[FuzzyRussianHat]

For only the second time (1963), Christchurch fished atop the Australasia League standings. The Chinooks set a franchise record at 96-66, seven games ahead of Sydney and ten better than Adelaide. Christchurch outperformed their Pythagorean by eight games, winning many close contests. Two-time defending champ Perth fell to 78-84, placing sixth.

Sydney right fielder Ryan Whatley won his third straight AL MVP. The 28-year old righty was the leader in runs (108), stolen bases (97), average (.329), OBP (.400), and WAR (10.1). Adelaide’s Tarzan Rao won his first Pitcher of the Year at age 27. He’d go onto win five more and stake a claim for OBA’s all-time top pitcher. The righty from Vanuatu was two ERA points from a Triple Crown with a 27-8 record, 2.15 ERA, and 457 strikeouts. He also led with 344 innings, 0.83 WHIP, 10.9 K/BB, 23 complete games, 59 FIP-, and 12.2 WAR.



Defending Oceania Champion Guam dropped by 17 wins from their historical 112-50 run in 1979, but their 95-67 mark was still enough to win the Pacific League title again. Honolulu was second at 89-73, followed by Samoa at 87-75.

Golden Eagles DH Sione Hala reached rarefied air with his ninth Pacific League MVP, joining Jimmy Caliw as the only nine-time winners in OBA. It was the final OBA season for the 37-year old Tongan, who would play his final four seasons in MLB. In his last hurrah with Guam, he led the league in hits (187), home runs (48), RIB (109), and total bases (366). This put Hala at 2872 hits, 691 home runs, 1604 RBI, and 1402 runs for his career. He’d later get passed in each, but Hala left OBA as the all-time leader in each of those stats.

Guam also had the Pitcher of the Year in Thomas Harrison, who led in wins at 21-10 and quality starts with 32. He had a 6.6 WAR, 295 strikeouts, and 2.49 ERA in 288.2 innings. Some felt his teammate Ramgopal Singh may have been more deserving with Singh leading in ERA (2.42), strikeouts (356), and WAR (8.5). Harrison would be remembered fondly though as he’d pitch 16 innings in the postseason with a 0.00 ERA, striking out 17. Also of note, Samoa’s Eli Harley won his third Reliever of the Year.



The 21th Oceania Championship went to Guam as the Golden Eagles topped Christchurch in five games. RF Abraham Tristan was finals MVP with six hits, four runs, two home runs, and four RBI in the series. Guam becomes the third team to win back-to-back OBA titles, joining 1971-72 Gold Coast and 1976-77 Adelaide. It would be the Golden Eagles’ peak in this run as although they’d remain competitive, a fledgling Honolulu dynasty would soon take over in the Pacific League.



Other notes: There were zero no-hitters thrown in 1980, joining 1966 as the only OBA seasons without at least one. Nathaniel Doloran became the first pitcher to 4500 career strikeouts and the third to 200 wins. Sione Hala became the first to 1500 RBI. Seymour Lennox was the third batter to 2500 hits.

The Oceania Baseball Association had used a universal designed hitter since its founding, but after the 1980 season, the Pacific League specifically voted to remove the DH. The PL would eventually reinstate the DH for the 1995 season.