The biggest problems of Sotkamo Jymy’s season are intertwined with the inside game, writes Urheilu’s editor Simo Arkko.
On Tuesday, at the Hiukka baseball stadium in Sotkamo, the biggest sensation of the beginning of the baseball season was seen, when Joensuu’s Maila beat Jymy’s singing choir to win the match 3–0.
Thus, Sotkamo’s Jymy was left out of the medal games for the first time since 1999. Playoff series have been played since 1987, and since then Jymy has missed the quarterfinals only twice (1989 and 1999). Jymy has been without a medal only twice before in the 2000s.
Jymy’s season is variable and its biggest problems are intertwined with the inside game. Jymy has suffered from inefficiency in take-out situations, but recently it has unexpectedly had problems in exchange situations as well.
Playing with the all-important number two Joni Rytkönen has been only a shadow even more so. He has been weak in the number one situation lately, and Jymy couldn’t get his inside game rolling.
However, the biggest problem has been in home runs, where Jymy has been the weakest of the top teams throughout the season. It was also the case in the quarterfinals, because in three matches Jymy beat only two teams.
Roope Korhonen went scoreless in the deciding game. He homered at just 20.8 percent efficiency (5/24) in the last six games. That’s too little help for the joker, who was the third-best hitter in the regular season.
Suffered from work burnout Lauri Rönkkö on the other hand, he hit two runs in his return game against Vimpel, but in the five previous games he played, he homered with only 23 percent certainty (3/13).
In the outdoor game, Jymy’s performance was not caught, although the best of the series or at least one of the best headers, Jussi Korhonen, was injured. However, it did not significantly affect the jackpot game, because Jymy was able to put in an experienced one Niilo Piiponniemen heavy-handed Iivari Vihannon alongside.
Although Jymy has been successful in the 21st century, it cannot be lulled into its history. Among the city teams, Manse PP, Kouvola’s Ballonlyöjät and Joensuun Maila have risen to the top of Superpesis and they have also become financially good alternatives for the league’s top players.
Jymy can’t necessarily compete with them on the wallet. In recent years, it has done brilliantly with its own juniors who have risen to key roles, such as locker Aapo Komulainenthe front runner Kalle Kuosmanen and most recently the cooper led by Vihanno.
However, solving the withdrawal problem is extremely important to Jymy. Fortunately for Jymy, Roope Korhonen, 41, who supported the team in the regular season, will continue next season.
However, good hitter jokers and those who take home with a number are scarce. Therefore, it remains to be seen whether Jymy will find solutions for his inside game, for example, with a view to next season, either from the juniors or from outside.
In the longer term, however, a rock-hard batting joker must be found.