Baseball: The World's Game

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Valparaiso cruised to the Southern Cone League’s top seed at 106-56, a new franchise best for the 2029 expansion squad. It was the fourth straight South Central Division title for the Voodoo and back-to-back 100+ win seasons. They allowed only 554 runs, the best in Beisbol Sudamerica in 2040. Valparaiso also had the best run differential at +185.

Defending league champ Rio de Janeiro and Fortaleza both won their divisions by healthy margins while fighting for the #2 seed. The Foxes had the best record after the all-star break at 44-20, but couldn’t overcome a weaker start relative to the Redbirds. Rio won the Southeast at 97-65 and Fortaleza took the North at 96-66. Both won their respective divisions for the third straight year, while the Redbirds’ playoff streak extended to five seasons.

Both wild cards came out of the South Central with Santiago and Salta at 91-71. Buenos Aires (88-74), Montevideo (86-76), and Concepcion (85-77) were the first teams out. The Saints ended a three-year playoff drought, while the Silver Hawks got their sixth berth in seven years. Salta notably closed the year on a five-game winning streak. The Chiefs led the league with 799 runs. Sao Paulo at 81-81 had their streak of winning records end at 19 seasons, although they’ve won 80+ games still in 22 consecutive seasons.



Fortaleza LF Mauricio Fernandez won Southern Cone League MVP with 39 first place votes, while Sao Paulo’s Lonnie Defendi had the other three. Fernandez broke the BSA single-season record for runs scored with 150, passing Paco Amorim’s 147 from 2034. Across all world leagues, this is one of only 20 seasons where a batter scored 150+ runs.

Fernandez was in his sixth season with the Foxes and second as a full-time starter. The 26-year old Venezuelan lefty also led in stolen bases (113), OBP (.449), slugging (.712), OPS (1.161), wRC+ (202), and WAR (10.8). Fernandez added 210 hits, 27 doubles, 12 triples, 48 home runs, 109 RBI, and a.369 average. In late May, Fortaleza locked Fernandez up long-term with an eight-year, $170,900,000 extension.

Valparaiso’s Charles Cuellar was the unanimous Pitcher of the Year in his tenth season with the squad. The 32-year old Chilean righty led in wins (24-7), quality starts (29), shutouts (4), and WAR (9.1). Cuellar had a 2.38 ERA in 269 innings, 305 strikeouts, 166 ERA+, and 63 FIP-. Next year is the final one of his current deal with the Voodoo.



Santiago and Salta had the same record, but the Saints’ 9-4 record head-to-head gave them home field for the first round. The opener went to Santiago 2-1 on a tenth inning walkoff homer by B.J. Pantoja. Salta rallied for 7-5 and 6-3 road wins to advance. In game three, the Silver Hawks went ahead on a four-run ninth inning.

Salta kept the momentum going with a 3-2 upset to start the divisional series with top-ranked Valparaiso, getting the go-ahead in the ninth on Andy Valdivia’s solo homer. The Voodoo took a 4-3 win in game two, followed by a 3-1 road victory. The Silver Hawks battled back 5-2 in game four, but Valparaiso survived 3-2 back at home to take the series. The Voodoo earned a third straight appearance in the Southern Cone League Championship.

Fortaleza caught Rio de Janeiro off guard on the other side with 3-1 and 4-2 road wins to open their series. Game one was 1-0 until the Foxes scored in the ninth to force extras, then they finally pulled ahead with two runs in the 15^th. The Redbirds won game three 6-1 on the road, but Fortaleza exploded 14-7 in game four to take the series at home. The Foxes earned a second LCS trip in three years, having lost to Valparaiso in 2038.

Game one was a stunning 16-4 rout for Fortaleza on the road, but the Voodoo countered with their own lopsided 10-2 win. The Foxes grabbed game three at home 5-2, but Valparaiso matched 6-5 the next night in a 15 inning marathon. Fortaleza unloaded again 12-1 in game five for the 3-2 series lead heading back to Chile.



