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Henri and the Artists take the Championship in 7
Julien Henri and the Paris Artists had to go 7 games and 11 innings to defeat the slightly favorited Anse D'Arlet Sting Rays to win the French Baseball League title and put a cap on the 16th season. The Rays, in their best season, boasted an impressive 94-44 record, best in the Martinique Division. The Paris Artists won the France Division with a 91-47 record. They defeated the Quebec Snake Eyes, winner of the French Canadian Division, easily sweeping them 4-0.
Not so with the Sting Rays who charged out to a 2-0 series lead. But the Parisians won all three at Arc de Triomphe ball park to force the series to go back to Martinique. The Rays battled from a 4-0 deficit to win game 6 by a score of 6-4 to set up the dramatics for Game 7.
A two out double in the bottom of the 9th allowed the Sting Rays to tie the game at 3-3 but the Artists bounced right back in the 11th when leadoff man Laurant Mercier fouled off 7 pitches before lining a single. The rest of the Artists kept at it while taking advantage of an infield miscue and just like that 3 runs were on the board. That sealed it.
For Henri it was his 6th championship, three with Le Diamant and the last three with Paris. A two way player his entire career, Henri couldn't quite equal his .330 season of a year ago but he'll settle for .303 and the title, something that slipped away from the Artists the prior season.
On the mound Henri was 16-5 with a 3.21 ERA.
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