Challengers Schweizermeister 2018!

Der Schweizermeister 2018 heisst Zürich Challengers. Die Zürcher bezwingen im alles entscheidenden fünften Spiel der Finalserie den Titelhalter Therwil Flyers mit 11-9.
Die Gäste legten los wie die Feuerwehr und lagen nach vier Innings mit 9-3 in Front. Die Flyers kämpften sich jedoch zurück ins Spiel und schafften im achten Durchgang tatsächlich den Ausgleich zum 9-9. Das neunte und letzte Inning gehörte wie über die gesamten Playoffs wieder den Zürchern. Nach einem Lead-off Walk von Patrick Maier beförderte Jesus Martinez den Ball über den Zaun im Right Centerfield zum 11-9. Reliever Tobias Siegrist brachte darauf den Sieg unter dem Jubel der zahlreich mitgereisten Anhängern mit einem Strikeout ins Trockene.
Für die Challengers ist es der neunte Schweizermeistertitel in der Vereinsgeschichte und der erste seit 2004.

Game and season notes

Robert Sedin's 66 hits, 57 runs scored and 24 doubles are the best season totals since Anubis Benitez' record-setting totals of 74 hits, 75 runs and 26 doubles back in 2000. He also set new career-highs for hits (66), extra-base-hits (29), total bases (103), RBIs (38), walks (20) and at-bats (171). His 19 hits in the postseason were tops in the league, tied with Tatsuhiko Watanabe. ...Siegrist's double in the first inning was his 700th hit in the NLA. He tied his career-high for RBIs with 41 set in 2007, and his 49 hits are the most since getting 52 in 2009. He also set a new career-high with 45 runs scored. ...Watanabe won the Triple Crown with a .455 batting average, 6 homers and 48 RBIs, which is the highest total since Thomas Landis' 56 RBIs in 2009. ...Tanner Donnels was acquired mid-season and made his impact felt by getting a league-high 16 RBIs and 88 putouts in the Playoffs. ...James Sanders set new career-highs for RBIs with 31 and walks with 16. ...Maier set career-highs in all major offensive categories, but also set a new franchise single-season record with 33 strikeouts. ...Martinez' game-winning home run came in his 1'000th plate appearance with the Challengers. ...Saentis Zeller set new career-highs for RBIs with 32, walks with 23, strikeouts with 25 and at-bats with 130. ...Luigi Cinardi was walked 24 times, the highest total since Ueli von Burg's 25 in 2009. ...Stefan Haltmeier's 12 wins tie the franchise record set by Landis in 1997, and he set new franchise records with 20 games started and 113.2 innings pitched. ...Sandy Patrone had six games in which he recorded 10 or more strikeouts (most since Ryan Byrne's nine games with double-digits strikeouts totals in 2014), and he led all pitchers in this year's Playoffs with 3 wins, 47 strikeouts, 3 complete games, a 6.71 strikeout to walk ratio (47-7), strikeouts per inning with 1.42, a 1.06 WHIP and a 0.89 FIP. ...Leonel Sosa tied the franchise record for triples in a season with three. ....Thomas Burger set new career-highs for batting average (.333), on-base percentage (.432), slugging percentage (.400) and OPS (.832). ...Gabriel Holguin set new career-highs for runs (24), doubles (4), walks (8) and strikeouts (23). ...The team set new single-season offensive records with 39 games played, 1'425 at-bats, 189 walks and 250 strikeouts, and pitching records with 28 wins, 324.1 inning pitched, 329 strikeouts and 326 hits allowed.