OOTP Developments Forums - View Single Post

FuzzyRussianHat · 06-10-2024, 04:47 AM

The Indian League had the same four playoff teams as it had in the prior year and in 2002. Positions were reversed around though as Jaipur took the top seed at 106-56 atop the Central Division. The Jokers had never finished with the best record and it was their first-ever season with 100+ wins. Jaipur also earned their eighth playoff appearance and seventh division title in a decade.

Ahmedabad’s historic playoff streak grew to 21 seasons, tying the European Baseball Federation’s Zurich for the second-longest streak in pro baseball history. The Animals won the West Division for the 20^th time in that streak with a 99-63 record.

Mumbai gave them chase at 92-70, taking a fifth consecutive wild card. The closest competitor in the wild card race was Kanpur at 87-75. Defending IL champ Bengaluru secured the South Division for the fourth straight year. The Blazers dropped from 106 wins in 2004 to only 85-77 in 2005, but they still held off their closest foe Hyderabad by five games.

Indian League MVP went to Mumbai 1B Basava Sanjahay. Appropriately nicknamed “The Comet,” the 25-year old Indian righty led in home runs (54), slugging (.668), OPS (1.051), wRC+ (229), and WAR (11.2). Sanjahay also had 109 runs, 115 RBI, a .302 average, and won his second Gold Glove. Mumbai committed long-term to keep Sanjahay as the face of the franchise with an eight-year, $36,800,000 extension in the winter.

Ahmedabad’s Arkakara Raja won his second Pitcher of the Year. The 26-year old lefty led in wins (19-8), strikeouts (373), FIP- (49), and WAR (10.1). Raja had a 2.01 ERA over 251.1 innings, falling five points short of a Triple Crown. The Animals would extend Raja after the 2006 season for five years at $20,800,000.

Both first round playoff series needed all five games. Mumbai upset Jaipur and Ahmedabad outlasted the defending champ Bengaluru. This was the first-ever Indian League Championship Series appearance for the Meteors. For the Animals, this got them back in after having their ILCS appearance streak snapped the prior season at 18 years.

The series needed all seven games and the finale was an all-time great pitcher’s duel. The game was scoreless after regulation and stayed scoreless until the 16^th inning. Mumbai finally went ahead in the top half and pulled off the upset 1-0 over their divisional foe Ahmedabad. The Meteors became the sixth Indian League franchise to win a pennant.

After back-to-back South Asia Baseball championships, Ho Chi Minh City showed no sign of slowing down. The Hedgehogs went 121-41 to win a 17^th South Division title in a row and extend their own playoff streak to 19 years. HCMC set a new SAB record for home runs as a team with 316, which would hold until 2030. Their 602 walks draw was also the third most in SEAL history.

Yangon was determined to keep in the arms race, setting their own franchise record at 115-47 atop the North Division. The Green Dragons grew their playoff streak to 11 years with their ninth division title in that run. Hanoi was the first wild card at 104-58, earning their sixth playoff spot in a decade. Dhaka (87-75) narrowly edged Da Nang (85-77) for the second spot to end a two-year drought.

In his third year with Ho Chi Minh City, RF Kamlesh Kanmani won his first Southeast Asia League MVP. The 30-year old led in hits (214), doubles (48), total bases (406), and WAR (9.9). Kanmani added 46 home runs, 144 RBI, a 1.028 OPS, and 191 wRC+. That allowed him to take the top spot over Hanoi DH Devavesman Toppo, who had a powerful 65 home run, 145 RBI effort.

Pitcher of the Year was Hanoi’s Ramadhan Zakaria. The 25-year old Singaporean lefty was the ERA leader at 2.26, while adding a 15-7 record over 207 innings, 262 strikeouts, and 5.2 WAR. Also of note, Taj Kanikaraja won his fourth consecutive Reliever of the Year. After seven years with Surat, he had joined HCMC in 2005 and posted 44 saves and a 1.77 ERA. Kanikaraja also became the third SAB closer to earn 300 career saves.

Ho Chi Minh City cruised to a first round sweep of Dhaka, advancing to a 12^th straight SEAL Championship. Hanoi would upset Yangon 3-1 on the other side, giving the Hounds their fifth finals berth and first since 2000. The Hedgehogs dynasty rolled on with no troubles, sweeping Hanoi. HCMC earned a SEAL three-peat and won their 13^th pennant in 19 seasons.

The Ho Chi Minh City dynasty dominated Mumbai 4-1 to win the 26^th SAB Championship. The Hedgehogs three-peated as SAB champs and won their fifth ring overall (1997, 2000, 2003, 2004, 2005). Pitcher Van Khang Nguyen was the finals MVP. Nicknamed “Cooter,” the 33-year old Vietnamese was 3-0 in four playoff starts with a 0.57 ERA over 31.2 innings and 39 strikeouts.

