir Balentien and the Yakult Swallows took on their hometown rival Yomiuri Giants. Even though the Swallows finished on top of the standings after the regular season, the Giants cruised through game one, beating the Swallows 4-1, tying the series at one. Wladimir Balentien, who battled injuries most of the season, went 0 for 4, striking out twice and hitting in a 6-4 double play.
In game two, the Balentien and the Swallows recovered. Wladimir went 3 for 4 with two singles, a double and two runs batted in. The Swallows won this game 4-0.
In the 2-0 victory of the Swallows in game three, Wladimir went 0 for 1 with a strikeout. He was walked intentionally and hit by a pitch once. Game four was the series clincher for the Swallows. In a tight game they took a 3-0 lead. The Giants came back as they scored two runs in the fifth inning, but after that the Swallows’ defense kept the Giants at bay. Wladimir went 1 for 3 with a single in the sixth inning, finishing this series with a .333 batting average.

They always say “Playoffs are a whole different ball game.” But with the Softbank Hawks dominating their league, winning it with a twelve game lead over Nippon Ham Fighters and a winning percentage of .647, they will be seen as the favorites to repeat for their second straight Nippon Series win and their third title in five years.

As Wladimir Balentien recently said: “They have the pitching, we have the hitting”, the 2015 Nippon Series can be an exciting one.