One day before the start of their decisive play-down series against the Cologne Cardinals in the German Baseball-Bundesliga the Berlin Sluggers receive a new opponent. The Dortmund Wanderers which beat Cologne in the first round of the play-downs get disciplined by the German Baseball and Softball Federation for using an ineligible player in the best-of-five series and therefore game five was ruled a 9-0 victory for the Cardinals.
Dortmund now has to face the Sluggers, hoping to avoid relegation. The series was re-scheduled to September 14 and September 21/22, as the ruling was made on Friday and the Wanderers need at least one week to prepare. The Wanderers get punished as Andrew Wurzberger only made five instead of the required nine game appearances in the regular season.