by Pim van Nes
As TV commentator for national broadcasting system NOS Charley Urbanus reminded all living rooms in the Netherlands, that it was 18 years ago that the Amsterdam Pirates appeared in the final playoff round, called Holland Series. The best-of-five series will take off tomorrow Thursday at 19:45 h in the Pim Mulier Stadium. The club hosting game one is 2006 and 2007 national champion Corendon Kinheim. The probable starting pitcher on the Haarlem mound is David Bergman, winner of the decisive third Kinheim victory over Konica Minolta Pioniers in semi final game five. Bergman is one of the several Hoofdklasse players offered an Italian contract for 2009, but he turned the offers by San Marino and Rimini down for financial reasons.
L&D Amsterdam will come back into the Holland Series after an absence of 18 years. The club has always been known for prosperous talent development, but its first team has missed the final qualification ever since 1990. Enriched with former homegrown talent and former San Francisco Giants outfielder Rikkert Faneyte in its first year as team manager, the club struggled to qualify for the 2008 playoffs against Kinheim, Neptunus, Pioniers and Sparta/Feyenoord.
After the latter’s unexpected defeats in the post Olympics stage of the Hoofdklasse regular season, the Amsterdam Pirates ensured playoff qualification and in the last weekend they finished third behind Kinheim and Neptunus and in front of the Pioniers. Belgian coach Steve Janssen announced yesterday he will leave his position with Sparta/Feyenoord after his first year as a team manager of a major league club in Europe. Also Ben Thijssen will leave this same position with Kinheim after two successful years, having conquered two national and two European club championships.
As number three of the final regular season standings, L&D Amsterdam faced number two DOOR Neptunus. Both clubs came out with debuting team managers, Rikkert Faneyte and Eric de Bruin. This year’s number two of the regular season Neptunus had missed the Holland Series after the climax of a ten-year dominance in the Netherlands and in Europe. Rotterdam hosted the 18-country World Cup 2005 tournament in Neptunus home Familie Stadium and in collaboration with Amsterdam, Haarlem and Eindhoven. The Netherlands national team reached a flamboyant fourth spot in the final standings, Neptunus conquered another national club title, but five prominent players left the club for new challenges elsewhere. The club refilled its roster for the next seasons, but missed the Holland Series due to surprising defeats in the semi-finals versus Konica Minolta Pioniers in 2006 and 2007. This post season a less feared opponent than nemesis Pioniers delivered the defeat for the ambitious Neptunus.
Both, in the five games of the semi-final series, and in the fifth game itself, Amsterdam has trailed versus Neptunus and it came back from 1-0 and 2-1 behind. Games one and three in Rotterdam were ruled by Neptunus and games two and four in Amsterdam were boarded by the Pirates. In last Sunday’s game five Neptunus took the 1-0 lead in the first inning, but the Pirates tied the score 1-1 in the fifth.
In the eighth Neptunus seemed to decide the game and the series by taking a 2-1 lead thanks to Jeffrey Arends’ second RBI in the game. The fighting spirit of the Pirates, however, first tied the score 2-2 thanks to Sidney de Jong scoring from first base on Fausto Alvarez‘ second double in the game. The second step in the game copying the series, was with 48-year-old Cuban slugger Alvarez on third, Pavel van Zaane at bat and one man out.
Australian closer Rushan Duzic in motion for his first pitch to Van Zaane, Alvarez started to run to home base for a stunning squeeze play. Van Zaane, who had been 0 for 3 in the game, bunted perfectly for his first base hit in the game and for his team’s third victory in the series. In the bottom of the ninth Jeroen Sluijter and Eugene Kingsale reached base for Neptunus, but to no avail as Benjamin Dille was grounded out by Amsterdam winning pitcher Pim Walsma.
3-2 for Amsterdam in the game, 3-2 for Amsterdam in the series. Amsterdam back in the Holland Series for the first time since 18 years and Rotterdam absent in these series for the third consecutive year.
Schedule Holland Series:
Thursday, October 2:
19:45 Corendon Kinheim – L&D Amsterdam Pirates
Saturday, October 4:
14:00 L&D Amsterdam Pirates – Corendon Kinheim
Sunday, October 5:
14:00 Corendon Kinheim – L&D Amsterdam Pirates
Saturday, October 11:
14:00 L&D Amsterdam Pirates – Corendon Kinheim
Sunday, October 12:
14:00 Corendon Kinheim – L&D Amsterdam Pirates
Pim van Nes
Baseball writer for
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www.sporttribune.nl
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