Baseball: The World's Game - Page 144

FuzzyRussianHat · 05-15-2026, 08:22 PM

Defending Southern Conference champ Zagreb had the top record in all of the European Baseball Federation at the all-star break at 71-32. They were five wins ahead of the West Division’s top competitors Madrid and Zaragoza, while eight wins up on anyone else in the East Division. The Gulls lead shrank slightly, but they held onto first place at 105-57. Zagreb repeated as division champs with their third straight berth. They had the fewest runs allowed in the SC at 640.

Madrid was 36-23 after the break while Zaragoza was 30-29, allowing the Conquistadors to pull away for first at 102-60. Madrid earned its fifth playoff trip in six years and led with 895 runs scored. The Gold Hawks ended up as a wild card at 96-66, earning repeat berths for them. Seville was third in the West at 90-72, but ended up as the first team out in the wild card race, ending their five-year playoff streak. Malta (88-74), Marseille (87-75) and Barcelona (83-79) were the next teams out.

The other three wild cards came from the East with Budapest (98-64), Cluj-Napoca (96-66), and Skopje (95-67). The Bombers had the conference’s best run differential of +210, extending their playoff streak to nine seasons. Budapest set conference pitching records for fewest walks (219) and best BB/9 (1.35). The Stags earned repeat wild cards, while the Paladins ended a nine-year drought. Cluj-Napoca hit 311 home runs as a team, the second-best in EBF history. Their .525 team slugging was third-best.

The worst three records in the SC were in the East, but only last place gets relegated to the European Second League. Varna (58-104) had that unfortunate distinction while both Sofia (60-102) and Belgrade (62-100) survived. The Vigilantes lasted five years in the EBF Elite Tier, but didn’t post a winning season.

Naples (64-98) was last in the West with Valencia (69-93) their nearest foe. The Nobles had sent 2031-33 and 2035 in E2L, but notably won the conference title in 2038. After being just below .500 the next two years, Naples is relegated for the fourth time.

Zaragoza 1B Marc David repeated as Southern Conference MVP, getting 42/52 first place votes. He also previously won MVP in 2037 the EBF Elite and in 2031 in E2L. In his 13^th year for the Gold Hawks, the 31-year old French lefty surprisingly didn’t lead any one stat. David had 216 hits, 126 runs, 23 doubles, 56 home runs, 128 RBI, .363/.404/.714 slash, 191 wRC+, and 7.9 WAR. He has one year left on his deal with Zaragoza.

Aleksandar Kerimov repeated as Pitcher of the Year for Chisinau and won unanimously. The 28-year old Bulgarian lefty led in WHIP (0.80), K/BB (12.1), FIP- (50), and WAR (8.8). Kerimov had a 1.91 ERA, 12-7 record, 6 saves, 221 innings, 302 strikeouts, and 220 ERA+. Last May, he signed a five-year, $116,400,000 extension with the Counts.

Zaragoza opened the first round on a 6-5 home win, but Cluj-Napoca took the next two by 9-3 and 10-9 margins. Budapest swept Skopje 7-5 and 7-0 on the other side. Madrid grabbed the opener 6-1 in the second round, but the Bombers won the next night 7-4. The Conquistadors claimed game three 6-1, but Budapest pulled off the upset with 6-3 and 9-4 wins to close the series. The Bombers earned their fifth trip to the Southern Conference Championship in eight years.

Cluj-Napoca came out firing on the other end with 6-3 and 11-9 wins at Zagreb. The Gulls got game three 3-2, but the Paladins ousted the top seed 7-3 in game four. Cluj-Napoca’s only previous conference finals trip was their lone pennant in 2030. Budapest meanwhile had each of their five trips in the last decade with their wins in 2036 and 2039.

They had split the regular season 3-3 with the Bombers finishing two wins ahead of the Paladins. Cluj-Napoca earned a 3-1 road win to start the series, but Budapest countered 7-5. The Bombers won 8-3 in Romania for game three, but the Paladins answered 15-6. In game five, Budapest narrowly took it 8-7, giving them the 3-2 series lead headed back to Hungary.

In game six, Pijus Mickevicius’s three-run home run in the bottom of the seventh for Budapest tied the game at 5-5. The score stayed there into the 11^th as two singles and fielder’s choice put runners at second and third with two outs. Mickevicius came through with the walkoff RBI single, clinching the series in six with a 6-5 win for the Bombers. The Lithuanian LF Mickevicius was series MVP, going 10-28 with four homers, nine RBI, and five runs.

FuzzyRussianHat · 05-16-2026, 07:43 PM

Five of the last seven finales for the European Baseball Federation featured Dublin and/or Budapest. However, the 92^nd European Championship was their first direct clash. The Dinos were the defending champ looking for the repeat, while the Bombers won their lone title in 2039. The series opened in Ireland with 4-1 and 4-3 wins for the Dinos.

Game three in Hungary went 13 innings, but Dublin pulled off the 8-5 road upset. Budapest avoided the sweep, taking the next two at home by 7-6 and 7-3 margins. Game four featured a walkoff RBI single. Back in the Irish capital, the Dinos prevailed 5-2 to win the series in six. It is Dublin’s third repeat since 2010 with another dynasty run underway.

They have the most EBF titles at nine (1962, 67, 2010, 11, 13, 22, 23, 40, 41) with very few teams in the world with a more dominant 21^st Century so far. CF Maks Savicevic was series MVP going 8-24 with a homer and RBI. Savicevic was a 31-year old Croatian who signed as a free agent in 2041 after eight years with Zagreb.

Other notes: Frankfurt leadoff man Hans-Friedrich Rossmann made world history. The prior year, he had a .409 batting average, just missing the EBF record. He blew that away in 2041 over 549 plate appearances and 137 games, passing the qualification requirement of 502 PAs. Rossmann posted a remarkable .435 average, which destroyed the old world record of .420 set by Francisco Magellan in the 2010 Beisbol Sudamerica season. He also had a .477 OBP, which was behind his EBF-record .482 from the prior year. The 2041 OBP mark was the 14^th-best qualifying single-season in world history.

Veteran 1B Waldemar Riemers became EBF’s career walks leader at 1459, passing the previous high of 1446 held by Nikolai Yevsikov since 1982. Riemers is now 50^th on the all-time walks list among all players ever. Lisbon’s Ernudis Morales and Zaragoza’s Solomon Petersen both had four home run games in 2041, a feat now achieved 30 times in EBF. Hamburg’s Olle Lofgren had a 38-game hitting streak in the spring, the 7^th-longest in EBF history. There have been only 30 hitting streaks of 38+ games in all of pro baseball history.

Henri L’Ecuyer became the 5^th to 3500 hits in EBF and one of 78 in world history to reach the mark. Uwe Litchenberg was the 19^th in EBF with 3000 hits. Attila Sebek and Borys Blokhin were the 59^th and 60^th to 2500 hits. Jacinto Calvillo was the 12^th to 700 career home runs. Adam Nebowski and Lichtenberg were the 28^th and 29^th to 600 homers. Riemers and Dylano Schuurman grew the 500 homer club to 66 members. 38 have reached 1500 runs scores with Sebek and Riemers both getting there in 2041. 48 have 1500 RBI with Frederico Gonzalez and Francesco Zambrotta crossing the line.

Promotion/Relegation: Below are the updates across the European Baseball Federation pyramid based on the 2041 results.

FuzzyRussianHat · 05-17-2026, 11:09 AM

Several teams were in the hunt early on for the Bolivar League’s top seed. Bucaramanga had the best record of the group after the all-star break at 45-19, giving them the Colombia-Ecuador Division at 108-54. This was a franchise best for the Battalion, one of the 2029 expansion teams. They earned repeat playoff berths and their second-ever division title. Bucaramanga had the BL’s best run differential at +236.

Two-time defending Copa Sudamerica winner Ciudad Guayana grabbed the #2 seed and Venezuela Division at 103-59. The Giants earned their fifth playoff trip in six years and led Beisbol Sudamerica with 893 runs. CG also had 310 team doubles, tying the BSA single-season record. Arequipa firmly won the Peru-Bolivia Division at 101-61 to end a three-year playoff drought. It was the Arrows’ first division title since 2034. Arequipa had the fewest runs allowed in the BL at 592.

Valencia snagged the first wild card at 95-67. Guayaquil at 93-69 got the second spot, just fending off 92-70 Medellin. The first teams out were Trujillo (88-74), Santa Cruz (86-76), Bogota (86-76), and Barranquilla (86-76). The Velocity’s playoff streak grew to six seasons and the Gold got their second berth in three years. The Mutiny notably were one game behind Bucaramanga at the break, but went 30-34 from that point to extend their postseason drought to 13 seasons.

Bucaramanga DH Freddie Zeledon was the unanimous Bolivar League MVP in his sixth year as a starter. The 26-year old Argentine lefty led in runs (138), home runs (60), walks (87), total bases (429), slugging (.711), OPS (1.135), wRC+ (203), and WAR (9.7). Zeledon added 204 hits, 138 RBI, a .338 average, and .424 OBP. His 138 runs were the eighth-best single-season in BSA.

Maracay’s Rodrigo Castino earned Pitcher of the Year with 36/42 first place votes. The fifth-year Venezuelan righty won the ERA title (2.20) and led in strikeouts (302), quality starts (24), complete games (21), and shutouts (7). Castino had a 16-14 record, 249.2 innings, 191 ERA+, 70 FIP-, and 6.0 WAR. He was the #6 draft pick in 2034 by the Misfits and debuted in 2037.

Guayaquil advanced from the first round with 5-2 and 4-2 road wins over Valencia. The Golds had gone 3-10 against Bucaramanga in the regular season, but shocked them by opening the divisional series on 3-1 and 7-6 (10) road wins. The Battalion regrouped with 2-1 and 7-6 road wins, the latter needing a three-run ninth inning homer by Donato Anzuatequi to go-ahead. Bucaramanga avoided the upset and won game five at home 2-1, earning their first-ever trip to the Bolivar League Championship Series.

Arequipa snagged a road win to open at Ciudad Guayana, but the Giants countered 9-2. CG secured a 6-3 road win in game three, but the Arrows matched 5-1 the next night. Back in Venezuela for game five, CG got a two-out RBI single from Fahad Mohammed for a 3-2 walkoff win. The Giants kept the three-peat bid intact and earned their fifth BLCS trip in six years, having also won the Cup in 2036.

Although Bucaramanga had home field, their near-defeat to Guayaquil and Ciudad Guayana’s recent history made many favor the Giants. CG confirmed those predictors with 8-5 and 5-4 road wins to open the series. The Battalion fired back in game three, rallying with solo runs in the eighth, ninth, and tenth innings for a 3-2 road win. Cuidad Guayana rolled 12-2 in game four, then used a three-run eighth inning rally in a 5-4 game five to secure the pennant at home.

The Giants are now eight-time Bolivar League champs as the dynasty continues (1984, 89, 92, 2017, 36, 39, 40, 41). They’re the first team to earn three straight Copa Sudamerica trips since Barranquilla (2025-27) and the first to earn four pennants over six years since Concepcion (1997-2001). LF Brian Romero was BLCS MVP going 13-18 with three homers, nine RBI, and five runs.

FuzzyRussianHat · 05-17-2026, 08:16 PM

Defending Southern Cone League champ Fortaleza had an all-time campaign in 2041 as they won their fourth consecutive North Division title. The Foxes finished 117-45, which was the second-best record in league history and tied for the third-best in Beisbol Sudamerica history. Fortaleza led the league with 838 runs and had BSA’s best differential at +257.

The fight for the #2 seed was also the fight for the Southeast Division down the stretch. Tied on the final day, Rio de Janeiro lost their finale 4-1 to Buenos Aires while Montevideo won 11-4 over Porto Alegre. At 97-65, the Venom ended a seven-year playoff and division title drought. The Redbirds at 96-66 earned their sixth straight playoff trip. As BSA seeding doesn’t give preference to division champs, this means Montevideo is the #2 and will host #3 Rio in the divisional round.

Valparaiso ended on a seven-game winning streak to go 92-70 and take the South Central Division for the fifth straight year. Asuncion was second at 89-73, tying with the North’s Manaus for the final playoff spot. The Archers went on the road and shutout the Magpies 5-0 in the one-game playoff, getting 8.2 innings of three-hit ball from Michael Colagrande.

Asuncion ended a 15-year playoff drought with their win and allowed the fewest runs in BSA at 555. The next teams out in the wild card race were Concepcion (86-76) and Sao Paulo (85-77). The Padres have gone 21 years without a losing season. Salta and Santiago were both wild cards last year, but both fell hard in 2041 to 71-91 and 66-96, respectively. The Silver Hawks had been on a 12-year run without a losing season.

Despite their playoff miss, Sao Paulo 1B Lonnie Defendi won Southern Cone League MVP with all but two first place votes. In his third year as a starter, the 26-year old Argentine lefty led in home runs (62), total bases (435), OBP (.431), OPS (1.152), wRC+ (212), and WAR (11.0). Defendi added 223 hits, 120 runs, 137 RBI, and a .369 average.

Montevideo’s Aramis Biffi was Pitcher of the Year with 32 first place votes, while Asuncion’s Michael Colagrande had nine. The 27-year old Biffi led in wins (24-8), innings (271), and shutouts (5). The Argentine righty had a 2.62 ERA, 257 strikeouts, 146 ERA+, 78 FIP- and 6.7 WAR.

The runner-up Colagrande won co-Rookie of the Year and the ERA title at 2.11. The 22-year old Uruguayan had a 13-10 record, 10 saves, 196.2 innings, 218 Ks, 180 ERA+, 80 FIP-, and 4.1 WAR. He was a third round draft pick out of high school in 2037. Colagrande and Sao Paulo two-way man Caio Parada split the ROTY voting evenly to share the honor. Parada had 4.5 WAR and .952 as a batter, but -0.6 WAR over 182 innings pitching.

Valparaiso swept Asuncion on 8-2 and 5-4 first round wins. Game two went ten innings with a walkoff solo homer by Zacarias Ramos. The Voodoo carried the momentum and shocked top-seed Fortaleza 2-1 and 5-1 to open the divisional series. The Foxes claimed game three on the road 5-1, but Valparaiso secured the stunning upset in four games with a 2-1, 10 inning win. Orlando Becerra had the RBI double to score Gordon Iddrisu from first.

For the Voodoo, they earned their fourth consecutive appearance in the Southern Cone League Championship. The 2041 Foxes go down as possibly the biggest disappointment in BSA history with their one-and-done at 117-45. The other four teams in BSA that had as many or more wins each went onto win the cup. It was even more shocking considering Fortaleza was also the defending champ.

Montevideo opened their divisional series with a 3-2 walkoff win over Rio de Janeiro, getting two runs on three hits in the ninth. In game two, the Redbirds tied it at 4-4 with a three-run top of the ninth. In the bottom half, Francisco Badillo’s two-out homer just down the right field line gave the Venom another walkoff win at 5-4.

Rio fought back with 12-8 and 13-2 wins on their home diamond. Back in Uruguay for game five, the Redbirds prevailed 6-2 to oust Montevideo. Rio de Janeiro earned its third LCS trip in five years, having won the pennant two years prior over Valparaiso. The Voodoo won the 2038 pennant over Fortaleza, but came short in 2040 to the Foxes.

Valparaiso snagged a 5-3 road win to open, but Rio countered 1-0 the next night. At home in Chile, the Voodoo came up with 5-4 and 3-2 wins. The latter went ten innings with an RBI single by Mohammad Ansari-Rad. Rio took game five with a 6-4 score to force the series back to Brazil, then tied it up on a 4-2 win. A balanced effort from the Redbirds lineup pushed them to a 7-2 victory in game seven.

With the win, Rio de Janeiro has won the Southern Cone League crown six times (1970, 2003, 2008, 2016, 2039, 2041). C Jesus Cruz was LCS MVP going 10-25 with three homers, six RBI, and three runs. The 35-year old catcher was in his fourth season with Rio and was a three-time Gold Glove winner.

FuzzyRussianHat · 05-18-2026, 07:22 PM

The 111^th Copa Sudamerica was a rematch of two years prior, which had a 4-1 Ciudad Guayana win over Rio de Janeiro. The Giants were going for the three-peat and their fourth cup in six years. Despite some impressive historical dynasties, no team had ever won the Beisbol Sudamerica crown in three consecutive seasons. Rio’s only previous cups came in 1970 and 2003.

Home field advantage alternates between leagues and went to Rio de Janeiro for 2041. The Redbirds opened hot with 12-4 and 4-3 home wins. Game two was tied 2-2 after regulation. Ciudad Guayana went ahead with a solo homer in the top of the tenth, but Rio countered with a two RBI walkoff double from Arthur Leite. The Redbirds then rolled 10-0 in game three in Venezuela.

Rio seemed primed for the sweep, going ahead 4-3 in the top of the ninth in game four on a three-run inning. The Giants got one back in the bottom half to force extras, then won it in the 11^th on a Renato Barquero walkoff homer. CG then opened ahead 6-1 in game five, holding onto win 6-4. Back in Brazil for game six, Ciudad Guayana survived a late Rio rally. The Red Birds got three runs in the ninth, but stranded two allowing the Giants to escape with a 6-5 win.

Only thrice in Copa Sudamerica history had a seven-game series featured a 3-0 start. In 1955, Quito narrowly avoided blowing their 3-0 lead to Fortaleza. 1994 had the same result with the same two teams. The next year, Recife became the lone team to complete the 3-0 comeback against Bogota.

In the finale, Rio de Janeiro got five of their six runs via homer. Ciudad Guayana homered in the top of the ninth and put a man on first, but the Redbirds held on for the 6-4 victory. Rio avoided the collapse and denied the Giants’ three-peat dreams. LF Simon Voronese was series MVP, going 12-22 with three homers and 10 RBI. The Redbirds win brings the Cup back to Brazil for the first time since Belo Horizonte’s 2029 win, which was the longest-ever gap between titles for a Brazilian squad.

Other notes: Belo Horizonte 1B Rony Ximenes made history in the summer with a 47-game hitting streak. This was the longest ever in BSA, passing Remberto Borja’s 43 which stood since 1955. In world history, only four hitting streaks have gone longer. EBF’s Endrit Imami has the record 60 from 2039. CABA’s Sandile Nyambi went 54 games in 2018, while EBF’s Rudjer Bosnjak (1960) and MLB’s Jayden Gagnon (1930) both had 49 game runs. Ximenes’ on-base streak was also 47, tying the BSA record set by Denis Jorge in 2015. Imami holds that world record as well at 67 games.

In other milestones, Mario Salazar was the 28^th to 600 home runs and Nicolas De Leon was the 80^th to 500. Ismael Pimentel was the 29^th to 1500 runs scored. On the bad side for Pimentel, he has been caught stealing 1223 times, four behind the world record of APB’s Junior Sanchez of 1227. 47 BSA bats now have 1500 RBI with Renato Barquero, Erik Ortega, and Caio Mergulho each getting there in 2041. 101 players now have 2500 hits and Barquero, Ortega, Veronese, and Honorio Govea crossed that mark. Joseph Ramirez won his 8^th Silver Slugger and first at SS, having won previously at 2B.

In pitching notables, Cristovao Santiago was the 18^th to 250 wins. Santiago and Paulo Fialho made 57 pitchers with 3500 strikeouts. Del Mata and Louie Pedrogo made 117 guys with 3000 Ks. Lucas Flor was the 49^th to 300 saves. SS Ace Benavidez won his 8^th consecutive Gold Glove while RF Samuel Perez won his seventh (non-consecutive).

FuzzyRussianHat · 05-19-2026, 08:08 AM

In the Japan League at the all-star break, Kyoto (73-31) and Yokohama (72-31) were the clear standouts. Both Sapporo (68-36) and defending JL champ Saitama (65-39) weren’t out of the running for the top seed either. The Sting ended up 43-15, tied for the best post-break record in all of East Asia Baseball. This caught them up with the Kamikaze to make it a two-team race for the #1 seed entering the final week. They were tied with one game to go with Kyoto winning 7-2 at Chiba and Saitama losing 2-1 in 11 innings at Yokohama.

Kyoto’s 109-53 record was the best in EAB for their third playoff trip in six years, but it was their first Central Division title since 2022. Hamamatsu had that locked down for the last eight years and still provided a fierce challenge at 103-59 as the first wild card. The Chickenhawks have averaged 108.5 wins per season over their nine year streak. Hamamatsu actually had a better run differential (+222) than Kyoto (+192) with the Kamikaze going 36-19 in one-run games and the Chickenhawks at 18-22.

Saitama at 108-54 won the Capital Division for the third straight year and posted their fifth consecutive 100+ win season. The Sting and Yokohama are both on five-year playoff streaks. The Yellow Jackets were a game below .500 after the break, but their stellar start still got them the second wild card easily at 101-61. Yokohama’s 461 runs allowed were the fewest in EAB.

Sapporo won the North Division a sixth consecutive season and grew its playoff streak to seven years with their 102-60 finish. It was their fourth year in a row with 102+ wins and they led the JL with 759 runs scored. The Swordfish also had EAB’s best run differential at +237. Expansion Maebashi was a very distant second place at 82-80, but it was the first winning season in 17 tries for the Bunnies.

Kitakyushu had an 11-game lead in the West Division at the break and struggled in the second half. That cushion still held for a 91-71 finish ahead of 87-75 Fukuoka. The Kodiaks earned repeat playoff trips and their first division title since 2035, ending the Frogs’ five-year streak. Fukuoka was the first team out in the wild card race, although they never had a shot at that being 14 games behind Yokohama.

Leading Saitama’s effort was Japan League MVP 3B Dong-Hyeon Yu, who got 25 first place votes and 481 points. Hamamatsu 1B Mitsuru Ishida was a competitive second with 12 first place votes and 407 points. Ishida notably was the leader in OPS (1.033), RBI (129), and total bases (391).

The winner Yu meanwhile was the WARlord (10.3) in seventh season starting for the Sting. The 30-year old South Korean righty had 217 hits, 102 runs, 31 doubles, 32 home runs, 113 RBI, a .363/.389/.596 slash, and 192 wRC+. Last May, Saitama gave Yu a six-year, $232 million extension.

Pitcher of the Year was Yokohama’s Yozo Harada with 30 first place votes and 250 points. Hamamatsu’s Masamichi Kasai had nine first place votes and 180 points while teammate Atsuo Sugaya had one first place vote. Sugaya notably was the leader in both ERA (1.74) and WAR (9.0). If not for Sugaya, the winner Harada would’ve earned a Triple Crown with his 1.74 ERA, 21-3 record, and 347 strikeouts.

The 26-year old righty also had 12 saves, a 1.80 ERA, 215 innings, 0.65 WHIP, 18.3 K/9, 188 ERA+, 55 FIP-, and 7.6 WAR. Harada’s 0.65 WHIP was the fourth-best qualifying season (162+ innings) in EAB history with only three Toshikuni Naikai seasons better. The Yellow Jackets gave Harada a six-year, $274 million extension in January 2040 and he bounced back well after missing most of 2040 to shoulder inflammation.

