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FuzzyRussianHat · 01-23-2026, 09:46 PM

Five teams effectively fought for the four playoff spots out of West League. Only six were above .500 at the all-star break, led by defending Asian Baseball Federation champion Isfahan at 65-35. Baku was a half-game behind at 65-36, followed by Bursa at 60-40. The other teams above .500 were Tabriz (55-47), Adana (54-47), and Ahvaz (52-49). The Axemen were an abysmal 25-36 after the break, leaving the other five in the fight.

The Imperials and Blackbirds remained largely neck-and-neck for the top seed with both pulling away in their respective divisions. Baku had the edge in mid-September, but Isfahan ended the season with a seven-game winning streak and an 11-1 run to close the month. Both finished 101-61 with the Imperials repeating as Central Division champs and the Blackbirds back atop the West. Baku won the season series 6-2, giving them the tiebreaker over Isfahan for the top seed.

It was the 11^th consecutive season with 100+ wins for the Blackbirds, each with a division title sans 2038. They had ABF’s best run differential at +179 and led the federation with 805 runs. Isfahan notably finished 34-18 in one-run games. The Imperials also notably had a season attendance of 2,188,796; the third-best in ABF history.

The other three teams battled for two wild card spots. Bursa had the big cushion from the first half and narrowly held onto the first spot at 95-67, giving the Blue Claws a fifth consecutive playoff berth. Bursa’s 551 runs allowed were the fewest in the WL.

Ahvaz had the best second half in the WL at 42-19, allowing them to just pass Tabriz for the final spot despite a 9-1 finish for the Tiger Sharks. They met seven times in August with Ahvaz going 5-2. The Athletics were 94-68 and the Tiger Sharks at 93-69. Ahvaz earned its third playoff trip in six years, while Tabriz had a five-year streak snapped. The Tiger Sharks under-performed their expected win/loss by five games while the Athletics outperformed by four wins.

The West League MVP returned to Baku in 2039, an award they’ve claimed each year except 2038 since 2029. LF Mubarak Ashyrow was a first-time winner and earned it unanimously, while teammate Artyom Masharipov was second in voting. Ashyrow led with 61 home runs, a .680 slugging, 204 wRC+, and 9.4 WAR. The 30-year old Turkmen righty had 193 hits, 112 runs, 28 doubles, 130 RBI, and a 1.045 OPS. Ashyrow is signed through 2042 for the Blackbirds, having joined the team in 2031 and a full-time starter since 2035.

Antalya was largely irrelevant at 74-88, but their ace Jarir Rashid won Pitcher of the Year with 29 first place votes. The remaining three went to Bursa’s Refik Sagir. Rashid missed July to elbow tendinitis, but still led in WAR at 7.3. The 24-year old Iranian righty also led in ERA (1.92), WHIP (0.88), ERA+ (212), and FIP- (55). Rashid had a 16-4 record in 210.2 innings and 308 strikeouts. He was a scouting discovery by the Armada and a part of the roster since 2035.

The top seeds opened with first round playoff sweeps. Baku bested Ahvaz 7-0 and 5-3, while Isfahan rolled Bursa 5-2 and 10-0. The Blackbirds grabbed an 8-3 win to start round two with the Imperials, but Isfahan countered with an 11-1 blowout. Baku prevailed 3-1 in game three to earn a third West League Championship Series trip in four years and the eighth of their playoff streak.

Ahvaz bested Bursa 7-3 to start the knockout round, but the Blue Claws reclaimed the momentum in a wild 13-inning second affair. Bursa scored in the bottom of the ninth to force extras at 2-2. Both got a run in the 11^th, then the Athletics went ahead with a run in the top of the 13^th. However, the Blue Claws got the last laugh with Tae-Won Kim’s two-run walkoff homer for a 5-4 final score. Bursa then held on in game three 7-5 to advance.

Isfahan won 5-1 to start with Bursa, but the Blue Claws exploded 10-2 the next night. Bursa then stunned the Imperials 6-1 in game three to eliminate the reigning champs. The Blue Claws earned their third WLCS trip in four years, each as a wild card. They upset 115-win Baku in 2036 and topped Tabriz in 2037. Despite Baku’s continued regular season dominance since the 2029-33 five-peat, the Blackbirds hadn’t claimed the pennant since. They had home field advantage over Bursa, but the regular season series had been a 7-7 split.

Baku took the opener 3-2, but Bursa snagged a 6-1 road win the next night on Refik Sagir’s complete game. The Blackbirds countered with their own 4-2 road win, but a 6-2 result in game four evened the series right back up. Bursa grabbed game five 3-1 to go ahead in the series, but they’d need to get another win back in Azerbaijan. The Blue Claws did just that on another complete game for Sagir, clinching the series in six with a 5-2 victory.

LF Murat Zohrably was series MVP, going 12-25 with one homer and four RBI. The 30-year old Tajik had come to the Blue Claws in a 2037 trade with Kabul. Sagir notably had a 1.50 ERA and 20 Ks over his two complete game wins. Bursa now has seven West League pennants (1999, 2001, 04, 20, 36, 37, 39). The Blackbirds now have six straight seasons without a pennant despite averaging 108.5 wins in that stretch.

