‘s expert Sami-Petteri Kivimäki considers Jukka-Pekka Vainionpää and Janne Mäkelä to be the best hitter joker duo in Superpesis. The duo is at the top of the list of runs scored.
When Vimpelin Veto celebrated the Finnish baseball championship last fall, batting jokers Jukka-Pekka Vainionpää and Janne Mäkelä both rattled off a whopping amount of runs.
This season too, the duo has been in a strong mood. It was visible on Monday night against Tahko, when Mäkelä hit four and Vainionpää three runs. Veto beat the Vårkää team in a show of style with a score of 2–0 (7–6, 13–3).
Vainionpää leads the statistics of runs scored with two kunnars and 53 regular runs. Mäkelä is second in the statistics with one municipality and 54 regular runs.
Together, they have scored more runs than Koskenkorva Urheilijat, Seinäjoki Jymyjuss, Imatra Pallo-Veikot or Alajärvi Ankkurit have scored during the entire season.
– I guess it’s our role to do them. Modern baseball is so role-playing. We don’t have to run, we hit, Pohjalainen Janne Mäkelä he says with a serious expression on his face.
They bear their responsibilities
The game director of Vimpelin Veto, which is at the top of the league Tomi Niskanen shares credit with his batting jokers. Niskanen admits that the importance of the duo is insanely big.
– And that’s how it should be. They have the result responsibility of scoring runs and others try to accompany as support. Fortunately, it has been found Teemu Kinnunen this season and other takers, Niskanen spins.
Multiple possibilities
Mortars have hit well over half of Vimpel’s runs. However, Niskanen does not see that Veto is relying too much on them.
The game director notes that two batting jokers make a lot possible. Even though baseball is very role-playing these days, Veto can play wherever he wants in the batting order.
– This suits us very well. The whole team can play inside, but of course it makes it easier to have two top jokers available whenever the situation arises.
– At some point, the other person is able to create a situation and that way we get to try for runs every shift. Yes, it has great strengths.
The best duo of the series
Sports experts Sami-Petteri Kivimäki you can see that Vedo has the best batsman duo in the entire series. According to Kivimäki, it is of great importance that the two can support each other.
– Mäkelä has a really long experience in the autumn decision games. Vainionpää also showed last fall that he doesn’t miss those games. I would say the best duo in the series, says Kivimäki.
41-year-old Janne Mäkelä received fire support from Vainionpää just last season. Mäkelä admits that cooperation is of great importance during the games. It also fuels your own successes.
– We spend a lot of time in the backfield throughout the game. We discuss the game and think about the following solutions. That’s a really important thing, says Mäkelä.
Will Mäkelä’s career continue?
Three-time hitter king Mäkelä has continued his career in recent years with one-year contracts. He still has nothing more to say about the continuation of his career.
– There is less of a career left than what lies ahead. Let’s see how he can handle this, Mäkelä says enigmatically.
Mäkelä, Vainionpää and Niska were interviewed by Juhani Kukkasela.