You could argue this HCMC dynasty was the best three-year stretch by any team in pro baseball history. The Hedgehogs had won 361 regular season games in three years, which was one win behind the world record of 362 by Ahmedabad (2000-02) and West African Baseball’s Kano (1998-2000). However, the Hedgehogs won the league title all three seasons, while the other two had gone 2-1 in their championship series.

This was also the climax for Ho Chi Minh City’s dynasty and the final year as the undisputed kings of South Asia Baseball. Their playoff streak would run through 2009 and they would win the SAB title that final year. If not for their finals losses to Ahmedabad in the 1980s and 1990s, HCMC might have a shot for the best 20 or 25 year run in baseball history.

Other notes: SAB’s ninth and tenth perfect games were thrown in 2005. On May 8, Bengaluru’s Jaya Chaudhury did it with 13 strikeouts against Surat. Then on May 28, Khulna’s Khac Suu Bao fanned seven against Johor Bahru. There wouldn’t be another perfect game in SAB until 2013.

Pune’s Rajeesh Jai set a single season record with 0.28 walks per nine innings. He walked only five batters over 162.2 innings for a 43.4 K/BB. That was the second-best BB/9 for a qualifying pitcher in any world league, only behind El-Siraj Lahoud’s 0.22 in the 1990 EPB season.

In their second season post expansion, Lucknow tied the Indian League’s all-time worst with only 415 runs scored. Khulna also stunk offensively and set the SEAL all-time worst with 463 runs and a .324 team slugging. The Claws’ .263 team OBP, 1123 hits, and 181 doubles are all the second worst in league history.

Amoda Shah became SAB’s first-ever member of the 700 home run club, retiring after the 2005 campaign with 729. He’d only have the all-time lead for a little more than year before being passed by Tirtha Upadhyaya. As of 2037, Shah is still seventh on the homers list. Shah also became the third to 1500 career RBI, ending with 1555.

Manju Abbas became the fourth to 1500 runs scored. C Quoc Pham won his eighth straight Gold Glove. SS Dhruv Snajay won his eighth Silver Slugger and RF Kamlesh Kanmani won his seventh.

