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Austronesia Professional Baseball had two additions into the Hall of Fame from the 1999 ballot. Kuo-Long Tsai was nearly unanimous with the pitcher getting 98.8%. Fellow pitcher Ravi Peng saw 78.7% to gain entry on his second try. Closer Stallion Ricciardi nearly joined them on his second ballot, but narrowly missed at 63.9%. Also above 50% were closers Ting-Wei Ping (58.3%, third ballot), Hong Quinonez (57.4%, third ballot), and Afriza Bachdim (53.3%, third ballot).



RF Angelo “Razor” Mula fell off the ballot with a peak of 49.4% on his sixth try and a finish at 39.3%. He was a 13-time all-star, but only had one Silver Slugger over his 16 years in APB. He had 2517 hits, 1040 runs, 382 doubles, 329 triples, 173 home runs, 1007 RBI, 1104 stolen bases, a .290/.330/.469 slash, 149 wRC+, and 83.6 WAR. He retired as the all-time stolen bases leader and second all-time in triples. Mula still sits 5th in steals and 4th in triples as of 2037. Many scholars would point to Mula as one of the more notable and surprising snubs of his era.



Kuo-Long Tsai – Starting Pitcher – Semarang Sliders – 98.8% First Ballot

Kuo-Long Tsai was a 6’4’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Chiayi, a city of around 263,000 people in southwestern Taiwan. Tsai was a hard thrower with good stuff, excellent movement, and above average control. He had a five pitch arsenal with a 99-101 mph fastball mixed with a slider, curveball, splitter, and changeup. Tsai had stellar stamina, leading the Sundaland Association five times in both complete games and shutouts. He was also known for an outstanding pickoff move. Tsai also was considered quite durable for much of his run.

As a teenager in Taiwan, a scout visiting from Indonesia managed to notice Tsai at a camp. Even as a 16-year old, he was hitting the mid 90 mph range. The Semarang scout signed Tsai in late 1972 to an amateur deal. He spent most of the next six years in the Sliders’ developmental system. Tsai officially debuted with two relief appearances in 1978 at age 21. He was a part-time starter with promising results the next year, earning a full-time spot in the rotation from 1980 onward.

In 1980, Tsai led the SA in wins and helped Semarang win the pennant. He had a 2.28 ERA over 23.2 playoff innings, but the Sliders lost to Cebu in the Austronesia Championship. Tsai remained consistently good the next few years, even throwing a no-hitter in 1983 against Batam with eight strikeouts and one walk. 1983 also saw Tsai throw 29 complete games, one short of APB’s all-time record. The Sliders made it back to the playoffs in 1984, but went one-and-done despite a complete game effort in his one playoff start.

Although playing in Indonesia, Tsai did regularly return to Taiwan for the World Baseball Championship. He played with the squad from 1980-93, posting a 3.50 ERA over 239.1 innings with 259 strikeouts and 3.9 WAR. Tsai’s success with Semarang inspired the Sliders to keep him around. In April 1986, Tsai inked a four-year, $2,232,000 contract extension.

He lived up to the deal, winning both Sundaland Association Pitcher of the Year and MVP in 1986. Tsai had a career-best 1.27 ERA over 291 innings with 331 strikeouts, 27 complete games, and 8 shutouts. He wouldn’t win the POTY again, but took third in 1987, 1989, and 1990. Semarang won the SA pennant in both 1988 and 1990 and in the latter year, also won the APB Championship over Cebu. Tsai had an excellent 0.68 ERA in 26.1 innings of the 1990 run and posted a 1.75 ERA over 77 career playoff innings with 75 strikeouts.

Tsai had added another five years at $5,540,000 to his deal in spring 1990. He would see his velocity drop steeply in 1992 from 99-101 mph to 96-98 mph, then further down to 92-94 mph in 1993. Tsai still provided positive value in 1991 and 1992, but was worth negative WAR in 1993. He retired that winter at age 37 and saw his #12 uniform retired by Semarang immediately.

