French Baseball League - Julien Henri

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Snapshot of the Paris Artists as we enter the middle of July.

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The Artists left Giverney knowing they handed the Herons a gift when they scored 3 in the 10th only to surrender 4 in the bottom half. With the sting of that loss they boarded the plane and headed to the mountainous area of Le Morne Rouge, Martinique. Rainforest baseball, ain't nothing like it.

Game 1
Julien goes 8 IP and throws 124 pitches leading the Artists to a 3-1 win. Henri was awarded the POG distinction and he is now 10-8. Matthieu Michel picked up 4 hits for Paris but didn't figure in the scoring. Fighting a minor slump, Michel has upped his BA to .329.

Game 2
All the Artists had at least one hit except C Garcia, with SP Huchet chipping in with a single to go with his 7.2 IP. Paris wins it 4-3 and Huchet is now 4-1 with the Artists (9-7 overall).

Game 3
Edwin de Rooj ups his record to 12-4 as his highly effective pitching limits the Toucans to a walk and 4 hits. Paris wins, 7-2. Lamy (13) and Henri (10) reached the seats for Paris.

Here are the Pitching Leaders for Paris who are ranked #1 in Starting Pitching and #4 in Relief Pitching.

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The struggling Waves come to town in a very unaccustomed position in the Martinique Standings, last place. Their 33-60 record is by far the worst in there FBL history. The 6 time playoff qualifier and 4 time Championship team is on a rebuild and it is showing up in all aspects of their performance. They are ranked last or close to last in most of the measured categories, both offensively and defensively.

Game 1
Gildus Faure's double in the 10th paved the way for the Waves to grab a 2-1 lead. Mercier was retired to lead off the bottom half of the inning but remember the former CL Gallant is now pitching for the opposition in this game. Henri ripped a one out single and the rest is highlighted below in the section 'bottom of the 10th'.

Game 2
Girard and Delage combine for 6 hits as the Artists breeze to an easy 7-2 win behind Merlin, 8-5/ 2.08 ERA. Johann Girard clubbed his 6th round tripper of the season.

Game 3
POG Julien Henri went 2 for 4 scoring 2 runs but it was his arm that earned him the distinction as he went 7 innings allowing 2 runs (0 earned) on his way to upping his record to 11-8 while lowering the ERA to 2.73.
Gallet picked up his 21st Save.

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Game 1
Was about pitching, timely hitting, and had to go 13 innings before a winning team was determined. SP's Huchet (Paris) 6 IP/ 2 runs, and Nielson (Mar) 7 IP/ 1 run provided the pitching. The clutch hitting belonged to Artist catcher Johann Girard who provided the game winning RBI. Mercier had 4 hits including a double and a homer raising his average to .366. Julien Henri went 0 for 6, fanned 3 times, and bounced into a double play. Garland Pynn homered for the Soleis in the 3-2 decision.

Game 2
Juan Corona had 4 hits including a round tripper for the Soleis who cruised to an easy 9-2 win at the expense of Edwin de Rooj, now 12-5 on the year. 29 year old Sun Hyun Kim got the W with 8.1 IP.

Game 3
Mercier, Lamy, and Michel two hits apiece and a CG for lefty Dave Coronado as the Artists finish off the series with a 6-1 win. Lamy clubbed his 15th round tripper and Mercier is now hitting a league leading .370. Michel, at .320 is the closest hitter to Laurant. Truly, Laurant Mercier is in a league of his own when it comes to batting skills.

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Naimichi Saiki is a player who was released by the Montreal Royals in the spring of 1970. At the time he didn't appear to be on track for much of a career. Control being the major shortcoming.

Le Diamant picked him up as a minor league free agent and sent him to AA La Vauclin where he had a 3.52 ERA but control was still a skill that eluded him evident in his 1.52 WHIP.

The next season he got 'kicked up' to AAA Marin. His performance was so poor (small sample) that he was sent back down to La Vauclin. It was in 1971 that he flipped it as he walked 17 and fanned 68 for the Parrots.