06-10-2024, 04:47 AM	#1323
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,733	2005 in SAB The Indian League had the same four playoff teams as it had in the prior year and in 2002. Positions were reversed around though as Jaipur took the top seed at 106-56 atop the Central Division. The Jokers had never finished with the best record and it was their first-ever season with 100+ wins. Jaipur also earned their eighth playoff appearance and seventh division title in a decade. Ahmedabad’s historic playoff streak grew to 21 seasons, tying the European Baseball Federation’s Zurich for the second-longest streak in pro baseball history. The Animals won the West Division for the 20^th time in that streak with a 99-63 record. Mumbai gave them chase at 92-70, taking a fifth consecutive wild card. The closest competitor in the wild card race was Kanpur at 87-75. Defending IL champ Bengaluru secured the South Division for the fourth straight year. The Blazers dropped from 106 wins in 2004 to only 85-77 in 2005, but they still held off their closest foe Hyderabad by five games. Indian League MVP went to Mumbai 1B Basava Sanjahay. Appropriately nicknamed “The Comet,” the 25-year old Indian righty led in home runs (54), slugging (.668), OPS (1.051), wRC+ (229), and WAR (11.2). Sanjahay also had 109 runs, 115 RBI, a .302 average, and won his second Gold Glove. Mumbai committed long-term to keep Sanjahay as the face of the franchise with an eight-year, $36,800,000 extension in the winter. Ahmedabad’s Arkakara Raja won his second Pitcher of the Year. The 26-year old lefty led in wins (19-8), strikeouts (373), FIP- (49), and WAR (10.1). Raja had a 2.01 ERA over 251.1 innings, falling five points short of a Triple Crown. The Animals would extend Raja after the 2006 season for five years at $20,800,000. Both first round playoff series needed all five games. Mumbai upset Jaipur and Ahmedabad outlasted the defending champ Bengaluru. This was the first-ever Indian League Championship Series appearance for the Meteors. For the Animals, this got them back in after having their ILCS appearance streak snapped the prior season at 18 years. The series needed all seven games and the finale was an all-time great pitcher’s duel. The game was scoreless after regulation and stayed scoreless until the 16^th inning. Mumbai finally went ahead in the top half and pulled off the upset 1-0 over their divisional foe Ahmedabad. The Meteors became the sixth Indian League franchise to win a pennant. After back-to-back South Asia Baseball championships, Ho Chi Minh City showed no sign of slowing down. The Hedgehogs went 121-41 to win a 17^th South Division title in a row and extend their own playoff streak to 19 years. HCMC set a new SAB record for home runs as a team with 316, which would hold until 2030. Their 602 walks draw was also the third most in SEAL history. Yangon was determined to keep in the arms race, setting their own franchise record at 115-47 atop the North Division. The Green Dragons grew their playoff streak to 11 years with their ninth division title in that run. Hanoi was the first wild card at 104-58, earning their sixth playoff spot in a decade. Dhaka (87-75) narrowly edged Da Nang (85-77) for the second spot to end a two-year drought. In his third year with Ho Chi Minh City, RF Kamlesh Kanmani won his first Southeast Asia League MVP. The 30-year old led in hits (214), doubles (48), total bases (406), and WAR (9.9). Kanmani added 46 home runs, 144 RBI, a 1.028 OPS, and 191 wRC+. That allowed him to take the top spot over Hanoi DH Devavesman Toppo, who had a powerful 65 home run, 145 RBI effort. Pitcher of the Year was Hanoi’s Ramadhan Zakaria. The 25-year old Singaporean lefty was the ERA leader at 2.26, while adding a 15-7 record over 207 innings, 262 strikeouts, and 5.2 WAR. Also of note, Taj Kanikaraja won his fourth consecutive Reliever of the Year. After seven years with Surat, he had joined HCMC in 2005 and posted 44 saves and a 1.77 ERA. Kanikaraja also became the third SAB closer to earn 300 career saves. Ho Chi Minh City cruised to a first round sweep of Dhaka, advancing to a 12^th straight SEAL Championship. Hanoi would upset Yangon 3-1 on the other side, giving the Hounds their fifth finals berth and first since 2000. The Hedgehogs dynasty rolled on with no troubles, sweeping Hanoi. HCMC earned a SEAL three-peat and won their 13^th pennant in 19 seasons. The Ho Chi Minh City dynasty dominated Mumbai 4-1 to win the 26^th SAB Championship. The Hedgehogs three-peated as SAB champs and won their fifth ring overall (1997, 2000, 2003, 2004, 2005). Pitcher Van Khang Nguyen was the finals MVP. Nicknamed “Cooter,” the 33-year old Vietnamese was 3-0 in four playoff starts with a 0.57 ERA over 31.2 innings and 39 strikeouts. You could argue this HCMC dynasty was the best three-year stretch by any team in pro baseball history. The Hedgehogs had won 361 regular season games in three years, which was one win behind the world record of 362 by Ahmedabad (2000-02) and West African Baseball’s Kano (1998-2000). However, the Hedgehogs won the league title all three seasons, while the other two had gone 2-1 in their championship series. This was also the climax for Ho Chi Minh City’s dynasty and the final year as the undisputed kings of South Asia Baseball. Their playoff streak would run through 2009 and they would win the SAB title that final year. If not for their finals losses to Ahmedabad in the 1980s and 1990s, HCMC might have a shot for the best 20 or 25 year run in baseball history. Other notes: SAB’s ninth and tenth perfect games were thrown in 2005. On May 8, Bengaluru’s Jaya Chaudhury did it with 13 strikeouts against Surat. Then on May 28, Khulna’s Khac Suu Bao fanned seven against Johor Bahru. There wouldn’t be another perfect game in SAB until 2013. Pune’s Rajeesh Jai set a single season record with 0.28 walks per nine innings. He walked only five batters over 162.2 innings for a 43.4 K/BB. That was the second-best BB/9 for a qualifying pitcher in any world league, only behind El-Siraj Lahoud’s 0.22 in the 1990 EPB season. In their second season post expansion, Lucknow tied the Indian League’s all-time worst with only 415 runs scored. Khulna also stunk offensively and set the SEAL all-time worst with 463 runs and a .324 team slugging. The Claws’ .263 team OBP, 1123 hits, and 181 doubles are all the second worst in league history. Amoda Shah became SAB’s first-ever member of the 700 home run club, retiring after the 2005 campaign with 729. He’d only have the all-time lead for a little more than year before being passed by Tirtha Upadhyaya. As of 2037, Shah is still seventh on the homers list. Shah also became the third to 1500 career RBI, ending with 1555. Manju Abbas became the fourth to 1500 runs scored. C Quoc Pham won his eighth straight Gold Glove. SS Dhruv Snajay won his eighth Silver Slugger and RF Kamlesh Kanmani won his seventh. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)