Enter the playoffs and finally some real competition. The Mannheim Tornado's were the third place team in the south however the south is considered the much stronger division in Germany. And I can see why! Mannheim finished quite a few games back from the first place team but they are still a very, very good team.
To start they threw a lefty...nothing over powering, but very good at hitting his spot. Then they brought in a righty power pitcher who I actually didn't think was all to impressive. The lefty went three innings giving up two runs (both scored by Cy) then the righty came in and we scored two more off of him (once by Cy).
As far as pitching goes, every talked about how good their pitching is and how we are finally going to face some real pitching! However I was not one to jump on that bandwagon. I did not hit very well at all, but there is another reason for that. I think the catcher did a very good job at calling pitches. Example...against the lefty, I faced him twice and saw just one curve ball, and surprisingly a couple of change ups. I never see change ups from lefties. However against the righty....I saw just a couple of fastballs and almost all curves. oddly enough, I never saw a change up! I normally don't swing at curve balls until I get to two strike which made it difficult for me because then I would be hitting in the hole almost every at bat. And example of one of my at bats went like this....curve ball for a strike, curve ball for strike two, fast ball up and away for a ball, then another curve ball for a strike which i would then have to swing at. All in all, I put together some very good at bats in both games. I had a couple at bats where I made the pitcher throw around 11 pitches however I never saw a fast ball. I was almost amazed at the other team for not giving in to throwing me fastballs and throwing nothing but curveballs with very, very good control.
We ended up winning the first game 4-3 and Cy had an awesome game. He was 3-4 with three runs scored. he single handedly beat the other team. I on the other hand was 0-4 with a sac bunt and a lot of foul balls.
The second game we just kind of lost the intensity. We lost 10-5 however it was very close until about the 6th inning. I was actually 1-0 until the 6th. Once again we had good at bats however late in the game we had a couple crucial errors defensively then they just ran with the momentum. I don't think we can say much about this game except that we just ran out of steam.
We will meet up with them again next saturday in this best of 5 series. We now have homefield advantage which I normally don't believe in, but they play in such an odd shaped field that I can now say that we have homefield advantage.
Monday, August 4, 2008
Monday, July 28, 2008
last Game
This was our final game of the season against the Hamburg Steelers. they are on the bottom of the pack so this should've been a simple game. Wait it was a simple game. We won the first game 13-0 and the second game 10-1. It's good to have a game just before we head into the playoffs, that way we keep our skills sharp, however playing a team like this doesn't prepare us that well.
The first game while just 7 innings ( Mercy rule) still lasted 2 and a half hours. Their batters did a really good job of making contact with the ball, but did a horrible job of putting the ball in play. They would foul off pitch after pitch then strike out. Batter after batter would foul off pitch after pitch then strike out. Made for one very, very boring game in the oufield.
I finished the day hitting 4-8 total. I also had a walk and a phantom hit by pitch. Phantom because the ball never hit me, but the umpire told me to take my base. Nice! Cy had a pretty good day as well. he had a lot of action at second and was smooth as always and finished hitting I think 3-8 or something like that. Now its off to the playoffs against Manheim. Well see how we fare since the North division (our division) is considered the weaker division.
The first game while just 7 innings ( Mercy rule) still lasted 2 and a half hours. Their batters did a really good job of making contact with the ball, but did a horrible job of putting the ball in play. They would foul off pitch after pitch then strike out. Batter after batter would foul off pitch after pitch then strike out. Made for one very, very boring game in the oufield.
I finished the day hitting 4-8 total. I also had a walk and a phantom hit by pitch. Phantom because the ball never hit me, but the umpire told me to take my base. Nice! Cy had a pretty good day as well. he had a lot of action at second and was smooth as always and finished hitting I think 3-8 or something like that. Now its off to the playoffs against Manheim. Well see how we fare since the North division (our division) is considered the weaker division.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Cologne
We came out flat in this game which I personally think was a good thing. it woke us up to see that we actually do have to take practice more seriously and that baseball isn't just a game that you can just show up and do well. also, because we came out flat, the game went faster as we didn't score that many runs like normal. Our pitcher for the first game showed up late and was severely drunk, yet threw surprisingly well (considering his circumstances) And we had some bad at bats during in the early part of the game that really set us back. the game was 1-1 until the 5 or 6th inning when we exploded for a bunch of run. We finished the game winning 9-3.
the second game we were on top of our stuff. We were ready with this one and it showed. We had a good pitching performance by our pitcher from the Dominican Republic and some really good, timely hits. We ended up smoking them this game by a score of 10-0 in 7 innings.
