Curaçao Neptunus Survives Late Amsterdam Rally to Win Game 1 of 2026 Holland Series

Curaçao Neptunus opened the 2026 Holland Series with a dramatic 6-5 victory over Amsterdam Pirates on Saturday, taking a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven Dutch championship series.

For most of the afternoon at the Neptunus Familiestadion in Rotterdam, the defending champions appeared to have Game 1 firmly under control.

Neptunus scored three times in the opening inning, starting pitcher Shairon Martis kept Amsterdam quiet deep into the game and the Rotterdam club carried a comfortable 6-1 advantage into the final stages.

Then the Holland Series suddenly came alive.

Amsterdam produced a four-run rally in the ninth inning and cut the deficit to a single run before Neptunus reliever Ryan Huntington finally closed the door, preserving a 6-5 victory and giving the reigning champion the first win of the series.

Neptunus attacks Lars Huijer immediately

The anticipated Game 1 pitching matchup changed on the Neptunus side, with veteran right-hander Shairon Martis receiving the start rather than Koen Postelmans.

Amsterdam did turn to Lars Huijer, but Neptunus gave the Pirates starter little time to settle into the game.

The Rotterdam lineup opened the bottom of the first inning with five consecutive hits. Marnix Ruben, Dwayne Kemp, Darryl Collins, Arthur Bonevacia and Sem Kuijper all reached with singles as Neptunus quickly built a 3-0 lead.

It was exactly the kind of start Neptunus wanted against one of the most accomplished pitchers in Dutch baseball.

Huijer entered the postseason after an excellent regular season in which he went 8-2 with a 1.60 ERA and a league-leading 84 strikeouts. However, NOS reported during Game 1 that the Amsterdam right-hander was dealing with a foot injury.

After the difficult opening inning, Huijer recovered.

Neptunus had collected five hits before the first inning was over, but Huijer allowed only three additional hits across the following four frames. That adjustment prevented Rotterdam from immediately turning the game into a rout and kept Amsterdam within striking distance.

Shairon Martis dominates Amsterdam lineup

While Huijer settled down, Martis controlled the Pirates offense.

The 39-year-old Neptunus starter did not allow Amsterdam to score during the first five innings and repeatedly prevented the Pirates from turning baserunners into meaningful rallies.

Amsterdam finally broke through in the sixth, scoring once to reduce the deficit, but Neptunus answered with another run in the bottom half.

That restored the margin at 4-1.

Martis’ performance continued a strong 2026 campaign. During the regular season, he went 11-0 with a 2.01 ERA, forming part of a Neptunus rotation that dominated the Hoofdklasse throughout the year. Rotterdam finished the regular season at 33-3 while allowing only 73 runs.

Through eight innings Saturday, Martis had surrendered eight hits but only one run, leaving Amsterdam with little to show for its opportunities.

Against a Pirates lineup that scored 233 runs during the regular season, keeping Amsterdam to one run for eight innings was arguably the decisive performance of Game 1.

Darryl Collins leads Neptunus offense

Neptunus added another two runs in the seventh inning, extending its lead to 6-1.

At that stage, the defending champions appeared to be cruising toward a relatively comfortable opening victory.

Darryl Collins was the standout hitter for Rotterdam, finishing 4-for-5 at the plate.

The performance continued an excellent season for the Neptunus outfielder. Collins hit .414 with a .486 on-base percentage and .603 slugging percentage during the regular season, establishing himself as one of the most productive hitters in the Hoofdklasse.

His four-hit performance was especially important because the middle innings became considerably quieter after Neptunus’ explosive start.

That ability to continue creating traffic even after Huijer adjusted gave Rotterdam enough offense to build what ultimately became a necessary five-run cushion.

Amsterdam turns Game 1 into a ninth-inning thriller

A 6-1 advantage looked more than sufficient entering the late innings.

It wasn’t.

Amsterdam refused to concede the opener and finally found a way through Martis in the top of the ninth.

After two Amsterdam hits helped reduce the score to 6-3, Neptunus went to the bullpen with Martis having worked 8 1/3 innings. Huntington, the club’s regular closer, entered with the responsibility of finishing the game.

The Pirates continued their rally.

Two more runs crossed the plate, suddenly making it 6-5 and transforming what had appeared to be a routine Neptunus victory into a one-run game.

Huntington eventually secured the final outs before Amsterdam could complete the comeback.

The final score told a very different story from the one that appeared to be unfolding only an inning earlier.

Neptunus 6, Amsterdam Pirates 5.

Neptunus leads Holland Series 1-0

The victory gives Curaçao Neptunus a 1-0 advantage in the best-of-seven Holland Series and moves the Rotterdam club three wins away from another Dutch championship.

Neptunus is attempting to win its 22nd national title and third consecutive championship. The club entered the series having won 33 of 36 regular-season games, while Amsterdam finished only three games behind at 30-6.

Those records made Neptunus and Amsterdam the clear top two teams in Dutch baseball this season.

Their direct meetings had been far less one-sided, however. The clubs split their six regular-season matchups 3-3, another indication that the difference between them is smaller than their overall records might suggest.

Game 1 reinforced that point.

Neptunus controlled most of the contest, but Amsterdam came within one run of erasing a five-run deficit in the final inning.

Game 2 shifts to Amsterdam

The Holland Series continues Sunday, September 6 at 14:00 local time at the Loek Loevendie Ballpark in Amsterdam.

For Neptunus, Game 2 presents an opportunity to take a commanding 2-0 series advantage before the championship returns to Rotterdam for Game 3 on Thursday.

For Amsterdam, the ninth inning on Saturday could provide encouragement despite the defeat.

The Pirates struggled badly against Martis for most of Game 1, but their late rally demonstrated that Neptunus cannot afford to relax with a lead. Amsterdam managed to turn a 6-1 deficit into a one-run game and forced Rotterdam to use Huntington to escape.

Neptunus nevertheless accomplished the most important objective.

The defending champion protected home field, Martis delivered more than eight innings of high-level starting pitching, Collins produced four hits, and the Rotterdam lineup did enough early damage against Huijer to survive the Pirates’ late charge.

Curaçao Neptunus leads the 2026 Holland Series, 1-0.