French baseball's most decorated club, Paris Université Club (PUC), will have spent just one brief season in Division 1. After losing twice to Savigny, the Parisians can no longer catch Béziers and will play in the second division next season.
It is the logical conclusion to a season that was difficult from beginning to end, as the numbers show. PUC finishes with the league's worst offense (a .224 batting average), worst pitching staff (a 7.30 ERA), and sixth-ranked defense (a .643 fielding percentage). It is difficult to survive under those circumstances.
It is hardly surprising that the Parisians managed to win only two games on the field, plus one by forfeit, despite a few impressive individual performances, such as American player Bowers' three-home-run, seven-RBI game against La Rochelle. But with a very young - perhaps too young - and inexperienced roster, the Parisians let too many winnable games slip away to have any hope of staying up. There is talent in this team, however, and it should be capable of establishing itself in the top flight in the years ahead.
Brossier, the Undisputed MVP
While PUC is left disappointed, Montpellier and Savigny have reason to celebrate. Both teams deservedly clinched playoff berths by defeating Toulouse (7-1, 13-3) and PUC (7-3, 6-2), respectively.
In the Montpellier Barracudas' wins, center fielder Paolo Brossier once again stood out, going 5-for-10 with six RBIs. He further cemented his status as the league's best player with some staggering numbers: a .482/.651/.578 slash line, an otherworldly 1.229 OPS, 16 RBIs, 14 stolen bases, only eight strikeouts, and no errors in the field. Look no further for this season's MVP.
Rouen Pulls Away - Slightly
The other team to make a significant move was the Rouen Huskies, who recorded two wins over La Rochelle by completely contrasting scorelines: 17-4 and 2-1. The first game was a 26-hit slugfest, with 18 of those hits belonging to the reigning French champions. The second was a pitchers' duel that was decided in the eighth inning against the bullpen.
With this sweep, Rouen moves into third place in the standings at 15-9, but remains under pressure from La Rochelle (15-11) and Sénart (13-11), which split its series against Béziers (2-11, 12-2). The final two rounds will focus on this battle for the playoffs, with plenty of suspense still to come.