So, back on the bus to AAA Marin and this time he gained success as his W/K ratio was 14/53. His ERA was 3.16.

So, in this the year of 1972 he got the call up to the Diamonds. At 23 years of age he has acquired control and a lot of stuff to go with it. Le Diamant is back in charge in the Martinique League and they have a cast of prospects to back up Saiki. With the #1 minor league system, the Diamonds are in position to challenge the Paris Artists now, and in the future.

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Arc de Triumpe Ball Park was the site of the showdown between the FBL's two best teams.

Game 1
Le Diamant puts up 5 runs in the first off of Denis Merlin and never look back as they cruise to an 8-1 win. Four hits for super lead off batter Pierre Sanchez and back up catcher Satasu Watanabe batted in 4 from the catcher position. Guillame Andrieu raises his record to 9-8.

Game 2
Julien Henri pitched a great game allowing only 1 run through 8 innings, on a balk with 2 outs in the 8th. The Artists had a 2-1 lead and turned it over to the Closer Gerard Gallet, who gave up a pair putting Paris down 3-2. Herve Delage doubled with 1 out on a single by Bob Juhan and scored on a base hit to send it to extra innings. It was Juhan getting a base hit in the 11th that set the stage for Lamy scoring the winning run when the catcher tried to pick Juhan off first and rifled it into right field. Paris wins, 4-3.

Game 3
John Huchet pitched to one batter too many when Angel Gracia unloaded a big 3 run homer with 2 out in the 8th to make it 4-1, Le Diamant. With 2 on and 1 out, Julien Henri returned the favor with his own 3 run blast that tied it 4-4 in the bottom half of the frame. In the bottom of the 13th rookie Jean Monnet lofted one into the seats for a 2 run walk off and Paris wins it 6-4 ensuring another series win.

It will not be a surprise if this was a preview of the post-season. Le Diamant could have won all 3 games as games two and three were that close. They did lose Cosman to injury in the 3rd game. The Diamonds just announced that Vic will be gone for about a week, actually 10 days, as he was sent to the DL.

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The Pitcher of the Month in the FBL is a 25 year old who pitches for the Anse d'Arlet Sting Rays. After posting back to back season of a 1.43 WHIP (cumaltive 18-20 record), Vincent cut his HR/9 IP in half (a paltry .4) and lowered his WHIP to an impressive 0.90.

He is a pitch to contact player who with his splitter being ihs best pitch; it's complimented by a sinker and slider. His 4th pitch, a work in progress, is the changeup.

The manager of the Rays, has his hands full with Sebastian. He wears the tag of 'not being a team player with combative behavior'. He's been warned if he can't get it under control there will be a one way ticket out of town included with his last pay check.

He was the #1 player selected in the 1968 draft so it may be he's a bit full of himself. On the other hand, history is filled with unruly types who led their teams to immortality on the baseball field.

Sebastian, to those on the outside of his inner circle, enjoy watching the show both on the hill and in the locker room.

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Sam Smith was a regular in the rotation until the Artists acquired veteran John Huchet, a free agent to be unless he inks with Paris. Smith, a decent arm, was traded for a 23 year old catcher. If Johann Girard hits free agency, the Artists will be without a first string catcher with none on the horizon.

Geer De Vries, still in AA, was acquired as insurance for the above situation. Paris, has plenty of money, but remain wary of aging veterans. Huchet wants a four year deal but he's likely to get an offer for two.

The extremely popular Girard is asking for a 7 year deal. But, some reports indicate that Girard's defensive skills might be wavering. His catching ERA is a career best 2.50, but that how much of that number belongs to Johann and not the pitching staff? Well, maybe more than what I thought. Back up C Aquine Garcia has a 3.28 CERA.

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Sam gets a chance to resurrect his career as he relocates to the southeast corner of France along the picturesque Mediterranean Sea bordering Italy. Smith, figures to have plenty of life left in his pitching arm.