Tsai’s career stats included a 227-166 record, 1.95 ERA, 3860 innings, 4100 strikeouts, 700 walks, 360/439 quality starts, 251 complete games, 73 shutouts, 122 ERA+, 86 FIP-, and 72.8 WAR. At induction, he was second-all time in complete games and first in shutouts. Tsai was also ninth in strikeouts and ninth in wins, although only 15th in pitching WAR. He wasn’t the most dominant arm in APB history, but Tsai was one of the most sturdy and played a big role in multiple pennants for Semarang. He was an easy choice for the voters and got in at 98.8% to lead the 1999 ballot.



Ravi “Beagle” Peng – Starting Pitcher – Jakarta Jaguars – 78.7% Second Ballot

Ravi Peng was a 6’0’’, 190 pound left-handed pitcher from Singapore. Nicknamed “Beagle” for his love of the floppy eared dog, Peng was well rounded with good stuff, control, and movement. His velocity peaked in the 94-96 mph range, but he had three equal potent pitches with a cutter, curveball, changeup combo. Peng’s stamina was on the low end compared to most other APB greats. He was excellent and holding runners and was a great defensive pitcher, winning a Gold Glove in 1986. Peng also won Silver Sluggers in 1986 and 1989, posting a .188 career average. He was smart and a hard worker, becoming very respected in his time.

Peng showed potential as a teenager in Singapore and he caught the eye of a scout from Jakarta. He was signed as a teenage amateur in the summer of 1973 and made his debut in 1978 at age 21. He struggled split between relief and the rotation in his rookie year. Peng looked great to start his sophomore season, but suffered a catastrophic tear of the flexor tendon in his elbow. This knocked him out 14 months and put his future prospects in question.

Peng returned for the back half of 1980 and looked fairly average in his return. The next two years, he emerged as the ace Jakarta hoped he could be when they signed him. In 1982, he took third in Pitcher of the Year voting with a career best 10.4 WAR and 31 quality starts. The Jaguars ended a more than decade-long playoff drought and won the Sundaland Association title. They fell to Taoyuan in the Austronesia Championship with Peng posting a 2.05 ERA over 22 playoff innings with 27 strikeouts. That winter, Jakarta gave Peng a five-year, $1,412,000 extension.

Disaster struck again in 1983 as in his second start, he again tore his flexor tendon. Peng showed his incredible resilience again, bouncing back with the league-lead in wins and a 9.6 WAR 1984. He also put up good numbers in his career for Singapore’s squad in the World Baseball Championship. From 1979-93, he appeared in 12 WBCs and had a 2.08 ERA over 169 innings, 204 strikeouts, and 4.7 WAR.

Peng managed to stay largely healthy and consistent for the next few years. He led the Sundaland Association in ERA in 1988, although he never reached the top three in Pitcher of the Year voting. Jakarta made the playoffs in 1985, 86, and 87. The Jaguars won the SA pennant in 85 and 86 and took the Austronesian Championship in 1985. Peng was especially excellent in that run with a 0.41 ERA over 22 innings. For his whole playoff career, he had a 2.74 ERA over 65.2 innings, 73 strikeouts, and 2.2 WAR.

Jakarta gave him a five-year, $4,150,000 extension starting after the 1987 campaign. It would be back issues that started to plague Peng in 1989 and 1990, including a torn back muscle in September 1990. Both back spasms and shoulder inflammation cost him nearly the entire 1991 season. The Jaguars decided to move on that winter, trading Peng for prospects to Semarang.

Peng made it seven appearances with Semarang in 1992 and still looked effective when he pitched. In late April, severe shoulder inflammation would knock him out for the rest of the year. Peng still wanted to pitch, but his body disagreed. He would pitch in the 1993 WBC, but was unsigned for the season and retired at age 36. Well respected for his efforts by Jakarta, the Jaguars decided to retire his #30 uniform,

Peng’s career stats saw a 155-92 record, 1.76 ERA, 2523.2 innings, 3027 strikeouts, 434 walks, 279/333 quality starts, 44 complete games, 140 ERA+, 63 FIP-, and 77.3 WAR. Peng actually had more WAR than his Hall of Fame classmate Kuo-Long Tsai despite having around 1300 fewer innings pitched. His rate stats were impressive, but the accumulations were low due to the injuries. Peng never won the top award, but he did play a role in multiple pennants for Jakarta. He narrowly missed out in 1998 at 64.4%, but made it across the line on his second ballot at 78.7%.