Guggenberger Legionnaires will face the Stealers in the Quarterfinals. The opponent’s outstanding player is a pitcher – that has a long tradition in Hamburg, including a connection to Regensburg.
So it became the Hamburg Stealers. After the Guggenberger legionnaires had been third in the southern ranks for some time, there were still some question marks in the north. Second place in particular was hard fought between Hamburg and Paderborn. In the end, the Stealers prevailed.
Hamburger pitching strength
For the Guggenberger Legionnaires, this means that they will have to fight for progress next Saturday (2 p.m.) and Sunday (1 p.m.) in Hamburg. For Regensburg’s pitching coach Michael Wäller, the away games are also home games.
The man from Hamburg, who was voted Best German Pitcher several times during his playing days, has also made his way into the German Hall of Fame via the national team, but above all in the Stealers uniform. In 2000, that was even enough for a German championship. Former Legionnaire players, for example, do not like to remember the encounter with Wäller and Hamburger in the quarter-finals in 1995.
Stars from Japan
Of course, that should change fundamentally this year. The Regensburg team is again dealing with an extremely strong pitcher. Yasutomo Kubo signed on with the Stealers at the start of the season. The Japanese may be 42 years old, but he is definitely one of the top signings in the league. Kubo played 13 years in the NPB (Nippon Professional Baseball), the country’s top baseball league, which defeated the superstar-studded US team in the finals of the World Baseball Classics. Kubo was Rookie of the Year there, was nominated for All Star, a real force in the home of megastar Shohei Ohtani.
In his first Bundesliga season, Kubo has already been voted player of the week several times. His specialty is precision, even in complete games. A real task for the Legionnaires’ offensive. Overall, the Hamburgers have strengthened prominently and apparently effectively for the current season. The self-confidently proclaimed goal of Nordmeister was missed, but the Stealers are significantly stronger than last season.
Holloway is out
However, the Guggenberger Legionnaires have presented themselves really well with the last games in the regular season and, by the way, also blocked the way for the Stuttgart Reds into the play-off games. In the pitcher area of all things, however, the team has again caught the injury misery that has been quite stubborn this season. Trevor Holloway, who was really convincing in the final of the regular season, will miss the games in Hamburg with a shoulder injury.
But Martin Helmig wouldn’t be Martin Helmig if he let that upset him. “Now we just have to make sure that we can cope like this,” says the head coach with a view to the failure. Helmig doesn’t want any distractions. “Now it’s important, now everyone has to be there and do their job”. With the exception of Holloway and Pascal Amon, who cannot play this season due to injury, all the players are on board as things stand at the moment. Captain Matt Vance takes to the field as the new dad of three.
Martin Helmig takes his players to task before the start of the play-off. (Photo: Holger Schellkopf)
Good preparatory phase
In fact, the final games of the regular season give reason for confidence. This also includes the fact that Daniel Patrice has come back impressively with home runs in every game. In general, the team made a very good impression against the Reds.
The legionnaires used the break until the first play-off games for intensive preparation, and also gained competition practice in several internal games against a second team that had been strengthened. Helmig himself speaks of a “good training phase”, which in his case is close to maximum euphoria.
Now the master maker demands full focus on the games in Hamburg, he wants to see performance from his players. “If everyone brings what they can really do, then we have very good cards.”
2023-07-19 15:01:19
#Guggenberger #Legionnaires #Regensburg