In game six, Mateo Morales’ solo homer in the ninth pushed the Foxes to the 3-2 win to clinch the series. The 33-year old 3B was in his second year with Fortaleza and earned series MVP, going 10-28 with four homers and 12 RBI. The Foxes ended a 14-year pennant drought and became 14-time Southern Cone kings (1932, 40, 65, 67, 72, 78, 94, 2005, 13, 14, 21, 22, 25, 40).

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The 110^th Copa Sudamerica was the first finals meeting between Ciudad Guayana and Fortaleza as both franchises wanted their fifth-ever title. The Giants were looking to be the first repeat Cup winner since Caracas in 2022-23. The Foxes hadn’t done it since 2013 and were a lackluster 4-9 all-time in the finals. They had the same record, although the Giants won the season series 4-2. CG had home field, although that was because the Bolivar League champ had the honor in even years.

Ciudad Guayana began the series with 10-4 and 4-2 home wins. Fortaleza flipped the script in Brazil with 5-4 and 4-2 wins. In game four, the Foxes won on a two-run walkoff homer by Emanuel Madera. The Giants prevailed 6-1 in game five though for the first road win of the series, giving them the 3-2 series advantage heading back to Venezuela. CG took game six by a 5-1 margin to secure the repeat and their fifth title (1984, 2017, 2036, 2039, 2040).



League and BLCS MVP Renato Barquero continued his incredible season as Copa Sudamerica MVP, as the 36-year old 1B went 9-24 with two homers and eight RBI. Fortaleza has been the runner-up ten times, tied for the most with Sao Paulo. Ciudad Guayana is also the first team to win three Cups in a five year span in nearly eight decades. The only teams to do it before was Caracas (1959-62), Buenos Aires (1941-44), and La Paz (1939-43).

Giants manager E.X. Lalli was the eighth BSA manager to win three or more Cups, although each of the others did it with at least 13+ year careers. The 58-year old Pakistani took over the Ciudad Guayana job at the end of 2034 and has since posted a 598-423 record. Lalli won his third Manager of the Year in 2040

Other notes: Beisbol Sudamerica’s 54^th perfect game came July 9 from Belo Horizonte’s Carlos Alonso. He struck out eight over 100 pitches against Maracaibo. Unfortunately two starts later, the 25-year old righty suffered a torn rotator cuff. The Hogs’ Enrique Elenez had a four home run game against Salvador on July 28, the 13th such game in BSA.



Rio de Janerio’s Nereus Rebellin tossed his second no-hitter on July 6 over Fortaleza. Buenos Aires’ Tiago Silva hit exactly .400, becoming the 12^th qualified BSA player and the 62^nd in any world league to hit .400 or better. Paco Amorim became the 5^th BSA slugger to 800 career home runs in his final season, although he struggled to -1.2 WAR and .659 OPS in his second year with La Paz.

Amorim had a legendary run, winning five MVPs over two decades with Arequipa. He finished with 3859 hits, 2^nd in BSA history to Owen Arcia’s 3940 and 21^st on the world leaderboard. He finished with 3182 games, 2230 runs, 593 doubles, 815 homers, 2172 RBI, 1741 walks, .349/.436/.640 slash, 1.076 OPS, 175 wRC+, and 152.3 WAR.

On the BSA leaderboard, Amorim retires as the career leader in runs and walks, as well as in OBP for those with 3000+ plate appearances. He also ranks 2^nd in OPS, 4^th in games, 2^nd in total bases (7073), 4^th in doubles, 5^th in homers, 3^rd in RBI, and 3^rd in WAR among position players. You could certainly make a case for Amorim when discussing BSA’s best-ever position player.

