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Worth nothing as well that voting had begun in the 1940s for the Beisbol Sudamerica Hall of Fame, although nobody had earned induction in the first few years. 1945 had the largest number of eligible players to date, but only reliever Marvin Loera even cracked 1/4s of the vote. It would be next year’s ballot in 1946 that would see the initial members of the BSA HOF.



The Bolivar League saw the same two division champs again in 1945 as La Paz won its seventh straight South Division and Medellin took back-to-back in the North. The Mutiny were the only team above .500 in the North at 89-73, while the Pump Jacks at 99-63 were better than Cali by six games and Guayaquil by 10.

Cali’s Saul Vargas won his third MVP. The 32-year old Colombian CF led the Bolivar League in runs (91), hits (183), slugging (.531), OPS (.881), and WAR (8.3). Vargas also won his 10^th Silver Slugger; the first Bolivar League player to do so. La Paz 29-year old righty Ilalio Lopez picked up the Pitcher of the Year with the league lead in WIHP (0.8), innings pitched (302), quality starts (32/35), and complete games (24). He had a 1.85 ERA, 19-14 record, and 8.3 WAR.



The Southern Cone League Brazil Division came down to a tiebreaker game as Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro both finished 101-61. The Padres took the tiebreaker, giving the defending Copa Sudamerica champ a fourth straight division title. Meanwhile, the South Division saw Buenos Aires on top for the fifth straight season. The Atlantics were dominant with Beisbol Sudamerica's best record at 111-51. They led the league in both runs scored (603) and fewest allowed (386).

Sao Paulo 1B Amadeus Ribeiro won his second MVP in three years. The 27-year old nicknamed “hurricane” led the league in runs (95), home runs (49), slugging (.593), OPS (.957) and wRC+ (205). 30-year old Uruguayan lefty Evan Yho won his second Pitcher of the Year with Buenos Aires. Yho led the Southern Cone in WAR (10.7), wins (22) and K/BB (14.4) while posting a 1.55 ERA and 359 strikeouts.

The Bolivar Championship rematch went again to La Paz over Medellin in six games, giving the Pump Jacks four straight league titles and six of the last seven. The fourth straight Cono Sur final between Buenos Aires went to the Atlantics five games over the Padres. This would be the final of their CSCS meetings with a split record. Buenos Aires added their third Copa Sudamerica title in five seasons by defeating La Paz in five games in a rematch and repeat of 1942. The Atlantics join the Pump Jacks and Medellin as the only three-time champs to date.





Other notes: On August 11, Diego Meno of Cali threw a perfect game against Quito, striking out eight. Luisao Capucho of Sao Paulo set a record for most strikeouts in a no-hitter, fanning 20 with one walk on August 25 against Montevideo. Mohamed Ramos became the first BSA pitcher to 300 wins, a feat that wouldn't be hit again until the 1970s. Three pitchers joined Ramos and Pierre Ramirez with 3500+ strikeouts; Danilo Patricio, Cato Arias, and Oscar Blanco. Closer Freddie Sandoval won his third Reliever of the Year, getting 39 saves and 5.7 WAR in a season split between Maracaibo and Medellin.

Sao Paulo's Carlo Mizurado became the third BSA hitter to reach 400 career home runs. Mizurado and Ruy Vargas both crossed 1000 RBI. The third, fourth, and fifth BSA hitters to 2000+ hits were Leudy Perales, Jorge Santiago, and Jose Negron. Perales also passed 1000 runs scored, the fifth to do so. Rio de Janeiro’s Martin Arriaga became the first 10-time Gold Glove winner. The right fielder would win his 11^th the next season.