(Story by Marco Stoovelaar; Photos by Henk Seppen & Marco Stoovelaar)
 Starting Pitchers Holland Series & History
Nederlands
  HAARLEM / ROTTERDAM (Neth.) -
The starting pitchers for the next games in the best-of-seven Holland Series between reigning champion Curaçao Neptunus and Corendon Kinheim have been named.
Beginning on Saturday is the best-of-five Promotion/Relegation Series between Mampaey The Hawks and Twins.
The Hawks finished in last place in the big league and now has to face Twins, which won the championship in the second highest league ('Overgangsklasse').
The Series opens on Saturday in Dordrecht at the site of The Hawks, then the second game follows on Sunday in Oosterhout.
...Pim Mulier Stadium...
...the home of Corendon Kinheim...
...and the site for the next three games...
(© Photo: Marco Stoovelaar) |
The Series began last weekend in Rotterdam, where Neptunus took a 2-0 lead.
On Saturday, Neptunus opened with a 7-1 victory, then also won Game Two on Sunday, 9-2.
Recap Game One
Recap Game Two
The Series now shifts to Haarlem, where the next three games will be played in the historic Pim Mulier Stadium.
Game Three is scheduled for Thursday-evening, September 17, starting at 7:30 PM.
Next Saturday, starting at 2 PM, Game Four will be played.
If needed, the fifth game will be played on Sunday.
That game will start at 1 PM, due to TV-coverage.
When a sixth and/or seventh game is/are needed, those are scheduled for the weekend of September 26 and 27 in Rotterdam.
This marks the 13th time in history that a team is having a 2-0 lead in the championship final.
The team that led 2-0 won the Series the first eleven times.
The lone time that a team with a 2-0 lead lost a Series happened last year.
L&D Amsterdam Pirates then took a 2-0 lead vs. Neptunus.
After losing the third game, Pirates won Game Four, but then Neptunus won the next three games in a row to claim the title.
Seven of these twelve Series ended in a sweep.
Neptunus and Kinheim met each other four times in the Holland Series, which was played for the first time in 1987.
Both won twice.
In 1993, 1994 and 1995, the two teams met in three consecutive years when the series was a best-of-five.
Neptunus won the first one, 3-1.
In the following year, Kinheim won 3-2, then Neptunus won again in their third match-up, 3-1.
Three years ago, the two teams faced each other again in the all-deciding final, which by now had become a best-of-seven.
Kinheim almost was eliminated during the Play-Offs, which led to a change of coaches.
Kinheim not only went on to qualify for the Holland Series, but also swept Neptunus in four games.
Schedule
Scores
| Holland Series-history when team holds 2-0 lead |
| Year | Team leading 2-0 | Opponent | Champion | Result |
| 1990 | Amsterdam Pirates | Neptunus | Amsterdam Pirates | 3-0 |
| 1991 | Neptunus | HCAW-Tijgers | Neptunus | 3-0 |
| 1995 | Neptunus | Kinheim | Neptunus | 3-1 |
| 2001 | Neptunus | HCAW | Neptunus | 3-1 |
| 2002 | Neptunus | HCAW | Neptunus | 3-0 |
| 2003 | Neptunus | HCAW | Neptunus | 3-2 |
| 2004 | Neptunus | HCAW | Neptunus | 3-1 |
| 2007 | Kinheim | Hoofddorp Pioniers | Kinheim | 3-0 |
| 2008 | Amsterdam Pirates | Kinheim | Amsterdam Pirates | 3-0 |
| 2012 | Kinheim | Neptunus | Kinheim | 4-0 |
| 2013 | Neptunus | Hoofddorp Pioniers | Neptunus | 4-0 |
| 2014 | Amsterdam Pirates | Neptunus | Neptunus | 4-3 |
| 2015 | Neptunus | Kinheim | ??? | ??? |
| Neptunus vs. Kinheim in 2015 |
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Date | Game | Score | W | L |
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| Regular Season |
| Apr. 23 | Kinheim vs. Neptunus | 3-4 (10) | van Mil | Asjes |
| Apr. 25 | Kinheim vs. Neptunus | 5-8 | Markwell | Veltkamp |
| Apr. 26 | Neptunus vs. Kinheim | 4-5 | Asjes | van Mil |
| June 18 | Neptunus vs. Kinheim | 4-6 | Stuifbergen | Markwell |
| June 20 | Neptunus vs. Kinheim | 8-0 | Van Den Branden | Veltkamp |
| June 21 | Kinheim vs. Neptunus | 1-11 (8) | Yntema | Wassink |
| Play-Offs |
| Aug. 13-15 | Neptunus vs. Kinheim | 2-3 (10) | Asjes | van Mil |
| Aug. 15 | Neptunus vs. Kinheim | 5-7 | Walsma | Kelly |
| Aug. 16 | Kinheim vs. Neptunus | 0-19 (7) | Van Den Branden | Veltkamp |
| Holland Series |
| Sep. 12 | Neptunus vs. Kinheim | 7-1 | Markwell | Bergman |
| Sep. 13 | Neptunus vs. Kinheim | 9-2 | Yntema | Wassink |
| Game Three |
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Lefthander Nick Veltkamp has been named as starting pitcher for home playing Corendon Kinheim for the third game in the Holland Series on Thursday-evening.