On the world leaderboards, Amorim is also 50^th in games played, 11^th in runs, 54^th in homers, 38^th in RBI, 9^th in walks, and 34^th in WAR for position players. Among all players ever, Amorim is 48^th in WAR. Additionally among world Hall of Famers and retired locks, Amorim’s OPS is the best ever while his triple slash ranks 13^th/2^nd/30^th. Only CABA’s Loyd Wayne (.438) has him beat for OBP. Amorim’s 175 wRC+ while excellent does miss the world top 50, which does reflect BSA’s high-scoring environment.

In other milestones, Antonio Coria became the 24^th to 3000 hits while Nicolas De Leon was the 97^th to 2500 hits. The 500 homer club grew to 79 members with Renato Barquero, Caio Mergulho, B.J. Pantoja, and Erik Ortega joining. Junior Cerna became the 48^th closer with 300 saves. 1B Rafael Sertiantoro won his 10^th Gold Glove and SS Ace Benavidez won his 7^th. 2B Joseph Ramirez won his 7^th Silver Slugger.

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Hamamatsu returned to the top seed in the Japan League in 2040 with their eighth consecutive Central Division title at 112-50. The Chickenhawks have won 98+ games in each year of the streak, but they’ve missed out in the pennant the last three years since their historic 126-win Grand Champion campaign of 2036. They had Japan’s best run differential at +222 and were strong for the entire season.

Sapporo (104-58) and Fukuoka (103-59) were next in line as North and West Division champs, respectively. It was the fifth straight division crown for the Swordsmen and their sixth straight playoff trip. For the defending East Asian Baseball champ Frogs, it was also their fifth straight division title. Fukuoka led Japan in runs scored (767) while Sapporo had the fewest allowed.

Saitama and Yokohama had an intense fight for the Capital Division. The Yellow Jackets had a two game lead at the all-star break, but the Sting’s 41-17 record post-break was the JL’s best. Saitama repeated as the division winner at 101-61, but Yokohama at 99-63 did take the first wild card. Both teams had playoff streaks extended to four seasons.

The second wild card went to 95-67 Kitakyushu, the one team that wasn’t extending a multi-year playoff streak as the Kodiaks ended a four-year drought. Kyoto, a wild card last year, was their only real foe at 92-70. The next closest was Tokyo at 84-78.



For the fifth consecutive season, the Japan League’s MVP played for Hamamatsu. It was the second for CF Issei Sakamoto, who also won in 2038. Sakamoto had 31 first place votes, while teammate Mitsuru Ishida had five and Kitakyushu’s Shigeo Sato had four. Ishida, winners of three of the last four MVPs, notably led in home runs (57), RBI (133), and OPS (1.042).

Sakamoto notably won a Gold Glove in center, with that helping him to the WARlord title at 11.0. The 29-year old also led in runs (120), hits (209), average (.363), and OBP (.403). Sakamoto had 30 doubles, 22 triples, 28 homers, 83 RBI, 78 stolen bases, a 1.040 OPS, and 195 wRC+. It was his third year as a Chickenhawk, having started with Yokohama and Ulsan. Sakamoto joined Hamamatsu in 2038 on an eight-year, $255,500,000 deal.

Tokyo’s Toshio Takahashi won Pitcher of the Year with 38 first place votes, while Sapporo’s Takumi Yoshida had the other two. It was a banner year for the 35-year old lefty in his 14^th season for the Tides. Takahashi posted a 1.46 ERA, which was the 15^th-best ERA ever for a qualified starter in EAB. He also led in WHIP (0.75), quality starts (26), and shutouts (7). His .474 opponents’ OPS was the 29^th best in EAB history.

Takahashi also had a 17-6 record, 5 saves, 259.1 innings, 271 strikeouts, 235 ERA+, 60 FIP-, and 8.8 WAR. He had been a very steady but generally unexceptional pitcher in his career, as he was only a POTY finalist once before with an ERA title in 2029. This effort probably locked him in for an eventual Hall of Fame spot. It also locked Takahashi in for another big pay day, opting out of his Tokyo deal after the season to test free agency with his stock at a peak.