I had some bad at bats in the first game going 1-3 with a walk and a hit by pitch. My one hit however was right on target...when i say that I mean I hit a hard ground ball up the middle and it nailed the pitcher on his ankle. I guess i didn't hit it as hard as I thought because he was able to finish the inning, however we did score a bunch of runs that inning as a result. The second game was much better for me. i had really good at bats and took one deep. I hit a ball and actually though I just hit a fly ball. It ended up landing just in front of the fence for a double. We have the biggest field in our division so if i had hit that ball at any other ball park that we've played at, I would've had a homerun! that's luck for me. I finished this game going 2-3 with a walk and a hit by pitch as well. My one out this game was a hard hit line drive to right field.
Cy had a pretty good day as well. I am not sure what he finished off with on the second game but i know he was 2-4 in the first game with a couple of key RBI's. We have one game left in the regular season and then we head to the playoffs in august. Hopefully we can get something good going with practice and everything that'll rolls into the playoffs playing at our best.
the second game we were on top of our stuff. We were ready with this one and it showed. We had a good pitching performance by our pitcher from the Dominican Republic and some really good, timely hits. We ended up smoking them this game by a score of 10-0 in 7 innings.
I had some bad at bats in the first game going 1-3 with a walk and a hit by pitch. My one hit however was right on target...when i say that I mean I hit a hard ground ball up the middle and it nailed the pitcher on his ankle. I guess i didn't hit it as hard as I thought because he was able to finish the inning, however we did score a bunch of runs that inning as a result. The second game was much better for me. i had really good at bats and took one deep. I hit a ball and actually though I just hit a fly ball. It ended up landing just in front of the fence for a double. We have the biggest field in our division so if i had hit that ball at any other ball park that we've played at, I would've had a homerun! that's luck for me. I finished this game going 2-3 with a walk and a hit by pitch as well. My one out this game was a hard hit line drive to right field.
Cy had a pretty good day as well. I am not sure what he finished off with on the second game but i know he was 2-4 in the first game with a couple of key RBI's. We have one game left in the regular season and then we head to the playoffs in august. Hopefully we can get something good going with practice and everything that'll rolls into the playoffs playing at our best.
Horrible Week off
We had a week off the first week of July and it just wasn't a good one. Lets recap some of the things that went on. Our coach gave us the week off and told us to go and travel. Unfortunately we had no money to travel, and on top of that it rained all week. Both me and Cy had some personal issues off the field that really brought us down as well. and to top it all off...Cy had this sweet moutain bike from our coach and one night we went into the city I locked up his bike to my bike and to a pole. We were only in the city for about half an hour and when we came back, His bike was gone! Those bastards even stole my lock....6 bucks down the drain!
Sure enough the next day we went to the weight room and about 20 minutes after we got there, it started to rain, and it didn't let until late in the afternoon. So there we were walking home in the rain, while some guy is at home laughing looking at his new bike and thinking "somebody is walking in the rain because of me!"
Sure enough the next day we went to the weight room and about 20 minutes after we got there, it started to rain, and it didn't let until late in the afternoon. So there we were walking home in the rain, while some guy is at home laughing looking at his new bike and thinking "somebody is walking in the rain because of me!"
Monday, June 30, 2008
Nightmares round 2
Once again we played the Nightmares, and once again it was a nightmare. They are about a two and a half hour drive and given the fact the the European Football championships was on that night, we really wanted to hurry...or just not play! We made up our minds that once we would get 10 runs, everyone would bunt the ball back to the pitcher then just walk back to the dugout just so the game could speed along.
Well of course with batting averages at stake here, nobody did that. We took advantage of the situation and racked up an impressive amount of runs! the first game was 17-4 and we had scored 10 alone in the first inning. come to think of it however, we only had 2 hits in that inning...they just walked everybody. It was really tough to keep your focus in a game like this and luckily for us, we didn't really have to as they somewhat beat themselves.
