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Pitcher Jonah Lois made history as the first (and as of 2037, only) unanimous inductee into the Oceania Baseball Association Hall of Fame. He joined SAB’s Zainal bin Aziz and BSA’s Luca Alvares as the only unanimous selections in any league to that point. Two came close to joining Lois in the 2003 class, but fell just short of the 66% requirement. RF Eric Williams had a debut at 63.9%, while RF Ryan Whatley earned 61.2% in his seventh try.



Wayne Sledge was the only player to fall off the ballot after ten tries. An American who came to OBA and pitched 11 years between Fiji and Christchurch, Sledge had a 138-110 record, 2.95 ERA, 2289.1 innings, 2533 strikeouts, 109 ERA+, and 35.8 WAR. Firmly a “Hall of Pretty Good” guy, he managed to stay on the ballot despite peaking at 20.7% and only finishing in the double-digits four times.



Jonah “Boss” Lois – Pitcher – Christchurch Chinooks – 100% First Ballot

Jonah Lois was a 5’11’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Waitakere, New Zealand; located within greater Auckland. Lois was a hard thrower with outstanding movement, very good control, and solid stuff. He had a 98-100 mph cutter mixed with a devastating curveball and rarely seen changeup. Lois had strong stamina for much of his run and great durability. He was weak defensively and struggled holding runners. Lois worked very hard and earned the nickname “Boss” for his work ethic and longevity.

Because the vast majority of his career was with Christchurch, many fans don’t realize Lois started with Honolulu. A scout from Hawaii signed him as a teenager amateur in May 1975. He made his official debut with 18 relief appearances in 1980 at age 21. He saw a bit more use in 1981, still putting up unremarkable results in relief despite getting second in Rookie of the Year voting. Lois was viewed as only a two-pitch guy since his third pitch (the changeup) was so poor, meaning many dismissed him to the bullpen. In total with Honolulu, he had a 3.28 ERA over 57.2 innings.

The Honu weren’t high on him and threw him in a deal with two other prospects and a draft pick to Christchurch in the 1981 offseason in exchange for CF Dan Oleson. The Chinooks also used Lois as a reliever in his first two seasons back in his home country, although he looked solid in the role. Lois took third in Reliever of the Year voting in 1982, then won the award in 1983. He had 65 saves and 6.7 WAR in these two seasons as the closer.

Christchurch was an Australasia League contender, winning the 1983 pennant where they lost to the now established Honolulu dynasty. The Chinooks split Lois between relief and starting in 1984, then turned him into a full-time starter after that. He emerged as a true ace and led the AL in wins four times, ERA once, innings thrice, WHIP twice, complete games thrice, and WAR twice. From 1984-96, he added 5+ WAR each season. Lois was third in 1988 POTY voting, second in 1989, second in 1993, and second in 1994.

Christchurch gave Lois a six-year, $3,060,000 contract extension just before the 1986 season. The Chinooks won additional pennants in 1985, 88, 92, and 95; although they could never get over the hump in the OBA Championship. Lois had mixed results in the playoffs with a 3.21 ERA over 73 innings, 54 strikeouts, 101 ERA+, and 1.7 WAR.

Lois was also a regular for New Zealand in the World Baseball Championship from 1981-97 with 46 games and 25 starts. He tossed 211.2 innings with an 11-4 record, 12 saves, 2.85 ERA, 253 strikeouts, 126 ERA+, and 7.4 WAR. As of 2037, he leads all Kiwis in the WBC in pitching WAR and is tied for first in wins, second in innings pitched, and third in strikeouts.

Christchurch gave Lois another two years and $1,380,000 in mid 1992, then a three-year, $3,780,000 extension in September 1994. Lois’s game aged well, evidenced by his best season coming in 1995 at age 36. He led with a career-best 2.11 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, and 9.6 WAR, becoming one of the oldest-ever first-time winners of a major award. That was one of his better postseasons with a 1.93 ERA in 14 innings, although the Chinooks again fell short.

Lois had a good 1996 and led in wins with 5.9 WAR. However, his once upper 90s velocity had dipped into the mid 90s. By 1997, Lois had trouble hitting 90+ mph regularly. He posted very middling numbers in his final season in 1997 and retired that winter at age 39. Christchurch immediately retired his #1 uniform.

For his career, Lois had a 277-219 record, 2.88 ERA, 4466.1 innings, 3958 strikeouts, 641 walks, 360/515 quality starts, 207 complete games, 114 ERA+, 81 FIP-, and 98.6 WAR. As of 2037, Lois is eighth in pitching WAR, fifth in wins, 16^th in strikeouts, and first in losses. Certainly a Hall of Fame worthy career, although historians would be baffled why Lois of all people was unanimous. He certainly doesn’t come up in GOAT conversations and few would put him in OBA’s top five all-time pitchers. Regardless, Lois managed to earn a unique distinction as OBA’s lone 2003 inductee.