01-15-2026, 09:31 AM
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#2668
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Dec 2020
Posts: 3,230
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2039 World Baseball Championship (Part 1)

The 2039 World Baseball Championship was the 93rd edition and the primary host city was Algiers, Algeria. In Division 1, the Dominican Republic ended on an eight-game winning streak to finish first at 15-3, pulling away from both Scotland and Poland at 13-5. It was the DR’s fourth playoff trip and first since 2025.
The five-time defending world champ United States looked to keep its dynasty run alive, claiming D2 at 15-3. South Africa was the only close foe at 13-5 and did split their pair with the US. The Americans have moved on 70 times in tournament history and did it for the entire 2030s. The USA’ s+78 run differential was the second-best of all division champs for 2039.
China nearly blew their Division 3 lead as they lost their final three, while Angola had a five-game winning streak to close and Malaysia a six-game run (both including wins over China) The Chinese and Angolans finished tied at 13-5 while the Malaysians were 12-6. China’s loss to Angola was 7-5 in 10 innings, but their 5-2 win earlier gave them the differential tiebreaker by one run. The Chinese advanced for the 32nd time overall and the fifth time in the 2030s.
Japan dominated Division 4 at 15-3, four wins better than last year’s third place finisher Austria and Bangladesh. The Japanese advanced for the 29th time overall and since 2027 have moved forward nine times. India at 14-4 outraced 13-5 Thailand to secure Division 5. The Indians earned 7-1 and 5-2 victories over the Thais when they met. It was India’s 17th playoff berth with more than half coming in the last 15 years.
Division 6 saw South Korea (14-4) hang on against the Netherlands (13-5) and Egypt (12-6). The Koreans picked up their 23rd playoff appearance and fourth of the decade. They had split with both the Dutch and Egyptians in their pairs. It was only the second miss in eight years for Egypt, who had emerged as a regular contender in recent years.
Somalia at 13-5 won Division 7 in a tight fight over Mexico (12-6) and last year’s fourth place squad Spain (11-7). They earned their spot by beating the Spanish 3-2 and the Mexicans 1-0 in their final two games. The Somalis have four berths total, coming over the last seven years.
Division 8 had a tie at the top with Saudi Arabia and Argentina at 13-5, while last year’s runner-up Brazil was 12-6. The Saudis had the differential tiebreaker with a 6-0 win and 4-1 loss against the Argentines. Saudi Arabia became the 94th unique nation to earn a playoff trip. The Brazilians had a better differential than both, but went 1-5 in one-run games. They split with Argentina, but lost both games to the Saudis by 3-1 and 7-6 margins. The latter game had a six-run eighth inning rally by the KSA.

Venezuela took Division 9 at 13-5, finishing two ahead of Paraguay, Belgium, and North Macedonia. The Venezuelans earned back-to-back playoff trips and their ninth overall. Indonesia cruised to 15-3 in Division 10 with Libya a distant second at 12-6. The Indonesians ended on a ten-game winning streak to earn their 34th playoff trip and fourth consecutive. Since 2028, Indonesian has missed the next round only thrice.
Russia rolled to the D11 crown at 14-4 with the Democratic Republic of the Congo next at 12-6 and three others at 11-7. The Russians at +81 had the best run differential of all teams in the divisional stage. Russia picked up its 21st playoff trip and fifth of the decade. Bosnia and Herzegovina was an abysmal 1-17, becoming the first team in event history to lose 17 games. Iraq finished strong securing Division 12 at 14-4 ahead of the Philippines at 13-5. It was the Iraqis’ second playoff trip joining the 2036 effort. They split their pair with the Filipinos with a 7-5 win and 6-4 loss.
Division 13 had a tie for first at 12-6 with Haiti and Ethiopia, while the Czech Republic was 11-7 and three others were 10-8; Switzerland, Sweden, and Pakistan. The Haitians advanced having swept the Ethiopians on 7-6 and 5-3 wins. Haiti ‘s 4-0 mark in one-run games and a five-game winning streak to close propelled them forward. The Haitians advanced for the sixth time and first since 2031.
France and Taiwan were even atop Division 14 at 13-5 while Croatia and Chile were next at 11-7. The French had the tiebreaker on differential over the Taiwanese with a 5-2 win and 3-2 loss. It was the 18th playoff trip for France and the second in five years. Germany had an impressive 15-3 run in Division 15 with only Vietnam (13-5) staying competitive with them. The Germans picked up their 18th berth and fourth of the decade. Germany swept their pair over the Vietnamese 2-1 and 3-2, taking the latter on a two-run walkoff homer.
Lastly in Division 16, Australia (15-3) emphatically won their finale 10-2 over Kenya, putting the Kenyans second at 13-5. Their earlier meeting had been an 18-inning marathon win for the Aussies. Australia advanced for the third straight year and 11th time overall. Them, the USA, and Venezuela were the only teams from the 2038 playoff field to advance again in 2039.
Last edited by FuzzyRussianHat; 01-15-2026 at 09:34 AM.
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