Despite having 12 fewer wins, Kitakyushu had home field advantage and the one-game bonus in the wild card round against Hamamatsu as a division champ. The Kodiaks used it to advance on 6-2 and 5-4 wins, the latter with a walkoff. This was the first time in the Chickenhawks’ playoff streak that they were ousted in the wild card round. It also marks five consecutive seasons without a pennant since their three-peat and Grand Championship in 2036.

Sapporo swept Yokohama on the other side on 5-4 and 4-1 wins. In the divisional round, Saitama outlasted the Swordfish 4-3 in 14 innings to open the series. Sapporo got the next one by a 5-0 margin on a four-hitter by Tsunemori Tokuda. The Sting went on the road for a 3-2 win in ten innings in game three. In game four, the score was 7-6 after the third inning and stayed there in favor of Saitama, advancing the defending champs to their third Japan League Championship Series in five years.

Kyoto opened their divisional round with a 4-0 win on a combined two-hitter. Kitakyushu surprised them with a 12-10 road win the next night, scoring seven runs in the final two innings. The Kodiaks kept the momentum with 6-2 and 6-3 home wins to upset the top-seeded Kamikaze. Kitakyushu earned its first JLCS trip since 2035. The Kodiaks had a 46-year pennant drought dating back to their 1992-94 three-peat.

Despite having the worst record of the Japanese playoff teams by 10 wins, Kitakyushu continued to shock the field. They had lost the regular season series 5-1 to Saitama, but pulled off a stunning JLCS sweep with 4-2, 5-3, 6-3, and 1-0 wins. The Kodiaks became seven-time Japan League champs (1954, 55, 71, 92, 93, 94, 2041). JLCS MVP was journeyman SS Shungo Nakane, who was 3-12 with three homers, four RBI, and three runs. It was his first year with Kitakyushu and was generally an occasional starter with a good glove and weak bat.

FuzzyRussianHat · 05-19-2026, 09:05 PM

In 2040, Goyang destroyed the Korea League field in the regular season at 125-37, but got shockingly upset in the divisional round by eventual East Asia Baseball champ Busan. The bad vibes from that choke job continued as the Green Sox went 79-83, ending a 14-year playoff streak. It was Goyang’s first losing season since 2023, opening up chances for other teams. Ultimately, the other five playoff teams from the prior season made it back in 2041.

Gwangju had the best mark at the break at 67-37 and did well after, but Busan charged forward with a 43-15 run post-break. The Blue Jays ended on a seven-game winning streak, giving them the top seed at 104-58 ahead of the 103-59 Grays. Busan repeated as Southeast Division champ and earned their third straight playoff trip. The Blue Jays have only missed twice since 2020. Gwangju meanwhile won a ninth consecutive Southwest Division crown. The Grays allowed the fewest runs in Korea at 503, closely followed by Busan at 509.

Both had solid competition to fend off in their divisions. Cheongju was second in the Southwest and got the first wild card at 99-63. Southeast runner-up Ulsan got the second wild card at 94-68. The third place finishers were the first teams out with Jeju at 91-71 and Changwon 86-76. The Checkers earned repeat wild cards and the Swallows’ playoff streak grew to seven seasons. Ulsan actually had the KL’s best run differential (+201) and led EAB with 827 runs scored.

With Goyang a non-factor, Seoul emerged as the only winning team in the North Division at 91-71. It ended a nine-year playoff drought and a 23-year division title skid for the Seahawks. The Central Division ended up a tossup with all five teams in the hunt most of the year. Incheon led at the break at 59-43, but fell to fourth place (82-80) after a 23-35 run from there. Bucheon ended on a seven-game losing streak to finish third at 84-78 and Suwon was last at 79-83.

Yongin got a four-game sweep of the Bolts and went 8-2 in their last ten games, while Seongnam was 3-7 in their final ten regular season games. They ended up tied for the division lead at 86-76. The Spiders hosted the one-game playoff, but the Gold Sox earned the 8-6 win for a fourth consecutive division title. Yongin notably had 141 triples as a team, setting a new EAB single-season record.

Bucheon 1B Se-Min Yun won Korea League MVP with 30 first place votes and 510 points, while Cheongju Seung-Min Pak had 10 first place votes and 409 points. The runner-up Pak was the leader for home runs (54) and RBI (142). The winner Yun posted 12.18 WAR, the 15^th-best single-season by a position player in EAB history. In his third season, Yun also led in walks (97), total bases (396), OBP (.461), slugging (.690), OPS (1.151), and wRC+ (228). He had 209 hits, 119 runs, 29 doubles, 50 home runs, 124 RBI, and a .364 average.

Pitcher of the Year was quite competitive with Gwangju’s Sung-Jun Jang repeating with 18 first place votes and 201 points. Cheongju’s Keung-Yeon Uhm had 11 first place votes and 173 points, while Jeju’s Hiroji Kamata had nine first place nods and Changwon’s Wan Ahn had two.

Kamata notably led in ERA (1.89) and wins (22-4). Uhm was second in both (2.12 ERA, 21-5) and Ahn had the most WAR (9.4) and strikeouts (326). The winner Jang was the leader for innings pitched (274.1) and shutouts (7). The 28-year old lefty had a 17-9 record, 2.49 ERA, 297 strikeouts, 150 ERA+, 61 FIP-, and 8.2 WAR. Jang has one more year left on his contract with the Grays.

Yongin had the one-game bonus and home field as a division champ in the wild card round, although Cheongju was 12 wins better. The Checkers won the opener 8-3, but the Gold Sox got a 5-4 walkoff win and a 3-2 victory to advance. Seoul had the bonus, then got 3-0 and 5-4 wins to oust Ulsan. Both of the divisional round matchups would then go the distance in favor of the underdog.

The Gold Sox upset Busan 6-2 to start their series, although the Blue Jays countered 4-2. Yongin got game three 6-5 on a walkoff 11^th inning homer by Yeon-U Park. Busan grabbed game four 6-3 and returned home for the finale, but Yongin secured the upset over the defending champs in a 2-0 pitcher’s duel. Jae-Yul Kang tossed a seven-hit shutout with seven strikeouts, giving the Gold Sox their first Korea League Championship Series appearance since 2020.

Seoul stunned Gwangju 10-6 in game one, going ahead on a four-run top of the ninth inning. The Grays countered 5-3 to even the series. Gwangju erased a 5-1 hole to force extras in game three, but the Seahawks won the 14-inning marathon 6-5. The Grays kept the series alive on a 2-0 road win in game four, which saw a two-hitter with 10 strikeouts by Pyung-Rae Nam.

In game five, Seoul scored thrice in the first inning and held the lead from there. Gwangju got a two-run homer in the eighth, but that was it as the Seahawks survived 3-2 to complete the upset. It was the first KLCS for the South Korean capital since their three trips from 2016-18. Regardless of who won between Seoul and Yongin, the winner would end a more than 30+ year pennant drought.

Yongin won the opener on the road 4-1, followed by a 3-2 Seoul win on a walkoff two RBI single by Eun-Hyeok Kim. The Seahawks snagged back-to-back road shutouts, 3-0 and 2-0, including a five-hitter in game three by Dong-Ki Hwang. The Gold Sox kept the series alive on a 5-3 win, rallying with a four-run seventh inning. Yongin then secured a 7-3 road victory in game six to force a decisive game seven.

In the finale, Gold Sox righty Kunio Ogawa tossed an absolute gem, a four-hit shutout with one walk and four strikeouts in 119 pitches. Yongin prevailed 7-0 to win the franchise’s tenth Korea League crown (1970, 84, 85, 94, 95, 97, 2001, 07, 10, 41). CF Teruo Nishida was KLCS MVP going 6-21 with one homer, seven RBI, and five runs, while also providing Gold Glove defense.

FuzzyRussianHat · 05-20-2026, 06:38 AM

The 121^st East Asian Championship was unusual in having each league’s weakest playoff team by record, although neither was the bottom seed as they were both division champs. This had previously happened in 2026. Kitakyushu’s only prior EAB titles came from the historic 1992-94 three-peat; the last of those titles coming against Yongin. The Gold Sox had four previous titles (1984, 95, 97, 2007).

Home field advantage alternates between leagues and went to Yongin in 2041. The Gold Sox opened the series on 4-1 and 3-1 home wins. The Kodiaks answered with three consecutive home wins by 3-0, 5-4, and 6-3 margins. Game three notably had a combined four-hitter. The first road win came in game six as Kitakyushu prevailed 7-5 to clinch the series to end their 46-year title drought.

Series MVP went to CF Hiroyoshi Matsuo, who was 7-24 with three homers and six RBI. He had been the prior season’s Rookie of the Year and was a rising star for the Kodiaks. In bad playoff records, Kitakyushu’s Kun-Woo Eun set a playoff record with 19 walks allowed and Yongin’s Tsuneki Harada set a high of 13 homers allowed.

Other notes: Si-Won Joon became EAB’s career strikeouts leader, remarkably leading the Korea League with 326 at age 38 in his first year with Gwangju. He’s now at 5712 Ks, passing the unrelated Sang-Hun Joon’s 5694 that had held since 1976. Si-Won moved up to 12^th on the world leaderboard for Ks and could conceivably become the 7^th member of the 6000 K club next year. Of the 47 pitchers with 5000+ Ks, Joon is the only active one.

Joon has a career 294-176 record, 2.80 ERA, 4584 innings, 129 ERA+, 77 FIP-, and 110.6 WAR. His one playoff start in 2041 got him to 15 playoff wins, tied with three others for the most in EAB history. Joon is at 270 playoff strikeouts, behind only Oniji Yamamoto’s 279 and Morikazu Ichikawa’s 277.

Six-time Pitcher of the Year Jin-Yu Jun officially retired after going unsigned in 2040 at only age 38. He suffered a ruptured UCL in April 2040 that effectively ended his career after 16 seasons between Ulsan and Kobe. Jun finished with a 247-119 record, 2.26 ERA, 3352.1 innings, 4362 strikeouts, 159 ERA+, 54 FIP-, and 125.4 WAR.

Although Jun didn’t have Joon’s longevity, Jun retired 4^th in pitching WAR at 125.4. Among Hall of Fame starters and retired locks in world history, he ranks 15^th in ERA+ and 17^th in FIP-, showing he was on a short list for all-time efficiency. Jun ranks 21^st in wins and 13^th in Ks in EAB history and his ERA is 19^th among pitchers with 1000+ innings.

In other pitching milestones, In-Goo Sun was the 25^th to 4000 strikeouts and Tosio Takahashi was the 58^th to 3500 Ks. Three others reached 3000 strikeouts, bringing that club to 131 members. Sun and Takahashi also reached 200 wins, now met by 83 EAB aces. Shusake Kuwahara was the 40^th to 300 saves.

2041 was the 21^st and final season for three-time MVP Han Yi, who posted 95 wRC+ and 0.3 WAR over 154 games with Goyang. Yi retires 2^nd in hits (3632), 9^th in runs (1870), 5^th in games (3163), 6^th in total bases (6809), 9^th in doubles (571), 6^th in homers (830), 2^nd in RBI (2206), and 16^th in WAR for position players (118.08). He had a .948 OPS and 159 wRC+. On the world leaderboards, Yi ranks 46^th in hits, 51^st in homers, and 36^th in RBI.

It was the final season for LF Geon-Ho Whang, who posted 106.8 WAR, 2579 hits, 1698 runs, 340 doubles, 648 homers, 1665 RBI, and 141 wRC+ over 19 seasons mostly with Busan. More notably, Whang retires as EAB’s career playoff leader for games (128), runs (78), hits (133), and total bases (265). His 37 homers are one short of Ki-Tae Yun’s record and his 86 RBI are four away.

At age 41, Ju-An Youm became EAB’s all-time career leader in singles with 2474. He’s up to 6^th in hits at 3439. In other batting milestones, Sun-Jae Cho was the 115^th to 2500 hits. Cho and Ryuhei Satake were the 90^th and 91^st members of the 500 home run club. Cho was also the 60^th to 1500 RBI. 1B Mitshuru Ishida won his 7^th consecutive Silver Slugger.

FuzzyRussianHat · 05-20-2026, 06:03 PM

Defending Mexican League champ Torreon was 66-32 at the all-star break, the top mark of all teams in the Central American Baseball Association. The Tomahawks struggled to 30-34 after the break, dropping them to the #3 seed at 96-66. They still firmly won the North Division for the fifth consecutive season and grew their playoff streak to 11 years. Torreon led the ML with 831 runs scored. Juarez was their nearest foe at 84-78, 12 back in the division and three short of the final wild card. Next were Chihuahua and Hermosillo both at 82-80.

Leon was five back on Torreon at the break and raced to the #1 seed at 103-59. The Lions and Tuxtla were both 42-22 after the break en route to division titles. At 17 seasons, Leon’s playoff streak is one short of Monterrey’s CABA record from 1988-2005. The Lions were Central Division champs for the sixth straight year and have won 100+ games in all but one season since 2027. Leon allowed CABA’s fewest runs (578) and had the ML’s best differential (+225).

Tuxtla at 97-65 earned a third straight playoff trip and the franchise’s first South Division title. Ecatepec was second at 91-71 and took the first wild card, securing repeat playoff trips. The remaining wild cards went to Guadalajara (88-74) and Puebla (87-75), while the first teams out were Toluca (85-77), San Luis Potosi (84-78), Juarez (84-78), and Aguascalientes (83-79). The Hellhounds ended a four-year playoff drought and the Pumas snapped a five-year skid. Guadalajara notably ended on a four-game winning streak while the Potros had a five-game losing streak to close.

Torreon 1B Marco Emiliano was Mexican League MVP with 28 first place votes and 490 points. Tuxtla 2B Esequiel Chavira was second with nine first place votes and 388 points. Emiliano had debuted at age 18 in 2035 with Nicaragua, which opened him up for free agency after the 2040 season at only age 24. He joined the Tomahawks on a four-year, $164 million deal. In his impressive debut, the righty from Ecatepec led in home runs (63), RBI (154), and runs (121). Emiliano added 186 hits, 20 doubles, .301/.362/.663 slash, 178 wRC+, and 8.8 WAR.

Pitcher of the Year was Eduardino Camposano of Aguascalientes with 30 first place votes, while three others split the remaining 10 top votes. The 26-year old Dominican righty won the ERA title at 1.49, which was one of only 22 qualified seasons (162+ innings) in CABA history with an ERA below 1.50. Camposano had a 20-3 record, 229 innings, 277 strikeouts, 257 ERA+, 59 FIP-, and 7.8 WAR.

Ecatepec had the one-game bonus and edged Guadalajara 4-3 to advance from the first round. Torreon likewise had the bonus and shutout Puebla 2-0 to advance. The Explosion caught top seed Leon by surprise on a 6-0 road win to open round two. The Lions took the next two by 3-2 and 6-2 margins. In game four, Ecatepec had a two-run ninth inning rally to force extras at 5-5. The Explosion scored twice in four hits in the top of the 11^th to go ahead. Leon got one back on a solo homer, but Ecatepec escaped with the 7-6 win.

The Lions avoided the upset though and took game five by a 5-3 margin. Leon earned its fourth trip in five years to the Mexican League Championship Series. In their 17-year playoff streak, they’ve made it to the MLCS eight times. On the other side of the bracket, a passed ball gave Tuxtla the 8-7 win over Torreon in game one. The Tomahawks countered 10-7 the next night.

In game three, Esequiel Chavira’s two-run walkoff homer pushed the Terror to the 6-5 win. Tuxtla held on 8-7 in game four to oust the reigning champs, earning their first-ever MLCS trip in only the 12^th year for the club. The Terror started hot with a 3-2 road win over Leon, although the Lions countered 9-3. Leon won 4-3 on the road in game three, fending off a rally bid with a two-run Tuxtla homer in the ninth.

Game four went 11 innings, but two doubles and a single in the 11^th pushed the Lions to a 7-5 win. Leon tied game five with a solo run in the ninth, then scored thrice in the tenth to take game 6-3 and the series 4-1. It was the fourth pennant of the playoff steak for Leon and their 14^th Mexican League title overall (1927, 39, 41, 42, 59, 60, 64, 86, 2018, 28, 32, 34, 39, 41). Veteran 2B Darell Phillips was MLCS MVP, going 11-22. The 32-year old Jamaican had signed with the Lions in 2038.

FuzzyRussianHat · 05-21-2026, 07:30 AM

Puerto Rico had an all-time effort in 2041 en route to the Caribbean League’s top record by a healthy margin at 111-51 and a fifth straight East Division title. The Pelicans set a Central American Baseball Association team records for runs scored (976) and doubles (324). PR also had CABA’s second-best batting average (.308) and hits (1774), both only behind 2037 Havana. Puerto Rico allowed the CL’s fewest runs (599) and had a blistering +377 run differential. Amazingly, PR was actually 17-28 in one-run games.

The #2 seed was a much tighter battle with five teams finishing within six wins of each other. Bahamas at 96-66 claimed it for the team’s first West Division title since 2029. It was the second berth in three years for the Buccaneers. Guatemala was right with Puerto Rico in the first half but struggled in the back-end while Salvador finished on a 42-24 tear. They ended up tied atop the Central Division at 93-69 with the Ghosts taking the one-game playoff for the division crown.

[IMG]]https://i.imgur.com/mVt8UpA.png[/IMG]

It was the second division title in three years for Guatemala while the Stallions ended a three-year playoff drought as the first wild card. Despite ending on a four-game losing streak, Haiti at 91-71 held onto the second wild card for their fourth straight. This left a glut for the remaining spot between Jamaica, Havana, Trinidad, Honduras, and defending CABA champ Costa Rica. All five teams finished at 88-74, while Santo Domingo was a near miss at 87-75.

The tiebreaker game structure turned into a four-team, single-elimination bracket with the Rays being left out by tiebreakers, ending their repeat bid. In the semis, Jamaica wrecked Havana 12-1 on the road and Honduras edged Trinidad 2-1 on the road. Then in a 12-inning classic in Tegucigalpa, the Jazz prevailed 2-1 thanks to a leadoff Paco Padilla double and RBI single from Richaendel Eenhoorn.

Jamaica earned its eighth playoff berth in a decade. Havana notably had a five-year streak snapped and the Horsemen had only their third miss since 2023. Honduras still has a run of winning campaigns back to 2022.

Jamaica 1B Amadeo Garcia became the ninth in CABA history to win 5+ MVP awards (2034, 35, 37, 38, 41). He got 21 first place votes and 456 points for the Caribbean League’s top honor in 2041. Salvador’s Jefferson Forestier had 13 first place votes and 409 points, while Trinidad’s Dean Mason had 6 first place nods and 372 points. Forestier notably hit a nice 69 home runs, four short of the CABA record. Mason meanwhile was the WARlord at 11.0.

Garcia was the leader in runs (142), hits (233), total bases (460), OPS (1.129), and wRC+ (208). The 28-year old Guatemalan lefty had 40 doubles, 59 home runs, 146 RBI, a .366/.406/.723 slash, and 10.2 WAR. Garcia bounced back after missing much of the prior year to a fractured ankle. In June, he signed a mammoth eight-year, $346,500,000 extension to remain with the Jazz.

Havana’s Pascal Aristil won Pitcher of the Year with 34 first place votes, while the remaining six went to Puerto Rico’s Omar Garcia. The 28-year old Haitian Aristil led in wins (22-5), quality starts (25), complete games (13), and shutouts (5). He had a 2.31 ERA over 261.1 innings, 294 strikeouts, 188 ERA+, 76 FIP-, and 5.6 WAR. Aristil was second in both ERA and Ks. He remains under contract two more seasons for the Hurricanes.

Also of note, Haiti’s Nicky Aparicio joined Alejandro Valadez as the only five-time Reliever of the Year winners in CABA history. Aparicio previously won in 2034-35 with Culiacan and 2039-40 with Leon. The 31-year old Mexican led in saves (45) for the fifth time and had a career best 1.61 ERA over 89.2 innings with 4.3 WAR. He ranks 14^th on CABA’s career saves list with 317 and is back to free agency in the winter.

Salvador had the one-game bonus against Haiti in the first round. The Stallions advanced with a 6-5 win over the Jazz in 12 innings on a Maikel Puentes walkoff homer. Guatemala had the bonus against Jamaica, but the Jazz earned 6-0 and 3-2 wins to move forward. Game one saw a three-hitter by Omar Moncada. Jamaica surprised top seed Puerto Rico with a 2-1 road upset to open the second round, getting the go-ahead run in the ninth.

The Pelicans countered with a 10-5 win, then outlasted Jamaica with 9-8 and 12-10 victories. In both games, the Jazz scored in the ninth and got the tying runs on base. Puerto Rico earned its second Caribbean League Championship Series trip in five years and were looking to end a pennant drought going back to 2021.

Salvador started the second round with a 7-5 upset at Bahamas. The Buccaneers countered 12-6 in game two, but the Stallions rolled in the next two with 8-1 and 10-3 finals. It was Salvador’s second CLCS in six years and they had a similar pennant drought to Puerto Rico going back to 2017. The Pelicans were heavy favorites with the 18-win difference and their 5-1 regular season record over the Stallions.

Despite that, Salvador shocked the San Juan crowd with a 9-0 blowout road win in the opener with a one-hitter by Lance Paz. The Stallions then survived a 2-1 pitcher’s duel the next night. Puerto Rico reclaimed some mojo with back-to-back 5-2 road wins to tie the series. In game five, Salvador went ahead with a three-run eighth inning. The Pelicans got two back in the top of the ninth, but the Stallions escaped with the 4-3 win and the 3-2 series lead heading back to PR.

Puerto Rico used a five-run eighth inning to win game six 6-3 and tie the series. The Pelicans then earned a 8-2 rout in game seven to become 11-time Caribbean kings (1914, 25, 28, 29, 41, 43, 44, 45, 56, 2021, 41). CF Tulio Arias was series MVP going 10-26 with one homer, five RBI, and five runs. The 30-year old Mexican had arrived in PR in a December 2037 trade with Guadalajara.

FuzzyRussianHat · 05-21-2026, 07:37 PM

The 131^st Central American Baseball Association Championship was the second-ever finals bout between Puerto Rico and Leon. Incidentally a century earlier in 1941, the Lions prevailed in a 4-3 classic. For the 2041 rematch, Leon was shooting for its second title in three years and third in eight years. For the Pelicans, they hadn’t won it all since 1956.

The series opened in San Juan on 3-1 and 5-4 wins for Puerto Rico. Leon took game three in Mexico 4-3, getting a walkoff solo home run by Neivy Rosario. PR snagged the first road win 9-4 in game four. The Lions kept the series alive in a 1-0 pitcher’s duel in game five. Starter Yousel Vega tossed eight shutout innings with one hit allowed, while Jackie Vargas got the clean save.