01-23-2026, 09:46 PM	#2684
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,128	2039 ABF West League Five teams effectively fought for the four playoff spots out of West League. Only six were above .500 at the all-star break, led by defending Asian Baseball Federation champion Isfahan at 65-35. Baku was a half-game behind at 65-36, followed by Bursa at 60-40. The other teams above .500 were Tabriz (55-47), Adana (54-47), and Ahvaz (52-49). The Axemen were an abysmal 25-36 after the break, leaving the other five in the fight. The Imperials and Blackbirds remained largely neck-and-neck for the top seed with both pulling away in their respective divisions. Baku had the edge in mid-September, but Isfahan ended the season with a seven-game winning streak and an 11-1 run to close the month. Both finished 101-61 with the Imperials repeating as Central Division champs and the Blackbirds back atop the West. Baku won the season series 6-2, giving them the tiebreaker over Isfahan for the top seed. It was the 11^th consecutive season with 100+ wins for the Blackbirds, each with a division title sans 2038. They had ABF’s best run differential at +179 and led the federation with 805 runs. Isfahan notably finished 34-18 in one-run games. The Imperials also notably had a season attendance of 2,188,796; the third-best in ABF history. The other three teams battled for two wild card spots. Bursa had the big cushion from the first half and narrowly held onto the first spot at 95-67, giving the Blue Claws a fifth consecutive playoff berth. Bursa’s 551 runs allowed were the fewest in the WL. Ahvaz had the best second half in the WL at 42-19, allowing them to just pass Tabriz for the final spot despite a 9-1 finish for the Tiger Sharks. They met seven times in August with Ahvaz going 5-2. The Athletics were 94-68 and the Tiger Sharks at 93-69. Ahvaz earned its third playoff trip in six years, while Tabriz had a five-year streak snapped. The Tiger Sharks under-performed their expected win/loss by five games while the Athletics outperformed by four wins. The West League MVP returned to Baku in 2039, an award they’ve claimed each year except 2038 since 2029. LF Mubarak Ashyrow was a first-time winner and earned it unanimously, while teammate Artyom Masharipov was second in voting. Ashyrow led with 61 home runs, a .680 slugging, 204 wRC+, and 9.4 WAR. The 30-year old Turkmen righty had 193 hits, 112 runs, 28 doubles, 130 RBI, and a 1.045 OPS. Ashyrow is signed through 2042 for the Blackbirds, having joined the team in 2031 and a full-time starter since 2035. Antalya was largely irrelevant at 74-88, but their ace Jarir Rashid won Pitcher of the Year with 29 first place votes. The remaining three went to Bursa’s Refik Sagir. Rashid missed July to elbow tendinitis, but still led in WAR at 7.3. The 24-year old Iranian righty also led in ERA (1.92), WHIP (0.88), ERA+ (212), and FIP- (55). Rashid had a 16-4 record in 210.2 innings and 308 strikeouts. He was a scouting discovery by the Armada and a part of the roster since 2035. The top seeds opened with first round playoff sweeps. Baku bested Ahvaz 7-0 and 5-3, while Isfahan rolled Bursa 5-2 and 10-0. The Blackbirds grabbed an 8-3 win to start round two with the Imperials, but Isfahan countered with an 11-1 blowout. Baku prevailed 3-1 in game three to earn a third West League Championship Series trip in four years and the eighth of their playoff streak. Ahvaz bested Bursa 7-3 to start the knockout round, but the Blue Claws reclaimed the momentum in a wild 13-inning second affair. Bursa scored in the bottom of the ninth to force extras at 2-2. Both got a run in the 11^th, then the Athletics went ahead with a run in the top of the 13^th. However, the Blue Claws got the last laugh with Tae-Won Kim’s two-run walkoff homer for a 5-4 final score. Bursa then held on in game three 7-5 to advance. Isfahan won 5-1 to start with Bursa, but the Blue Claws exploded 10-2 the next night. Bursa then stunned the Imperials 6-1 in game three to eliminate the reigning champs. The Blue Claws earned their third WLCS trip in four years, each as a wild card. They upset 115-win Baku in 2036 and topped Tabriz in 2037. Despite Baku’s continued regular season dominance since the 2029-33 five-peat, the Blackbirds hadn’t claimed the pennant since. They had home field advantage over Bursa, but the regular season series had been a 7-7 split. Baku took the opener 3-2, but Bursa snagged a 6-1 road win the next night on Refik Sagir’s complete game. The Blackbirds countered with their own 4-2 road win, but a 6-2 result in game four evened the series right back up. Bursa grabbed game five 3-1 to go ahead in the series, but they’d need to get another win back in Azerbaijan. The Blue Claws did just that on another complete game for Sagir, clinching the series in six with a 5-2 victory. LF Murat Zohrably was series MVP, going 12-25 with one homer and four RBI. The 30-year old Tajik had come to the Blue Claws in a 2037 trade with Kabul. Sagir notably had a 1.50 ERA and 20 Ks over his two complete game wins. Bursa now has seven West League pennants (1999, 2001, 04, 20, 36, 37, 39). The Blackbirds now have six straight seasons without a pennant despite averaging 108.5 wins in that stretch. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports The Level Playing Field: Alternate MLB History From 1884-Onward Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)