He will face lefthander Diegomar Markwell, who was the starting and winning pitcher for Curaçao Neptunus in the opener last Saturday.
In the regular season, Veltkamp was 3-4, making 12 starts (and one relief-appearance) for Kinheim.
He pitched in 66 innings in which he struckout 36 batters and walked 40, while giving up 72 basehits and 44 runs.
Veltkamp closed the regular season with a 3.68 ERA.
Markwell was 9-2 in the regular season, making twelve starts (one complete) for Neptunus.
He finished with a 2.06 ERA and struckout 54 batters in 74 1/3 inning, while walking 23 batters.
Markwell gave up 58 hits and 25 runs.
The two faced each other on April 25 when Neptunus won 8-5.
Veltkamp then threw six innings, Markwell seven.
Including postseason, Veltkamp made three starts against Neptunus.
He was the losing pitcher twice during the regular season and also was the losing pitcher in the third game against Neptunus during the Play-Offs.
Markwell started four games (including Play-Offs and Holland Seruies) vs. Kinheim, winning twice and losing once with one no-decision.
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| Game Four |
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Kinheim has not announced its starting pitchers yet for the games to be played in the upcoming weekend.
And that has to do with the availability of righthander Tom Stuifbergen.
He was not eligible to pitch in the first games of the Holland Series due to a suspension, but more important, he is recovering from a back-injury.
On August 28, Stuifbergen was to be the starting pitcher for Kinheim in the first game vs. Vaessen Pioniers during its last Play-Off Series.
However, during pre-game preparations, Stuifbergen sustained a back-injury and was scratched from his start.
He didn't pitch since then.
In the regular season, Stuifbergen was 4-1 with one save, pitching in 12 games (10 starts).
He struckout 49 batters in 59 2/3 inning, walked 13 and gave up 44 hits and 16 runs.
Righthander Kenny Van Den Branden will be the starting pitcher for Neptunus in Game Four on Saturday.
In the regular season, the Belgian hurler was 8-1 and pitched in 13 games (10 starts).
He struckout 65 batters in 71 1/3 inning, while walking 22 batters and giving up 39 basehits and only 13 runs.
Van Den Branden led the Neptunus-staff with an 1.26 ERA.
This season, his first with Neptunus, Van Den Branden started two games against Kinheim in the regular season.
He had one no-decision and was the winner in his other start.
During the Play-Offs, Van Den Branden started one game against the Haarlem-squad and then was the winning pitcher.
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| Game Five |
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As Kinheim's starting pitcher is not known for Saturday's game, the starter for an eventual fifth game of course also has yet to be decided.
When Tom Stuifbergen is able to pitch on Saturday, righthanders David Bergman and Glenn Wassink will become available for Sunday's game.
Last weekend, the two respectively started Game One and Game Two in Rotterdam.
Righthander Orlando Yntema has been named starter for Neptunus when a fifth game has to be played on Sunday.
Yntema also started Game Two last Sunday and then was the winning pitcher.
Yntema close the regular season with an 8-2 record and a 2.86 ERA.
He started 15 games and completed one.
Yntema pitched 78 2/3 inning and struckout 77 batters, while walking 35.
He gave up 63 basehits and 26 runs.
Including the Play-Offs and Holland Series, Yntema started four games against Kinheim, winning twice and two with a no-decision.
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(September 16)
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