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The Artists travel to Ottawa to take on Xavier Rolland and the Expedition

Game 1
You get the feeling that Paris is never out of the game even when they are down by multiple runs. The Opener was an example of that. It took 11 innings to finally over come the shaky first inning but Paris prevailed after scoring 6 unanswered.

Game 2
Herve DeLage dialed long distance with sacks juiced and that pretty much decided the outcome.

Game 3
Another close one but ultimately Denis Merlin (9-6) out dueled Jerome Blin as Paris won 7-5. Henri and DeLage batted in important insurance runs in the 9th. Julien's only appearance of the game was a PH base hit plating the 6th run for Paris.

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The Sting Rays, a team fighting for the WC and maybe the League championship of Martinique, arrived in Paris trailing Le Diamant by 4 games. They left town trailing them by 5.

Game 1
Julien Henri went 8.1 IP allowing 4 runs (3 earned) but that unearned run cost him the W. After being pulled in the 9th, something the Artists did not want to do because of Julien's impending at bat in the bottom of the inning, he was sent to centerfield. The move paid off when Henri delivered a key hit in the 9th to send it to extra innings.
The Sting Rays pushed across two in the 16th which was just enough as the Artists could only score one run in the bottom of the frame. The Sting Rays win, 6-5. Julien went 2 for 7 with a pair of doubles.

Game 2
Henri got the day off and John Huchet (8.2 IP) was in complete control until he tired in the 9th. He gave up a homer to Clement with two outs and needed some relief help to get the game in the win column. Paris wins, 7-3. Pascal Blanchet hit his 6th round tripper for the Artists. The 24 year old is one of three young outfielders who are beginning to develop.

Game 3
The Artists jumped out to a 2-0 lead but were, again, plagued by errors. Three miscues meant two unearned runs and that was the difference in the 4-2 outcome. 26 year old Coleman Maclean was tough on the mound as he earned his 7th win against 9 losses. Mac's efforts were supported by Walid Michel who had 3 hits including a triple to go with the three ribbies.

So, the Artists lose a series and the Sting Rays have a 3 game lead over the Soleis for the WC berth.

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The Royals came to the City of Lights in second place, two back of the Expedition. The Canadian League is the weakest of the three given that Montreal is 8 games back of the Wild Card. It's pretty much first place or no post season for the Royals.

They didn't have to contend with Julien Henri on the hill in game one but the CF, sometimes pitcher, made his presence known when he put one in the seats with one out in the bottom part of the frame.

More details on how game one ended coming soon.

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Game 1
Coronado went on to pitch an 8 inning shutout with the Artists winning it, 5-0. Ochoa combined for the whitewash pitching 1 inning in relief. Henri and Lamy lead Paris with 64 RBI's apiece.

Game 2
Antonio Balbuena (17-6) continued his fine season as he befuddled the Artist bats on his way to a 6-2 Royal win. Florentin Henri, no relation to Julien, hit his first homer of the season batting out of the 8th spot. No bases on balls and a CG for Antonio. He's tough as his 2.69 ERA indicates. Denis Merlin (9-7) was saddled with the L.

Game 3
The Artists jumped out to a 4-0 lead and then had to hang on for a 4-3 win. A pair of Paris miscues extended SP Julien Henri's pitch count and he had to be replaced in the 7th. Dupin gave up a couple of hits, allowed Henri's run to score, and was charged with his own run in the same frame. But, he made it to the 9th (1.2 IP) and handed the ball off to Gallet who recorded save number 22.
POG Henri is now 12-8 and had one hit in 4 at bats. Over 27,000 turned out to see Paris take the series decider.

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Here is a snapshot of the Yearly Awards for each season of the FBL. We see Julien Henri listed multiple times along side some of the greatest players the league has produced.

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Quebec entered the series on a win streak while occupying first place in the Canada League. However, this series was about waiting. Waiting for the Parisian explosion. Tick, Tick, Tick. Impossible to predict, but somehow the firecracker kept getting lit just as the Quebec hopefuls thought that victory was at hand.