Leon edged Puerto Rico 3-2 in game six, marking the first time the CABA final needed all seven games since the Lions’ 2032 loss to Honduras. Since then, all but the 2037 series were 4-0 or 4-1. Game seven would be an all-time showdown that was scoreless through five innings. Leon got a solo spot in the sixth, which PR matched in the seventh.

The game remained 1-1 into extra innings. In the top of the 11^th, the Lions broke through on a two-run Neivy Rosario home run, followed by a R.J. Zaragoza solo shot for cushion. PR managed a one-out triple in the bottom half but got no other baserunners, giving Leon the 4-1 road win and the series.

It was the sixth time the CABA Championship had an extra-innings game seven. Leon became six-time CABA champs (1939, 41, 59, 2034, 39, 41). Rosario also had a RBI double in the sixth, helping him earn series MVP. The 35-year old CF was 10-28 with three homers and seven RBI. A Puerto Rican national, Rosario had been with Leon since 2032. The Lions are the first since Guatemala (2022-24) to win the CABA crown twice in three years.

Other notes: CABA’s 56^th perfect game came on September 18 as Mexico City’s Tito Del Rio struck out 12 over 91 pitches in a 6-0 win against Cancun. Panama’s Jesualdo Mendez tied the CABA record for appearances by a pitcher with 85. In bad records, Guadeloupe’s 45-117 record was the second-best in Caribbean League history and tied for third-worst in CABA. They did improve from their even-worse 41-121 the prior year.

In milestones, Hugo Castillo became the 7^th to 3500 hits in CABA and one of 78 in world history. Leonardo Martinez was the 10^th member of the 700 home run club. Cristopher Rodriguez was the 34^th to 600 homers while Castillo was the 80^th to 500 homers. Ernesto Escandel was the 33^rd to 1500 runs scored and R.J. Zaragoza was the 53^rd to 1500 RBI. Rodriguez and Neiser Santos grew the 2500 hit club to 79 members. Omar Garcia was the 63^rd pitcher to 200 wins. Garcia and Bruno Padilla grew the 3000 strikeout club to 95 members. Jackie Vargas was the 20^th to 300 saves.

FuzzyRussianHat · 05-22-2026, 01:28 PM

Major League Baseball lowered its secondary roster from 38 players to 36 effective for the 2041 season. MLB began with a 40 player standard, but lowered to 38 in 1966. It went down to 36 in 1992, but was back up to 38 in 2026.

The National Association had tremendous parity in 2041 as the seven playoff teams were only separated by eight wins. At the all-star break, defending champ Chicago was first at 62-37 with Baltimore next at 60-39 for the top seed. Both squads went 32-31 after the break, although their cushions did keep them atop their respective divisions. It was Kansas City with their 39-24 run post-break who managed to snag the #1 record.

The Cougars also had to contend with St. Louis for the Lower Midwest Division and they entered the final series tied at 93-66. KC earned the home sweep on 9-3, -6-2, and 7-6 wins. Kansas City ended a decade-long playoff drought and had the NA’s best run differential at +134. The Cardinals finished on a six-game losing streak, but still got the first wild card at 93-69 for their fourth straight playoff berth. Tulsa and Columbus, wild cards out of the division last year, both struggled to 70-92 and 67-95, respectively.

The Cubs ended up as the #2 seed, repeating in the Upper Midwest Division at 94-68. The Orioles at 92-70 snagged the East title to end a four-year playoff drought. New York was second at 89-73, which earned them the second wild card. The Yankees overcame a 49-50 start with a 40-23 finish to the season, snapping a six-year postseason drought.

In the Northeast, Halifax went 8-2 in their last ten games while Montreal was 3-7. This pushed the Hound Dogs into first at 90-72 for their second-ever division title and fourth playoff trip in seven years. Despite the poor finish, 88-74 was just good enough to get the final wild card for the Maples, their second playoff trip in three years.

The incredibly crowded field that missed out on a wild card included 87-75 Minneapolis, 86-76 Milwaukee and Raleigh; 85-77 Cleveland, Detroit, and Omaha; 84-78 Boston and Quebec City; 83-79 Pittsburgh, and 82-80 Brooklyn, Washington, and Buffalo. Each of those teams was also within ten wins of their division titles. The Raptors led in scoring with 832 runs and Wichita allowed the fewest runs at 575. The Wasps also scored the fewest at 523, thus their 75-87 season. The Red Sox notably had a .295 team batting average, the third-best in NA history.

It was a remarkable year for a seemingly ageless Neil Hollinger, who won National Association MVP in his debut with Washington. The 39-year old Canadian had been MVP back in 2025, 27, and 29 with Oklahoma City. More than a decade later, he took the 2041 honor with 38 first place votes. Louisville’s Indiana Hill had 13, St. Louis’s Jinhao Lin nine, and Kansas City’s Derek Colon four.

It wasn’t just that Hollinger won MVP, but he shockingly hit an association and career-best 64 home runs while also leading in RBI (144), slugging (.743), OPS (1.155), and wRC+ (202). He added 198 hits, 110 runs, 30 doubles, .346 average, .411 OBP, and 8.8 WAR. “The Poet” also inserted himself into a spot few saw him reaching in 2041; MLB’s all-time home run king.

Entering the season, Isaac Cox had the record of 929 with everyone watching Orlando’s Jackson Brafford at 922. Brafford struggled in his 20^th and final season with the Orcas, but he still easily cleared Cox’s record despite a -0.7 WAR season by hitting 25 dingers, giving him 947. Brafford also finished the season at 2377 RBI, passing Cox’s 2333 for that all-time lead.

Hollinger entered the year at 883 homers, so most assumed he’d be the third in MLB to reach the 900 club. But his 64 homer explosion got Hollinger to 947 by seasons’ end, tied with Brafford for the new MLB record and tied for 15^th on the world leaderboard. Both joined the 3500 hit club, a mark met by 17 MLB batters. Hollinger is fourth in MLB with 2274 RBI and could pass Brafford next season with another strong showing.

He’s also fourth in runs (2108) and 9^th in hits (3600) not quite yet in striking distance of Stan Provost’s 2348 runs or 4133 hits. Hollinger is at 7139 total bases, just behind Cox’s record of 7156. Brafford became the only other MLB slugger with 7000+ bags, finishing his career at 7030. Hollinger signed a three-year deal with the Admirals, his fifth pro team.

Milwaukee’s Rajmund Bottcher took Pitcher of the Year with 47 first place votes, while KC’s Jack Enamorado and QC’s Simon Pomeroy each had eight first place votes apiece. It was the second full season for the 25-year old Polish lefty, who led with a 0.97 WHIP. Bottcher posted a 21-7 record, 2.63 ERA, 257 innings, 184 strikeouts, 160 ERA+, 72 FIP-, and 7.4 WAR.

With the small gap between teams, winning the division was even more critical as it gave you home field advantage and a built-in win in the first round. Chicago swept Montreal with 5-0 and 7-6 wins. Halifax won its opener 4-3 against St. Louis, getting a walkoff solo homer from Nolan Jorgensen on the first pitch of the ninth. The Cardinals won game two 7-3, but the Hound Dogs took the next one 9-4 to advance.

The one upset was between division rivals Baltimore and New York. The Orioles were the division champ and had the built-in bonus, but the Yankees won 6-4, 5-3, and 5-2 to oust the O’s. Kansas City met NY and won 9-4 in the opener, although the Yankees surprised them 5-4 in game two. The Cougars snagged the next two by 7-4 and 5-2 margins on the road, giving KC its first National Association Championship Series trip since 2030. Their last pennants came with their 2016-19 dynasty run.

Chicago opened with 5-4 and 4-2 home wins, but Halifax countered with 7-1 and 8-1 home wins. Back at Wrigley, the Hound Dogs scored a stunning 6-0 upset on a three-hitter by Callum McGonagal, eliminating the defending champion Cubs. Halifax had only once gotten to the NACS since joining as a 2021 expansion team, losing to Washington in 2037.

Jake Felix’s five-hitter with 11 Ks pushed Kansas City to a 5-0 win in the NACS opener. Halifax scored the 4-3 upset in game two, but the Cougars picked up 3-1 and 11-3 victories in Nova Scotia. The Hound Dogs kept the series alive in a 10-inning, 4-3 result for game five. Meier Simister ended the game on a solo walkoff homer on the first pitch of the inning.

Back in KC, both teams had 10 hits in game six. Kansas City made theirs count in a 6-1 win to clinch the series, becoming nine-time National Association champs (1937, 61, 62, 76, 91, 2016, 18, 19, 41). Two-way player Rodney Marengue was NACS MVP, pitching a workhorse complete game in the finale with only one run allowed despite ten hits and two walks with 10 strikeouts. He was the losing pitcher in game two, but was solid with two runs allowed in 7.1 innings. The 28-year old Filipino lefty was also 6-17 offensively in the series with four homers and six RBI.

FuzzyRussianHat · 05-22-2026, 08:08 PM

The American Association also saw tremendous parity in 2041 with only eight wins separating the #1 seed and final wild card. At the all-star break, Oklahoma City surprised many with the best record at 64-35. Salt Lake City at 62-37 was next, followed by Houston at 58-41. The Hornets were the reigning World Series, three-time defending AA champ, and two-time defending Baseball Grand Champion, so all eyes were trained on them for a big second half. It never materialized as they were 30-33 after the break.

OKC was merely 33-30 to finish, but their big start still earned them the top seed at 97-65. It ended a 12-year reign atop the South Central Division by Houston. The Outlaws earned a third straight playoff trip, but first division title since 2026. SLC had the same 33-30 finish, but again it held for a division title and the #2 seed at 95-67. The Loons ended a 20-year playoff drought and won the Northwest Division for the first time since 2009. Salt Lake City narrowly held off 92-70 Seattle, who got the first wild card. The Grizzlies haven’t had a losing season since 2018, earning their fourth playoff trip in five years. Edmonton and Denver were also part of the crowded wild card fight (more on that shortly).

The biggest shocker was Miami atop the Southeast Division at 94-68 thanks to a 38-25 finish. This finally ended the longest playoff drought in MLB history at a staggering 68 seasons. While the Mallards’ last playoff berth was 1972, you have to go back more than a century for their last division title in 1938. Jacksonville was the runner-up at 88-74, whilst defending division champ Atlanta was 83-79.

No team had a stronger finish in the AA than Phoenix at 41-22. The Firebirds were seventh in the Southwest Division at the break sitting 49-50, but clawed their way back to 90-72. The Firebirds through game 162 finished one ahead of both Sacramento and San Francisco at 89-73, while the rest of the division had Oakland (85-77), Albuquerque (85-77), San Diego (82-80), and Las Vegas (81-81). It was repeat playoff trips for Phoenix, but their first division title since 2016.

In a crowded field for the remaining two wild cards, three teams finished tied at 89-73; Sacramento, San Francisco, and Edmonton. Therefore missing the cut narrowly at 88-74 was Houston, Denver, and Jacksonville at 88-74; along with 87-75 El Paso, and 85-77 Austin, Albuquerque, and Oakland. This ended the Hornets’ 14-year playoff streak and thwarted the repeat bid.

Thus, a pair of one-game playoffs would determine the playoff teams. The first was San Francisco hosting Sacramento. Notably, they had met in the final three game series hosted by the Shamrocks with 5-4 and 6-3 Sacramento wins, followed by a 1-0 Gold Rush win to lock them up. The Shamrocks took the decisive game 4-2 to earn their first-ever playoff trip. Sacramento was the only team left of the 2021 expansion squads that hadn’t made it in at least once.

San Francisco had a second chance but had to go up north to Edmonton. In a pitcher’s duel, the Eels held on for a 2-1 victory. It ended a five-year playoff drought for Edmonton, but was notably only their second playoff trip of the 21^st Century.

Although San Diego missed the playoffs, 1B Alair White was again MVP with 48 first place votes while five other players split the remaining shares. He joined Andrei Tanev and Elijah Cashman (7) as the only MLB players with 6+ MVP wins. It was a repeat for White with the Seals, while he four-peated from 2032-35 with Vancouver.

The 31-year old lefty from Mississippi didn’t match his absurd 90 home run, 184 RBI campaign from the prior year. Still, White led in runs (126), homers (56), OPS (1.079), and WAR (9.4) in his third season for San Diego. He added 194 hits, 113 RBI, and 185 wRC+. White reached the 2000 hit, 650 home run, and 1500 RBI milestones in 2041 and won his eighth Silver Slugger. He has an impressive 1.086 OPS and 91.0 WAR for his career. White signed through 2045 with the Seals.

Pitcher of the Year went to Edmonton’s Iwo Lyko with 34 first place votes. His closest foes were Miami’s Declan Thomas (14) and Phoenix’s Leo Chapa (10). The 30-year old Polish righty was in his 11^th season with the Eels and led in ERA (2.67), innings (276.1), quality starts (24), FIP- (58), and WAR (9.4). Lyko had a 17-11 record, 172 ERA+, and 218 strikeouts. He has one more year left under contract for Edmonton, having joined as a 2027 scouting discovery.

Salt Lake City had the lone first round playoff sweep with 8-7 and 7-6 wins plus the bonus against Edmonton. Miami had to rally to force extras in their opener with Sacramento, winning 4-3 in 11. The Shamrocks got the next one 5-3, but the Mallards took game three 5-4 and had the bonus to advance, guaranteeing the first October baseball in south Florida in nearly 70 years.

Phoenix needed 10 innings to take their opener 4-3 over Seattle. The Grizzlies countered 6-3 the next night, but the Firebirds won the finale 1-0 to send each division champ forward. It was the duality of baseball with both pitchers throwing complete games. The winner, Steven Marinella, gave up four hits and four walks, but zero runs. Seattle’s Paco Navares gave up one walk and only one hit, but the hit was a solo homer for the game’s lone run.

Salt Lake City opened the second round on a combined four-hitter for a 3-0 win over Miami. The Mallards countered 4-3 to even the series. However, the Loons unloaded with 11-5 and 14-2 road wins to advance. This was only the second-ever American League Championship Series berth for SLC, who lost in 2004 against Phoenix.

The Firebirds were the only “traditional power” of the final four despite their 26-year pennant drought, as top seed Oklahoma City had only made it four times in franchise history. Phoenix began the second round on a 4-2 road upset. The Outlaws claimed game two 7-3, but the Firebirds dominated 8-2 and 11-5 at home to advance to their first AACS since their 2014 World Series win. It was their 23^rd trip overall, second-most behind only Houston, ending their longest-ever gap between appearances.

Game one was scoreless until the bottom of the 11^th inning with a dramatic 410 foot, three-run homer by Salt Lake City’s Liam Middlebrooks for a 3-0 final. The Loons won game two 8-3. Phoenix got on the board at home 6-1, but SLC countered 3-2 the next night. The Loons ended the series on the road, claiming game five by a 7-2 margin. CF Guy Tukhbatulin was series MVP, going 7-17 with two solo homers. He was in his eighth season starting in Utah.

Salt Lake City finally won its first pennant after 60 years of trying. Two charter franchises, San Antonio and Oakland, remain without a pennant through MLB’s 141 seasons. Austin and Wichita, who entered in 1982 with the Loons, also still haven’t been to the World Series. Unsurprisingly, six of the eight expansion teams from 2021 also haven’t made it.

FuzzyRussianHat · 05-23-2026, 07:08 AM

The 141^st World Series was the first appearance for Salt Lake City and the ninth for Kansas City. The Cougars had only won it all twice before, in 1991 and 2018. The associations alternate home field advantage, beginning the 2041 Fall Classic in Utah. SLC exploded for a six-run second inning in game one, but KC rallied with seven runs over the final three frames in an 8-6 road win. CF Jonathan Gonzalez was 4-4 with a homer, three runs, and two RBI.

The Cougars rallied again in game two for another road win, this time 4-3. KC went ahead on a three-run ninth inning with two homers. The Loons got on the board on the road in game three on a 6-0 shutout, although the game was scoreless until the seventh inning. Ian Kanyanta tossed a three-hitter with five strikeouts and one walk over 100 pitches. A tight 2-1 pitcher’s duel in game four went to Salt Lake City to tie the series.

Game five also was a 2-1 pitcher’s duel in favor of the Loons, giving them the 3-2 series lead heading back to Utah. The trend of road winners continued with Kansas City grabbing game six by a 7-6 margin. SLC got three runs in the bottom of the ninth, but couldn’t tie the game. Game seven would be a chilly, 39 degree partly cloudy Friday evening and another pitcher’s duel.

Kansas City got solo home runs in the second and third innings. The 2-0 score held until the bottom of the ninth. The leadoff Loon grounded out, followed by a walk and a Hugh Coatsworth double. Abdullah Thani flew out to right, scoring Devarsi Ghimire on a sacrifice fly. However the final batter struck out, allowing the Cougars to escape with the 2-1 win and their third MLB title. The only previous World Series to go seven games with only road winners was Houston over St. Louis back in 1910.

Rodney Marengue pitched 8.2 innings for KC, allowing four hits, one run, three walks, and seven strikeouts. Closer Teddy Phan came in to get the final out for the Cougars. In defeat, SLC’s Ian Kanyanta tossed 8.1 innings with six hits, two runs, two walks, and eight strikeouts.

CF Jonathan Gonzalez was series MVP, going 11-26 with four homers and seven RBI, including one of the solo bombs in game seven. The 33-year old Venezuelan had started his career in his native country with Ciudad Guayana. He had been excellent when healthy, but was regularly plagued by injuries. He signed in 2040 with Kansas City and only played 59 games in 2041’s regular season. In the playoff run, he had 25 hits, 15 runs, 8 homers, 12 RBI, 1.152 OPS, 211 wRC+, and 1.3 WAR.

Other notes: As mentioned previously, 2041 was the final season for 1B Jackson Brafford after 20 seasons for Orlando. Although the Orcas were largely mediocre in his run, he passed Isaac Cox in his final year to become MLB’s all-time home run king (co-held with Neil Hollinger at 947) and the RBI leader (2377). Brafford also finished with 3518 hits, 2037 runs, 591 doubles, .975 OPS, 149 wRC+, and 104.2 WAR.

Brafford and Jude Hoffer both breached 2000 runs scored, marking seven in MLB to do it and only 47 in world history. Steve Castro became the 15^th in MLB with 2000 RBI. Hoffer, Castro, and Harley Verdeja grew the 3000 hit club to 84 members. Verdeja, Woodrow Reed, Edhar Baranov, and Logan Eggers made it 142 guys with 1500 runs scored. Alair White, Calvin Clavell, Clemente Garcia, and Hoffer made it 153 with 1500 RBI. Garcia and Clavell were the 60^th and 61^st to join the 600 homer club. Melvin Wagner and Pablo Rivera grew the 500 homer club to 147.

For Hoffer, he was traded to Tulsa in 2041 after 22 seasons with Washington. At age 43, he was still good for .729 OPS, 104 wRC+, and 2.1 WAR. With his excellent defensive value, Hoffer is now at 154.88 career WAR, behind only Morgan Short (170.47) in MLB history. On the world leaderboard among all players ever, Hoffer ranks 40^th in WAR. Hoffer also has 1604 walks, 8^th in MLB and 25^th in world history. He enters free agency in the winter and plans to continue playing.

At age 41 in his fourth MLB season and 24^th overall, Binh “The King” Tang was still good for 5.2 WAR, .944 OPS, and 152 wRC+ over 128 games for Houston. He became the 9^th in history with 4000+ professional hits, ending the season 5^th in the rankings with 4132 between his APB/MLB runs. Tang also is now one of 31 with 900+ homers, ranking 27^th at 924.

The Vietnamese legend has 3530 games (8^th in world history), 2318 runs (8^th), 659 doubles (T-48^th), 2338 RBI (T-16^th), and 211.8 WAR (3^rd). Tang is only behind EBF SS Harvey Coyle (234.9) and OBA/MLB SS/2B Jimmy Caliw (214.0) on the all-time world leaderboard. The 13-time MVP will be a free agent and his future is uncertain, although he does intend to play somewhere.

Dallas’ Raphael Cornejo had a seven-hit game against Dallas on July 19, the 10^th game in MLB history of 7+ hits for a batter. Austin’s Carlo Lucatero had a 32-game hitting streak in the late summer. CF Andy Nagel won his 8^th Gold Glove. In a bad record, San Antonio’s pitching staff allowed 1785 hits and 11.15 H/9 on the season, both the worst in MLB history.

FuzzyRussianHat · 05-23-2026, 05:53 PM

The 32^nd Baseball Grand Championship was hosted in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Earning the autobids for the event were MLB’s Kansas City and Salt Lake City; CABA’s Leon and Puerto Rico; EAB’s Kitakyushu and Yongin; BSA’s Ciudad Guayana and Rio de Janeiro; EBF’s Dublin and Budapest; EPB’s St. Petersburg; OBA’s Sydney; APB’s Taipei; CLB’s Hangzhou; WAB’s Libreville; SAB’s Da Nang; ABF’s Tashkent; ALB’s Algiers; and AAB’s Kampala. Earning the at-large spots were WAB’s Nouakchott, and AAB’s Dar es Salaam.

At the first break day through five games, last year’s runner-up Dublin was tied for first with Libreville at 5-0. Hangzhou and Da Nang were next at 4-1, then four teams sat at 3-2. At the second break, the Nailers had gone on a 9-2 tear, including an eight-game winning streak. Da Nang was now first at 13-3, followed by the Hens at 11-5. Dublin, Kampala, Libreville, Kansas City, and Nouakchott were each 10-6.

The Nailers’ win streak grew to ten games, critically beating Hangzhou 5-1 and Kampala 4-3. Da Nang had a three-game lead with three left and the only team that could reach them and held the tiebreaker over the Nailers was Libreville. The door was opened as Da Nang lost their final three games, but the Lakers 11-7 loss to Puerto Rico in their penultimate contest officially sealed it.

Da Nang finished 15-6, joining 2023 Dhaka as the only Grand Champions from South Asia Baseball. The Nailers had notably finished second in 2038. Combining their SAB regular season and playoff records, Da Nang was 136-64 for the year. West African Baseball’s Libreville and Nouakchott were both next at 14-7 with the Lakers taking second on the head-to-head 3-2 win. Only four times previously had a WAB team finished in the top three, marking an impressive effort to get the runners-up in 2041.

The Nailers allowed the fewest runs at 55 and went 6-0 in one-run games. Veteran arm Bikarama Shah in his fourth season for Da Nang went 4-0 with a 1.14 ERA over 31.2 innings, 46 strikeouts, 342 ERA+, and 1.9 WAR. Phoutdavy Chantahlangsy in 30.2 innings was 2-1 with a 1.47 ERA, 37 Ks, and 1.8 WAR. Raihan Sharif went 3-2 over 34.1 innings with a 2.10 ERA, 51 Ks, and 1.3 WAR.

This shows the remarkable effort at the top of the rotation, taking the top prize despite being middling offensively. Khuzairil Hussein also made 10 relief appearances with 9 saves and a win, allowing only one unearned run with 16 Ks and 1.1 WAR. This was one save short of the event record. By WAR, 1B Gunasraja Ramgopal was their top hitter at 1.0 with 22 hits, 11 runs, 6 doubles, 4 homers, 8 RBI, 1.015 OPS, 184 wRC+, and 1.0 WAR.

