(Story by Marco Stoovelaar; Photos by FIBS / Marco Stoovelaar)
 Bologna wins Italian title in rainy conditions
Nederlands
 BOLOGNA (Italy) -
UnipolSai Fortituto Bologna is the champion of Italy after winning the sixth game of the best-of-seven Italian Baseball Series against Pirati dei Rimini with a 2-0 score.
The game was halted with one out in the bottom of the sixth inning for the second time by rain after it already had been interrupted in the top of the fifth inning.
While it appeared that the game was able to resume again, it was just after 2 AM (!) early Monday-morning (August 22), more started to fell.
It was then decided that the game was not to be resumed again, as the field had become unplayable for the third time.
The game was declared valid around 2:08 AM and with that, Bologna won the Series 4-2 to become the new champion, winning the title for the tenth time in club-history.
Last year, Bologna was swept in four games by Rimini.
This season, Bologna was led for the first time by Daniele Frignani as Head Coach after having played for the team (as captain) for a long time.
Osman Marval was named Most Valuable Player of the Series.
The game already had to be cancelled on Saturday-evening due to rain and field conditions.
On Sunday-evening, both teams got on base in the first inning, but stranded a runner in scoring position.
In the second inning, Lino Zappone reached first base with two outs.
It appeared he was just tagged out before reaching first base, but he was ruled safe.
A strikeout followed, so he also stranded.
Bologna was retired in order in its second at bat by Rimini-starter Ricardo Hernández Sánchez.
After Rimini was retired in order, it appeared that Bologna was to open the score moments later in the bottom of the third.
Allessandro Grimaudo led off with a triple, but he also stranded, as three grounders followed.
Rimini was retired in order again in the top of the fourth and then Bologna struck in the home half.
With one out, Osman Marval singled and Alex Sambucci walked, then both scored on a following double by Alessandro Vaglio, who later stranded on second base.
...Heavy rain struck in Bologna...
(© Photo: FIBS / Marco Stoovelaar) |
In the top of fifth, Zappone walked with one out, then a strikeout followed.
With an 0-1 count on next batter Lorenzo Di Fabio, a sudden heavy rainshower fell and that interrupted the game.
It appeared that the field had become unplayable, but a group of some 40 persons worked very hard to make it playable again.
Despite two new minor showers, they succeeded and after a delay of almost two hours the game resumed just before midnight!
During the delay, there were several talks and meetings with or by the umpiring crew, club-officials and groundskeepers.
Rimini's Pitching Coach Paolo Illuminati had some heated discussions with the umpires, groundskeepers and Bologna-coaches regarding the state of the playing field.
He frequently signaled to possible wet spots in the outfield and around the warning track.
When the game resumed, Bologna-starter Ryan Searle, who had allowed no basehits, didn't return.
Raúl Rivero took over and completed the at bat of Di Fabio, whom he struckout to complete the top of the fifth inning.
With that, the game became official, as the home team was leading.
In the bottom of the fifth, Bologna left a runner on second base.
Rimini reached base again in the top of the sixth.
Stefano Desimoni led off with a single, but was eliminated in a double play.
In the bottom of the sixth, Alex Sambucci walked with one out.
That brought Alessandro Vaglio to the batter's box, but then another heavy rainshower struck, almost 30 minutes after it had resumed.
With that, more discussions followed regarding the conditions of the field.
But again, work was started to make the field playable again.
And so, another delay of more than one-and-a-half-hour followed!
Around 2 AM, it appeared that the field was back in playing condition.
A great word of respect for these groundkeepers and other volunteers who worked very hard to make the field playable under these circumstances.
But a few minutes later, a groundskeeper's nightmare followed, as it started to rain again.
A brief, but heavy shower blanked the field again.
As it became clear that it again probably would have taken more than an hour to prepare the field, some ten minutes later word came that the umpires had halted the game definitively.
And as it was a valid game, Bologna won the championship!
(August 21-22)
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...Left: Discussions between the coaches and umpires during the first rain-delay...
...Right: Bologna's Roberto Radaelli (right) assists the groundscrew...
(© Photos: FIBS / Marco Stoovelaar) |
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Game Six best-of-7 Italian Baseball Series.