The 9th inning, reproduced in part in the first graphic, summarized the ending of each of three contests. Paris walks away with a road sweep when they could have lost all three of these games.

Quebec (57-57) now own a one game lead over second place Montreal in the race to represent Canada. The Artists own a commanding 18 game lead over the 62-52 Marseille Soleis.

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All credit to the Nobels who are, by all accounts, a better team this year than the past few versions. St. Michel could have won all three of the games as each one was decided late in the contest.

But, when you are playing the Artists, in Paris, you have to play 9 full innings of quality ball. In this series, St. Michel was rock solid for between 7 and 8 innings.

Highly entertaining games that saw yet another Grand Slam from Herve DeLage in the first contest. Julien Henri in game 2, on the mound, practically implode as he allowed the Nobels to score 4 runs after 2 were out. Yet, the irrepressible Henri countered in the bottom half of the inning with a 2 run shot of his own that started the Artist comeback.

An error by Yamada allowed the first run of the final game and for awhile it looked like the Artist might lose by one run. But, if Laurant Mercier is on your team you are never out of it. Mercier dialed long distance and then, with the game on the line in the bottom of the 8th and 2 out, he ripped one up the alley to plate the tying and winning runs.

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There is an outside chance Paris can set an FBL record for wins this season, but it falls into the unlikely to long shot category. But, their play of late has been so inspiring that it merited a closer look at the all time great teams of the French Baseball League.

There are 21 games remaining on the schedule.

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No question his stuff has fallen off of late, and he's lost movement on his pitches. Yet, the veteran career Le Diamant Diamond continues to produce well pitched games for the second best team in the league.

At 36 he's got a player option for next season, likely to be his final one in the FBL.

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Game 1
Even though Paris jumped out to a 2-0 lead it was clear that former Artist SP Sam Smith was on a mission. To prove they made a mistake in trading him away after acquiring John Huchet in a separate deal.

Smith was on as he worked 8 innings allowing 2 runs while earning his first W for the Orchids (1-2). Smith tossed 131 pitches before giving way to Garcia who earned his 23rd save in the 5-2 win.

Game 2
Dave Coronado raised his record to 16-4 as he lead Paris to a 4-1 win. CF Matt Michel had a multi hit game for the first time in what seems like forever as the star hitter for Paris has a batting average hovering around .306. He was hitting .362 in mid-June and has become a area of concern for Paris as we approach the post season.

Game 3
The Orchids won the series with a 3-2 win behind the stellar pitching of their ace Alix Biliard, 14-12. Billiard yielded just 4 hits and Garcia pitched the 9th for his 24th save.

So, Paris will head back to Paris to play Giverny in the next series. The Herons are one of two teams that have been eliminated from the post.

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The Herons, eliminated from the post-season, arrived in the City of Lights to take on the Artists in a 3 game series.

Game 1
POG Julien Henri took the mound for Paris and benefited from a potent 10 hit attack as the Artists doubled up Giverney 8-4. Julien pitched a CG to raise his record to 13-8. At the dish he went 2 for 4. Kobayashi and Michel each tallied homers for Paris.

Game 2
More Julien Henri, this time the CF went for 4 for 6, smashed 2 home runs (16 & 17), scored 4, and batted in 6 to earn POG for the 2nd game in a row. Huchet got the W (6-1) in the 11-3 romp. John Huchet is now 11-7 overall as he easily bested the team that traded him earlier in the season.

Game 3
Bertrand Legrand earned the POG award as he pitched 7 innings of one run ball holding Paris to a scant 3 hits and 0 earned runs. It did him little good when Herve DeLage launhced a 'Baltimore Special' into the seats in the bottom of 12th giving Paris the 4-1 win and the sweep.

Gerard Gallet (8-1) pitched two solid innings for the W and Julien Henri had a pair of singles and a walk in 3 AB's.

Julien's 3 game series