(Story by Marco Stoovelaar)
 Starting Pitchers coming series
Nederlands
 AMSTERDAM (Neth.) -
On Thursday-evening (June 6), the next 3-game series opens in the Dutch big league, followed by games coming Saturday and Sunday.
This will be the final series of games in the first half of the regular season, which ends coming Sunday, June 9.
Four days later, on Thursday, June 13, the second half will open.
In this second half, the four best teams will continue in the Top-4 Pool, the others in the Bottom-5 Pool.
When the second half opens, the teams will begin with the half of the total of points they earned in the first half (a team gets two points for a win, one for a tie, none for a loss).
In the previous days, there was a busy schedule for some teams, as five make-up games needed to be played.
There were two make-up games on Monday-evening, three on Tuesday-evening.
Oh, there also was a make-up game on Sunday, which was played as part of a double-header.
After Tuesday's games, there are no make-up games left.
And so, everyone can focus on the final series of the first half.
As not everything is decided yet.
The most important decision is who will complete the Top-4 Pool.
Last Thursday, Amsterdam Pirates and HCAW qualified for the Top-4 Pool, joining league-leader Curaçao Neptunus.
DSS/Kinheim and RCH-Pinguïns are the two remaining teams for the final spot, as UVV was eliminated on Monday and Oosterhout Twins on Tuesday.
DSS/Kinheim could have been the fourth, but on Tuesday-evening, RCH-Pinguïns recorded a surprise 10-9 win against HCAW in a game that ended when the 'winning run' was scored in the bottom of the eighth inning due to the curfew-rule.
With a loss, RCH-Pinguïns would have been eliminated, but because of the win, it now shares fourth place with DSS/Kinheim.
RCH-Pinguïns has no games scheduled in the final series and so, it has to look on to see how DSS/Kinheim will play against HCAW.
DSS/Kinheim needs one point to qualify for the Top-4 Pool.
When the two teams finish in a tie for fourth place, the first tie-breaker will be the head-to-head results.
However, in their 3-game series, both teams won once, while the third game ended in a tie!
The first game of the series (half April) rained out.
DSS/Kinheim then won the next game 8-6, then the third game also rained out.
The first make-up game ended in a 6-6 tie and ended after nine complete innings due to the curfew-rule.
So far, this is the lone tied game this season!
A week later, RCH-Pinguïns won the second make-up game with a 9-2 score.
As the first tie-break rule will create another tie, the second tie-break rule will come into effect.
In this rule, the team with the Best Run Average will be awarded the higher place.
The Run Average is determined by dividing the Runs Scored by the Runs Against in their head-to-head series.
What do we know?
Curaçao Neptunus will finish in first place, Worldwide Pharma Logistics Hoofddorp Pioniers will finish in eighth place and Quick Amersfoort will finish in ninth place.
Two other placings, besides fourth place, also are not decided yet.
Either Amsterdam Pirates or HCAW will finish in second or third place.
And either UVV or Oostehout Twins will finish in sixth or seventh place.
Whatever the ranking will be, it might not correspond with the published preliminary schedule for the second half.
In the schedule of the Top-4 Pool, the teams are named A, B, C and D, but this not automatically translates in 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th place.
This also is the case in the Bottom-5 Pool, where the teams are currently called E, F, G, H and K.
The schedule will be determined on field-availability or other logistic reasons.
With that, the definitive schedule can only be compiled (and published) after completion of the upcoming series.
Beneath are the announced probable starting pitchers for the ninth 3-game series of the 2024 season that opens on Thursday-evening, June 6.
As always, these pitching assignments can change on game-days.
(June 5)
Scores, Schedule and Standings
Rosters
Live play-by-play & live-streams
| Roster | CURAÇAO NEPTUNUS (21-0) | vs. |
AMSTERDAM PIRATES (17-4) | Roster | Game-info |
| # | Starting Pitchers Neptunus | G | # | Starting Pitchers Pirates |
| Date, Time & Site |
| 37 | RHP Tom de Blok (4-0) | 1 | 54 | LHP Nelmerson Angela (2-1) | Th. June 6, 7:30 PM, Rotterdam (1) |
| 39 | RHP Shairon Martis (6-0) | 2 | 34 | RHP Sven van de Sanden (1-0) | Sa. June 8, 2:00 PM, Amsterdam (2) |
| 00 | RHP Juan Carlos Sulbaran (5-0) | 3 | 29 | RHP Jelle van der Lelie (1-0) | Su. June 9, 2:00 PM, Rotterdam (1) |
| (1) - Neptunus Familiestadion, Sportpark Abraham van Stolkweg, Rotterdam; (2) - Loek Loevendie Ballpark, Sportpark 'Ookmeer', Amsterdam |
| Roster | HCAW (15-6) | vs. |
DSS//KINHEIM (11-9-1) | Roster | Game-info |
| # | Starting Pitchers HCAW | G | # | Starting Pitchers DSS/Kinheim |
| Date, Time & Site |
| 16 | RHP Kaj Timmermans (5-0) | 1 | 58 | LHP Jasper Elfrink (3-2) | Th. June 6, 7:30 PM, Bussum (3) |
| 7 | RHP Dennis Burgersdijk (3-0) | 2 | 39 | LHP Rick Rizvić (3-2) | Sa. June 8, 2:00 PM, Haarlem (4) |
| 39 | RHP Lars Huijer (5-1) | 3 | 30 | RHP Rick Timmermans (0-0) | Su. June 9, 2:00 PM, Bussum (3) |
| (3) - Rob Hoffmann Vallei, Sportpark 'De Sportvallei', Bussum; (4) - Pim Mulier Stadion, Pim Mulier Sportpark, Haarlem |
| Roster | QUICK AMERSFOORT (0-21) | vs. |
OOSTERHOUT TWINS (8-13) | Roster | Game-info |
| # | Starting Pitchers Quick | G | # | Starting Pitchers Twins |
| Date, Time & Site |
| 52 | LHP Jhan Rifaela (0-7) | 1 | 15 | RHP Jack Wagner (2-2) | Th. June 6, 7:30 PM, Amersfoort (5) |
| 81 | RHP Faisel Odulia (0-1) | 2 | 14 | RHP Wyatt Lankford (3-2) | Sa. June 8, 2:30 PM, Oosterhout (6) |
| 16 | RHP Floris Jan Kamphorst (0-1) | 3 | 6 | RHP Simon Gross (1-4) | Su. June 9, 2:00 PM, Amersfoort (5) |
| (5) - SportPark 'Dorrestein', Amersfoort; (6) - Sportpark 'De Slotbosse Toren', Oosterhout |
| Roster | WORLDWIDE PHARMA LOGISTICS HOOFDDORP PIONIERS (4-17) | vs. |
UVV (8-13) | Roster | Game-info |
| # | Starting Pitchers Pioniers | G | # | Starting Pitchers UVV |
| Date, Time & Site |
| 98 | RHP Arjen Nijkamp (1-4) | 1 | 35 | RHP Mike van den Berg (3-2) | Th. June 6, 7:30 PM, Hoofddorp (7) |
| 11 | LHP Kaien Oukes (0-1) | 2 | 13 | RHP Jurjen van Zijl (3-3) | Sa. June 8, 2:00 PM, Vleuten (8) |
| 22 | RHP Just van den Ouweelen (1-3) | 3 | | to be announced | Su. June 9, 2:00 PM, Hoofddorp (7) |
| (7) - ETO Ballpark, Sport Park 21, Hoofddorp; (8) Sportpark 'De Paperclip', Vleuten |
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