The Rättvik Butchers swept the Leksand Lumberjacks, 3-0, to win the 2022 Swedish title and the club’s third domestic championship two weeks ago, capping off a season that saw the Butchers dominate the regular season Elitserien standings while also plowing through the Federation Cup qualifier in Kutno, Poland, in June.
Ben Jonson, who went 6-for-15 with a double and four RBI in the three Butcher victories was named the championship series MVP. He also tossed a complete game shutout in Game 1’s 3-0 triumph, striking out three and walking the same number while scattering four hits.
The Butchers finished atop the Elitserien North standings with a 25-2 record and swept the Stockholm Monarchs, 2-0, in the best-of-three semifinal before doing the same to the Lumberjacks in the championship series.
The Butchers were equally dominant internationally, scoring 56 runs while allowing just 11 in their five games at the Federation Cup qualifier in Kutno, Poland, where they faced the Tampere Tigers (Finland), BK Vilnius (Lithuania), and the hosts MKS Stal Bis Kutno (Poland). The Butchers’ Evan Opperman was named the MVP of the event, which the Swedish club won after a 13-3 victory in eight innings over BK Vilnius.
The 2022 season also saw the Butchers claim the domestic U15 championship, 3-2, in extra innings over Karlskoga. The winning run scored on a bases-loaded walk, giving the Butchers more than enough to reflect on during the long Swedish winter.