Suomi Tour 2021: Game review Tahko v Sotkamo 12.08.2021

Tahko couldn’t build on their rally in the second jakso as a controversial call cast a shadow over the game

Hyvinkään Tahko v Sotkamon Jymy
0-2 (1-2, 3-4)

The next regular season game that I attended was the matchup between Tahko and Sotkamo. Despite a strong first jakso in their last game, Tahko were overwhelmed by Manse’s firepower. Whilst Sotkamo does not have the same style of offence as Manse, Sotkamo has consistently manufactured runs. Lauri Rönkkö has had a strong season so far and Toni Laakso has slotted into the lineup well. Sotkamo’s last game against Seinäjoki however proved that defensively they can be vulnerable, as they almost blew a 4 run lead in the 4th inning of the second jakso. 

In Tahko’s last game, Manse took great pleasure in exploiting the inexperience of Joona Iivonen and put 19 runs past them across the 2 jakso. The team needed to reset and focus on this game, as the struggle for a top 8 spot intensifies. Tahko were 7th in the table going into this game, with Kempele, Seinäjoki and PattU close behind. The fact that the table is being determined on points per game, makes it difficult to predict how many points will secure a place in the playoffs; however any result other than a win will drop Tahko’s average.

Sotkamo have a curious problem of their own. Whilst they are all but assured a top 4 finish, because the top 3 teams get to choose their first round opponents in the playoffs, they will be trying to finish as high as possible and avoid being stuck with Joensuu (assuming nobody picks them in the first round!). JoMa parted ways with game manager Mikko Korhonen this week and saw the return of Petri Pennanen and may have contributed to their 3 point win against Vimpeli. 

In previous matchups, Sotkamo is the undeniable favourite. Whilst the 2 teams didn’t meet in either the regular season or postseason in 2020, the last time that Tahko beat Sotkamo was 15th May 2016. In terms of current form, both teams have won 3 of their last 5 games - of those 5 games, both lost to Manse; however Tahko beat KPL whereas Sotkamo lost to KPL. The weather before the game was a clear contrast to the game against Manse, with rain and thunder forecast. The question was: which team could whether the storm and come out on top? 

1st Jakso

Sotkamo won the hutunkeitto and decided to field first. Tahko opened the jakso with Juha Korhonen’s well placed line drive to right field giving Jere Vikström plenty of time to reach home. In the bottom of the 1st inning Lauri Rönkkö levelled the score, as his hit to 3rd base caused the fielder to rush the throw and took Iivonen off balance and Joni Rytkönen slid home. In the bottom of the 2nd inning Sotkamo took the lead, as handling errors started to creep in for Tahko. The run came when Roope Korhonen softly hit the ball to right shortstop, which wasn’t collected cleanly and Rytkönen bagged his second run of the game.

In contrast, Sotkamo were much more solid in defence and Tahko struggled to find the gaps. At the plate however, some errors by Sotkamo meant that Tahko could re-set their fielding and keep the lead down to just 1 run. In the top of the 4th inning, Tahko struggled to break through Sotkamo’s defence and the score remained 1-2.

2nd Jakso

Having won the first jakso, Sotkamo set out to finish off the game and took an early lead with Roope Korhonen’s line drive to left field finding the perfect gap for Rytkönen to jog to home plate with plenty of time. In the bottom of the 1st, Tahko came close to levelling the score with a shot from Juha Korhonen to deep right field. But a stunning throw to home not only beat the runner, but started a double play as Aapo Komulainen threw the ball to 3rd base for another out.

In the 2nd inning Sotkamo extended their lead as a handling error at left shortstop saw Matias Litmanen reach home off Lauri Rönkkö’s line drive. The bottom of the 2nd saw Tahko put together their best rally of the game, that started with a 2 run home run that came from nowhere. Luka Raesmaa’s blast beyond the midfield line bounced over the shortstop and foxed the right outfielder to run on past the advertising boards in the backfield. With the score now tied, Juha Korhonen gave the home team something to keep cheering about as his hit past the right shortstop brought hero of the moment Raesmaa home from 3rd. The rally looked as though it would continue; however a throw to home off another Juha Korhonen hit proved to be far more controversial. Aapo Komulainen had to stretch to receive the throw and a disagreement ensued as to whether his foot was at home base or not. Whilst Tahko players were making their case to the pitching umpire, Komulainen got to his feet, pitched the ball and claimed the third out.

As the teams remained in discussions with officials and the officials met to discuss, the call was made to change innings. Sotkamo prepared to bat whilst Tahko continued to protest. The situation lasted 10 minutes or so before the game officials decided to change the call and reinstate Tahko’s innings. The whole thing had a significant disruption to the game: Tahko lost their momentum and could score, Sotkamo seemed to be frustrated and their innings were not as polished as it had been earlier in the game.

With Sotkamo needing to compose themselves, Jani Komulainen called a timeout as Rytkönen on 3rd and Niko Korhonen on 2nd gave the visitors a chance to put the game back in their hands. With the controversial call now seeming like a distant memory, Roope Korhonen pulled a short hit towards 2nd base and gave Joni Rytkönen his 4th run of the day. Roope’s drive to right field then secured the lead as Niko Korhonen reached home safely.

With Sotkamo now back in the lead, Tahko needed only 2 runs to force extra innings; however Sotkamo’s defence remained firm and Tahko were unable to pull the game back.

Analysis

Sotkamo did enough in each area of the game to stay one step ahead of Tahko. The game was won and lost on small moments; overall Sotkamo’s defence was better and more consistent, as too was their success at moving the point runner. Sotkamo had 15 3rd base situations compared to Tahko’s 6, which was too many chances for Sotkamo, especially when Roope Korhonen went 4/5 with runners on 3rd base.

The real talking point of the game however was the call in the 2nd inning, which saw Aapo Komulainen play on to end the inning, only for it to be later reversed. The biggest problem here was the fact that the officials had already called the end of the half of the inning, yet still continued to hold discussions about whether Komulainen got the out at home or not. I have no problem with umpires discussing the game and considering the call - but the way the call was made and then reversed disrupted the flow of the game.

Whilst the rain had managed to stay away and the clouds cleared at Pihkala, the outlook for Tahko remains in the balance. Their next game is against Vimpeli and will be another tough encounter, but the real test will be the game against Seinäjoki on 18th. Although Sotkamo took 3 points from this game, Vimpeli and KPL also gained 3 points in their games, so the top 4 remain close.

                                                                 

Game stats