Two days after finishing the regular season with a pair of make-up games between the Solingen Alligators and the Pulheim Gophers, the postseason in the German Baseball-Bundesliga starts on Saturday. While most leagues in European Baseball only have semi-finals and championship series, the playoffs are one round longer in Germany. The four top teams in the northern, respective southern division will meet each other in the quarterfinals. All playoff series will be played in a best-of-five format with the top seed taking on the number four and so on.
Two matchups are rematches of last year’s first round duels, as the Mannheim Tornados will take on the Paderborn Untouchables and the Buchbinder Legionaere Regensburg are going to face the HSV Stealers. Back in the postseason are the Bonn Capitals after one year absence. They will play against defending champion Heidenheim Heidekoepfe. New in the field are the Haar Disciples, which qualified for the first time in 20 years club history. Northern champion Solingen Alligators will come to Munich for the first two games of the series.
Schedule Quarterfinals Games 1&2:
Saturday, August 21, 1pm CET:
- Haar Disciples – Solingen Alligators
- HSV Stealers – Buchbinder Legionaere Regensburg
- Bonn Capitals – Heidenheim Heidekoepfe
- Mannheim Tornados – Paderborn Untouchables
(Games 3-5 will be played next weekend if necessary)
Additionally the playdowns in the Baseball-Bundesliga will get underway. All teams hold on to their regular season records and will play another double round robin to determine the classification between the bottom-four in each division. While the seventh-ranked club might need to play a relegation series at the end of the season, the eighth-ranked will get relegated into the 2nd Baseball-Bundesliga.
Schedule Playdowns (Doubleheaders):
Saturday, August 21, 1pm CET
North:
- Dohren Wild Farmers – Cologne Cardinals
- Pulheim Gophers – Dortmund Wanderers
Standings:
- Dohren 11-17
- Dortmund 11-17
- Pulheim 11-17
- Cologne 7-21
South:
- Neuenburg Atomics – Saarlouis Hornets
- Gauting Indians – Mainz Athletics
Standings:
- Gauting 13-15
- Saarlouis 11-17
- Mainz 9-19
- Neuenburg 1-27