Both wild card round matchups were won by the division champ, who only needed to win twice to advance. Saitama got 4-0 and 4-3 wins over Yokohama, while Fukuoka had 4-3 and 4-1 wins against Kitakyushu In the divisional round, the Sting came out hot with 6-1 and 3-2 road wins against top seed Hamamatsu. The Chickenhawks dominated game three on the road 11-1, but Saitama completed the upset 6-2 in game four. It was the Sting’s first Japan League Championship Series trip since their 2037 title, while Hamamatsu remains pennant-less for the fourth year running.

Sapporo opened its series with a 7-4 win, but Fukuoka survived in 13 innings to claim game two 5-4. Both scored a solo run in the ninth, then the next run was the Frogs’ Fumihiro Kimura with a solo homer in the 13^th. The Swordfish countered with an 8-4 road win in game three, but Fukuoka grabbed game four 7-1. In the finale, the Frogs were a road winner 4-2 to keep their repeat bid alive. They had home field for the JCLS against Saitama and had won the season series 4-2.

Fukuoka won game one 8-4, but Saitama answered 3-2 the next night in 11 innings. That game was 2-2 from the fifth until the 11th, which had a two-out Eichiro Nakatani double followed by Yuto Mizuhara’s RBI go-ahead single. In game three at Saitama, Encai Xia smacked a walkoff home run to lead off the ninth in a 6-5 Sting victory.

The momentum stayed with Saitama, who erased a 4-2 hole to win 6-4 in game four. They held on 3-2 in game five to clinch the series at home, earning their fourth Japan League title (1930, 2025, 2037, 2040). RF Eichiro Nakatani was series MVP, going 5-16 with three homers, six RBI, and five runs. He was in his eighth year with the Sting, having been drafted #3 overall in 2033.

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It was an incredible season for Goyang, whose playoff streak grew to 14 seasons with their 13^th North Division title of the run. The Green Sox finished 125-37, a win mark met only six other times in all of world history. The most notable was Hamamatsu’s 126-36 in 2036, which culminated in both the East Asian Baseball title and the Baseball Grand Championship.

The other five examples though had failed to win their league’s overall title, a fate Goyang hoped to avoid. In South Asia Baseball, Ho Chi Minh City was 126-36 with a first round loss in 1993, while Ahmedabad was 125-37 in 2001 and the runner-up. Christchurch was 126-36 in 2016, but lost the Oceania Championship. Madrid was 125-37 in the 1951 EBF season with a first round loss, and Kano was 125-37 in the 2000 season with a loss in the West African Championship.

The Green Sox unsurprisingly led EAB in both runs (884) and fewest allowed (481). They obliterated a bad division with 67-95 Seoul as the only team to avoid 105+ losses. The 58 game difference between first and second place almost certainly was a world record. Of the 33 teams in world history with 120+ win seasons, Goyang’s +403 run differential ranked 6^th.

The Green Sox also set the new EAB season attendance record at 3,221,704 tickets sold, besting their own 3,210,050 from two years prior. They were 75-28 at the all-star break and 50-9 after. The prior wins record in the Korea League was set back in 1926 with Hamhung going 122-40.

Other divisions were top heavy as well with Gwangju getting the #2 seed at 110-52 in the Southwest Division and Yongin at 104-58 atop the Central Division. The Grays earned an eighth consecutive division title and the Gold Sox made it three straight.

The only competitive division was the Southeast with Busan maintaining their lead despite a late charge from defending KL champ Ulsan. The Blue Jays finished 96-66 for repeat playoff trips and their first division title since the 2035 pennant. The Swallows’ playoff streak grew to six seasons as a wild card, although their 92-70 mark was far less impressive than the 116 from the prior year.

Cheongju’s solid first half allowed them to hang onto the second wild card at 90-72 ahead of Daegu (87-75), Jeju (85-77), Suwon (84-78), and Incheon (83-79). The Islanders were notably right there, but collapsed with an eight-game losing streak to end the year and a 21-37 record after the break. It was the second playoff berth for the Checkers (2032), one of the 2030 expansion teams. The Snappers have a streak of 12 straight winning seasons, although this was their third playoff miss of that run.