World Series participants Kansas City and Salt Lake City tied at 13-8 with the Cougars officially fourth having won over the Loons 12-4. From there was a five-way tie for sixth at 12-9 which by tiebreakers went Dar es Salaam, Kampala Budapest, Hangzhou, and Dublin. Ciudad Guayana was alone in 11^th at 11-10. The Sabercats led in runs scored (123) and differential (+38).

As for the teams with losing records; Algiers, Tashkent, and Yongin each were 10-11. At 9-12 sat Rio de Janeiro, St. Petersburg, and Sydney. Leon was alone at 8-13, then at 7-14 were Kitakyushu, Puerto Rico, and Taipei. Tabriz took last place outright at 5-16.

NOTE: For whatever reason, not all players will show up on the leaderboard page for the year. However, they do still get listed on the all-time leaderboard.

Dar es Salaam’s 123 runs were the second-most in event history behind Washington’s 131 in 2037. The Sabercats’ 59 homers were third-best. Leading the way was LF Sebastian Malema, the first-ever repeat Tournament MVP. He joins Jude Hoffer (3) and Mike Rojas (2) as the only multiple-time MVPs in Baseball Grand Championship history.

The 30-year old South African set a new event record by one with 24 runs scored. In 20 games, Malema had 28 hits, 2 doubles, 13 home runs, 23 RBI, .364/.438/.896 slash, 271 wRC+, and 2.17 WAR. His WAR was the 15^th-best by a position player. With the Sabercats dynasty, Malema and teammate Ferdinand Rajerison have both soared up the career stat leaderboards. Both now have 52 BGC home runs, one behind Artyom Masharipov for the most.

Malema passed Masharipov (104) for the most RBI (109), while Rajerison is third at 92. Rajerison is the event leader in both hits (128) and total bases (303). Malema is second in both with 127 hits and 298 total bases. The former high mark for hits was Emilian Bohler at 121 and for bags was Masharipov at 286. Malema is 5^th in WAR (7.09) and Rajerison 10^th (5.85) among position players.

In other notables, Kansas City’s Derek Colon tied the event with 32 RBI, reached thrice previously. He also smacked 16 home runs, one short of Ludevit Dano/R.J. Zaragoza’s shared record. Ciudad Guayana’s Brian Romero got 31 hits, one shy of the record.

Best Pitcher was awarded to Hangzhou’s Imran Mahmud, who was 3-0 in four starts with a 1.45 ERA, 37.1 innings, 36 strikeouts, 266 ERA+, 58 FIP-, and 1.4 WAR. Arguably, several pitchers had more impressive stat lines. Libreville’s Ibrahima Ndaw had a 1.02 ERA and 4-0 record over 35.1 innings with 62 Ks and 2.75 WAR. His WAR was the 5^th-best by a pitcher in event history.

KC’s Jake Felix and Nouakchott’s Gjord Andersen both won five games, tying the event record hit seven times prior. Felix struck out 72 batters, tied for the 2^nd-best in BGC history. Kampala’s Abdullahi Ali was a beast as usual, as his 2.66 WAR as the 7^th-best. The Somali lefty had a 1.01 ERA in 35.2 innings with a 3-1 record and 54 strikeouts.

Ali is the all-time event leader (125 innings required) for H/9 (4.39), K/9 (16.90), WHIP (0.69), opponent’s average (.142), slugging (.263), and OPS (.474). His 8.98 WAR is 2^nd among all players behind only Nejc Novak’s 10.16. Ali has a 1.92 ERA over 149 BGC innings, 9-7 record, and 281 Ks. He’s up to 4^th on the BGC strikeout list and his ERA is 4^th among qualifiers.

Other notes: Dublin’s 0.852 team WHIP was the best in event history. Tabriz’s Arif Abenov hit for the cycle against Sydney on November 5.

FuzzyRussianHat · Yesterday, 09:07 AM

Major League Baseball’s 2042 Hall of Fame class was an impressive one with four guys entering on the first ballot. Three were no-doubters with 1B Mike Rojas at 98.8%, 2B Jeff Bonner at 94.6%, and RF Mark Johnston at 93.0%. CL J.J. Fuller joined them at 74.8%. Only one other player was above 50%, but fell short of the 66% threshold with 1B Gilbert Windemere at 59.7% on his sixth try.

Among those dropped after ten failed ballots was SP Bo Hansen, who debuted and peaked at 39.1% before finishing at 11.2%. He had a 17-year career mostly split between Seattle and Minnesota with a 221-167 record, 3.40 ERA, 3509 innings, 3248 strikeouts, 108 ERA+, 90 FIP-, and 63.2 WAR. He had good longevity, but never was a league leader, award winner, or all-star. A very solid Hall of Pretty Good type.

Also dropped was C Max Scarbrough, who debuted at 27.9% and ended with 6.2%. In an 18-year run between Orlando and Sacramento, he had 2073 hits, 943 runs, 320 doubles, 261 home runs, 977 RBI, .256/.303/.417 slash, 101 wRC+, and 49.3 WAR. Scarbrough had excellent durability and was a great defender who won a Gold Glove, but he was a middling bat on bad teams.

Mike “Silencer” Rojas – First Base – Cincinnati Reds – 98.8% First Ballot

Mike Rojas was a 6’3’’, 195 pound right-handed first baseman from Harrison, Michigan; a small town of around 2,100 people in the north-central part of the state. He was nicknamed “The Silencer” for his often decisive bat. Few in MLB history were more efficient bats and Rojas was equally potent facing righties or lefties. At his peak, scouts gave his contact rating the rare 10/10 grade. Rojas combined that with excellent power with a 162 game average of 51 home runs, 27 doubles, and 7 triples.

He also had a lower strikeout rate than most MLB bats and was above average at drawing walks. Rojas’ baserunning instincts were also stellar with average-to-above average speed. Offensively, he was about as complete of a weapon that you’ll find. Rojas was a career first baseman and was subpar defensively. He wasn’t immune from injuries and had recurring back issues, but he largely held up well over a 22-year run. Rojas was clean-cut, loyal, and adaptable; which combined with his bat made him one of the era’s most beloved superstars.

Rojas attended Kansas and missed much of his freshman year to a hamstring strain. However, he won a Silver Slugger in LF as a sophomore and was third in college MVP voting. In three seasons as a Jayhawk, Rojas played 115 games with 144 hits, 85 runs, 15 doubles, 54 homers, 112 RBI, .344/.416/.778 slash, 258 wRC+, and 10.8 WAR. Rojas was highly rated for the 2015 MLB Draft and went third overall to Cincinnati. Many felt it was a perfect fit simply because “Rojas” was the Spanish word for “red.”

He had an immediate huge impact, leading the National Association in triple slash (.343/.418/.705), OPS (1.123), and wRC+ (228) in his debut with 9.4 WAR and 47 home runs. Rojas unsurprisingly was Rookie of the Year, but also was second in MVP voting and won a Silver Slugger in LF. This was his only full season as a left fielder, shifting to first base for the remainder of his career almost exclusively.

In 2017, Rojas again won a Slugger and was second in MVP voting. The next year, he was third in MVP voting with his third Slugger. He also hit for the cycle in September against Buffalo. Cincinnati ended an eight-year playoff drought, having won 65 or fewer games in each of the last four seasons. Although they were a one-and-done wild card, the Reds would soon have their longest run of sustained contention.

Cincinnati had won two pennants and a World Series from 2009-09, but otherwise had been generally irrelevant historically. They had only once had a four-year playoff streak over their first century. The Reds narrowly missed in 2019, but would begin an eight-year streak from 2020-27 with Rojas leading the way. 2020 was an all-timer season with his first MVP and another Silver Slugger.

Rojas recorded only the eighth hitting Triple Crown in MLB history, leading with 59 homers, 139 RBI, a .352/.418/.709 slash, 423 total bases, 1.126 OPS, 238 wRC+, and 11.7 WAR. The wRC+ and WAR would be career bests, the latter ranking as the 13^th-best season by an MLB position player. Cincinnati won the Lower Midwest Division at 98-64, starting a six-year streak of division titles.

The #3 seed, the Reds upset #2 seed Chicago 3-2 in the second round, while top seed Quebec City was swept by Kansas City. Cincinnati cruised to a 4-1 victory over KC in the National Association Championship Series, but were denied in the World Series 4-2 by Denver. Rojas had .923 OPS, 173 wRC+, and 0.7 WAR over 18 playoff starts.

Rojas went on an absolute tear in the Baseball Grand Championship, although the Reds were tied for fifth at 11-8. He had 25 hits, 17 runs, 5 doubles, 9 homers, 19 RBI, 1.345 OPS, 331 wRC+, and 2.3 WAR. The WAR is tied for the fourth-best by a position player in event history, earning him Tournament MVP. Cincinnati knew they had their megastar and the next April, gave Rojas an eight-year, $161,700,000 extension.

He also became a World Baseball Championship regular for the United States team from 2017-28, furthering his national and international popularity. Over 108 games, Rojas had 106 hits, 72 runs, 19 doubles, 31 home runs, 84 RBI, .287/.354/.612 slash, and 5.4 WAR. Rojas was especially in America’s 2023 runner-up bid, leading all players in runs (28) and RBI (33). He was third in WBC MVP that year and won world titles with the US in 2017 and 2020.

Rojas repeated as NA MVP in 2021 and nearly got another Triple Crown. He led with career bests for homers (60), runs (129), and total bases (433) while also leading in RBI (139), slugging (.716), OPS (1.121), wRC+ (236), and WAR (11.7) with a .354 average. Cincinnati finished 101-61 and got bounced 3-2 by Detroit in the second round. This was a shockingly weak playoff run for Rojas with -0.2 WAR and .280 OPS.

2022 had the MVP three-peat with the lead in runs (127), total bases (378), slugging (.633), OPS (1.024), wRC+ (207), and WAR (9.1). Cincinnati set a franchise best at 109-53 and got the top seed. The Reds won the NACS in a 4-3 war with the Cubs, but got swept in a World Series rematch with Denver. This was Rojas’ best MLB playoff run with 1.229 OPS, 273 wRC+, and 1.7 WAR.

Cincinnati went 9-10 in the BGC, but Rojas was a beast again there with 26 hits, 16 runs, 9 homers, 20 RBI, 1.138 OPS, 237 wRC+, and 1.7 WAR. He became the first player to win Tournament MVP twice in Baseball Grand Championship history. Rojas was excited to keep rolling in 2023, but he suffered a broken kneecap in late May that knocked him out five months.

The Reds finished 107-55 even with Rojas’ injury and topped the Tigers 4-2 for their third National Association pennant in four years. Rojas made it back in time for the World Series, although he wasn’t quite ready as he struggled to .346 OPS and -0.2 WAR. Regardless, Cincinnati defeated San Diego to win the top prize, earning Rojas that elusive ring.

A few weeks later in the Baseball Grand Championship, Rojas was back to form with 10 home runs, 18 RBU, 1.062 OPS, 215 wRC+, and 1.1 WAR. He took second in MVP voting, but the Reds again had an unremarkable 9-10 finish. Rojas had a good 2024, but did lose six weeks in the fall to a strained lat. Cincinnati went 95-67, but lost 4-1 to Washington in the NACS. Rojas again had a surprisingly poor playoff run, but the rest of his Reds tenure avoided such hiccups.

Rojas was completely healthy and back to form in 2025 with career and NA bests for RBI (158), total bases (426), slugging (.728), and OPS (1.148). He won his seventh Silver Slugger and fourth MVP, as well as all-star game MVP honors. Rojas is one of 12 in MLB history to win MVP 4+ times. He also had his career best hitting streak in the spring at 32 games. Cincinnati got the top seed at 103-59, but took an upset loss 3-1 in the second round to Washington.

2026 was his eighth and final Silver Slugger and a third place in MVP voting. It was also Rojas’ last time as an association leader with 142 RBI and 426 total bases. He had nine seasons of 7+ WAR and eight had OPS above one. Cincinnati’s division title streak ended despite going 102-60, as Louisville finished 105-57. The Reds had the last laugh 3-1 over the Lynx in the second round. Cincinnati then beat Montreal 4-2 in the NACS for Rojas’ fourth pennant, but they were denied a second World Series ring by San Diego 4-2.

2026 had his highest power numbers for a playoff run with 7 homers and 18 RBI. A latissimus dorsi strain in the World Series kept Rojas out for the BGC, which was actually the Reds’ best finish of his run at 12-7. They were one of six teams tied for the third-most wins, officially sixth after tiebreakers. Rojas finished as one of the BGC’s best-ever over 55 games with 66 hits, 48 runs, 11 doubles, 28 homers, 57 RBI, .324/.387/.799 slash, 1.186 OPS, and 5.1 WAR.

On July 17, 2027; Rojas added a four-home run game to his accolades against Baltimore. Cincinnati was back atop the division at 95-67 and got to one last NACS, falling 4-1 to Montreal. This marked the end of the dynasty run, which was easily the most sustained era of success in Reds history. While Rojas laid a couple playoff eggs, his numbers were strong overall with 96 games, 107 hits, 50 runs, 16 doubles, 7 triples, 24 homers, 70 RBI, .289/.341/.565 slash, 159 wRC+, and 4.3 WAR.

Rojas was done as an MVP candidate at this point but he was still a reliable 4-6 WAR player through his 30s with Cincinnati. In February 2029, he signed a five-year, $148,400,000 extension. The Reds were middling in 2028-29, then poor in 2030 at 69-93. They did rebound for a division title and the top seed in 2031 at 99-63, but got upset in the second round by Toronto. A fractured foot kept Rojas out of the playoffs.

He was actually closer to his MVP paces in 2032 with 1.114 OPS, 216 wRC+, and 5.6 WAR; but only played 103 games thanks to a torn groin. Cincinnati was middling in 2032-33, then had a division title and first round exit in 2034. Rojas again looked closer to his old form that year, but several injuries limited him to 99 games and he missed the playoffs.

Rojas also continued to climb up the leaderboards, crossing 2000 RBI in 2033 and 800 home runs in 2034. To that point, he was the ninth to reach the former and the second to reach the latter in MLB. With the injuries piling up though, the Reds didn’t extend their long-time superstar after the 2034 season. Rojas remained beloved by Cincinnati fans and maintained a good relationship with management, getting his #33 uniform later retired.

In total, Rojas played 2626 games with 3294 hits, 1870 runs, 453 doubles, 128 triples, 806 home runs, 2122 RBI, 832 walks, .330/.380/.642 slash, 1.023 OPS, 194 wRC+, and 129.9 WAR. Coming up on age 40, Rojas still wanted to play and signed a three-year, $69,800,000 deal with Ottawa. Some wondered if he could chase Isaac Cox’s record of 929 homers and 2333 RBI.

Rojas’ overall production was lower than his peaks in 2035, but he was still good for 48 homers, .866 OPS, 141 wRC+, and 3.3 WAR. Despite his addition, Ottawa was middling at 78-84. Rojas had stayed healthy in 2035, but missed most of 2036 with a strained hip muscle. The Elks won the Northeast Division at 90-62 and made a surprise NACS run, but lost to Grand Rapids. Rojas was lackluster with .638 OPS, 63 wRC+, and -0.0 WAR in his final playoff run. He also suffered a torn groin muscle in the NACS.

In two years in the Canadian capital, Rojas played 217 games with 248 hits, 132 runs, 29 doubles, 66 homers, 153 RBI, .292/.326/.568 slash, 154 wRC+, and 6.0 WAR. Rojas still thought he could chase some records and contribute, but MLB teams felt he was too brittle at this point. He ended up finding work in the African Association of Baseball.

Bangui expected a decent run, giving him a three-year, $41,800,000 deal. His time in the Central African Republic didn’t go well, eventually getting benched with -0.7 WAR and 80 wRC+ over 94 games in 2037. Rojas had 23 homers and a .212/.266/.469 slash. Realizing it was time to call it, Rojas retired that winter at age 42.

For his MLB career, Rojas played 2843 games with 3542 hits, 2002 runs, 482 doubles, 132 triples, 872 home runs, 2275 RBI, 874 walks, 1353 strikeouts, 298 stolen bases, .327/.376/.637 slash, 1.013 OPS, 191 wRC+, 6904 total bases, and 135.9 WAR. On the MLB leaderboards at induction, Rojas is 55^th in games, 7^th in runs, 16^th in total bases, 70^th in doubles, 4^th in homers, 3^rd in RBI, and 6^th in WAR among position players.

Among MLBers with 3000+ plate appearances, Rojas is 45^th in batting average, 6^th in slugging, and 7^th in OPS. He’s one of only eight qualifiers in MLB history with an OPS above one. Adding his AAB season, Rojas had 2937 games, 3607 hits, 2046 runs, 488 doubles, 895 homers, 2336 RBI, 895 walks, .323/.373/.632 slash, 1.005 OPS, 188 wRC+, and 135.2 WAR.

On the world leaderboard, Rojas is 37^th in runs, 49^th in hits, 34^th in homers, and 18^th in RBI. He ranks 118^th in WAR among all players ever. Among Hall of Famers and retired locks, Rojas is 48^th in slugging, 49^th in OPS, and 33^rd in wRC+. He’s easily one of Major League Baseball’s true immortals and one of the best pure bats to ever do it.

You could certainly rank Rojas as a top ten or top five batter in MLB history. Some argue he’s MLB’s best-ever first baseman, although seven-time MVP Elijah Cashman most commonly is cited above him. Only Cashman is in front of Rojas for career WAR at the position. Rojas is the position leader in total bases, homers, and RBI. In a loaded four-man Hall of Fame class in 2042, Rojas stood out as the headliner at 98.8%.

Jeff Bonner – Second Base – New York Yankees – 94.6% First Ballot

Jeff Bonner was a 6’0’’, 200 pound right-handed second baseman from Steelton, Pennsylvania; a borough of around 6,000 in the Harrisburg metropolitan area. Bonner was a reliably good-to-great contact and power hitter against both righties and lefties fairly evenly. His 162 game average got you 42 home runs, 21 doubles, and 6 triples. Bonner was above average relative to most MLB batters for drawing walks and avoiding strikeouts.

Bonner was a highly skilled an intelligent baserunner, although his speed was merely above average. He was a career second baseman and far better hitting that almost anyone there. However, you had to put up with mediocre-to-bad defense. Bonner’s durability was stellar with 140+ starts in all but one of his 20 seasons. He was remarkably consistent for his entire run, making him a very popular player of the era.

He attended the University of Miami and won Silver Sluggers as a sophomore and junior. Over 147 college games, Bonner had 146 hits, 113 runs, 25 doubles, 60 home runs, 126 RBI, .273/.362/.669 slash, 207 wRC+, and 10.2 WAR. He was picked #7 by New York in the 2016 MLB Draft and was a full-time starter immediately for the Yankees. Bonner was third in 2017’s Rookie of the Year voting with a 4.7 WAR effort. It was also the first of 15 consecutive seasons with 30+ homers and 4.5+ WAR.

Bonner won his first Silver Sluggers in 2020-21 and won again in 2024 for New York. 2020 had his career best for WAR at 9.2. This also ended a 17-year playoff drought for the Yankees, although they lost in the first round. They went back into the lower-mid tier for the rest of his run despite his efforts. For New York, Bonner played 1246 games with 1342 hits, 768 runs, 172 doubles, 44 triples, 320 home runs, 752 RBI, .283/.335/.541 slash, 166 wRC+, and 53.5 WAR.

It was narrowly his longest tenure and Bonner’s popularity did see his #12 uniform eventually retired. He opted for free agency after the 2024 season at age 28 and got a big payday. Bonner stayed in the East Division on an eight-year, $297,500,000 deal with Baltimore. He won Silver Sluggers in 2025, 27, and 29 with the Orioles.

Bonner’s only time as an association leader was in 2027 with 136 RBI. That year had 52 home runs, one of two 50+ seasons. He also hit 53 in 2025 for Baltimore. Like New York, the Orioles were perpetually mid in this era. They had one playoff trip with Bonner, a wild card and first round exit in 2030. Bonner only played five playoff games for his entire career.

He did show he could play on a big stage in the World Baseball Championship. Bonner was a starter for the United States from 2019-26 and reserve through 2032. In 153 games and 130 starts, he had 127 hits, 81 runs, 23 doubles, 37 home runs, 87 RBI, .289/.352/.608 slash, 180 wRC+, and 6.6 WAR. Bonner was second in MVP voting during the 2020 championship run for the Americans and also got a ring in 2032.

Bonner’s last year with Baltimore was his only injury-shortened year thanks to a strained ACL. In eight seasons for the Orioles, he played 1195 games, 1341 hits, 808 runs, 151 doubles, 48 triples, 348 home runs, 870 RBI, .297/.350/.583 slash, 157 wRC+, and 46.7 WAR. Bonner was very well liked for his efforts and was remarkably steady. Now a free agent again at age 36, he went to Philadelphia on a two-year, $63 million deal.

His 2033 was his weakest year to date, but he was back to his usual numbers in 2034. For the Phillies, Bonner had 305 games, 318 hits, 206 runs, 36 doubles, 80 home runs, 198 RBI, .278/.337/.535 slash, 144 wRC+, and 9.6 WAR. Philadelphia had winning records both years, but were just outside of the playoffs. While there, Bonner reached 3000 career hits and 700 home runs.

Bonner’s last deal was for two years and $40,400,000 for Cincinnati. He was still a solid starter in 2035, but regressed to near average in 2036. He got 296 hits, 168 runs, 45 doubles, 50 home runs 143 RBI, .255/.318/.446 slash, 117 wRC+, and 5.2 WAR. Bonner was just shy of the 2000 run, 800 home run, and 2000 RBI milestones, but it looked like his days as a starter were done. Instead of sticking around and testing the market, he retired after the 2036 season at age 40.

In total, Bonner played 3059 games with 3297 hits, 1950 runs, 404 doubles, 114 triples, 798 home runs, 1963 RBI, 894 walks, 1860 strikeouts, 380 steals, .285/.340/.547 slash, 155 wRC+, and 115.1 WAR. Bonner ranks 15^th in games, 12^th in runs, 33^rd in hits, 9^th in total bases (6323), 7^th in home runs, 18^th in RBI, and 21^st in WAR for position players.

A lot of fans are genuinely shocked to learn Bonner ranks so highly on leaderboards. He was never mentioned as an MVP candidate, almost never was a league leader, and was perpetually playing on forgettable rosters. However, Bonner was remarkably consistent over 20 years to quietly build up inner-circle level statistics.

Among second baseman, Bonner has the 2^nd-most WAR and is the career MLB leader for homers and total bases. Only Archie Meredith from a century earlier has him beat. Quietly, Bonner built up a case as arguably the best 2B in Major League Baseball history. He was an easy choice for the Hall of Fame voters with a first ballot 94.6% within a four-man 2042 class.

