End of season evaluation and review - part 2

If Rantakenttä was the field of dreams, Pihkala felt like the stuff of nightmares for Tahko’s poor defence

Places 6-9

At the lower end of the top 8 there was a real scramble for the final playoff spots. This post  focuses on places 6 to 9 as they finished in the regular season and considers how 6th to 8th place performed in the postseason.


Some general observations for 6th to 9th place: Hyvinkää had a wild ride this season, with moments that looked like they would be firmly out of the top 8 and talks of being a potential top 4 team. If there was one word that gave any Tahko fan a cold chill it was “defence”. In a park that has such wide open spaces beyond the outfield, Pihkala can become your own worst enemy if you have a leaky defence. The signs were there from the very build up to the season, with training games against KPL and Manse showing some fundamental flaws. But Hyvinkää have a pretty resilient batting lineup and with veteran Juha Korhonen leading the charge, they could keep in sight of their opponents in any game. 


Seinäjoki started the season strong and looked competitive for a top 4 spot, but most likely a solid 5th place finish; however as the summer went on, the energy started to drain from the team and they looked average. Despite Jukka-Pekka Vainionpää putting up some big numbers in August, Seinäjoki slipped down into 7th and almost out of the top 8 if results had gone a different way. 


PattU had a desperate season, where it was a significant achievement to even make the top 8. Despite being considered a front runner to make the top 4 before the season started, PattU started flatly and their offence practically disappeared with the season ending injury for Jari Törmänen... or so we thought. Like some kind of Hollywood blockbuster, on the eve of the end of the season, Törmänen returned and guided his team to victory. Think Gandalf the White, only with a bat instead of a staff. But seriously, PattU’s numbers at bat were a fraction of what people expected and one of the worst in the league. Despite the glorious return of superstar and living legend Sami Haapakoski and some great pitching from Topi Kosonen yet again, PattU had very little to celebrate. Whilst the season may be seen as a total failure for PattU, the fact that they finished 8th actually feels like a major achievement.


Down in 9th place for yet another year was IPV. Despite the headline grabbing signing of Tuomas Jussila from Joensuu at the end of 2019, paired with the remarkable Sami Partanen (who was already on their roster), IPV fell short once more. The frustrating thing for Reds fans will be the fact that statistically speaking, they had 3 of the most successful hitters in the league in terms of moving the point runner (Jussila, Partanen and Teemu Nurmio). The problem seems to be in the consistent performances from game to game at taking their chances and converting runners into runs. IPV set off their season with a stunning win away at Joensuu in a scoring contest - Partanen’s short hit played to a deep outfield was so well executed it remains my favourite memory of the season. From there it was hit and miss and eventually the losses started to mount up, despite statistically looking solid.


6th Hyvinkään Tahko

Prior to the start of the season Tahko had a double blow, parting ways with Markus Tuikka and their game manager just before the start of the season due to the effects of the Coronavirus. Despite Miika Rantatorikka filling the role of game manager, the problems with Hyvinkää were already present in their questionable defence. This will surely have been made worse by the buildup to the season being under lockdown conditions and training was effectively limited to personal workouts. A dip in offence struck when June Korhonen was sidelined with an injury mid-season, but Tahko came back fighting and brushed aside Seinäjoki to claim 6th place.

Final place in table: 6th

Estimated final position: 7th with my gut feelings, but the calculations had them much lower (down in 11th!). I didn’t give up faith in Hyvinkää; I felt that they had enough power at bat to make a push and make the top 8.

Comment: A passing grade. Too many errors in defence, but some very entertaining games.

Overall grade:    

C



7th Seinäjoen JymyJussit

If their season had been in reverse I may be talking about how exciting a comeback it was, but in reality the energy drained out of JymyJussit as the season went on - like a slow puncture it gradually (and almost without warning) started to become a problem at the end of the season. Whilst Seinäjoki boast some of pesäpallo’s star players, there was little star quality left when the season ended. The start of the season showed so much promise - maybe I am being harsh on Seinäjoki here, but I just expected more and I was disappointed to see how the season fizzled out.

Final place in table: 7th

Estimated final position: 5th

Comment: Come back next year with the same energy you started the term. Don’t lose momentum as the season drags on.

Overall grade:    

D


8th Pattijoen Urheilijat, Raahe

With the return of Jari Törmänen at the end of the season, PattU limped over the finish line and claimed 8th place to rescue their season. Despite some solid at bats fro Juuso Keski-Koukkari and Sami Haapakoski, their offence had been severely muted this season and even tight games became a struggle to hang on. 

Final place in table: 8th

Estimated final position: 9th

Comment: Tries very hard but doesn’t seem to make much improvement. Close to the bottom of the class at one point. Must focus more on scoring runs.

Overall grade:    

D-


9th Imatran Pallo-Veikot

The regular season saw the 2019 champions on an incredible run of wins, that extended to the semi finals, but that is where the luck ran out and Joensuu faltered. After a home loss to KPL, things went from bad to worse as JoMa failed to progress to the final and then lost out in the bronze series to a fired up Vimpeli. Whilst the regular season was virtually flawless, it’s medals that count and for a team that promised so much, it is a shame that their season fizzled out this way.

Final place in table: 9th

Estimated final position: 8th

Comment: Too much inconsistency. Some great games, some dreadful ones. Very disappointing; I expected more.

Overall grade:    

D


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