The second game was worse. It was just embarrassing to be a part of. Outfielders missing balls, infielders just catching a ground ball and not throwing it anywhere. The opposing teams catcher missed two easy flyballs, then proceeded to yell at his team when they made errors. It was just not how baseball should have been. the final score was 36-4 and I believe we set the record for most runs scored in a game. I'm sure everybody on the team had multiple hits it's just a matter of who had the most, or the best average. and I think Cy might have had the most hits, though i haven't seen the entire stats.
One the day, I was a perfect 3-3 with three walks int he first game, and the second games I had some horrible at bats and ended up 2-4 with a walk, a hit by pitch, and two sac fly's. 5-7 on the day is a pretty good number though I wish I could've been 7-7! Cy on the other hand, finished off the day 7-9 with a deep, deep bruise on his right thigh from getting hit by a pitch.
it really wasn't a fair game and was more of a waste of time. however, on the positive side, we did make it home in time for the game....and the team i was routing for, Espana, won!! Viva Espana!
Well of course with batting averages at stake here, nobody did that. We took advantage of the situation and racked up an impressive amount of runs! the first game was 17-4 and we had scored 10 alone in the first inning. come to think of it however, we only had 2 hits in that inning...they just walked everybody. It was really tough to keep your focus in a game like this and luckily for us, we didn't really have to as they somewhat beat themselves.
The second game was worse. It was just embarrassing to be a part of. Outfielders missing balls, infielders just catching a ground ball and not throwing it anywhere. The opposing teams catcher missed two easy flyballs, then proceeded to yell at his team when they made errors. It was just not how baseball should have been. the final score was 36-4 and I believe we set the record for most runs scored in a game. I'm sure everybody on the team had multiple hits it's just a matter of who had the most, or the best average. and I think Cy might have had the most hits, though i haven't seen the entire stats.
One the day, I was a perfect 3-3 with three walks int he first game, and the second games I had some horrible at bats and ended up 2-4 with a walk, a hit by pitch, and two sac fly's. 5-7 on the day is a pretty good number though I wish I could've been 7-7! Cy on the other hand, finished off the day 7-9 with a deep, deep bruise on his right thigh from getting hit by a pitch.
it really wasn't a fair game and was more of a waste of time. however, on the positive side, we did make it home in time for the game....and the team i was routing for, Espana, won!! Viva Espana!
Monday, June 23, 2008
Solingen Alligators
Finally a game worth playing for. #1 vs. #2. The alligators have probably the two best pitchers in the north league and a offensive lineup to match. In the first game they actually threw the weaker of the two pitchers. not sure why but it was definitely to our advantage. We touched this started and the couple of relievers for 8 runs...granted we had some help as what was a pretty good defense made an unthinkable 4 errors. We aren't going to complain though. The final score was 8-4
Second game the Alligators threw the best pitcher in the North league....in fact, last year we won the pitcher of the year award for all of Germany. He's a guy from the Dominican Republic who has been here for so long and now has his German Passport. he is actually a very good pitcher who could be pitching in the states in the minors as he has good control of all his pitches and really knows how to get batters out. Surprisingly for our team we hit him very well, unfortunately we didn't get the hits when it mattered. We out hit them 12 hits to 6 but somehow lost 4-2. It was a tough game with two errors on our part being the deciding factor.
As for me...I had a crappy day...really crappy day. for some reason, my bat could not find the baseball. I guess since I control the bat, then I couldn't seem to hit the baseball. it was tough for me and I don't know why. I went from one week of taking great swings on the ball and hitting every single one hard to a very bad week filled with strikeouts and weak hits. I guess its back to the batting cages for me.
Cy on the other hand had a very good day. He would actually say it wasn't that good of a day however he got on base almost every time he went up. I think he might have gotten out just once or twice. the sad thing is, as many times as he was on base, he only scored once. It was just one of those days for certain players like me that didn't really execute and help out the team. Sorry guys!
Second game the Alligators threw the best pitcher in the North league....in fact, last year we won the pitcher of the year award for all of Germany. He's a guy from the Dominican Republic who has been here for so long and now has his German Passport. he is actually a very good pitcher who could be pitching in the states in the minors as he has good control of all his pitches and really knows how to get batters out. Surprisingly for our team we hit him very well, unfortunately we didn't get the hits when it mattered. We out hit them 12 hits to 6 but somehow lost 4-2. It was a tough game with two errors on our part being the deciding factor.