05-15-2026, 08:22 PM	#2861
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,516	2041 EBF Southern Conference Defending Southern Conference champ Zagreb had the top record in all of the European Baseball Federation at the all-star break at 71-32. They were five wins ahead of the West Division’s top competitors Madrid and Zaragoza, while eight wins up on anyone else in the East Division. The Gulls lead shrank slightly, but they held onto first place at 105-57. Zagreb repeated as division champs with their third straight berth. They had the fewest runs allowed in the SC at 640. Madrid was 36-23 after the break while Zaragoza was 30-29, allowing the Conquistadors to pull away for first at 102-60. Madrid earned its fifth playoff trip in six years and led with 895 runs scored. The Gold Hawks ended up as a wild card at 96-66, earning repeat berths for them. Seville was third in the West at 90-72, but ended up as the first team out in the wild card race, ending their five-year playoff streak. Malta (88-74), Marseille (87-75) and Barcelona (83-79) were the next teams out. The other three wild cards came from the East with Budapest (98-64), Cluj-Napoca (96-66), and Skopje (95-67). The Bombers had the conference’s best run differential of +210, extending their playoff streak to nine seasons. Budapest set conference pitching records for fewest walks (219) and best BB/9 (1.35). The Stags earned repeat wild cards, while the Paladins ended a nine-year drought. Cluj-Napoca hit 311 home runs as a team, the second-best in EBF history. Their .525 team slugging was third-best. The worst three records in the SC were in the East, but only last place gets relegated to the European Second League. Varna (58-104) had that unfortunate distinction while both Sofia (60-102) and Belgrade (62-100) survived. The Vigilantes lasted five years in the EBF Elite Tier, but didn’t post a winning season. Naples (64-98) was last in the West with Valencia (69-93) their nearest foe. The Nobles had sent 2031-33 and 2035 in E2L, but notably won the conference title in 2038. After being just below .500 the next two years, Naples is relegated for the fourth time. Zaragoza 1B Marc David repeated as Southern Conference MVP, getting 42/52 first place votes. He also previously won MVP in 2037 the EBF Elite and in 2031 in E2L. In his 13^th year for the Gold Hawks, the 31-year old French lefty surprisingly didn’t lead any one stat. David had 216 hits, 126 runs, 23 doubles, 56 home runs, 128 RBI, .363/.404/.714 slash, 191 wRC+, and 7.9 WAR. He has one year left on his deal with Zaragoza. Aleksandar Kerimov repeated as Pitcher of the Year for Chisinau and won unanimously. The 28-year old Bulgarian lefty led in WHIP (0.80), K/BB (12.1), FIP- (50), and WAR (8.8). Kerimov had a 1.91 ERA, 12-7 record, 6 saves, 221 innings, 302 strikeouts, and 220 ERA+. Last May, he signed a five-year, $116,400,000 extension with the Counts. Zaragoza opened the first round on a 6-5 home win, but Cluj-Napoca took the next two by 9-3 and 10-9 margins. Budapest swept Skopje 7-5 and 7-0 on the other side. Madrid grabbed the opener 6-1 in the second round, but the Bombers won the next night 7-4. The Conquistadors claimed game three 6-1, but Budapest pulled off the upset with 6-3 and 9-4 wins to close the series. The Bombers earned their fifth trip to the Southern Conference Championship in eight years. Cluj-Napoca came out firing on the other end with 6-3 and 11-9 wins at Zagreb. The Gulls got game three 3-2, but the Paladins ousted the top seed 7-3 in game four. Cluj-Napoca’s only previous conference finals trip was their lone pennant in 2030. Budapest meanwhile had each of their five trips in the last decade with their wins in 2036 and 2039. They had split the regular season 3-3 with the Bombers finishing two wins ahead of the Paladins. Cluj-Napoca earned a 3-1 road win to start the series, but Budapest countered 7-5. The Bombers won 8-3 in Romania for game three, but the Paladins answered 15-6. In game five, Budapest narrowly took it 8-7, giving them the 3-2 series lead headed back to Hungary. In game six, Pijus Mickevicius’s three-run home run in the bottom of the seventh for Budapest tied the game at 5-5. The score stayed there into the 11^th as two singles and fielder’s choice put runners at second and third with two outs. Mickevicius came through with the walkoff RBI single, clinching the series in six with a 6-5 win for the Bombers. The Lithuanian LF Mickevicius was series MVP, going 10-28 with four homers, nine RBI, and five runs. __________________ 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)

05-16-2026, 07:43 PM	#2862
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,516	2041 European Championship Five of the last seven finales for the European Baseball Federation featured Dublin and/or Budapest. However, the 92^nd European Championship was their first direct clash. The Dinos were the defending champ looking for the repeat, while the Bombers won their lone title in 2039. The series opened in Ireland with 4-1 and 4-3 wins for the Dinos. Game three in Hungary went 13 innings, but Dublin pulled off the 8-5 road upset. Budapest avoided the sweep, taking the next two at home by 7-6 and 7-3 margins. Game four featured a walkoff RBI single. Back in the Irish capital, the Dinos prevailed 5-2 to win the series in six. It is Dublin’s third repeat since 2010 with another dynasty run underway. They have the most EBF titles at nine (1962, 67, 2010, 11, 13, 22, 23, 40, 41) with very few teams in the world with a more dominant 21^st Century so far. CF Maks Savicevic was series MVP going 8-24 with a homer and RBI. Savicevic was a 31-year old Croatian who signed as a free agent in 2041 after eight years with Zagreb. Other notes: Frankfurt leadoff man Hans-Friedrich Rossmann made world history. The prior year, he had a .409 batting average, just missing the EBF record. He blew that away in 2041 over 549 plate appearances and 137 games, passing the qualification requirement of 502 PAs. Rossmann posted a remarkable .435 average, which destroyed the old world record of .420 set by Francisco Magellan in the 2010 Beisbol Sudamerica season. He also had a .477 OBP, which was behind his EBF-record .482 from the prior year. The 2041 OBP mark was the 14^th-best qualifying single-season in world history. Veteran 1B Waldemar Riemers became EBF’s career walks leader at 1459, passing the previous high of 1446 held by Nikolai Yevsikov since 1982. Riemers is now 50^th on the all-time walks list among all players ever. Lisbon’s Ernudis Morales and Zaragoza’s Solomon Petersen both had four home run games in 2041, a feat now achieved 30 times in EBF. Hamburg’s Olle Lofgren had a 38-game hitting streak in the spring, the 7^th-longest in EBF history. There have been only 30 hitting streaks of 38+ games in all of pro baseball history. Henri L’Ecuyer became the 5^th to 3500 hits in EBF and one of 78 in world history to reach the mark. Uwe Litchenberg was the 19^th in EBF with 3000 hits. Attila Sebek and Borys Blokhin were the 59^th and 60^th to 2500 hits. Jacinto Calvillo was the 12^th to 700 career home runs. Adam Nebowski and Lichtenberg were the 28^th and 29^th to 600 homers. Riemers and Dylano Schuurman grew the 500 homer club to 66 members. 38 have reached 1500 runs scores with Sebek and Riemers both getting there in 2041. 48 have 1500 RBI with Frederico Gonzalez and Francesco Zambrotta crossing the line. Promotion/Relegation: Below are the updates across the European Baseball Federation pyramid based on the 2041 results. __________________ 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)

05-17-2026, 11:09 AM	#2863
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,516	2041 BSA Bolivar League Several teams were in the hunt early on for the Bolivar League’s top seed. Bucaramanga had the best record of the group after the all-star break at 45-19, giving them the Colombia-Ecuador Division at 108-54. This was a franchise best for the Battalion, one of the 2029 expansion teams. They earned repeat playoff berths and their second-ever division title. Bucaramanga had the BL’s best run differential at +236. Two-time defending Copa Sudamerica winner Ciudad Guayana grabbed the #2 seed and Venezuela Division at 103-59. The Giants earned their fifth playoff trip in six years and led Beisbol Sudamerica with 893 runs. CG also had 310 team doubles, tying the BSA single-season record. Arequipa firmly won the Peru-Bolivia Division at 101-61 to end a three-year playoff drought. It was the Arrows’ first division title since 2034. Arequipa had the fewest runs allowed in the BL at 592. Valencia snagged the first wild card at 95-67. Guayaquil at 93-69 got the second spot, just fending off 92-70 Medellin. The first teams out were Trujillo (88-74), Santa Cruz (86-76), Bogota (86-76), and Barranquilla (86-76). The Velocity’s playoff streak grew to six seasons and the Gold got their second berth in three years. The Mutiny notably were one game behind Bucaramanga at the break, but went 30-34 from that point to extend their postseason drought to 13 seasons. Bucaramanga DH Freddie Zeledon was the unanimous Bolivar League MVP in his sixth year as a starter. The 26-year old Argentine lefty led in runs (138), home runs (60), walks (87), total bases (429), slugging (.711), OPS (1.135), wRC+ (203), and WAR (9.7). Zeledon added 204 hits, 138 RBI, a .338 average, and .424 OBP. His 138 runs were the eighth-best single-season in BSA. Maracay’s Rodrigo Castino earned Pitcher of the Year with 36/42 first place votes. The fifth-year Venezuelan righty won the ERA title (2.20) and led in strikeouts (302), quality starts (24), complete games (21), and shutouts (7). Castino had a 16-14 record, 249.2 innings, 191 ERA+, 70 FIP-, and 6.0 WAR. He was the #6 draft pick in 2034 by the Misfits and debuted in 2037. Guayaquil advanced from the first round with 5-2 and 4-2 road wins over Valencia. The Golds had gone 3-10 against Bucaramanga in the regular season, but shocked them by opening the divisional series on 3-1 and 7-6 (10) road wins. The Battalion regrouped with 2-1 and 7-6 road wins, the latter needing a three-run ninth inning homer by Donato Anzuatequi to go-ahead. Bucaramanga avoided the upset and won game five at home 2-1, earning their first-ever trip to the Bolivar League Championship Series. Arequipa snagged a road win to open at Ciudad Guayana, but the Giants countered 9-2. CG secured a 6-3 road win in game three, but the Arrows matched 5-1 the next night. Back in Venezuela for game five, CG got a two-out RBI single from Fahad Mohammed for a 3-2 walkoff win. The Giants kept the three-peat bid intact and earned their fifth BLCS trip in six years, having also won the Cup in 2036. Although Bucaramanga had home field, their near-defeat to Guayaquil and Ciudad Guayana’s recent history made many favor the Giants. CG confirmed those predictors with 8-5 and 5-4 road wins to open the series. The Battalion fired back in game three, rallying with solo runs in the eighth, ninth, and tenth innings for a 3-2 road win. Cuidad Guayana rolled 12-2 in game four, then used a three-run eighth inning rally in a 5-4 game five to secure the pennant at home. The Giants are now eight-time Bolivar League champs as the dynasty continues (1984, 89, 92, 2017, 36, 39, 40, 41). They’re the first team to earn three straight Copa Sudamerica trips since Barranquilla (2025-27) and the first to earn four pennants over six years since Concepcion (1997-2001). LF Brian Romero was BLCS MVP going 13-18 with three homers, nine RBI, and five runs. __________________ 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)

05-17-2026, 08:16 PM	#2864
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,516	2041 BSA Southern Cone League Defending Southern Cone League champ Fortaleza had an all-time campaign in 2041 as they won their fourth consecutive North Division title. The Foxes finished 117-45, which was the second-best record in league history and tied for the third-best in Beisbol Sudamerica history. Fortaleza led the league with 838 runs and had BSA’s best differential at +257. The fight for the #2 seed was also the fight for the Southeast Division down the stretch. Tied on the final day, Rio de Janeiro lost their finale 4-1 to Buenos Aires while Montevideo won 11-4 over Porto Alegre. At 97-65, the Venom ended a seven-year playoff and division title drought. The Redbirds at 96-66 earned their sixth straight playoff trip. As BSA seeding doesn’t give preference to division champs, this means Montevideo is the #2 and will host #3 Rio in the divisional round. Valparaiso ended on a seven-game winning streak to go 92-70 and take the South Central Division for the fifth straight year. Asuncion was second at 89-73, tying with the North’s Manaus for the final playoff spot. The Archers went on the road and shutout the Magpies 5-0 in the one-game playoff, getting 8.2 innings of three-hit ball from Michael Colagrande. Asuncion ended a 15-year playoff drought with their win and allowed the fewest runs in BSA at 555. The next teams out in the wild card race were Concepcion (86-76) and Sao Paulo (85-77). The Padres have gone 21 years without a losing season. Salta and Santiago were both wild cards last year, but both fell hard in 2041 to 71-91 and 66-96, respectively. The Silver Hawks had been on a 12-year run without a losing season. Despite their playoff miss, Sao Paulo 1B Lonnie Defendi won Southern Cone League MVP with all but two first place votes. In his third year as a starter, the 26-year old Argentine lefty led in home runs (62), total bases (435), OBP (.431), OPS (1.152), wRC+ (212), and WAR (11.0). Defendi added 223 hits, 120 runs, 137 RBI, and a .369 average. Montevideo’s Aramis Biffi was Pitcher of the Year with 32 first place votes, while Asuncion’s Michael Colagrande had nine. The 27-year old Biffi led in wins (24-8), innings (271), and shutouts (5). The Argentine righty had a 2.62 ERA, 257 strikeouts, 146 ERA+, 78 FIP- and 6.7 WAR. The runner-up Colagrande won co-Rookie of the Year and the ERA title at 2.11. The 22-year old Uruguayan had a 13-10 record, 10 saves, 196.2 innings, 218 Ks, 180 ERA+, 80 FIP-, and 4.1 WAR. He was a third round draft pick out of high school in 2037. Colagrande and Sao Paulo two-way man Caio Parada split the ROTY voting evenly to share the honor. Parada had 4.5 WAR and .952 as a batter, but -0.6 WAR over 182 innings pitching. Valparaiso swept Asuncion on 8-2 and 5-4 first round wins. Game two went ten innings with a walkoff solo homer by Zacarias Ramos. The Voodoo carried the momentum and shocked top-seed Fortaleza 2-1 and 5-1 to open the divisional series. The Foxes claimed game three on the road 5-1, but Valparaiso secured the stunning upset in four games with a 2-1, 10 inning win. Orlando Becerra had the RBI double to score Gordon Iddrisu from first. For the Voodoo, they earned their fourth consecutive appearance in the Southern Cone League Championship. The 2041 Foxes go down as possibly the biggest disappointment in BSA history with their one-and-done at 117-45. The other four teams in BSA that had as many or more wins each went onto win the cup. It was even more shocking considering Fortaleza was also the defending champ. Montevideo opened their divisional series with a 3-2 walkoff win over Rio de Janeiro, getting two runs on three hits in the ninth. In game two, the Redbirds tied it at 4-4 with a three-run top of the ninth. In the bottom half, Francisco Badillo’s two-out homer just down the right field line gave the Venom another walkoff win at 5-4. Rio fought back with 12-8 and 13-2 wins on their home diamond. Back in Uruguay for game five, the Redbirds prevailed 6-2 to oust Montevideo. Rio de Janeiro earned its third LCS trip in five years, having won the pennant two years prior over Valparaiso. The Voodoo won the 2038 pennant over Fortaleza, but came short in 2040 to the Foxes. Valparaiso snagged a 5-3 road win to open, but Rio countered 1-0 the next night. At home in Chile, the Voodoo came up with 5-4 and 3-2 wins. The latter went ten innings with an RBI single by Mohammad Ansari-Rad. Rio took game five with a 6-4 score to force the series back to Brazil, then tied it up on a 4-2 win. A balanced effort from the Redbirds lineup pushed them to a 7-2 victory in game seven. With the win, Rio de Janeiro has won the Southern Cone League crown six times (1970, 2003, 2008, 2016, 2039, 2041). C Jesus Cruz was LCS MVP going 10-25 with three homers, six RBI, and three runs. The 35-year old catcher was in his fourth season with Rio and was a three-time Gold Glove winner. __________________ 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)

05-18-2026, 07:22 PM	#2865
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,516	2041 Copa Sudamerica The 111^th Copa Sudamerica was a rematch of two years prior, which had a 4-1 Ciudad Guayana win over Rio de Janeiro. The Giants were going for the three-peat and their fourth cup in six years. Despite some impressive historical dynasties, no team had ever won the Beisbol Sudamerica crown in three consecutive seasons. Rio’s only previous cups came in 1970 and 2003. Home field advantage alternates between leagues and went to Rio de Janeiro for 2041. The Redbirds opened hot with 12-4 and 4-3 home wins. Game two was tied 2-2 after regulation. Ciudad Guayana went ahead with a solo homer in the top of the tenth, but Rio countered with a two RBI walkoff double from Arthur Leite. The Redbirds then rolled 10-0 in game three in Venezuela. Rio seemed primed for the sweep, going ahead 4-3 in the top of the ninth in game four on a three-run inning. The Giants got one back in the bottom half to force extras, then won it in the 11^th on a Renato Barquero walkoff homer. CG then opened ahead 6-1 in game five, holding onto win 6-4. Back in Brazil for game six, Ciudad Guayana survived a late Rio rally. The Red Birds got three runs in the ninth, but stranded two allowing the Giants to escape with a 6-5 win. Only thrice in Copa Sudamerica history had a seven-game series featured a 3-0 start. In 1955, Quito narrowly avoided blowing their 3-0 lead to Fortaleza. 1994 had the same result with the same two teams. The next year, Recife became the lone team to complete the 3-0 comeback against Bogota. In the finale, Rio de Janeiro got five of their six runs via homer. Ciudad Guayana homered in the top of the ninth and put a man on first, but the Redbirds held on for the 6-4 victory. Rio avoided the collapse and denied the Giants’ three-peat dreams. LF Simon Voronese was series MVP, going 12-22 with three homers and 10 RBI. The Redbirds win brings the Cup back to Brazil for the first time since Belo Horizonte’s 2029 win, which was the longest-ever gap between titles for a Brazilian squad. Other notes: Belo Horizonte 1B Rony Ximenes made history in the summer with a 47-game hitting streak. This was the longest ever in BSA, passing Remberto Borja’s 43 which stood since 1955. In world history, only four hitting streaks have gone longer. EBF’s Endrit Imami has the record 60 from 2039. CABA’s Sandile Nyambi went 54 games in 2018, while EBF’s Rudjer Bosnjak (1960) and MLB’s Jayden Gagnon (1930) both had 49 game runs. Ximenes’ on-base streak was also 47, tying the BSA record set by Denis Jorge in 2015. Imami holds that world record as well at 67 games. In other milestones, Mario Salazar was the 28^th to 600 home runs and Nicolas De Leon was the 80^th to 500. Ismael Pimentel was the 29^th to 1500 runs scored. On the bad side for Pimentel, he has been caught stealing 1223 times, four behind the world record of APB’s Junior Sanchez of 1227. 47 BSA bats now have 1500 RBI with Renato Barquero, Erik Ortega, and Caio Mergulho each getting there in 2041. 101 players now have 2500 hits and Barquero, Ortega, Veronese, and Honorio Govea crossed that mark. Joseph Ramirez won his 8^th Silver Slugger and first at SS, having won previously at 2B. In pitching notables, Cristovao Santiago was the 18^th to 250 wins. Santiago and Paulo Fialho made 57 pitchers with 3500 strikeouts. Del Mata and Louie Pedrogo made 117 guys with 3000 Ks. Lucas Flor was the 49^th to 300 saves. SS Ace Benavidez won his 8^th consecutive Gold Glove while RF Samuel Perez won his seventh (non-consecutive). __________________ 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)

05-19-2026, 08:08 AM	#2866
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,516	2041 EAB Japan League In the Japan League at the all-star break, Kyoto (73-31) and Yokohama (72-31) were the clear standouts. Both Sapporo (68-36) and defending JL champ Saitama (65-39) weren’t out of the running for the top seed either. The Sting ended up 43-15, tied for the best post-break record in all of East Asia Baseball. This caught them up with the Kamikaze to make it a two-team race for the #1 seed entering the final week. They were tied with one game to go with Kyoto winning 7-2 at Chiba and Saitama losing 2-1 in 11 innings at Yokohama. Kyoto’s 109-53 record was the best in EAB for their third playoff trip in six years, but it was their first Central Division title since 2022. Hamamatsu had that locked down for the last eight years and still provided a fierce challenge at 103-59 as the first wild card. The Chickenhawks have averaged 108.5 wins per season over their nine year streak. Hamamatsu actually had a better run differential (+222) than Kyoto (+192) with the Kamikaze going 36-19 in one-run games and the Chickenhawks at 18-22. Saitama at 108-54 won the Capital Division for the third straight year and posted their fifth consecutive 100+ win season. The Sting and Yokohama are both on five-year playoff streaks. The Yellow Jackets were a game below .500 after the break, but their stellar start still got them the second wild card easily at 101-61. Yokohama’s 461 runs allowed were the fewest in EAB. Sapporo won the North Division a sixth consecutive season and grew its playoff streak to seven years with their 102-60 finish. It was their fourth year in a row with 102+ wins and they led the JL with 759 runs scored. The Swordfish also had EAB’s best run differential at +237. Expansion Maebashi was a very distant second place at 82-80, but it was the first winning season in 17 tries for the Bunnies. Kitakyushu had an 11-game lead in the West Division at the break and struggled in the second half. That cushion still held for a 91-71 finish ahead of 87-75 Fukuoka. The Kodiaks earned repeat playoff trips and their first division title since 2035, ending the Frogs’ five-year streak. Fukuoka was the first team out in the wild card race, although they never had a shot at that being 14 games behind Yokohama. Leading Saitama’s effort was Japan League MVP 3B Dong-Hyeon Yu, who got 25 first place votes and 481 points. Hamamatsu 1B Mitsuru Ishida was a competitive second with 12 first place votes and 407 points. Ishida notably was the leader in OPS (1.033), RBI (129), and total bases (391). The winner Yu meanwhile was the WARlord (10.3) in seventh season starting for the Sting. The 30-year old South Korean righty had 217 hits, 102 runs, 31 doubles, 32 home runs, 113 RBI, a .363/.389/.596 slash, and 192 wRC+. Last May, Saitama gave Yu a six-year, $232 million extension. Pitcher of the Year was Yokohama’s Yozo Harada with 30 first place votes and 250 points. Hamamatsu’s Masamichi Kasai had nine first place votes and 180 points while teammate Atsuo Sugaya had one first place vote. Sugaya notably was the leader in both ERA (1.74) and WAR (9.0). If not for Sugaya, the winner Harada would’ve earned a Triple Crown with his 1.74 ERA, 21-3 record, and 347 strikeouts. The 26-year old righty also had 12 saves, a 1.80 ERA, 215 innings, 0.65 WHIP, 18.3 K/9, 188 ERA+, 55 FIP-, and 7.6 WAR. Harada’s 0.65 WHIP was the fourth-best qualifying season (162+ innings) in EAB history with only three Toshikuni Naikai seasons better. The Yellow Jackets gave Harada a six-year, $274 million extension in January 2040 and he bounced back well after missing most of 2040 to shoulder inflammation. Despite having 12 fewer wins, Kitakyushu had home field advantage and the one-game bonus in the wild card round against Hamamatsu as a division champ. The Kodiaks used it to advance on 6-2 and 5-4 wins, the latter with a walkoff. This was the first time in the Chickenhawks’ playoff streak that they were ousted in the wild card round. It also marks five consecutive seasons without a pennant since their three-peat and Grand Championship in 2036. Sapporo swept Yokohama on the other side on 5-4 and 4-1 wins. In the divisional round, Saitama outlasted the Swordfish 4-3 in 14 innings to open the series. Sapporo got the next one by a 5-0 margin on a four-hitter by Tsunemori Tokuda. The Sting went on the road for a 3-2 win in ten innings in game three. In game four, the score was 7-6 after the third inning and stayed there in favor of Saitama, advancing the defending champs to their third Japan League Championship Series in five years. Kyoto opened their divisional round with a 4-0 win on a combined two-hitter. Kitakyushu surprised them with a 12-10 road win the next night, scoring seven runs in the final two innings. The Kodiaks kept the momentum with 6-2 and 6-3 home wins to upset the top-seeded Kamikaze. Kitakyushu earned its first JLCS trip since 2035. The Kodiaks had a 46-year pennant drought dating back to their 1992-94 three-peat. Despite having the worst record of the Japanese playoff teams by 10 wins, Kitakyushu continued to shock the field. They had lost the regular season series 5-1 to Saitama, but pulled off a stunning JLCS sweep with 4-2, 5-3, 6-3, and 1-0 wins. The Kodiaks became seven-time Japan League champs (1954, 55, 71, 92, 93, 94, 2041). JLCS MVP was journeyman SS Shungo Nakane, who was 3-12 with three homers, four RBI, and three runs. It was his first year with Kitakyushu and was generally an occasional starter with a good glove and weak bat. __________________ 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)

