Postseason preview: final



Sotkamon Jymy (2) v Kouvolan Pallonlyöjat (4)

Head to head: As curious a season this is, there has never been a final where the 2 teams haven’t met in the regular season. In fact KPL hasn’t played Sotkamo since 5th September 2019 when Sotkamo won the semifinal series in game 5! It is hard to imagine how these 2 teams will shape up in this series against each other; KPL has a number of high profile players this year that they didn’t have last year and Sotkamo are placing their faith in 17 year old Aapo Komulainen who makes his Superpesis debut this year.

Form: KPL took the opening game of their series against Joensuu down to the wire; a scoring contest win gave them the platform for Game 2 at home with the chance of advancing to the final. Up until that series Joensuu hadn’t lost a game since 9th July this year, with 23 straight victories. KPL are arguably on their best form of the season at exactly the right time.

Prediction: KPL to win 2-1. Sotkamo to win the opening game.

Summary: Well! I predicted the Sotkamo v Vimpeli series with great accuracy, but KPL blew away my expectations and stunned many critics in defeating the reigning champions Joensuu. Having said that, I predicted on the podcast way back in June that it would be KPL and Sotkamo in the final with KPL winning. The way that KPL dismantled Joensuu’s offence in their series makes me think they have he edge, especially when you see Sotkamo blow an 8 run lead in Game 2 against Vimpeli. KPL has a great deal of depth and experience in their ranks and after beating Joensuu, they will have their gaze squarely on winning the championship. Sotkamo at times have looked flat when batting and when the tide turns in the field, they have struggled to close in defensively. Sotkamo are a great team, no doubt about it and Joni Rytkönen is a constant threat; however it is hard to think that KPL will succumb to even his great speed and talents when you analyse their games against Joensuu. KSS will be a fortress and with a sell out crowd I find it hard to think Sotkamo will break through. I wouldn’t be surprised if the series goes to game 3 and is decided in a supervuoro... entertainment? You bet!

Players to look out for: For Sotkamo, it will be interesting to see how 17 year old Aapo Komulainen handles the pressure of the finals, especially against KPL’s veteran lineup. Don’t be fooled by Aapo’s young age, he has wisdom beyond his years thanks to the amount of experience he has from one of the greatest tactical players of the last decade - his Father and game manager Jani Komulainen. Aapo has dazzled in the pitcher role and it is to his credit that he gets the call up over one of the best pitcher’s in the league, Ville Väliaho. For KPL, my player to watch out for is Toni Kohonen. Toni is dedicated to winning and his trophy cabinet boasts more awards, medals and accolades than anyone in Superpesis. His games in the post season have been quite quiet so far in comparison to his regular season performances, with only 29.41% success rate and 1 RBI. Expect Kohonen to lead the charge and use his “larger than life” character and experience to bully the Sotkamo defence.

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