Yongin RF Won-Bin Lee was the unanimous Korea League MVP. He won previously in 2036 with Changwon, but they didn’t re-sign him after injuries in 2038 and 2039. Lee joined the Gold Sox for 2040 on a four-year, $104,300,000 deal and they were rewarded instantly.

Nicknamed “Tuna,” the 28-year old South Korean led in runs (125), total bases (404), triple slash (.356/.426/.739), OPS (1.165), wRC+ (228), and WAR (11.3). Lee was third in home runs (48) and second in RBI (130) while adding 195 hits, 25 doubles, and 20 triples.

Gwangju’s Sung-Jun Jang won a competitive Pitcher of the Year race with 22 first place votes and 224 points, edging out Goyang’s Hideki Yamauchi with 18 first place votes and 214 points. The runner-up Yamauchi notably led in complete games (16) and shutouts (7), earning Rookie of the Year honors. It was the Green Sox’s Daigo Ikemizu who led in wins (25-5) while Busan’s Mi-Reu Pai led in strikeouts (339).

The winner Jang led in ERA (2.05), innings (276.2), and quality starts (29). The 27-year old lefty had a 21-7 record, 294 strikeouts, 184 ERA+, 66 FIP-, and 7.6 WAR. Jang started with Seoul, who traded him in 2038 to Suwon. He was a free agent for 2039, joining the Grays at $130 million over four years.



Busan swept defending KL champ Ulsan with 1-0 and 5-4 wins in the wild card round. Game one was a combined two-hitter, while game two had a walkoff RBI single by Eui-Won Ro after Jin Ngai’s leadoff triple. On the other side, Chenogju came out firing for the upset, needing to win three as the wild card while Yongin only needed two wins.

The Checkers took game one by a 5-3 margin, but the Gold Sox survived 4-3 in ten innings the next night. Cheongju then scored 13-8 and 7-2 wins to complete the upset. The Checkers lost 3-2 and 8-3 to start the divisional round against Gwangju. They snagged game three 7-3 at home, but the Grays countered 7-3 to earn repeat Korea League Championship Series trips.

The other side of the bracket was shocking as not only was 125-win Goyang upset by Busan, but they were swept. The Blue Jays took the opener 2-1 on the road. In game two, the Green Sox had a two-run ninth inning on solo homers to force extras, but Busan used a two out single and a double in the tenth to win 4-3. The Blue Jays won the clincher at home 7-2, making them 5-0 to start the playoffs.

For Goyang, it was one of the most disappointing and shocking ends to a season considering their historic dominance. It continued the general trend in world history of big regular seasons not guaranteeing playoff success. Of the 33 teams in world history with 120+ win seasons, only 10 won their league’s overall title. Not even getting a single playoff win though was especially upsetting for the Green Sox.

Busan earned its first KLCS trip since winning the 2035 pennant. Gwangju had won the season series 5-1 and had 14 more wins, but clearly that wasn’t a guarantee. The Grays opened with 4-3 and 4-2 home wins with game one requiring a walkoff RBI single in the tenth inning. The Blue Jays next won 4-1 and 10-9 games at home, the latter in a 13 inning thriller. A one out error put a man on, who was knocked in by a RBI single.

Gwangju got the first road win of the series 7-4 in game five, but couldn’t put it away with a 2-1 Busan road win in game six. In the finale, Busan had a three-run second inning and held on from there for a 4-2 win. The Blue Jays lead all KL teams with 17 pennants (1933, 34, 38, 39, 40, 42, 43, 44, 71, 80, 2009, 23, 24, 29, 32, 35, 40). Gwangju’s title drought grew to 47 seasons. RF Seo-Bin Chin was series MVP going 10-28 with six RBI.