05-19-2026, 09:05 PM	#2867
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,516	2041 EAB Korea League In 2040, Goyang destroyed the Korea League field in the regular season at 125-37, but got shockingly upset in the divisional round by eventual East Asia Baseball champ Busan. The bad vibes from that choke job continued as the Green Sox went 79-83, ending a 14-year playoff streak. It was Goyang’s first losing season since 2023, opening up chances for other teams. Ultimately, the other five playoff teams from the prior season made it back in 2041. Gwangju had the best mark at the break at 67-37 and did well after, but Busan charged forward with a 43-15 run post-break. The Blue Jays ended on a seven-game winning streak, giving them the top seed at 104-58 ahead of the 103-59 Grays. Busan repeated as Southeast Division champ and earned their third straight playoff trip. The Blue Jays have only missed twice since 2020. Gwangju meanwhile won a ninth consecutive Southwest Division crown. The Grays allowed the fewest runs in Korea at 503, closely followed by Busan at 509. Both had solid competition to fend off in their divisions. Cheongju was second in the Southwest and got the first wild card at 99-63. Southeast runner-up Ulsan got the second wild card at 94-68. The third place finishers were the first teams out with Jeju at 91-71 and Changwon 86-76. The Checkers earned repeat wild cards and the Swallows’ playoff streak grew to seven seasons. Ulsan actually had the KL’s best run differential (+201) and led EAB with 827 runs scored. With Goyang a non-factor, Seoul emerged as the only winning team in the North Division at 91-71. It ended a nine-year playoff drought and a 23-year division title skid for the Seahawks. The Central Division ended up a tossup with all five teams in the hunt most of the year. Incheon led at the break at 59-43, but fell to fourth place (82-80) after a 23-35 run from there. Bucheon ended on a seven-game losing streak to finish third at 84-78 and Suwon was last at 79-83. Yongin got a four-game sweep of the Bolts and went 8-2 in their last ten games, while Seongnam was 3-7 in their final ten regular season games. They ended up tied for the division lead at 86-76. The Spiders hosted the one-game playoff, but the Gold Sox earned the 8-6 win for a fourth consecutive division title. Yongin notably had 141 triples as a team, setting a new EAB single-season record. Bucheon 1B Se-Min Yun won Korea League MVP with 30 first place votes and 510 points, while Cheongju Seung-Min Pak had 10 first place votes and 409 points. The runner-up Pak was the leader for home runs (54) and RBI (142). The winner Yun posted 12.18 WAR, the 15^th-best single-season by a position player in EAB history. In his third season, Yun also led in walks (97), total bases (396), OBP (.461), slugging (.690), OPS (1.151), and wRC+ (228). He had 209 hits, 119 runs, 29 doubles, 50 home runs, 124 RBI, and a .364 average. Pitcher of the Year was quite competitive with Gwangju’s Sung-Jun Jang repeating with 18 first place votes and 201 points. Cheongju’s Keung-Yeon Uhm had 11 first place votes and 173 points, while Jeju’s Hiroji Kamata had nine first place nods and Changwon’s Wan Ahn had two. Kamata notably led in ERA (1.89) and wins (22-4). Uhm was second in both (2.12 ERA, 21-5) and Ahn had the most WAR (9.4) and strikeouts (326). The winner Jang was the leader for innings pitched (274.1) and shutouts (7). The 28-year old lefty had a 17-9 record, 2.49 ERA, 297 strikeouts, 150 ERA+, 61 FIP-, and 8.2 WAR. Jang has one more year left on his contract with the Grays. Yongin had the one-game bonus and home field as a division champ in the wild card round, although Cheongju was 12 wins better. The Checkers won the opener 8-3, but the Gold Sox got a 5-4 walkoff win and a 3-2 victory to advance. Seoul had the bonus, then got 3-0 and 5-4 wins to oust Ulsan. Both of the divisional round matchups would then go the distance in favor of the underdog. The Gold Sox upset Busan 6-2 to start their series, although the Blue Jays countered 4-2. Yongin got game three 6-5 on a walkoff 11^th inning homer by Yeon-U Park. Busan grabbed game four 6-3 and returned home for the finale, but Yongin secured the upset over the defending champs in a 2-0 pitcher’s duel. Jae-Yul Kang tossed a seven-hit shutout with seven strikeouts, giving the Gold Sox their first Korea League Championship Series appearance since 2020. Seoul stunned Gwangju 10-6 in game one, going ahead on a four-run top of the ninth inning. The Grays countered 5-3 to even the series. Gwangju erased a 5-1 hole to force extras in game three, but the Seahawks won the 14-inning marathon 6-5. The Grays kept the series alive on a 2-0 road win in game four, which saw a two-hitter with 10 strikeouts by Pyung-Rae Nam. In game five, Seoul scored thrice in the first inning and held the lead from there. Gwangju got a two-run homer in the eighth, but that was it as the Seahawks survived 3-2 to complete the upset. It was the first KLCS for the South Korean capital since their three trips from 2016-18. Regardless of who won between Seoul and Yongin, the winner would end a more than 30+ year pennant drought. Yongin won the opener on the road 4-1, followed by a 3-2 Seoul win on a walkoff two RBI single by Eun-Hyeok Kim. The Seahawks snagged back-to-back road shutouts, 3-0 and 2-0, including a five-hitter in game three by Dong-Ki Hwang. The Gold Sox kept the series alive on a 5-3 win, rallying with a four-run seventh inning. Yongin then secured a 7-3 road victory in game six to force a decisive game seven. In the finale, Gold Sox righty Kunio Ogawa tossed an absolute gem, a four-hit shutout with one walk and four strikeouts in 119 pitches. Yongin prevailed 7-0 to win the franchise’s tenth Korea League crown (1970, 84, 85, 94, 95, 97, 2001, 07, 10, 41). CF Teruo Nishida was KLCS MVP going 6-21 with one homer, seven RBI, and five runs, while also providing Gold Glove defense. __________________ 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)

05-20-2026, 06:38 AM	#2868
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,516	2041 East Asian Championship The 121^st East Asian Championship was unusual in having each league’s weakest playoff team by record, although neither was the bottom seed as they were both division champs. This had previously happened in 2026. Kitakyushu’s only prior EAB titles came from the historic 1992-94 three-peat; the last of those titles coming against Yongin. The Gold Sox had four previous titles (1984, 95, 97, 2007). Home field advantage alternates between leagues and went to Yongin in 2041. The Gold Sox opened the series on 4-1 and 3-1 home wins. The Kodiaks answered with three consecutive home wins by 3-0, 5-4, and 6-3 margins. Game three notably had a combined four-hitter. The first road win came in game six as Kitakyushu prevailed 7-5 to clinch the series to end their 46-year title drought. Series MVP went to CF Hiroyoshi Matsuo, who was 7-24 with three homers and six RBI. He had been the prior season’s Rookie of the Year and was a rising star for the Kodiaks. In bad playoff records, Kitakyushu’s Kun-Woo Eun set a playoff record with 19 walks allowed and Yongin’s Tsuneki Harada set a high of 13 homers allowed. Other notes: Si-Won Joon became EAB’s career strikeouts leader, remarkably leading the Korea League with 326 at age 38 in his first year with Gwangju. He’s now at 5712 Ks, passing the unrelated Sang-Hun Joon’s 5694 that had held since 1976. Si-Won moved up to 12^th on the world leaderboard for Ks and could conceivably become the 7^th member of the 6000 K club next year. Of the 47 pitchers with 5000+ Ks, Joon is the only active one. Joon has a career 294-176 record, 2.80 ERA, 4584 innings, 129 ERA+, 77 FIP-, and 110.6 WAR. His one playoff start in 2041 got him to 15 playoff wins, tied with three others for the most in EAB history. Joon is at 270 playoff strikeouts, behind only Oniji Yamamoto’s 279 and Morikazu Ichikawa’s 277. Six-time Pitcher of the Year Jin-Yu Jun officially retired after going unsigned in 2040 at only age 38. He suffered a ruptured UCL in April 2040 that effectively ended his career after 16 seasons between Ulsan and Kobe. Jun finished with a 247-119 record, 2.26 ERA, 3352.1 innings, 4362 strikeouts, 159 ERA+, 54 FIP-, and 125.4 WAR. Although Jun didn’t have Joon’s longevity, Jun retired 4^th in pitching WAR at 125.4. Among Hall of Fame starters and retired locks in world history, he ranks 15^th in ERA+ and 17^th in FIP-, showing he was on a short list for all-time efficiency. Jun ranks 21^st in wins and 13^th in Ks in EAB history and his ERA is 19^th among pitchers with 1000+ innings. In other pitching milestones, In-Goo Sun was the 25^th to 4000 strikeouts and Tosio Takahashi was the 58^th to 3500 Ks. Three others reached 3000 strikeouts, bringing that club to 131 members. Sun and Takahashi also reached 200 wins, now met by 83 EAB aces. Shusake Kuwahara was the 40^th to 300 saves. 2041 was the 21^st and final season for three-time MVP Han Yi, who posted 95 wRC+ and 0.3 WAR over 154 games with Goyang. Yi retires 2^nd in hits (3632), 9^th in runs (1870), 5^th in games (3163), 6^th in total bases (6809), 9^th in doubles (571), 6^th in homers (830), 2^nd in RBI (2206), and 16^th in WAR for position players (118.08). He had a .948 OPS and 159 wRC+. On the world leaderboards, Yi ranks 46^th in hits, 51^st in homers, and 36^th in RBI. It was the final season for LF Geon-Ho Whang, who posted 106.8 WAR, 2579 hits, 1698 runs, 340 doubles, 648 homers, 1665 RBI, and 141 wRC+ over 19 seasons mostly with Busan. More notably, Whang retires as EAB’s career playoff leader for games (128), runs (78), hits (133), and total bases (265). His 37 homers are one short of Ki-Tae Yun’s record and his 86 RBI are four away. At age 41, Ju-An Youm became EAB’s all-time career leader in singles with 2474. He’s up to 6^th in hits at 3439. In other batting milestones, Sun-Jae Cho was the 115^th to 2500 hits. Cho and Ryuhei Satake were the 90^th and 91^st members of the 500 home run club. Cho was also the 60^th to 1500 RBI. 1B Mitshuru Ishida won his 7^th consecutive Silver Slugger. __________________ 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)

05-20-2026, 06:03 PM	#2869
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,516	2041 CABA Mexican League Defending Mexican League champ Torreon was 66-32 at the all-star break, the top mark of all teams in the Central American Baseball Association. The Tomahawks struggled to 30-34 after the break, dropping them to the #3 seed at 96-66. They still firmly won the North Division for the fifth consecutive season and grew their playoff streak to 11 years. Torreon led the ML with 831 runs scored. Juarez was their nearest foe at 84-78, 12 back in the division and three short of the final wild card. Next were Chihuahua and Hermosillo both at 82-80. Leon was five back on Torreon at the break and raced to the #1 seed at 103-59. The Lions and Tuxtla were both 42-22 after the break en route to division titles. At 17 seasons, Leon’s playoff streak is one short of Monterrey’s CABA record from 1988-2005. The Lions were Central Division champs for the sixth straight year and have won 100+ games in all but one season since 2027. Leon allowed CABA’s fewest runs (578) and had the ML’s best differential (+225). Tuxtla at 97-65 earned a third straight playoff trip and the franchise’s first South Division title. Ecatepec was second at 91-71 and took the first wild card, securing repeat playoff trips. The remaining wild cards went to Guadalajara (88-74) and Puebla (87-75), while the first teams out were Toluca (85-77), San Luis Potosi (84-78), Juarez (84-78), and Aguascalientes (83-79). The Hellhounds ended a four-year playoff drought and the Pumas snapped a five-year skid. Guadalajara notably ended on a four-game winning streak while the Potros had a five-game losing streak to close. Torreon 1B Marco Emiliano was Mexican League MVP with 28 first place votes and 490 points. Tuxtla 2B Esequiel Chavira was second with nine first place votes and 388 points. Emiliano had debuted at age 18 in 2035 with Nicaragua, which opened him up for free agency after the 2040 season at only age 24. He joined the Tomahawks on a four-year, $164 million deal. In his impressive debut, the righty from Ecatepec led in home runs (63), RBI (154), and runs (121). Emiliano added 186 hits, 20 doubles, .301/.362/.663 slash, 178 wRC+, and 8.8 WAR. Pitcher of the Year was Eduardino Camposano of Aguascalientes with 30 first place votes, while three others split the remaining 10 top votes. The 26-year old Dominican righty won the ERA title at 1.49, which was one of only 22 qualified seasons (162+ innings) in CABA history with an ERA below 1.50. Camposano had a 20-3 record, 229 innings, 277 strikeouts, 257 ERA+, 59 FIP-, and 7.8 WAR. Ecatepec had the one-game bonus and edged Guadalajara 4-3 to advance from the first round. Torreon likewise had the bonus and shutout Puebla 2-0 to advance. The Explosion caught top seed Leon by surprise on a 6-0 road win to open round two. The Lions took the next two by 3-2 and 6-2 margins. In game four, Ecatepec had a two-run ninth inning rally to force extras at 5-5. The Explosion scored twice in four hits in the top of the 11^th to go ahead. Leon got one back on a solo homer, but Ecatepec escaped with the 7-6 win. The Lions avoided the upset though and took game five by a 5-3 margin. Leon earned its fourth trip in five years to the Mexican League Championship Series. In their 17-year playoff streak, they’ve made it to the MLCS eight times. On the other side of the bracket, a passed ball gave Tuxtla the 8-7 win over Torreon in game one. The Tomahawks countered 10-7 the next night. In game three, Esequiel Chavira’s two-run walkoff homer pushed the Terror to the 6-5 win. Tuxtla held on 8-7 in game four to oust the reigning champs, earning their first-ever MLCS trip in only the 12^th year for the club. The Terror started hot with a 3-2 road win over Leon, although the Lions countered 9-3. Leon won 4-3 on the road in game three, fending off a rally bid with a two-run Tuxtla homer in the ninth. Game four went 11 innings, but two doubles and a single in the 11^th pushed the Lions to a 7-5 win. Leon tied game five with a solo run in the ninth, then scored thrice in the tenth to take game 6-3 and the series 4-1. It was the fourth pennant of the playoff steak for Leon and their 14^th Mexican League title overall (1927, 39, 41, 42, 59, 60, 64, 86, 2018, 28, 32, 34, 39, 41). Veteran 2B Darell Phillips was MLCS MVP, going 11-22. The 32-year old Jamaican had signed with the Lions in 2038. __________________ 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)

05-21-2026, 07:30 AM	#2870
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,516	2041 CABA Caribbean League Puerto Rico had an all-time effort in 2041 en route to the Caribbean League’s top record by a healthy margin at 111-51 and a fifth straight East Division title. The Pelicans set a Central American Baseball Association team records for runs scored (976) and doubles (324). PR also had CABA’s second-best batting average (.308) and hits (1774), both only behind 2037 Havana. Puerto Rico allowed the CL’s fewest runs (599) and had a blistering +377 run differential. Amazingly, PR was actually 17-28 in one-run games. The #2 seed was a much tighter battle with five teams finishing within six wins of each other. Bahamas at 96-66 claimed it for the team’s first West Division title since 2029. It was the second berth in three years for the Buccaneers. Guatemala was right with Puerto Rico in the first half but struggled in the back-end while Salvador finished on a 42-24 tear. They ended up tied atop the Central Division at 93-69 with the Ghosts taking the one-game playoff for the division crown. [IMG]]https://i.imgur.com/mVt8UpA.png[/IMG] It was the second division title in three years for Guatemala while the Stallions ended a three-year playoff drought as the first wild card. Despite ending on a four-game losing streak, Haiti at 91-71 held onto the second wild card for their fourth straight. This left a glut for the remaining spot between Jamaica, Havana, Trinidad, Honduras, and defending CABA champ Costa Rica. All five teams finished at 88-74, while Santo Domingo was a near miss at 87-75. The tiebreaker game structure turned into a four-team, single-elimination bracket with the Rays being left out by tiebreakers, ending their repeat bid. In the semis, Jamaica wrecked Havana 12-1 on the road and Honduras edged Trinidad 2-1 on the road. Then in a 12-inning classic in Tegucigalpa, the Jazz prevailed 2-1 thanks to a leadoff Paco Padilla double and RBI single from Richaendel Eenhoorn. Jamaica earned its eighth playoff berth in a decade. Havana notably had a five-year streak snapped and the Horsemen had only their third miss since 2023. Honduras still has a run of winning campaigns back to 2022. Jamaica 1B Amadeo Garcia became the ninth in CABA history to win 5+ MVP awards (2034, 35, 37, 38, 41). He got 21 first place votes and 456 points for the Caribbean League’s top honor in 2041. Salvador’s Jefferson Forestier had 13 first place votes and 409 points, while Trinidad’s Dean Mason had 6 first place nods and 372 points. Forestier notably hit a nice 69 home runs, four short of the CABA record. Mason meanwhile was the WARlord at 11.0. Garcia was the leader in runs (142), hits (233), total bases (460), OPS (1.129), and wRC+ (208). The 28-year old Guatemalan lefty had 40 doubles, 59 home runs, 146 RBI, a .366/.406/.723 slash, and 10.2 WAR. Garcia bounced back after missing much of the prior year to a fractured ankle. In June, he signed a mammoth eight-year, $346,500,000 extension to remain with the Jazz. Havana’s Pascal Aristil won Pitcher of the Year with 34 first place votes, while the remaining six went to Puerto Rico’s Omar Garcia. The 28-year old Haitian Aristil led in wins (22-5), quality starts (25), complete games (13), and shutouts (5). He had a 2.31 ERA over 261.1 innings, 294 strikeouts, 188 ERA+, 76 FIP-, and 5.6 WAR. Aristil was second in both ERA and Ks. He remains under contract two more seasons for the Hurricanes. Also of note, Haiti’s Nicky Aparicio joined Alejandro Valadez as the only five-time Reliever of the Year winners in CABA history. Aparicio previously won in 2034-35 with Culiacan and 2039-40 with Leon. The 31-year old Mexican led in saves (45) for the fifth time and had a career best 1.61 ERA over 89.2 innings with 4.3 WAR. He ranks 14^th on CABA’s career saves list with 317 and is back to free agency in the winter. Salvador had the one-game bonus against Haiti in the first round. The Stallions advanced with a 6-5 win over the Jazz in 12 innings on a Maikel Puentes walkoff homer. Guatemala had the bonus against Jamaica, but the Jazz earned 6-0 and 3-2 wins to move forward. Game one saw a three-hitter by Omar Moncada. Jamaica surprised top seed Puerto Rico with a 2-1 road upset to open the second round, getting the go-ahead run in the ninth. The Pelicans countered with a 10-5 win, then outlasted Jamaica with 9-8 and 12-10 victories. In both games, the Jazz scored in the ninth and got the tying runs on base. Puerto Rico earned its second Caribbean League Championship Series trip in five years and were looking to end a pennant drought going back to 2021. Salvador started the second round with a 7-5 upset at Bahamas. The Buccaneers countered 12-6 in game two, but the Stallions rolled in the next two with 8-1 and 10-3 finals. It was Salvador’s second CLCS in six years and they had a similar pennant drought to Puerto Rico going back to 2017. The Pelicans were heavy favorites with the 18-win difference and their 5-1 regular season record over the Stallions. Despite that, Salvador shocked the San Juan crowd with a 9-0 blowout road win in the opener with a one-hitter by Lance Paz. The Stallions then survived a 2-1 pitcher’s duel the next night. Puerto Rico reclaimed some mojo with back-to-back 5-2 road wins to tie the series. In game five, Salvador went ahead with a three-run eighth inning. The Pelicans got two back in the top of the ninth, but the Stallions escaped with the 4-3 win and the 3-2 series lead heading back to PR. Puerto Rico used a five-run eighth inning to win game six 6-3 and tie the series. The Pelicans then earned a 8-2 rout in game seven to become 11-time Caribbean kings (1914, 25, 28, 29, 41, 43, 44, 45, 56, 2021, 41). CF Tulio Arias was series MVP going 10-26 with one homer, five RBI, and five runs. The 30-year old Mexican had arrived in PR in a December 2037 trade with Guadalajara. __________________ 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) Last edited by FuzzyRussianHat; 05-23-2026 at 07:11 AM.

