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The ABF’s East League was incredibly top heavy in 2006. Karachi set a franchise record at 111-51, taking the first place spot and earning a third consecutive playoff berth. Defending EL champ Lahore was a close second at 109-53, getting their third berth in four years. Third was 100-62 Bishkek, earning a third consecutive playoff appearance and six berths since joining the ABF in 2000.

The fourth and final playoff spot was Gujranwala at 94-68 with no other teams above .500. The Grasshoppers ended a 14-year playoff drought dating back to their 1991 ABF title. Multan, who was the ELCS runner-up in 2005, dropped to 79-83.

Bishkek’s Tomas Pataki won his third consecutive East League MVP. The 30-year old two-way star from Hungary had 7.0 WAR at the plate in 122 games with 130 hits, 24 home runs, a .322/.389/.604 slash, and 209 wRC+. On the mound, Pataki had 2.2 WAR with a 2.59 ERA over 187.2 innings, 206 strikeouts, and 14-5 record. He had one more year with the Black Sox before getting traded to Mashhad. Pitcher of the Year was Gujranwala lefty Khalil Shaan. The third-year Pakistani led in strikeouts (340) and WAR (8.1). He added a 2.23 ERA over 242 innings with a 17-11 record.

Gujranwala stunned top seed Karachi 3-2 in the first round, while Lahore topped Bishkek 3-1. The Grasshoppers had their first East League Championship Series berth since 1991. They couldn’t pull off the big upset twice, as the defending champs Lahore repeated with a 4-1 ELCS victory.



Istanbul had the top seed in the West League at 102-60 to earn a fourth straight playoff appearance. Defending Asian Baseball Federation champ Shiraz was second at 100-62 for a third playoff berth in a row. Mashhad (94-68) and Isfahan (93-69) got the other playoff spots. The Mercury ended an 11-year playoff drought and the Imperials ended a two-year skid. There was an 11-game gap between fourth and fifth place.

Two lengthy playoff streaks did come to an end. After winning 106 games in 2005, Bursa collapsed to 73-89. The Blue Claws ended a nine-year playoff streak and had their first losing season since 1995. Meanwhile, Ankara dropped from 90 wins to 68, snapping their six-year playoff run.

Shiraz CF Rahman Polat repeated as West League MVP. The 26-year old Turkish lefty was the WARlord (8.7) and led in walks (84). Polat added 114 runs, 44 home runs, 123 RBI, and an 1.004 OPS. Pitcher of the Year was Istanbul’s Lakhani Mustafa. The 30-year old Pakistani righty led in wins (20-8), K/BB (7.0), and quality starts (26). Mustafa added a 2.30 ERA over 254.2 innings, 265 strikeouts, and 7.5 WAR.

The top seeds prevailed in the first round with Istanbul sweeping Isfahan 3-0 and Shiraz edging Mashhad 3-2. The Ironmen were back in the West League Championship Series for the first time since 2003, but couldn’t snap their pennant drought dating back to 1989 despite home field advantage. The Suns took the WLCS 4-2 over Istanbul to repeat as WL champs.



The 22^nd ABF Championship was a rematch between Shiraz and Lahore with the Suns looking to repeat. The Longhorns got revenge on the Suns, coming out on top 4-2 to earn their first-ever overall title. 1B Kleifawi Abdul was a playoff beast, winning finals and ELCS MVP. The 22-year old Pakistani had 17 hits, 13 runs, 8 home runs, and 20 RBI over 15 playoff starts. This set the ABF playoff record for RBI and tied the homers mark.



Other notes: Gujranwala’s Rida Kakakhel tossed ABF’s 12^th perfect game, striking out nine against Tashkent. Hakim as-Salam became the fourth to 2000 hits. Shiraz pitcher Jamal Hakami walked 16 batters in the playoffs, an all-time ABF postseason worst. LF Qalander Hadjilzou won his seventh Gold Glove.

Hasan Afshin became the first pitcher to 5000 career strikeouts. He finished with 5151 and was the career Ks leader until 2036. Rami Naqvi became the second to 4500 Ks, retiring with 4638. Both joined Yazeed Anwari as ABF pitchers with 200 career wins with both retiring after the 2006 season with 203.