Source: Die Rheinpfalz, Local Sports, June 5, 2024
Posted by permission

The home debut of the men’s team of the 1st Baseball and Softball Club Kaiserslautern was a great success in many respects on Sunday. The fact that the Bears clearly beat the Saarlouis Hornets II 16-5 in a high-class game almost became a minor matter.

The organizers of the oldest still existing US sports club in the city have recognized that in the internet age, you have to offer something to get people in Germany excited about an absolutely marginal sport. The club has changed its public relations and is now relying more than ever on social media to attract attention. And with success, as was evident from the large number of spectators at the so-called “Opening Day”, a season opening based on the American model, on Sunday at the grounds of the VfR Kaiserslautern. “This is my first time here, I only knew baseball from TV. I’ve never watched a whole game before, partly because the rules seem pretty complicated at first glance. But live it’s something completely different. I’ll definitely be back,” said one young spectator after enjoying one of the many specialties from the home of baseball. At the entrance to the field, an oversized balloon garland welcomed the spectators, and right behind it, German-American barbecue specialties such as hamburgers and bratwurst were sizzling away, attracting the first visitors. The fact that the season opening was dedicated to German-American friendship was not only evident from the decorations in the respective national colors. Before the game started, both teams stood together in a guard of honor to listen to the two national anthems. Before the first batter was allowed to bat, the atmosphere became emotional: the ceremonial first pitch, in which a guest of honor throws a ball to mark the end of the pre-game festivities and the beginning of the game, was thrown by Bears veteran Hartmut Förster. The long-standing groundsman, who is said to know every screw ever used on the pitch, opened the game with a targeted throw to his son Andreas, who caught the ball as usual. The stadium announcer then said “play ball” at around 12 noon.

Saarlouis made it clear very quickly that they had not come to the Westpfalz to celebrate and took a 2-0 lead in the first inning. The Kaiserslautern Bears were quick to respond. Coach Antonio Lopez’s team went on to score 6 runs and extend their lead to 16-2 by the end of the fifth inning. From the visitors’ perspective, there was no way they could have done better than that. After seven of nine innings, the team from the Saarland had to concede defeat prematurely, as they were more than ten points behind at that point. “We won the game today thanks to our pitchers. Saarlouis had major problems with their pitches. Offensively, we didn’t let much get past us and scored continuously,” said Lopez, who was satisfied with his team’s home debut. The next home game is scheduled for Saturday (12 noon/VfR Kaiserslautern) against the Mainz Athletics III.

Media:

All photos in this article were taken by Karsten Kalbheim, Die Rheinpfalz, used with permission