Regensburg Legionaere (21-3) vs. Dortmund Wanderers (14-14)
The young and talented team from Regensburg torched their way through the south this year, with their eyes set on the playoffs the whole way. Headed by outfielder Evan Le Blanc (.484, 4 HR, 34 RBI) and third baseman Ludwig Glaser (.383, 28 R), the offense is a juggernaut that the rest of Germany can’t compare to. With nine players hitting over .300 and a team OPS of nearly .900, its an understatement to say the team is built for the playoffs. Despite disappointing fans by withdrawing from the European Cup this past spring, each time on the field was a offensive display for all to enjoy. They tallied 10+ runs in 12 games, including in 5 of 12 games against the other playoff teams from the south. In addition to being the most potent offense, they had the best defense in the south with a .972 fielding percentage. They allowed a league low 78 runs to their opponents this year, thanks in part to the dominant performances from Mike Bolsenbroek (1.57 ERA, 79 Ks in 57.1 IP) and Philipp Hoffschild (1.83 ERA, 0.88 WHIP in 44.1 IP). With a strong bullpen of Boris Bokaj, Rodney Gessman, and Justin Kuehn to hold on to any lead, the team is surely the favorite to hoist the trophy again. Regensburg has only lost 5 games on the road in the last two seasons, including last year’s playoffs, negating any home field advantage for their opponents.
Dortmund made the playoffs with a .500 record, but a look at their second half of the regular season gives better perspective of their ability. Splits against top teams Bonn and Paderborn, and clean sweeps against Dohren and Pulheim put them ahead of Hamburg for fourth place down the stretch. The telling stat of the season: opponents averaged a meager 1.9 runs in the second game of each double header. Primarily responsible for that stat: P Matt Kemp. Kemp’s 1.28 ERA, 111 Ks, and 9 wins are the main reason for the team’s success. It was his string of five consecutive wins (over Hamburg, Pulheim, Bonn, Paderborn, and Dohren), which moved his team into playoff position. The Wanderers also benefited from the resurgence of Marco Dietsch and the emergence of Dennis Stechmann as contributing pitchers. At bat, nearly all offense is provided by the quartet of Elliot Biddle (.440, 7 HR, 27 RBI), Trevor Howell (.365, 5 HR, 29 RBI), Daniel Groer (.386, 3 HR, 19 RBI) and Aljoscha Heller (15 extra base hits, 25 R, 10 SB). On defense, the left side of the infield caused problems for them, racking up nearly 30 errors in 28 games. The team benefited from Howell’s strong arm when behind the plate, shutting down the opposition running game by gunning down eight of 18 runners.
Why to follow this series? Matt Kemp facing one of the best offenses in Europe. The most dominant pitcher over the last two years in the north, Kemp finally has a chance to match up against the strongest hitters in Germany. Its unfortunate he’ll only have at most two chances to face the Regensburg hitters, because this could be the best pitcher vs. lineup series since Eddie Aucoin vs. Regensburg in 2008. If Dortmund has a chance, it will be with two wins from Kemp and some big production from their four top hitters in those two games, plus a wildcard. Going up against Bolsenbroek two times won’t get them the wins they need. The series could come down to a fifth and final game, which we hope it will, in the Armin Wolf Arena in Regensburg, That will be when we see the depth and perseverance of each team, and it would show Regensburg is just too strong to be stopped by the fourth best team from the north. Regensburg advances to the semifinals.