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The 120^th East Asian Championship was the fourth for Saitama, with wins in 2037 and 2025. Busan was 6-10 all-time in their prior trips with the last title in 2032. The Sting had home field advantage and the series had an exciting star. It was 1-1 after the second inning and stayed there until the 11^th. Saitama’s Toshiyasu Tamada had a two out single, stole second, then was knocked in by Giichiro Hashimoto for a 2-1 walkoff win.

The Sting got another 2-1 walkoff win the next night, this time in regulation with Minoru Kawabe knocking in Kosuke Fukuhara on a RBI single. Busan took control as the series shifted to South Korea, taking the next three games with 4-2, 2-1, and 6-4 scores. The high drama resumed for game six back in Japan, needing extra innings. Both scored in the tenth, then Saitama won it in the 11^th on a Hashimoto RBI walkoff single for a 5-4 result.

In game seven, Busan’s Jun-Seong Chung allowed only seven hits and one run with three strikeouts over a complete game. The Blue Jays won it 3-1 to become seven-time EAB champs (1933, 1938, 1942, 1944, 1971, 2032, 2040). 3B Ju-An Youm was series MVP in a pinch hitter role, going 4-6 with a solo homer.



Other notes: It was a disappointing end of the managing career of Goyang’s Si-Wan Kang, since they failed in the playoffs despite going 125-37. He retired at age 66 though after winning his sixth Manager of the Year, one of three to achieve the feat. Kang was a -5.9 WAR player, but became a legendary manager taking over the Green Sox in 2025. He set the EAB managing record of 14 playoff trips, going 1626-967 for a .627 win percentage, four Korea League titles, and two EAB titles. Kang retires 4^th in wins and he has the best win percentage by far of any EAB coach with 2000+ games.

EAB’s 52^nd perfect game came on June 10 by Gwangju’s Rishou Ishino with six strikeouts and 88 pitches against Ulsan. Swallows ace Si-Won Joon had six shutouts to get to 55, passing Zeshin Saito’s record 54 which had held more than a century. He’s one of 51 pitchers in world history with 55+ career shutouts.



Joon is now 2^nd on EAB’s strikeout list at 5386 behind the unrelated Sang-Hun Joon, whose record of 5694 has held since 1976. The 37-year old Si-Won had 327 Ks in 2040, so he could conceivably catch Sang-Hun next season. 15 of his 17 seasons have had 300+ Ks, moving him up to 21^st on the world strikeout leaderboard. Joon is up to 9^th in wins in EAB at 275-168 and has a 2.81 ERA, 4319 innings, 128 ERA+, 77 FIP-, and 104.0 WAR. He is a free agent in the winter after four years with Ulsan and runs with Incheon and Saitama before that.

In other pitching notables, Oniji Yamamoto became the 24^th to 4000 strikeouts and 19^th to 250 wins. Mitsumasa Suzuki and Jun-O Han were the 56^th and 57^th to reach 3500 Ks. Shoda Kano was the 81^st to 200 career wins. Russ Peng was the 128^th to hit 3000 strikeouts.

Han Yi became only the 5^th to 3500 hits in EAB and the 7^th to 800 home runs. At age 39, he led the KL with 51 home runs and 144 RBI for Goyang. He also crossed the 3000 games marker, one of 14 in EAB to do so. Yi is a 16-time all-star with 3501 hits, 1811 runs, 552 doubles, 807 homers, 2144 RBI, .963 OPS, 163 wRC+, and 118.3 WAR. He’ll be in his fourth season with the Green Sox next year and could feasibly become EAB’s RBI leader, (135 away from Soo-Geum Yim) but the other big stats need 2-4 more solid years to get to the #1 spot. Yi is an ironman though and could do it if he avoids a sharp decline.

Hyung-Gwang Sohn was the 42^nd to 600 home runs. Sohn and Hyeon-Bin Eun made it 59 guys with 1500 RBI. Dendi Hidayat and Geon-Ho Whang were the 113rd and 114^th to 2500 hits. LF Su-Yeon Han won his 8^th Silver Slugger split between LF/RF/DH.

