Pierrick Lemestre

Pierrick Lemestre

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 172 lbs.

• Born September 6, 1982 in Thiais, Île-de-France France

Biographical Information

Pierrick Lemestre has played for the French national team and also works as a player/coach for the Lions de Savigny-sur-Orge in Division Elite. He batted .176/.222/.235 and was France's main backstop in the 2001 Baseball World Cup; his average and slugging were both slightly above the team marks and he threw out 2 of 6 who tried to steal. During the 2002 World University Championship, Lemestre was 5 for 10 while splitting catching duties with Boris Marche. He was France's lone hitter above .300 in the event, posting a better average than future major leaguers such as Rickie Weeks, Conor Jackson, Shane Costa, Aaron Hill, Michael Aubrey, Carlos Quentin, Eric Patterson and Sam Fuld in addition to top Japanese and Cuban prospects.

In the 2003 European Championship, Lemestre went 7 for 18 with a walk, leading France in average. He was 6-for-18 with two doubles and two runs in the 2003 Baseball World Cup; only Jamel Boutagra had a better average for France. He was 1 for 9 with a walk in the 2005 European Championship, backing up Boris Marche at catcher; opponents stole once against him while he caught one runner stealing. In the 2007 European Championship, he was a pitcher, tossing 7 1/3 scoreless innings and saving a game, posting France's lowest ERA. For Savigny in 2007, he hit .266/.326/.354 and went 7-3 with a save and a 3.01 ERA. The next year, he went 9-6 with a 2.51 ERA, walking 19 in 107 2/3 IP and batting .342/.409/.541 with 28 RBI in 30 games. He played left field, right field, catcher and third base in addition to pitching. French stats for 2009-2013 are not as readily available.

Lemestre pitched three times in the 2010 European Championship. He got the final two outs to close out Samuel Meurant's win over the Czech national team. He beat Belgium (7 IP, 9 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 4 K, 3 BB); Gregory Cros finished it up. He lost to Italy (4 2/3 IP, 4 H, 6 R, 3 ER, 4 BB) in his last game. In the 2012 European Championship, he allowed six hits, five walks and six runs (five earned) in three innings, fanning three. He was second on France with three appearances on the hill, one behind Thomas Meley. Despite France's third-highest ERA, he had one of France's two wins, topping Belgium in relief.

He was a pitcher for France in the 2013 World Baseball Classic Qualifiers, held in Jupiter, FL in September of 2012. He lost France's game against South Africa. Coming in in the top of the 10th after the game had been suspended by rain the previous day, he pitched a scoreless inning but France failed to score after loading the bases with one out in the bottom of the 9th, and the South Africans got to him for three runs in the 11th for a 5-2 win.

Playing for the Templiers de Sénart in 2014, he hit .308/.372/.374 and was 3-2 with a save and a 2.90 ERA, fanning 50 in 40 1/3 IP. He was 3rd in lowest opponent average (.207, behind only Jason Daniels and Enrique Juma) and 7th in strikeouts. In the 2014 European Cup, he had a no-decision against KNTU Elizavetgrad (3 R, 1 ER in 8 1/3 IP) and was 2 for 14 with a double and two RBI. In the 2014 European Championship, he was 1-0 with a save and a 1.58 ERA in three games, tying for second in France in games pitched (one behind Thomas Langloys). He closed out a 3-2 win over Germany, striking out Philipp Howard in the 8th with the bases loaded most notably. He got the decision in a 5-4 win over Belgium with two innings of relief.

Lemestre hit .350/.407/.412 with 18 RBI in 21 games for the 2015 Templiers, fielding .973 and going 6-1 with four saves and a 3.73 ERA. He was 8th in French Division I in average (between Lucas Rojo and Rolando Meriño, who had experience in the US and Cuba, respectively), 9th in ERA, 4th in opponent average (.223, between Yoann Vaugelade and Matthieu Brelle-Andrade), tied for 4th in wins and tied Vaugelade and Meley for the most saves. In the 2015 European Cup, he saved Leonel Cespedes' 2-0 win over Draci Brno and hit .286/.286/.286; he tossed 7 1/3 shutout innings in four games, fanning eight. He tied Martin Schneider for 6th in the Cup in whiffs, led in games pitched and would have led in ERA had he qualified (he was 2/3 of an inning shy).

He then stepped up big for France in an elimination game in the 2017 World Baseball Classic Qualifiers in March 2016. Relieving Dan Camou in the 8th with the bases loaded, two outs and a 5-3 lead over Spain, he struck out Jesús Ustariz in the clutch. He then retired Yunesky Sanchez, former major leaguer Engel Beltre and former Cuban national team player Meriño in order (Meriño on a whiff) for a save. It was France's first win ever in a World Baseball Classic qualifier (and against a team that had just played in the last Classic, trying to defend its spot for the next) and Lemestre had certainly played a crucial role. In the semifinals against host Panama, he relieved Camou again, this time with one out, one on and a 5-4 deficit in the 8th. He was not as sharp, intentionally walking Anthony Amaya, serving up a RBI single to Jonathan Saavedra and walking Carlos Ruiz before Lucas Serafin relieved (and let Amaya came home with the final run).

He is sometimes mistakenly called Patrick Lemestre.

Sources

• http://www.cosbaseball.org/article.php3?id_article=9
• 2007 French national team
• 2007 European Championship
• 2003 European Championship
• Wayback Archive of the 2005 European Championship site
• 2008 Division Elite stats
• 2007 Division Elite stats
• Defunct IBAF site
• 2010 European Championship
• 2012 European Championship
• 2014 European Cup
• 2014 European Championship
• 2015 European Cup
• World Baseball Classic
• French Division I stats, 2014-2016