by Riccardo Schiroli
The Italian Baseball League post season is ready for take off. The top 4 teams (Fortitudo Bologna, Telemarket Rimini, T&A San Marino and Cariparma) will play a 9 game round robin that will see the best 2 advance to the Italian Baseball Series, the best of seven final set to start on August 14th.
In the round robin home field advantage will depend from the seeding. Bologna will play at home 6 games, Rimini 5, San Marino 4 and Parma 3. Game days will be Wednesdays (pitchers of the Italian school of baseball or ASI), Fridays (import pitchers) and Saturdays (italian pitchers even if they do not qualify as ASI or EU citizens), with the Wednesday night game on the field of the time that has the worst seeding.
The first week of the round robin offers tonight a match up in Parma (webcast on www.raisport.rai.it and delayed as live on RaiSport Più at 23.45) between Cariparma and Fortitudo Bologna.
Bologna has finished the regular season with a 30-12 record, 6 games ahead of Cariparma, but 4 of those 12 losses came against the team managed by Gibo Gerali.
With home field advantage and Roberto Corradini set to start in ideal condition (he threw only 53 pitches Saturday) against veteran Fabio Betto Parma needs the win tonight. The series than moves to Bologna and on Friday Fortitudo is supposed to have a clear advantage with Jesus Matos pitching against the lefty (Palma) righty (Lira) combo that has proved to be the worst couple of import pitchers in the League so far. Matos is recovering from a bad flue and has been cured with antibiotics. He may not be at his best. Furthermore, Bologna won’t have everyday shortstop Infante the whole week end because of a twisted ankle.
Game three of the series Saturday will be a duel between rookies Grifantini (who is battling for a spot on Team Italy’s roster for the World Cup) and Ribeiro, the venezuelan born portuguese right hander.
In San Marino T&A will face Telemarket Rimini and the nightmare ASI pitcher games have been for manager Bindi so far. Considering left hander Martignoni has been ill for a few days, San Marino may give the ball for the first time in 2 years to Willie Lucena. Rimini will start Sandy Patrone, who has been a little less then perfect in the last couple of weeks. Rimini seems the clear favorite.
On Friday a super pitching duel could happen between Rimini’s Garcia and San Marino’s Estrada, 2 of the best pitchers a baseball fan can find in the Old Continent this season.
On Saturday San Marino is my clear favorite when Tiago Da Silva (the best ERA of the League) takes the mound against Chris Di Roma
Schedule:
Wednesday, July 22
21:00 Cariparma Parma – Fortitudo Bologna (Rai Sport live, ‘as live’ Rai Sport Più)
21:00 T&A San Marino – Telemarket Rimini
Friday, July 24
21:00 Fortitudo Bologna – Cariparma Parma
21:00 Telemarket Rimini – T&A San Marino
Saturday, July 25
21:00 Fortitudo Bologna – Cariparma Parma
21:00 Telemarket Rimini – T&A San Marino
Photo: © Ferrini/FIBS