05-21-2026, 07:37 PM	#2871
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,516	2041 CABA Championship The 131^st Central American Baseball Association Championship was the second-ever finals bout between Puerto Rico and Leon. Incidentally a century earlier in 1941, the Lions prevailed in a 4-3 classic. For the 2041 rematch, Leon was shooting for its second title in three years and third in eight years. For the Pelicans, they hadn’t won it all since 1956. The series opened in San Juan on 3-1 and 5-4 wins for Puerto Rico. Leon took game three in Mexico 4-3, getting a walkoff solo home run by Neivy Rosario. PR snagged the first road win 9-4 in game four. The Lions kept the series alive in a 1-0 pitcher’s duel in game five. Starter Yousel Vega tossed eight shutout innings with one hit allowed, while Jackie Vargas got the clean save. Leon edged Puerto Rico 3-2 in game six, marking the first time the CABA final needed all seven games since the Lions’ 2032 loss to Honduras. Since then, all but the 2037 series were 4-0 or 4-1. Game seven would be an all-time showdown that was scoreless through five innings. Leon got a solo spot in the sixth, which PR matched in the seventh. The game remained 1-1 into extra innings. In the top of the 11^th, the Lions broke through on a two-run Neivy Rosario home run, followed by a R.J. Zaragoza solo shot for cushion. PR managed a one-out triple in the bottom half but got no other baserunners, giving Leon the 4-1 road win and the series. It was the sixth time the CABA Championship had an extra-innings game seven. Leon became six-time CABA champs (1939, 41, 59, 2034, 39, 41). Rosario also had a RBI double in the sixth, helping him earn series MVP. The 35-year old CF was 10-28 with three homers and seven RBI. A Puerto Rican national, Rosario had been with Leon since 2032. The Lions are the first since Guatemala (2022-24) to win the CABA crown twice in three years. Other notes: CABA’s 56^th perfect game came on September 18 as Mexico City’s Tito Del Rio struck out 12 over 91 pitches in a 6-0 win against Cancun. Panama’s Jesualdo Mendez tied the CABA record for appearances by a pitcher with 85. In bad records, Guadeloupe’s 45-117 record was the second-best in Caribbean League history and tied for third-worst in CABA. They did improve from their even-worse 41-121 the prior year. In milestones, Hugo Castillo became the 7^th to 3500 hits in CABA and one of 78 in world history. Leonardo Martinez was the 10^th member of the 700 home run club. Cristopher Rodriguez was the 34^th to 600 homers while Castillo was the 80^th to 500 homers. Ernesto Escandel was the 33^rd to 1500 runs scored and R.J. Zaragoza was the 53^rd to 1500 RBI. Rodriguez and Neiser Santos grew the 2500 hit club to 79 members. Omar Garcia was the 63^rd pitcher to 200 wins. Garcia and Bruno Padilla grew the 3000 strikeout club to 95 members. Jackie Vargas was the 20^th to 300 saves. __________________ 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)

05-22-2026, 01:28 PM	#2872
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,516	2041 MLB National Association Major League Baseball lowered its secondary roster from 38 players to 36 effective for the 2041 season. MLB began with a 40 player standard, but lowered to 38 in 1966. It went down to 36 in 1992, but was back up to 38 in 2026. The National Association had tremendous parity in 2041 as the seven playoff teams were only separated by eight wins. At the all-star break, defending champ Chicago was first at 62-37 with Baltimore next at 60-39 for the top seed. Both squads went 32-31 after the break, although their cushions did keep them atop their respective divisions. It was Kansas City with their 39-24 run post-break who managed to snag the #1 record. The Cougars also had to contend with St. Louis for the Lower Midwest Division and they entered the final series tied at 93-66. KC earned the home sweep on 9-3, -6-2, and 7-6 wins. Kansas City ended a decade-long playoff drought and had the NA’s best run differential at +134. The Cardinals finished on a six-game losing streak, but still got the first wild card at 93-69 for their fourth straight playoff berth. Tulsa and Columbus, wild cards out of the division last year, both struggled to 70-92 and 67-95, respectively. The Cubs ended up as the #2 seed, repeating in the Upper Midwest Division at 94-68. The Orioles at 92-70 snagged the East title to end a four-year playoff drought. New York was second at 89-73, which earned them the second wild card. The Yankees overcame a 49-50 start with a 40-23 finish to the season, snapping a six-year postseason drought. In the Northeast, Halifax went 8-2 in their last ten games while Montreal was 3-7. This pushed the Hound Dogs into first at 90-72 for their second-ever division title and fourth playoff trip in seven years. Despite the poor finish, 88-74 was just good enough to get the final wild card for the Maples, their second playoff trip in three years. The incredibly crowded field that missed out on a wild card included 87-75 Minneapolis, 86-76 Milwaukee and Raleigh; 85-77 Cleveland, Detroit, and Omaha; 84-78 Boston and Quebec City; 83-79 Pittsburgh, and 82-80 Brooklyn, Washington, and Buffalo. Each of those teams was also within ten wins of their division titles. The Raptors led in scoring with 832 runs and Wichita allowed the fewest runs at 575. The Wasps also scored the fewest at 523, thus their 75-87 season. The Red Sox notably had a .295 team batting average, the third-best in NA history. It was a remarkable year for a seemingly ageless Neil Hollinger, who won National Association MVP in his debut with Washington. The 39-year old Canadian had been MVP back in 2025, 27, and 29 with Oklahoma City. More than a decade later, he took the 2041 honor with 38 first place votes. Louisville’s Indiana Hill had 13, St. Louis’s Jinhao Lin nine, and Kansas City’s Derek Colon four. It wasn’t just that Hollinger won MVP, but he shockingly hit an association and career-best 64 home runs while also leading in RBI (144), slugging (.743), OPS (1.155), and wRC+ (202). He added 198 hits, 110 runs, 30 doubles, .346 average, .411 OBP, and 8.8 WAR. “The Poet” also inserted himself into a spot few saw him reaching in 2041; MLB’s all-time home run king. Entering the season, Isaac Cox had the record of 929 with everyone watching Orlando’s Jackson Brafford at 922. Brafford struggled in his 20^th and final season with the Orcas, but he still easily cleared Cox’s record despite a -0.7 WAR season by hitting 25 dingers, giving him 947. Brafford also finished the season at 2377 RBI, passing Cox’s 2333 for that all-time lead. Hollinger entered the year at 883 homers, so most assumed he’d be the third in MLB to reach the 900 club. But his 64 homer explosion got Hollinger to 947 by seasons’ end, tied with Brafford for the new MLB record and tied for 15^th on the world leaderboard. Both joined the 3500 hit club, a mark met by 17 MLB batters. Hollinger is fourth in MLB with 2274 RBI and could pass Brafford next season with another strong showing. He’s also fourth in runs (2108) and 9^th in hits (3600) not quite yet in striking distance of Stan Provost’s 2348 runs or 4133 hits. Hollinger is at 7139 total bases, just behind Cox’s record of 7156. Brafford became the only other MLB slugger with 7000+ bags, finishing his career at 7030. Hollinger signed a three-year deal with the Admirals, his fifth pro team. Milwaukee’s Rajmund Bottcher took Pitcher of the Year with 47 first place votes, while KC’s Jack Enamorado and QC’s Simon Pomeroy each had eight first place votes apiece. It was the second full season for the 25-year old Polish lefty, who led with a 0.97 WHIP. Bottcher posted a 21-7 record, 2.63 ERA, 257 innings, 184 strikeouts, 160 ERA+, 72 FIP-, and 7.4 WAR. With the small gap between teams, winning the division was even more critical as it gave you home field advantage and a built-in win in the first round. Chicago swept Montreal with 5-0 and 7-6 wins. Halifax won its opener 4-3 against St. Louis, getting a walkoff solo homer from Nolan Jorgensen on the first pitch of the ninth. The Cardinals won game two 7-3, but the Hound Dogs took the next one 9-4 to advance. The one upset was between division rivals Baltimore and New York. The Orioles were the division champ and had the built-in bonus, but the Yankees won 6-4, 5-3, and 5-2 to oust the O’s. Kansas City met NY and won 9-4 in the opener, although the Yankees surprised them 5-4 in game two. The Cougars snagged the next two by 7-4 and 5-2 margins on the road, giving KC its first National Association Championship Series trip since 2030. Their last pennants came with their 2016-19 dynasty run. Chicago opened with 5-4 and 4-2 home wins, but Halifax countered with 7-1 and 8-1 home wins. Back at Wrigley, the Hound Dogs scored a stunning 6-0 upset on a three-hitter by Callum McGonagal, eliminating the defending champion Cubs. Halifax had only once gotten to the NACS since joining as a 2021 expansion team, losing to Washington in 2037. Jake Felix’s five-hitter with 11 Ks pushed Kansas City to a 5-0 win in the NACS opener. Halifax scored the 4-3 upset in game two, but the Cougars picked up 3-1 and 11-3 victories in Nova Scotia. The Hound Dogs kept the series alive in a 10-inning, 4-3 result for game five. Meier Simister ended the game on a solo walkoff homer on the first pitch of the inning. Back in KC, both teams had 10 hits in game six. Kansas City made theirs count in a 6-1 win to clinch the series, becoming nine-time National Association champs (1937, 61, 62, 76, 91, 2016, 18, 19, 41). Two-way player Rodney Marengue was NACS MVP, pitching a workhorse complete game in the finale with only one run allowed despite ten hits and two walks with 10 strikeouts. He was the losing pitcher in game two, but was solid with two runs allowed in 7.1 innings. The 28-year old Filipino lefty was also 6-17 offensively in the series with four homers and six RBI. __________________ 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)

05-22-2026, 08:08 PM	#2873
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,516	2041 MLB American Association The American Association also saw tremendous parity in 2041 with only eight wins separating the #1 seed and final wild card. At the all-star break, Oklahoma City surprised many with the best record at 64-35. Salt Lake City at 62-37 was next, followed by Houston at 58-41. The Hornets were the reigning World Series, three-time defending AA champ, and two-time defending Baseball Grand Champion, so all eyes were trained on them for a big second half. It never materialized as they were 30-33 after the break. OKC was merely 33-30 to finish, but their big start still earned them the top seed at 97-65. It ended a 12-year reign atop the South Central Division by Houston. The Outlaws earned a third straight playoff trip, but first division title since 2026. SLC had the same 33-30 finish, but again it held for a division title and the #2 seed at 95-67. The Loons ended a 20-year playoff drought and won the Northwest Division for the first time since 2009. Salt Lake City narrowly held off 92-70 Seattle, who got the first wild card. The Grizzlies haven’t had a losing season since 2018, earning their fourth playoff trip in five years. Edmonton and Denver were also part of the crowded wild card fight (more on that shortly). The biggest shocker was Miami atop the Southeast Division at 94-68 thanks to a 38-25 finish. This finally ended the longest playoff drought in MLB history at a staggering 68 seasons. While the Mallards’ last playoff berth was 1972, you have to go back more than a century for their last division title in 1938. Jacksonville was the runner-up at 88-74, whilst defending division champ Atlanta was 83-79. No team had a stronger finish in the AA than Phoenix at 41-22. The Firebirds were seventh in the Southwest Division at the break sitting 49-50, but clawed their way back to 90-72. The Firebirds through game 162 finished one ahead of both Sacramento and San Francisco at 89-73, while the rest of the division had Oakland (85-77), Albuquerque (85-77), San Diego (82-80), and Las Vegas (81-81). It was repeat playoff trips for Phoenix, but their first division title since 2016. In a crowded field for the remaining two wild cards, three teams finished tied at 89-73; Sacramento, San Francisco, and Edmonton. Therefore missing the cut narrowly at 88-74 was Houston, Denver, and Jacksonville at 88-74; along with 87-75 El Paso, and 85-77 Austin, Albuquerque, and Oakland. This ended the Hornets’ 14-year playoff streak and thwarted the repeat bid. Thus, a pair of one-game playoffs would determine the playoff teams. The first was San Francisco hosting Sacramento. Notably, they had met in the final three game series hosted by the Shamrocks with 5-4 and 6-3 Sacramento wins, followed by a 1-0 Gold Rush win to lock them up. The Shamrocks took the decisive game 4-2 to earn their first-ever playoff trip. Sacramento was the only team left of the 2021 expansion squads that hadn’t made it in at least once. San Francisco had a second chance but had to go up north to Edmonton. In a pitcher’s duel, the Eels held on for a 2-1 victory. It ended a five-year playoff drought for Edmonton, but was notably only their second playoff trip of the 21^st Century. Although San Diego missed the playoffs, 1B Alair White was again MVP with 48 first place votes while five other players split the remaining shares. He joined Andrei Tanev and Elijah Cashman (7) as the only MLB players with 6+ MVP wins. It was a repeat for White with the Seals, while he four-peated from 2032-35 with Vancouver. The 31-year old lefty from Mississippi didn’t match his absurd 90 home run, 184 RBI campaign from the prior year. Still, White led in runs (126), homers (56), OPS (1.079), and WAR (9.4) in his third season for San Diego. He added 194 hits, 113 RBI, and 185 wRC+. White reached the 2000 hit, 650 home run, and 1500 RBI milestones in 2041 and won his eighth Silver Slugger. He has an impressive 1.086 OPS and 91.0 WAR for his career. White signed through 2045 with the Seals. Pitcher of the Year went to Edmonton’s Iwo Lyko with 34 first place votes. His closest foes were Miami’s Declan Thomas (14) and Phoenix’s Leo Chapa (10). The 30-year old Polish righty was in his 11^th season with the Eels and led in ERA (2.67), innings (276.1), quality starts (24), FIP- (58), and WAR (9.4). Lyko had a 17-11 record, 172 ERA+, and 218 strikeouts. He has one more year left under contract for Edmonton, having joined as a 2027 scouting discovery. Salt Lake City had the lone first round playoff sweep with 8-7 and 7-6 wins plus the bonus against Edmonton. Miami had to rally to force extras in their opener with Sacramento, winning 4-3 in 11. The Shamrocks got the next one 5-3, but the Mallards took game three 5-4 and had the bonus to advance, guaranteeing the first October baseball in south Florida in nearly 70 years. Phoenix needed 10 innings to take their opener 4-3 over Seattle. The Grizzlies countered 6-3 the next night, but the Firebirds won the finale 1-0 to send each division champ forward. It was the duality of baseball with both pitchers throwing complete games. The winner, Steven Marinella, gave up four hits and four walks, but zero runs. Seattle’s Paco Navares gave up one walk and only one hit, but the hit was a solo homer for the game’s lone run. Salt Lake City opened the second round on a combined four-hitter for a 3-0 win over Miami. The Mallards countered 4-3 to even the series. However, the Loons unloaded with 11-5 and 14-2 road wins to advance. This was only the second-ever American League Championship Series berth for SLC, who lost in 2004 against Phoenix. The Firebirds were the only “traditional power” of the final four despite their 26-year pennant drought, as top seed Oklahoma City had only made it four times in franchise history. Phoenix began the second round on a 4-2 road upset. The Outlaws claimed game two 7-3, but the Firebirds dominated 8-2 and 11-5 at home to advance to their first AACS since their 2014 World Series win. It was their 23^rd trip overall, second-most behind only Houston, ending their longest-ever gap between appearances. Game one was scoreless until the bottom of the 11^th inning with a dramatic 410 foot, three-run homer by Salt Lake City’s Liam Middlebrooks for a 3-0 final. The Loons won game two 8-3. Phoenix got on the board at home 6-1, but SLC countered 3-2 the next night. The Loons ended the series on the road, claiming game five by a 7-2 margin. CF Guy Tukhbatulin was series MVP, going 7-17 with two solo homers. He was in his eighth season starting in Utah. Salt Lake City finally won its first pennant after 60 years of trying. Two charter franchises, San Antonio and Oakland, remain without a pennant through MLB’s 141 seasons. Austin and Wichita, who entered in 1982 with the Loons, also still haven’t been to the World Series. Unsurprisingly, six of the eight expansion teams from 2021 also haven’t made it. __________________ 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)

05-23-2026, 07:08 AM	#2874
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,516	2041 World Series The 141^st World Series was the first appearance for Salt Lake City and the ninth for Kansas City. The Cougars had only won it all twice before, in 1991 and 2018. The associations alternate home field advantage, beginning the 2041 Fall Classic in Utah. SLC exploded for a six-run second inning in game one, but KC rallied with seven runs over the final three frames in an 8-6 road win. CF Jonathan Gonzalez was 4-4 with a homer, three runs, and two RBI. The Cougars rallied again in game two for another road win, this time 4-3. KC went ahead on a three-run ninth inning with two homers. The Loons got on the board on the road in game three on a 6-0 shutout, although the game was scoreless until the seventh inning. Ian Kanyanta tossed a three-hitter with five strikeouts and one walk over 100 pitches. A tight 2-1 pitcher’s duel in game four went to Salt Lake City to tie the series. Game five also was a 2-1 pitcher’s duel in favor of the Loons, giving them the 3-2 series lead heading back to Utah. The trend of road winners continued with Kansas City grabbing game six by a 7-6 margin. SLC got three runs in the bottom of the ninth, but couldn’t tie the game. Game seven would be a chilly, 39 degree partly cloudy Friday evening and another pitcher’s duel. Kansas City got solo home runs in the second and third innings. The 2-0 score held until the bottom of the ninth. The leadoff Loon grounded out, followed by a walk and a Hugh Coatsworth double. Abdullah Thani flew out to right, scoring Devarsi Ghimire on a sacrifice fly. However the final batter struck out, allowing the Cougars to escape with the 2-1 win and their third MLB title. The only previous World Series to go seven games with only road winners was Houston over St. Louis back in 1910. Rodney Marengue pitched 8.2 innings for KC, allowing four hits, one run, three walks, and seven strikeouts. Closer Teddy Phan came in to get the final out for the Cougars. In defeat, SLC’s Ian Kanyanta tossed 8.1 innings with six hits, two runs, two walks, and eight strikeouts. CF Jonathan Gonzalez was series MVP, going 11-26 with four homers and seven RBI, including one of the solo bombs in game seven. The 33-year old Venezuelan had started his career in his native country with Ciudad Guayana. He had been excellent when healthy, but was regularly plagued by injuries. He signed in 2040 with Kansas City and only played 59 games in 2041’s regular season. In the playoff run, he had 25 hits, 15 runs, 8 homers, 12 RBI, 1.152 OPS, 211 wRC+, and 1.3 WAR. Other notes: As mentioned previously, 2041 was the final season for 1B Jackson Brafford after 20 seasons for Orlando. Although the Orcas were largely mediocre in his run, he passed Isaac Cox in his final year to become MLB’s all-time home run king (co-held with Neil Hollinger at 947) and the RBI leader (2377). Brafford also finished with 3518 hits, 2037 runs, 591 doubles, .975 OPS, 149 wRC+, and 104.2 WAR. Brafford and Jude Hoffer both breached 2000 runs scored, marking seven in MLB to do it and only 47 in world history. Steve Castro became the 15^th in MLB with 2000 RBI. Hoffer, Castro, and Harley Verdeja grew the 3000 hit club to 84 members. Verdeja, Woodrow Reed, Edhar Baranov, and Logan Eggers made it 142 guys with 1500 runs scored. Alair White, Calvin Clavell, Clemente Garcia, and Hoffer made it 153 with 1500 RBI. Garcia and Clavell were the 60^th and 61^st to join the 600 homer club. Melvin Wagner and Pablo Rivera grew the 500 homer club to 147. For Hoffer, he was traded to Tulsa in 2041 after 22 seasons with Washington. At age 43, he was still good for .729 OPS, 104 wRC+, and 2.1 WAR. With his excellent defensive value, Hoffer is now at 154.88 career WAR, behind only Morgan Short (170.47) in MLB history. On the world leaderboard among all players ever, Hoffer ranks 40^th in WAR. Hoffer also has 1604 walks, 8^th in MLB and 25^th in world history. He enters free agency in the winter and plans to continue playing. At age 41 in his fourth MLB season and 24^th overall, Binh “The King” Tang was still good for 5.2 WAR, .944 OPS, and 152 wRC+ over 128 games for Houston. He became the 9^th in history with 4000+ professional hits, ending the season 5^th in the rankings with 4132 between his APB/MLB runs. Tang also is now one of 31 with 900+ homers, ranking 27^th at 924. The Vietnamese legend has 3530 games (8^th in world history), 2318 runs (8^th), 659 doubles (T-48^th), 2338 RBI (T-16^th), and 211.8 WAR (3^rd). Tang is only behind EBF SS Harvey Coyle (234.9) and OBA/MLB SS/2B Jimmy Caliw (214.0) on the all-time world leaderboard. The 13-time MVP will be a free agent and his future is uncertain, although he does intend to play somewhere. Dallas’ Raphael Cornejo had a seven-hit game against Dallas on July 19, the 10^th game in MLB history of 7+ hits for a batter. Austin’s Carlo Lucatero had a 32-game hitting streak in the late summer. CF Andy Nagel won his 8^th Gold Glove. In a bad record, San Antonio’s pitching staff allowed 1785 hits and 11.15 H/9 on the season, both the worst in MLB history. __________________ 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)

