Last week Mister-Baseball started with the review of the 2008 season in the German Baseball-Bundesliga. Dirk Fries looked at the playoff teams in the north. This week he continues with the top four of the southern division.
by Dirk Fries
Buchbinder Legionaere Regensburg
Finally, the Legionaere were able to crown their efforts with a title. Playing in their third finals in as many years, they were able to beat out Mannheim for the crown.
The roster has traditionally been almost the same. There were only a few changes: catcher Markus Gienger was brought back after a few years in Cologne. Dutch pitcher Mike Bolsenbroek was also acquired, together with Craig Crow and Jerin Harper. Czech shortstop Simon Kudernatsch, already with Regensburg in 2007, was only available for the summer due to his college career.
As it turned out, Bolsenbroek and Harper, who were two of the team´s biggest performers, left the team during the season. And after impressing in his summer stint, Kudernatsch had to leave as well. But luckily for Regensburg, current minor leaguers Ludwig Glaser and Donald Lutz were welcomed back together with Rodney Gessmann just in time for the playoffs. As it turned out, bringing in Martin Helmig as coach to guide them to the clubs first ever triumph, worked out perfectly. Helmig stayed calm throughout even a slight struggle near the end of the regular season.
Picked as favorites in the South the Legionaere did not always play up to their potential. They still managed a respectable 20-8 record, helping them to a second place finish. Just like every year (the last six years at least), Regensburg faced Cologne in the first round. Regensburg had never lost a series against Cologne, and that streak is still alive and ongoing. The Cardinals were no match for the Legionaere, as Regensburg easily swept the series.
In the semis they squared off against Solingen, who had beaten them in their first finals appearance in 2006. This time, though, Helmig´s team dominated the contest. They swept the doubleheader at home, needing only one more victory to advance. They got it in game four, securing their third straight finals appearance.
Against the Mannheim Tornados they dominated the games in which only Germans were allowed to pitch. Against Mannheim’s Eddie Aucoin (in games two and four), the offense did not come through. On top of that they did not play their best defense. But it did not matter, as Philipp Hoffschild got three wins in the other games, earning a shutout in game five.
What the stats say:
With Crow and Bolsenbroek Regensburg had the best pitching ERA in the league. Their ERA of 2.06 was due to both exceptional relief and starting pitching. Especially Hoffschild at the back end of the bullpen was lights-out and helped the Legionaere to the best bullpen ERA. But even without their foreigners the German staff was good enough to secure the title. The national team trio of Almstetter, Hoffschild and Antwi should be considered one of the best staffs in Germany.
Pitching is always helped by good defense. That was true for the 2008 Legionaere as well. Solid fieldwork was co-responsible for keeping opponents off the scoreboard. Regensburg’s 40 errors were good enough for the second best defense in the league, just behind Heidenheim.
Offensively Klaus Hopfensperger was their main guy. His .430 average led the team. He also was first in hits (43) and homeruns (6), and tied for the team lead in RBI with 21. Other offensive forces were DH/leftfielder Michael Weigl (.382) and Jerin Harper. The former Paderborn player hit .400 in only 19 games before leaving due to personal reasons. While Daniel Husband was not exactly what the club had hoped for, Kudernatsch was sensational in only ten games. Speedster Philipp Howard was on base a lot, being the spark plug Helmig must have hoped for. Other players like Alex Lauterbach were inconsistent, going through extended slumps. They still managed timely hits and were big contributors in the playoffs.
Previous:
Solingen Alligators
Paderborn Untouchables
Cologne Cardinals
Dortmund Wanderers
Mainz Athletics
Heidenheim Heidekoepfe
Mannheim Tornados
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