Arndt Wiedmaier, club founder, first generation Mainz Athletics player and president, had sent our team to Regensburg on a distinct mission: „Last weekend you played like champions. Now I want you to go to Regensburg and bring that cup back to Mainz.“ The boys fulfilled the mission. On sunday night at 11 pm they arrived at the ballpark as german baseball champion, eagerly awaited by their supporters who had not been able to accompany them to the away matches, by their supporters who had already arrived from Regensburg.
„It’s a great day for Mainz“ said Ulli Wermuth, the championship coach. „Surely it will be a while before I can realize it completely. I don’t know how to put my emotions into words! All this support by the other sports teams, the hockey players, the handball players, the Mainz 05 soccer professionals, by the whole city… I’m a Mainz boy, here I was born, here I grew up, here I played hockey and baseball. I’m proud of my hometown and grateful for its support. Today we achieved a great success for our players and for our club, but also for the entire city.“
The 13:2/5:0 sweep in the first two matches laid a great foundation. In front of 2.500 spectators we had taken the first two steps towards the title at Hartmühlenweg. One more win was still missing, we had three shots, we needed two. With a 1:0 in the third match the Regensburg Legionäre made their way back into the series, with a 5:2 in the sunday match we won the title.
„It’s true, we had beaten Regensburg twice already“, Wermuth said, „and it would have been great to win the final series in three matches, but in a certain way that was not probable. You don’t just sweep the powerhouse of germany.“ Still it might have worked. Actually, nothing was missing in the saturday match, nothing of significance. „It was a pitchers‘ duel on the highest level“, the coach described it, a duel between Mike Bolsenbroek, who was regarded as the best Bundesliga pitcher in the recent years, and Jan-Niclas Stöcklin, who was decorated on the following day as best pitcher of the final series.
„We made it hard for ourselves“ said Manuel Möller, one of the two veteran players who will retire now, after their second championship with Mainz Athletics. „Both teams felt the pressure. We could have been more laid back, we had the advantage. But it’s hard to do such a thing in three matches.“ There were only six hits in the first match at Regensburg, three by our team, three by the Legionäre. None of those led to a run.
Because Regensburg took the lead with their first batter with a few small things. „A run well produced“, Wermuth said. Stöcklin hit Nino Sacasa with his pitch. A sacrifice hit by Matt Vance put the leadoff on second base, a misadjustment between Stöcklin and catcher Max Boldt gave the third base to Sacasa. „Sometimes a starter struggles a bit at the beginning of the game“, Wermuth explained. „Janni threw a high ball to Mike Ehmcke“ – it’s easy to hit a high pitch. Though Kevin Kotowski caught Ehmcke’s flyball in centerfield, it was enough for Sacasa to score the 1:0.
And that was it. „Lucky for Regensburg“, Möller said, „unlucky for us.“ Because our team put pressure on the Legionäre from the beginning. In the first inning, we already had first Kotowski, then Thomas de Wolf on second base. In the second inning, Trey Stover made it to third base after his basehit. The seventh inning was the first without any Mainz runners. And a subtlety in the laws of the game prevented the equalising run in the eighth inning.
Max Boldt had walked. Against Mike Larson and Lennard Stöcklin Regensburg made the first and the second out. And Stover’s hit into centerfield was actually good enough. Boldt could have scored from first base, had the ball not bounced over the wall out of the field. Ground rule double, two bases for everyone, not a third one for the catcher. Regensburg substituted the pitcher, third out, no run. „But we put them under pressure all the time“, Wermuth said half an hour after the narrow loss. „We had baserunners all the time. And Janni put up a superb fight beginning in the second inning until the end. I already left the match behind me. It was not supposed to be, but tomorrow will be a new day, tomorrow everything will be fine.“
Mainz Athletics 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Regensburg Legionäre 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 1
CF K. Kotowski, LF Johannessen, 1B de Wolf, C Boldt, DH Larson, 3B L. Stöcklin, SS Stover, RF Dickman, 2B Weichert – P J. Stöcklin (8. P Stahlmann).