As for me...I had a crappy day...really crappy day. for some reason, my bat could not find the baseball. I guess since I control the bat, then I couldn't seem to hit the baseball. it was tough for me and I don't know why. I went from one week of taking great swings on the ball and hitting every single one hard to a very bad week filled with strikeouts and weak hits. I guess its back to the batting cages for me.
Cy on the other hand had a very good day. He would actually say it wasn't that good of a day however he got on base almost every time he went up. I think he might have gotten out just once or twice. the sad thing is, as many times as he was on base, he only scored once. It was just one of those days for certain players like me that didn't really execute and help out the team. Sorry guys!
Monday, June 16, 2008
Bonn Capitals
Saturday the 14th of June we played the Bonn Capitals. Surprisingly they are in third place behind us but they are a distant third. We beat them pretty easily winning 9-2 in the first game and 14-1 in the second.
This day was just a really weird day for me however...things just didn't seem to go right. To start off the game my first At Bat, I hit a hard liner back at the pitcher who stuck his glove up and was able to knock the ball down then pick it up and throw me out at first. Normally I would be ok with that but I also broke my bat on the play. I hit it off the end of the bat and unfortunately, the barrel of the bat the flew off ended up flying farther than the ball that I hit!
Later on in the first game, a ball was hit over my head in left field and I had a decent jump on it. It really wasn't a problem to catch this ball however this was a sniper in the trees behind the face and he shot me in my foot! No for real, while running back, I stumbled on something and while I didn't fall, I didn't catch the ball either. You bet I was mad! After coming in, our third baseman, Jendrick, told me he was glad he got to see me make an error because he knows he'll never see it again.
Well, the very next inning i got a low liner in the left center gap. I had a great jump on it and was positive I was going to catch it. It was low so I tried to do a sliding catch, I've done it before so there should be no problem...unfortunately I some how misplayed it and missed it! 2 errors in one game! can you believe that!!!!!!!!!!!
The second game was even worse for me! I got beaned twice, hit the ball hard three times....and got on all three times. But only one was good for a hit. Two were errors. One in particular was upsetting because I drilled a ball deep down the right field line and for some reason, the right fielder was playing me right on the line! However I hit it over his head so he was not able to catch it...it went off his glove for an error! Then to top everything off, a ball was hit down the left field line in foul territory and I was on it. I was going to catch this one too! Unfortunately the stupid grounds keeper at Bonn didn't cut the branches handing over the field.
I'm on the ball and get to spot where it's going to land and I look up and it disappears in the trees. I know its going to come down however I didn't expect it to come down so hard, and to come down right at me! That freakin ball came down and just missed my chin and stung me in the chest!
This game can be so cruel sometimes!
This day was just a really weird day for me however...things just didn't seem to go right. To start off the game my first At Bat, I hit a hard liner back at the pitcher who stuck his glove up and was able to knock the ball down then pick it up and throw me out at first. Normally I would be ok with that but I also broke my bat on the play. I hit it off the end of the bat and unfortunately, the barrel of the bat the flew off ended up flying farther than the ball that I hit!
Later on in the first game, a ball was hit over my head in left field and I had a decent jump on it. It really wasn't a problem to catch this ball however this was a sniper in the trees behind the face and he shot me in my foot! No for real, while running back, I stumbled on something and while I didn't fall, I didn't catch the ball either. You bet I was mad! After coming in, our third baseman, Jendrick, told me he was glad he got to see me make an error because he knows he'll never see it again.
Well, the very next inning i got a low liner in the left center gap. I had a great jump on it and was positive I was going to catch it. It was low so I tried to do a sliding catch, I've done it before so there should be no problem...unfortunately I some how misplayed it and missed it! 2 errors in one game! can you believe that!!!!!!!!!!!
The second game was even worse for me! I got beaned twice, hit the ball hard three times....and got on all three times. But only one was good for a hit. Two were errors. One in particular was upsetting because I drilled a ball deep down the right field line and for some reason, the right fielder was playing me right on the line! However I hit it over his head so he was not able to catch it...it went off his glove for an error! Then to top everything off, a ball was hit down the left field line in foul territory and I was on it. I was going to catch this one too! Unfortunately the stupid grounds keeper at Bonn didn't cut the branches handing over the field.
I'm on the ball and get to spot where it's going to land and I look up and it disappears in the trees. I know its going to come down however I didn't expect it to come down so hard, and to come down right at me! That freakin ball came down and just missed my chin and stung me in the chest!
This game can be so cruel sometimes!
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