05-23-2026, 05:53 PM	#2875
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,516	2041 Baseball Grand Championship The 32^nd Baseball Grand Championship was hosted in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Earning the autobids for the event were MLB’s Kansas City and Salt Lake City; CABA’s Leon and Puerto Rico; EAB’s Kitakyushu and Yongin; BSA’s Ciudad Guayana and Rio de Janeiro; EBF’s Dublin and Budapest; EPB’s St. Petersburg; OBA’s Sydney; APB’s Taipei; CLB’s Hangzhou; WAB’s Libreville; SAB’s Da Nang; ABF’s Tashkent; ALB’s Algiers; and AAB’s Kampala. Earning the at-large spots were WAB’s Nouakchott, and AAB’s Dar es Salaam. At the first break day through five games, last year’s runner-up Dublin was tied for first with Libreville at 5-0. Hangzhou and Da Nang were next at 4-1, then four teams sat at 3-2. At the second break, the Nailers had gone on a 9-2 tear, including an eight-game winning streak. Da Nang was now first at 13-3, followed by the Hens at 11-5. Dublin, Kampala, Libreville, Kansas City, and Nouakchott were each 10-6. The Nailers’ win streak grew to ten games, critically beating Hangzhou 5-1 and Kampala 4-3. Da Nang had a three-game lead with three left and the only team that could reach them and held the tiebreaker over the Nailers was Libreville. The door was opened as Da Nang lost their final three games, but the Lakers 11-7 loss to Puerto Rico in their penultimate contest officially sealed it. Da Nang finished 15-6, joining 2023 Dhaka as the only Grand Champions from South Asia Baseball. The Nailers had notably finished second in 2038. Combining their SAB regular season and playoff records, Da Nang was 136-64 for the year. West African Baseball’s Libreville and Nouakchott were both next at 14-7 with the Lakers taking second on the head-to-head 3-2 win. Only four times previously had a WAB team finished in the top three, marking an impressive effort to get the runners-up in 2041. The Nailers allowed the fewest runs at 55 and went 6-0 in one-run games. Veteran arm Bikarama Shah in his fourth season for Da Nang went 4-0 with a 1.14 ERA over 31.2 innings, 46 strikeouts, 342 ERA+, and 1.9 WAR. Phoutdavy Chantahlangsy in 30.2 innings was 2-1 with a 1.47 ERA, 37 Ks, and 1.8 WAR. Raihan Sharif went 3-2 over 34.1 innings with a 2.10 ERA, 51 Ks, and 1.3 WAR. This shows the remarkable effort at the top of the rotation, taking the top prize despite being middling offensively. Khuzairil Hussein also made 10 relief appearances with 9 saves and a win, allowing only one unearned run with 16 Ks and 1.1 WAR. This was one save short of the event record. By WAR, 1B Gunasraja Ramgopal was their top hitter at 1.0 with 22 hits, 11 runs, 6 doubles, 4 homers, 8 RBI, 1.015 OPS, 184 wRC+, and 1.0 WAR. World Series participants Kansas City and Salt Lake City tied at 13-8 with the Cougars officially fourth having won over the Loons 12-4. From there was a five-way tie for sixth at 12-9 which by tiebreakers went Dar es Salaam, Kampala Budapest, Hangzhou, and Dublin. Ciudad Guayana was alone in 11^th at 11-10. The Sabercats led in runs scored (123) and differential (+38). As for the teams with losing records; Algiers, Tashkent, and Yongin each were 10-11. At 9-12 sat Rio de Janeiro, St. Petersburg, and Sydney. Leon was alone at 8-13, then at 7-14 were Kitakyushu, Puerto Rico, and Taipei. Tabriz took last place outright at 5-16. NOTE: For whatever reason, not all players will show up on the leaderboard page for the year. However, they do still get listed on the all-time leaderboard. Dar es Salaam’s 123 runs were the second-most in event history behind Washington’s 131 in 2037. The Sabercats’ 59 homers were third-best. Leading the way was LF Sebastian Malema, the first-ever repeat Tournament MVP. He joins Jude Hoffer (3) and Mike Rojas (2) as the only multiple-time MVPs in Baseball Grand Championship history. The 30-year old South African set a new event record by one with 24 runs scored. In 20 games, Malema had 28 hits, 2 doubles, 13 home runs, 23 RBI, .364/.438/.896 slash, 271 wRC+, and 2.17 WAR. His WAR was the 15^th-best by a position player. With the Sabercats dynasty, Malema and teammate Ferdinand Rajerison have both soared up the career stat leaderboards. Both now have 52 BGC home runs, one behind Artyom Masharipov for the most. Malema passed Masharipov (104) for the most RBI (109), while Rajerison is third at 92. Rajerison is the event leader in both hits (128) and total bases (303). Malema is second in both with 127 hits and 298 total bases. The former high mark for hits was Emilian Bohler at 121 and for bags was Masharipov at 286. Malema is 5^th in WAR (7.09) and Rajerison 10^th (5.85) among position players. In other notables, Kansas City’s Derek Colon tied the event with 32 RBI, reached thrice previously. He also smacked 16 home runs, one short of Ludevit Dano/R.J. Zaragoza’s shared record. Ciudad Guayana’s Brian Romero got 31 hits, one shy of the record. Best Pitcher was awarded to Hangzhou’s Imran Mahmud, who was 3-0 in four starts with a 1.45 ERA, 37.1 innings, 36 strikeouts, 266 ERA+, 58 FIP-, and 1.4 WAR. Arguably, several pitchers had more impressive stat lines. Libreville’s Ibrahima Ndaw had a 1.02 ERA and 4-0 record over 35.1 innings with 62 Ks and 2.75 WAR. His WAR was the 5^th-best by a pitcher in event history. KC’s Jake Felix and Nouakchott’s Gjord Andersen both won five games, tying the event record hit seven times prior. Felix struck out 72 batters, tied for the 2^nd-best in BGC history. Kampala’s Abdullahi Ali was a beast as usual, as his 2.66 WAR as the 7^th-best. The Somali lefty had a 1.01 ERA in 35.2 innings with a 3-1 record and 54 strikeouts. Ali is the all-time event leader (125 innings required) for H/9 (4.39), K/9 (16.90), WHIP (0.69), opponent’s average (.142), slugging (.263), and OPS (.474). His 8.98 WAR is 2^nd among all players behind only Nejc Novak’s 10.16. Ali has a 1.92 ERA over 149 BGC innings, 9-7 record, and 281 Ks. He’s up to 4^th on the BGC strikeout list and his ERA is 4^th among qualifiers. Other notes: Dublin’s 0.852 team WHIP was the best in event history. Tabriz’s Arif Abenov hit for the cycle against Sydney on November 5. __________________ 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)

Yesterday, 09:07 AM	#2876
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,516	2042 MLB Hall of Fame (Part 1) Major League Baseball’s 2042 Hall of Fame class was an impressive one with four guys entering on the first ballot. Three were no-doubters with 1B Mike Rojas at 98.8%, 2B Jeff Bonner at 94.6%, and RF Mark Johnston at 93.0%. CL J.J. Fuller joined them at 74.8%. Only one other player was above 50%, but fell short of the 66% threshold with 1B Gilbert Windemere at 59.7% on his sixth try. Among those dropped after ten failed ballots was SP Bo Hansen, who debuted and peaked at 39.1% before finishing at 11.2%. He had a 17-year career mostly split between Seattle and Minnesota with a 221-167 record, 3.40 ERA, 3509 innings, 3248 strikeouts, 108 ERA+, 90 FIP-, and 63.2 WAR. He had good longevity, but never was a league leader, award winner, or all-star. A very solid Hall of Pretty Good type. Also dropped was C Max Scarbrough, who debuted at 27.9% and ended with 6.2%. In an 18-year run between Orlando and Sacramento, he had 2073 hits, 943 runs, 320 doubles, 261 home runs, 977 RBI, .256/.303/.417 slash, 101 wRC+, and 49.3 WAR. Scarbrough had excellent durability and was a great defender who won a Gold Glove, but he was a middling bat on bad teams. Mike “Silencer” Rojas – First Base – Cincinnati Reds – 98.8% First Ballot Mike Rojas was a 6’3’’, 195 pound right-handed first baseman from Harrison, Michigan; a small town of around 2,100 people in the north-central part of the state. He was nicknamed “The Silencer” for his often decisive bat. Few in MLB history were more efficient bats and Rojas was equally potent facing righties or lefties. At his peak, scouts gave his contact rating the rare 10/10 grade. Rojas combined that with excellent power with a 162 game average of 51 home runs, 27 doubles, and 7 triples. He also had a lower strikeout rate than most MLB bats and was above average at drawing walks. Rojas’ baserunning instincts were also stellar with average-to-above average speed. Offensively, he was about as complete of a weapon that you’ll find. Rojas was a career first baseman and was subpar defensively. He wasn’t immune from injuries and had recurring back issues, but he largely held up well over a 22-year run. Rojas was clean-cut, loyal, and adaptable; which combined with his bat made him one of the era’s most beloved superstars. Rojas attended Kansas and missed much of his freshman year to a hamstring strain. However, he won a Silver Slugger in LF as a sophomore and was third in college MVP voting. In three seasons as a Jayhawk, Rojas played 115 games with 144 hits, 85 runs, 15 doubles, 54 homers, 112 RBI, .344/.416/.778 slash, 258 wRC+, and 10.8 WAR. Rojas was highly rated for the 2015 MLB Draft and went third overall to Cincinnati. Many felt it was a perfect fit simply because “Rojas” was the Spanish word for “red.” He had an immediate huge impact, leading the National Association in triple slash (.343/.418/.705), OPS (1.123), and wRC+ (228) in his debut with 9.4 WAR and 47 home runs. Rojas unsurprisingly was Rookie of the Year, but also was second in MVP voting and won a Silver Slugger in LF. This was his only full season as a left fielder, shifting to first base for the remainder of his career almost exclusively. In 2017, Rojas again won a Slugger and was second in MVP voting. The next year, he was third in MVP voting with his third Slugger. He also hit for the cycle in September against Buffalo. Cincinnati ended an eight-year playoff drought, having won 65 or fewer games in each of the last four seasons. Although they were a one-and-done wild card, the Reds would soon have their longest run of sustained contention. Cincinnati had won two pennants and a World Series from 2009-09, but otherwise had been generally irrelevant historically. They had only once had a four-year playoff streak over their first century. The Reds narrowly missed in 2019, but would begin an eight-year streak from 2020-27 with Rojas leading the way. 2020 was an all-timer season with his first MVP and another Silver Slugger. Rojas recorded only the eighth hitting Triple Crown in MLB history, leading with 59 homers, 139 RBI, a .352/.418/.709 slash, 423 total bases, 1.126 OPS, 238 wRC+, and 11.7 WAR. The wRC+ and WAR would be career bests, the latter ranking as the 13^th-best season by an MLB position player. Cincinnati won the Lower Midwest Division at 98-64, starting a six-year streak of division titles. The #3 seed, the Reds upset #2 seed Chicago 3-2 in the second round, while top seed Quebec City was swept by Kansas City. Cincinnati cruised to a 4-1 victory over KC in the National Association Championship Series, but were denied in the World Series 4-2 by Denver. Rojas had .923 OPS, 173 wRC+, and 0.7 WAR over 18 playoff starts. Rojas went on an absolute tear in the Baseball Grand Championship, although the Reds were tied for fifth at 11-8. He had 25 hits, 17 runs, 5 doubles, 9 homers, 19 RBI, 1.345 OPS, 331 wRC+, and 2.3 WAR. The WAR is tied for the fourth-best by a position player in event history, earning him Tournament MVP. Cincinnati knew they had their megastar and the next April, gave Rojas an eight-year, $161,700,000 extension. He also became a World Baseball Championship regular for the United States team from 2017-28, furthering his national and international popularity. Over 108 games, Rojas had 106 hits, 72 runs, 19 doubles, 31 home runs, 84 RBI, .287/.354/.612 slash, and 5.4 WAR. Rojas was especially in America’s 2023 runner-up bid, leading all players in runs (28) and RBI (33). He was third in WBC MVP that year and won world titles with the US in 2017 and 2020. Rojas repeated as NA MVP in 2021 and nearly got another Triple Crown. He led with career bests for homers (60), runs (129), and total bases (433) while also leading in RBI (139), slugging (.716), OPS (1.121), wRC+ (236), and WAR (11.7) with a .354 average. Cincinnati finished 101-61 and got bounced 3-2 by Detroit in the second round. This was a shockingly weak playoff run for Rojas with -0.2 WAR and .280 OPS. 2022 had the MVP three-peat with the lead in runs (127), total bases (378), slugging (.633), OPS (1.024), wRC+ (207), and WAR (9.1). Cincinnati set a franchise best at 109-53 and got the top seed. The Reds won the NACS in a 4-3 war with the Cubs, but got swept in a World Series rematch with Denver. This was Rojas’ best MLB playoff run with 1.229 OPS, 273 wRC+, and 1.7 WAR. Cincinnati went 9-10 in the BGC, but Rojas was a beast again there with 26 hits, 16 runs, 9 homers, 20 RBI, 1.138 OPS, 237 wRC+, and 1.7 WAR. He became the first player to win Tournament MVP twice in Baseball Grand Championship history. Rojas was excited to keep rolling in 2023, but he suffered a broken kneecap in late May that knocked him out five months. The Reds finished 107-55 even with Rojas’ injury and topped the Tigers 4-2 for their third National Association pennant in four years. Rojas made it back in time for the World Series, although he wasn’t quite ready as he struggled to .346 OPS and -0.2 WAR. Regardless, Cincinnati defeated San Diego to win the top prize, earning Rojas that elusive ring. A few weeks later in the Baseball Grand Championship, Rojas was back to form with 10 home runs, 18 RBU, 1.062 OPS, 215 wRC+, and 1.1 WAR. He took second in MVP voting, but the Reds again had an unremarkable 9-10 finish. Rojas had a good 2024, but did lose six weeks in the fall to a strained lat. Cincinnati went 95-67, but lost 4-1 to Washington in the NACS. Rojas again had a surprisingly poor playoff run, but the rest of his Reds tenure avoided such hiccups. Rojas was completely healthy and back to form in 2025 with career and NA bests for RBI (158), total bases (426), slugging (.728), and OPS (1.148). He won his seventh Silver Slugger and fourth MVP, as well as all-star game MVP honors. Rojas is one of 12 in MLB history to win MVP 4+ times. He also had his career best hitting streak in the spring at 32 games. Cincinnati got the top seed at 103-59, but took an upset loss 3-1 in the second round to Washington. 2026 was his eighth and final Silver Slugger and a third place in MVP voting. It was also Rojas’ last time as an association leader with 142 RBI and 426 total bases. He had nine seasons of 7+ WAR and eight had OPS above one. Cincinnati’s division title streak ended despite going 102-60, as Louisville finished 105-57. The Reds had the last laugh 3-1 over the Lynx in the second round. Cincinnati then beat Montreal 4-2 in the NACS for Rojas’ fourth pennant, but they were denied a second World Series ring by San Diego 4-2. 2026 had his highest power numbers for a playoff run with 7 homers and 18 RBI. A latissimus dorsi strain in the World Series kept Rojas out for the BGC, which was actually the Reds’ best finish of his run at 12-7. They were one of six teams tied for the third-most wins, officially sixth after tiebreakers. Rojas finished as one of the BGC’s best-ever over 55 games with 66 hits, 48 runs, 11 doubles, 28 homers, 57 RBI, .324/.387/.799 slash, 1.186 OPS, and 5.1 WAR. On July 17, 2027; Rojas added a four-home run game to his accolades against Baltimore. Cincinnati was back atop the division at 95-67 and got to one last NACS, falling 4-1 to Montreal. This marked the end of the dynasty run, which was easily the most sustained era of success in Reds history. While Rojas laid a couple playoff eggs, his numbers were strong overall with 96 games, 107 hits, 50 runs, 16 doubles, 7 triples, 24 homers, 70 RBI, .289/.341/.565 slash, 159 wRC+, and 4.3 WAR. Rojas was done as an MVP candidate at this point but he was still a reliable 4-6 WAR player through his 30s with Cincinnati. In February 2029, he signed a five-year, $148,400,000 extension. The Reds were middling in 2028-29, then poor in 2030 at 69-93. They did rebound for a division title and the top seed in 2031 at 99-63, but got upset in the second round by Toronto. A fractured foot kept Rojas out of the playoffs. He was actually closer to his MVP paces in 2032 with 1.114 OPS, 216 wRC+, and 5.6 WAR; but only played 103 games thanks to a torn groin. Cincinnati was middling in 2032-33, then had a division title and first round exit in 2034. Rojas again looked closer to his old form that year, but several injuries limited him to 99 games and he missed the playoffs. Rojas also continued to climb up the leaderboards, crossing 2000 RBI in 2033 and 800 home runs in 2034. To that point, he was the ninth to reach the former and the second to reach the latter in MLB. With the injuries piling up though, the Reds didn’t extend their long-time superstar after the 2034 season. Rojas remained beloved by Cincinnati fans and maintained a good relationship with management, getting his #33 uniform later retired. In total, Rojas played 2626 games with 3294 hits, 1870 runs, 453 doubles, 128 triples, 806 home runs, 2122 RBI, 832 walks, .330/.380/.642 slash, 1.023 OPS, 194 wRC+, and 129.9 WAR. Coming up on age 40, Rojas still wanted to play and signed a three-year, $69,800,000 deal with Ottawa. Some wondered if he could chase Isaac Cox’s record of 929 homers and 2333 RBI. Rojas’ overall production was lower than his peaks in 2035, but he was still good for 48 homers, .866 OPS, 141 wRC+, and 3.3 WAR. Despite his addition, Ottawa was middling at 78-84. Rojas had stayed healthy in 2035, but missed most of 2036 with a strained hip muscle. The Elks won the Northeast Division at 90-62 and made a surprise NACS run, but lost to Grand Rapids. Rojas was lackluster with .638 OPS, 63 wRC+, and -0.0 WAR in his final playoff run. He also suffered a torn groin muscle in the NACS. In two years in the Canadian capital, Rojas played 217 games with 248 hits, 132 runs, 29 doubles, 66 homers, 153 RBI, .292/.326/.568 slash, 154 wRC+, and 6.0 WAR. Rojas still thought he could chase some records and contribute, but MLB teams felt he was too brittle at this point. He ended up finding work in the African Association of Baseball. Bangui expected a decent run, giving him a three-year, $41,800,000 deal. His time in the Central African Republic didn’t go well, eventually getting benched with -0.7 WAR and 80 wRC+ over 94 games in 2037. Rojas had 23 homers and a .212/.266/.469 slash. Realizing it was time to call it, Rojas retired that winter at age 42. For his MLB career, Rojas played 2843 games with 3542 hits, 2002 runs, 482 doubles, 132 triples, 872 home runs, 2275 RBI, 874 walks, 1353 strikeouts, 298 stolen bases, .327/.376/.637 slash, 1.013 OPS, 191 wRC+, 6904 total bases, and 135.9 WAR. On the MLB leaderboards at induction, Rojas is 55^th in games, 7^th in runs, 16^th in total bases, 70^th in doubles, 4^th in homers, 3^rd in RBI, and 6^th in WAR among position players. Among MLBers with 3000+ plate appearances, Rojas is 45^th in batting average, 6^th in slugging, and 7^th in OPS. He’s one of only eight qualifiers in MLB history with an OPS above one. Adding his AAB season, Rojas had 2937 games, 3607 hits, 2046 runs, 488 doubles, 895 homers, 2336 RBI, 895 walks, .323/.373/.632 slash, 1.005 OPS, 188 wRC+, and 135.2 WAR. On the world leaderboard, Rojas is 37^th in runs, 49^th in hits, 34^th in homers, and 18^th in RBI. He ranks 118^th in WAR among all players ever. Among Hall of Famers and retired locks, Rojas is 48^th in slugging, 49^th in OPS, and 33^rd in wRC+. He’s easily one of Major League Baseball’s true immortals and one of the best pure bats to ever do it. You could certainly rank Rojas as a top ten or top five batter in MLB history. Some argue he’s MLB’s best-ever first baseman, although seven-time MVP Elijah Cashman most commonly is cited above him. Only Cashman is in front of Rojas for career WAR at the position. Rojas is the position leader in total bases, homers, and RBI. In a loaded four-man Hall of Fame class in 2042, Rojas stood out as the headliner at 98.8%. Jeff Bonner – Second Base – New York Yankees – 94.6% First Ballot Jeff Bonner was a 6’0’’, 200 pound right-handed second baseman from Steelton, Pennsylvania; a borough of around 6,000 in the Harrisburg metropolitan area. Bonner was a reliably good-to-great contact and power hitter against both righties and lefties fairly evenly. His 162 game average got you 42 home runs, 21 doubles, and 6 triples. Bonner was above average relative to most MLB batters for drawing walks and avoiding strikeouts. Bonner was a highly skilled an intelligent baserunner, although his speed was merely above average. He was a career second baseman and far better hitting that almost anyone there. However, you had to put up with mediocre-to-bad defense. Bonner’s durability was stellar with 140+ starts in all but one of his 20 seasons. He was remarkably consistent for his entire run, making him a very popular player of the era. He attended the University of Miami and won Silver Sluggers as a sophomore and junior. Over 147 college games, Bonner had 146 hits, 113 runs, 25 doubles, 60 home runs, 126 RBI, .273/.362/.669 slash, 207 wRC+, and 10.2 WAR. He was picked #7 by New York in the 2016 MLB Draft and was a full-time starter immediately for the Yankees. Bonner was third in 2017’s Rookie of the Year voting with a 4.7 WAR effort. It was also the first of 15 consecutive seasons with 30+ homers and 4.5+ WAR. Bonner won his first Silver Sluggers in 2020-21 and won again in 2024 for New York. 2020 had his career best for WAR at 9.2. This also ended a 17-year playoff drought for the Yankees, although they lost in the first round. They went back into the lower-mid tier for the rest of his run despite his efforts. For New York, Bonner played 1246 games with 1342 hits, 768 runs, 172 doubles, 44 triples, 320 home runs, 752 RBI, .283/.335/.541 slash, 166 wRC+, and 53.5 WAR. It was narrowly his longest tenure and Bonner’s popularity did see his #12 uniform eventually retired. He opted for free agency after the 2024 season at age 28 and got a big payday. Bonner stayed in the East Division on an eight-year, $297,500,000 deal with Baltimore. He won Silver Sluggers in 2025, 27, and 29 with the Orioles. Bonner’s only time as an association leader was in 2027 with 136 RBI. That year had 52 home runs, one of two 50+ seasons. He also hit 53 in 2025 for Baltimore. Like New York, the Orioles were perpetually mid in this era. They had one playoff trip with Bonner, a wild card and first round exit in 2030. Bonner only played five playoff games for his entire career. He did show he could play on a big stage in the World Baseball Championship. Bonner was a starter for the United States from 2019-26 and reserve through 2032. In 153 games and 130 starts, he had 127 hits, 81 runs, 23 doubles, 37 home runs, 87 RBI, .289/.352/.608 slash, 180 wRC+, and 6.6 WAR. Bonner was second in MVP voting during the 2020 championship run for the Americans and also got a ring in 2032. Bonner’s last year with Baltimore was his only injury-shortened year thanks to a strained ACL. In eight seasons for the Orioles, he played 1195 games, 1341 hits, 808 runs, 151 doubles, 48 triples, 348 home runs, 870 RBI, .297/.350/.583 slash, 157 wRC+, and 46.7 WAR. Bonner was very well liked for his efforts and was remarkably steady. Now a free agent again at age 36, he went to Philadelphia on a two-year, $63 million deal. His 2033 was his weakest year to date, but he was back to his usual numbers in 2034. For the Phillies, Bonner had 305 games, 318 hits, 206 runs, 36 doubles, 80 home runs, 198 RBI, .278/.337/.535 slash, 144 wRC+, and 9.6 WAR. Philadelphia had winning records both years, but were just outside of the playoffs. While there, Bonner reached 3000 career hits and 700 home runs. Bonner’s last deal was for two years and $40,400,000 for Cincinnati. He was still a solid starter in 2035, but regressed to near average in 2036. He got 296 hits, 168 runs, 45 doubles, 50 home runs 143 RBI, .255/.318/.446 slash, 117 wRC+, and 5.2 WAR. Bonner was just shy of the 2000 run, 800 home run, and 2000 RBI milestones, but it looked like his days as a starter were done. Instead of sticking around and testing the market, he retired after the 2036 season at age 40. In total, Bonner played 3059 games with 3297 hits, 1950 runs, 404 doubles, 114 triples, 798 home runs, 1963 RBI, 894 walks, 1860 strikeouts, 380 steals, .285/.340/.547 slash, 155 wRC+, and 115.1 WAR. Bonner ranks 15^th in games, 12^th in runs, 33^rd in hits, 9^th in total bases (6323), 7^th in home runs, 18^th in RBI, and 21^st in WAR for position players. A lot of fans are genuinely shocked to learn Bonner ranks so highly on leaderboards. He was never mentioned as an MVP candidate, almost never was a league leader, and was perpetually playing on forgettable rosters. However, Bonner was remarkably consistent over 20 years to quietly build up inner-circle level statistics. Among second baseman, Bonner has the 2^nd-most WAR and is the career MLB leader for homers and total bases. Only Archie Meredith from a century earlier has him beat. Quietly, Bonner built up a case as arguably the best 2B in Major League Baseball history. He was an easy choice for the Hall of Fame voters with a first ballot 94.6% within a four-man 2042 class. __________________ 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)