[FuzzyRussianHat]

The second season for the Pakistan League saw a big shake up from the first season. Hyderabad went from a last place 66-96 to a first place 92-70. Lahore, winners of 79 games in the first season, narrowly took second at 91-71 to get the second playoff spot. Faisalabad (89-73) and Multan (87-75) were both right in the mix but just short. Last year’s PL winner Karachi fell to sixth at 82-80, while Peshawar went from second place to seventh at 69-93.

The Pakistan League’s second MVP went to Lahore’s Masood bin Sharif. A 31-year old right fielder from Pakistan, he led with 56 home runs, 94 runs, a .621 slugging, .966 OPS, and 204 wRC+. Bin Sharif’s 56 home runs would be the single-season home run mark for a few years, not getting topped until 1990. He added 8.9 WAR and 112 RBI. Karachi’s Ziad Khan was the Pitcher of the Year with the first Triple Crown season in Asian Baseball Federation history. The 34-year old lefty had a 21-4 record, 1.79 ERA, and 361 strikeouts over 251.2 innings with a FIP- of 38 and 11.7 WAR. He would be the only ABF pitcher with a Triple Crown until 2019.



Defending ABF champ Istanbul remained the top team in the Turkish League, finishing at 101-61. Adana gave them a run for the top spot, but finished five back at 96-66. In the Persian League, Isfahan claimed first at 94-68 with a seven game lead over Mashhad and eight over Tehran. Last year’s TL champ Tabriz dropped to 70-92. Meanwhile, Shiraz was an abysmal 38-124, which remains the ABF’s all-time worst record as of 2037.

The Ironmen swept the West Asia Association’s top awards with both MVP and Pitcher of the Year going to Akif Erdem. The 29-year old Turk led in ERA at 1.68. He also had 10.8 WAR over 268.1 innings with 333 strikeout s and a 20-6 record. Izmir’s Abbad Nadim had a very good case that his season was better with a 1.92 ERA, 24-8 record, 389 strikeouts, and 11.7 WAR. Erdem being on the top team compared to the .500 Ice Caps put him over the top.

The Pakistan League Championship Series ended up going to Hyderabad 4-1 over Lahore. Meanwhile, Istanbul’s repeat bid was foiled in the West Asia Association Championship as not only did Isfahan beat then, but they swept them.



The Imperials seemed poised to do the same to Hyderabad in the second Asian Baseball Federation Championship. Isfahan took a 3-0 series lead, but the Horned Frogs had an incredible rally to win the series in seven games. Leading the comeback was RF Abolhassan Moghadam, who won finals MVP. In 12 playoff starts, he had 14 hits, 8 runs, 5 home runs, and 13 RBI.



Other notes: Tehran’s Ali Dahir struck out 22 against Bursa on September 20. This would stay the ABF’s single-game strikeout record until passed in 1999. Peshawar’s Ali Karaduman had the first six-hit game, going 6-7 against Lahore on 6/13. Istanbul’s Alaeddin Simsek had a 37-game hitting streak, which as of 2037 remains the ABF all-time mark, only getting matched once in 2028.