And it everything was fine at the end, although it was tricky. On the mound we had Eric Massingham wo probably will retire. His arm is done for. „Eric once more played off all his professionalism“, Wermuth praised his pitcher. „Without having anything left in the arm, he held Regensburg in his last match with speed changes between youth and junior level at bay. It’s nice that a great pitcher as he is could end his career with such a success.“ Massingham controlled his opponents nearly absolutely, allowed only three baserunners in the first five innings – one in the third and one in the fifth by two walks, the third was allowed to reach the base by the defense in order to get the one who just had walked off the field. „In my opinion, Eric is the true hero of the match“, said Mike Larson, who will also retire from Bundesliga as german champion. „He had extreme pain and still didn’t allow any hits in five innings. Such a performance under such circumstances – incredible!“
In this fifth inning, the game had almost been aborted. A short time after our lead – walk for Peter Johannessen, balk by Clayton Voechting, RBI single by Thomas de Wolf – it had started to rain heavily. The match was suspended for a long time, the decision whether, how and when it might be continued had been delayed over and over. In case of a surrender to the weather it would have started again with 0:0 in the first inning. It was continued after a delay of 94 minutes.
It was continued with runs. With the 2:0 (walk for Stover, sacrifice hit by Lennard Stöcklin, RBI double by Lucas Dickman) in the sixth, with the 3:0, 4:0 and 5:0 in the seventh inning. That too began with a walk for de Wolf. Boldt put the belgian with a single on second base, Mike Larson sent both over the homeplate with a double and scored himself after Dickman’s double. „A really great hit by Lucas“, the canadian, who had played in rightfield for a long time before playing as designated hitter recently, praised his outfield successor.
Massingham left the mound now as well. Tim Stahlmann took over. „On saturday, I came to the field knowing: Nothing bad can happen to me. The offense has to create two runs“, the reliever said. „On sunday, I wanted too much, I wasn’t focused mentally.“ Without a single hit and with only one out, three Regensburg players reached the bases – Stahlmann found his way out of this seventh inning. In the eighth, all the bases were loaded again quickly and this time it did not work out that well, this time Regensburg scored twice. „I had to shift down“, Stahlmann explained. „I had to throw a few casual pitches – batters make mistakes too. It worked.“ Strikeout against Janis Muschik, Strikeout against Nino Sacasa. Regensburg needed three runs to even the score, the bases were empty, we needed one more out to be the champions. „And Matt Vance put up a hard fight“, Stahlman said, „it was a great battle.“ One foulball, one strike. One more pitch… but Vance, the veteran, fought back, looked at balls, hit foulballs. „Max said: throw it through the middle“, Stahlmann revealed. „Vance swung. And Trey had the ball. Then I knew: It had worked.“ The shortstop, one of the outstanding Bundesliga defenders, threw a final precise shot to first base. There, Thomas de Wolf didn’t have to stretch much. Vance arrived half a step too late, the game was over, we were the champions of germany.
Mainz Athletics 0 0 0 0 1 1 3 0 0 5 Regensburg Legionäre 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 2
CF K. Kotowski, LF Johannessen (1 Run/0 RBIs), 1B de Wolf (1/1), C Boldt (1/0), DH Larson (1/2), SS Stover (1/0), 3B L. Stöcklin, RF Dickman (0/2), 2B Weichert – P Massingham (7. P Stahlmann).
„Crazy“, Wermuth said. „I won six championships in my career as a player and as a coach. Four of them in Regensburg. 1996 as a youth player, 2007 in Bundesliga, 2009 as the junior team’s coach, now once more. And we have earned it. We lost only 8 out of 41 games. That’s great.“ It was the first part of a double success – our youth team won their own championship later that night in a wild 22:21 against Regensburg at Heidenheim. „Three years ago, they lost heavily against Regensburg in the finals“, Wermuth recalled. „Not they beat them. That’s a great validation for our work.“
That work will continue in three weeks. „For me the preparations for the new season will start on tuesday“, Wermuth said. „I’m looking forward to the european cup, I hope we can make it possible to enter the tournament. Many youth players are itching to be part of the first team. On october 23rd the training will commence again. Today I’m happy to be champion, but we have to stay hungry.“
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