The 2009 EBA Champion is Crowned

[agrudez]

After taking a 3 game lead over the Amsterdam Neptunes, the Brussels Eagles could feel victory in sight, but with 2 more wins needed the set themselves to the task.

Game 4 was a pitching duel between both staffs as starters Alberto Bejinez (AMS) and Chris Allen (BRU) both pitched as their careers depended on it and finished 7 and 6.1 scoreless innings respectively. The bullpens then picked up the slack, with the lone run coming off of Neptune reliever Garin Schoettlekotte on a Jose Fernandez single that scored Strom Kandarr (whom doubled earlier in the inning) to pull out the walk-off 1-0 victory in the bottom of the 11th.

Game 5, with Amsterdam facing a series sweep, was opened up with a bang as the Neptunes exploded for 4 ER in the first inning against Eagles starter Bilbao as the team put 10 batters to the plate and collected 3 hits and 4 BBs in the inning. These offense was the exact type of tone that the Neptunes needed to set as they went on (despite some late game attempts by Brussels to steal it back) to win 5-4 to extend the series.

Game 6, yet another elimination game, saw the scoring opened up by Brussels in the top of the 2nd as Andy Nebraska (5.2 IP) and the Eagles bullpen (including Kenneth Mathieu who had a two inning save with only 2 base runners allowed) held the Neptunes to only 1 run in the match while Larry Wilkes (who had 4 Hs, 1 HR and 2 RBIs in the game) and the Brussels offense drove in 5 to take the game, the series and the crown.

All season long, the Eagles leaned heavily on 1B Larry Wilkes and SS Jean-Marc Fraysse to provide their offense from the heart of their lineup – and the postseason was no different. The career Eagle Fraysse (in what may prove to be his swan song season with the new transfer agreement in place) posted a .423 OBP, 1.32 OPS, 38 HRs, 114 RBIs and 8.1 WAR during the season and followed it up with a stat line of .391/.4/.696/1.096 in the playoffs. The former Talon, Kernel, Black Sock, Kraken and Hustler (his most recent stop – where he won a MBBA championship last season), Wilkes posted a .441 OBP, 1.011 OPS, 24 HRs, 79 RBIs and a 4.9 WAR in the regular season and then exploded in the playoffs (much like he did last season for Las Vegas – with a 1.029 OPS in 50 ABs) with an absurd statline of .6/.643/.88/1.523.

From the mound, the Eagles were missing two of their top arms in Olivarria (3.86 ERA/1.32 WHIP in 27 starts) and Ashwin Vlasblom (2.89 ERA/1.31 WHIP in 37.1 IP), but still had Pierre Borque (3.87 ERA/1.44 WHIP in 28 starts) who put in a 7 IP, 1 ER against effort in the championship series and, of course, the deadly combination of Lionel Sanguinacco and Kenneth Mathieu at the back of the ‘pen who combined for 8.2 IP and a mere 2 ER against in the championship series after posting a 1.72 ERA/1 WHIP in 68 IP and 3.58 ERA/1.18 WHIP in 83 IP respectively in the regular season.

This victory is the 4th championship in the last 5 years for the Brussels’ dynasty; however, it may very well be their last as the uncertainty of how the new MBBA-EBA transfer agreement and associated EBA player’s rights draft will affect their 2010 roster. Still, with their AAA affiliate, the Ottignies-Louvain-La-Neuve Zombies, going 88-56 in their season, finishing 18 games ahead in their division, the future will most likely still be bright for the Eagles – even if their dynasty is cut short.

[Al-Hoot]

Brussels the dominators