Holland Series: DOOR Neptunus clinches Dutch 2010 Title in Game 6

Holland Series, Game 6, September 18:

(2-4) L&D Amsterdam Pirates – DOOR Neptunus 2-5

NEP 001 120 100  5 15 2
AMS 020 000 000  2  1 2

Box score

by Pim van Nes

One day before their 13th Dutch championship title could be celebrated after game 7 in Rotterdam, it was in Amsterdam, where they were opposed by starting pitcher Rob Cordemans. Best pitcher in shape for Amsterdam Pirates and if he would have become, as predicted, winning pitcher in game 6 in Amsterdam, most probably also best pitcher of Holland Series.

Last week in game 4 Cordemans conserved a shut-out till one out away from a complete game. Yesterday Cordemans conceded his first hit already in the second inning and his first run in the third. Trailing 2-4 after six innings, Amsterdam coaches decided to call Frank van Heijst from the bullpen. Neptunus scored a fifth run to win in Holland Series for the fourth time. Series and season championship for Neptunus already on Saturday, thanks to winning pitcher Diegomar Markwell who played his best game this year, conceding only one hit in his nine innings complete game.

By beating L&D Amsterdam Pirates 4-2 in Holland Series, Neptunus managed to beat Haarlem Nicols 13-12 in national championships in Dutch history. The national federation KNBSB will celebrate 100 years of baseball in 2012, as the movement was founded in 1912. Till yesterday Nicols and Neptunus shared the national record of 12 season championships each. Nicols collected this string of 12 pearls between 1968 and 1989: a definite number as the club does not exist anymore due to financial problems in the nineties.

Neptunus earned their first pearl in 1981 with sponsor Kok Juwelier. They had to wait during 10 years before they could double the amount of pearls, but with sponsor Levi’s Neptunus added a new pearl every two years: 1991, 1993 and 1995. It was with present sponsor DOOR and the spiritual inspiration of its owner Bart van Luijk, that Neptunus underwent the miracle of seven consecutive national championships: 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005. With last year’s title Neptunus leveled with Nicols and now they are most successful club in 98 years of baseball in the Netherlands. Closest active competitor in Hoofdklasse is another club from Rotterdam, i.e. Sparta/Feyenoord, which as solely Sparta conquered 9 titles between 1963 and 1974.

Nine national championships together with DOOR, but already during the closing ceremony of Holland Series, Neptunus general manager Frans van Aalen yesterday released to the press that DOOR will not extend their main sponsor agreement, which had lasted 13 years. As from to-morrow Van Aalen has to start looking for a new main sponsor for next seasons, but he stated to be happy that DOOR will continue collaboration as a sub sponsor. This morning Neptunus captain Jeroen Sluijter announced that after 17 seasons as a Hoofdklasse player, he terminated his career yesterday with his last single in his last inning in his last game. In the ceremony he as winning captain was handed over the championship cup by KNBSB board member Frits Mulder.

For the third time in these Holland Series, Neptunus had to come back from behind versus Pirates. In game 2 Neptunus trailed 3-1 in the eighth inning, in game 5 again in the eighth inning they trailed 2-1, but alike in those games also yesterday in game 6 Pirates took the lead: 2-0 in second inning. This turned out to be the big inning for the home team, because Neptunus pitcher Markwell worked perfectly in all other 8 innings with 4 strike-outs in his nine innings complete game. Former Kinheim outfielder Danny Rombley started the demolition of the Amsterdam mound with Neptunus first hit. In the second inning he doubled to no avail, in the third he singled for the first RBI (2-1), in the fifth he singled again and scored 2-4 on Jeffrrey Arends’ 2 RBI double and in the seventh inning Rombley doubled again and scored 2-5 on Dwayne Kemp’s RBI single.

MVP of 2010 Holland Series was Australian pitcher Dushan Ruzic of Neptunus. He was winning pitcher in game 2 (as closing reliever for 4.2 innings) and in game 5 (as closing reliever during 2 innings) and he earned the save in game 3 as closing reliever during 2.2 innings. Ruzic pitched a total of 9 shut-out innings with 10 strike-outs, 2 bases for balls and 2 hits. The other winning pitchers in Holland Series were all Dutch and starters: Jos de Jong in game 1 with 6.2 innings for Amsterdam, Kevin Heijstek in game 3 with 6.1 innings for Rotterdam, Rob Cordemans in game 4 with 8.2 innings for Amsterdam and Diegomar Markwell in game 6 with 9 innings for Rotterdam.

by Pim van Nes
Baseball writer for
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