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Defending Central American Baseball Association champion Leon and Torreon pulled away from the Mexican League field by the all-star break with the Lions at 64-33 and Tomahawks at 64-35. The next closest team was Ecatepec at 54-45. The Lions were a middling 33-32 after the break, while allowed the Tomahawks to pass them and claim the #1 seed at 100-62.

Torreon won the North Division for the fourth consecutive season and grew its playoff streak to a decade. Leon at 97-65 won a fifth straight Central Division crown with their playoff streak at 16 seasons; two away from Monterrey’s 1988-2005 record. The Tomahawks led Mexico with 829 runs scored and had the best run differential in CABA at +196.

Ecatepec’s 40-23 mark after the break was the best in CABA, giving them the South Division crown at 94-68 to end a seven-year playoff drought. North runner-up Chihuahua firmly had the first wild card at 92-70 for repeat berths. The Warriors’ 590 runs allowed were the best in CABA. It was a tight battle for the remaining two wild cards with nine teams separated by nine wins.

An 8-2 finish for Tuxtla pushed them to 89-73 for repeat berths. A strong finish for Aguascalientes and a weak one for Toluca put them tied for the second spot at 86-76. Just missing the cut was Culiacan and San Luis Potosi both at 84-78, Juarez at 83-79, Mexico City at 82-80, and both Hermosillo and Puebla at 80-82. In the tiebreaker game, five pitchers combined for a shutout as the Cactus defeated the Tortugas 4-0. It was the second playoff berth for Aguascalientes (2033) since joining in the 2030 expansion.



Torreon Oliver Lemus won Mexican League MVP with 31 first place votes, while Tuxtla 2B Esequiel Chavira had the remaining nine top votes. Chavira notably won the batting title at .355 and led with 220 hits. It was the second MVP for Lemus, who also won back in 2033. The 33-year old Mexican led in runs (125), home runs (49), total bases (423), slugging (.733), OPS (1.128), wRC+ (201), and WAR (9.9).

Lemus added 194 hits, 34 doubles, 24 triples, 131 RBI, and a .336 average. He was in his 15^th season with the Tomahawks and under contract through 2043. Lemus crossed 2500 hits, 550 home runs, and 1500 RBI in 2040. He also sits at 123.7 WAR, 17^th among all CABA position players.

Torreon also had the Pitcher of the Year Gilberto Terrero, who had all but one first place vote. This was the breakout year for the 24-year old Puerto Rican, who missed most of 2039 with a torn labrum. Terrero led in wins (22-3) and posted a 2.12 ERA over 241.2 innings, 298 strikeouts, 185 ERA+, 66 FIP-, and 7.5 WAR. Despite a lower career inning count, the Tomahawks gave him a seven-year, $166,100,000 extension in August. Terrero would suffer rotator cuff tendinitis in his second playoff start.

Also of note, Leon’s Nicky Aparicio became the 13^th closer in CABA history to win Reliever of the Year four times. His first two were 2034-35 with Culiacan, followed by repeat wins for the Lions. Leon got him in a trade from the Cocks for 2039, but Apraicio is due free agency in the winter ahead of his age 31 season.



For the first round, Ecatepec had their one game bonus and got the needed 4-2 win over Aguascalientes to advance. The Explosion won dramatically on Rogerio Peraza’s two-run walkoff homer. Chihuahua only had to win once to advance, but Tuxtla upset them with 4-2 and 3-2 road wins. In game two, the Terror scored twice in the top of the ninth, fending off a two-run bottom half by the Warriors.

Torreon opened the second round with a 9-2 win over Tuxtla, but the Terror countered 8-2 the next night. Game three was 1-1 after the fifth inning and stayed there until the 12^th. Tuxtla had a solo homer in the top half to go ahead, but the Tomahawks had a two out rally. Hugo Castillo delivered a two RBI walkoff double for a 3-2 Torreon win. The Tomahawks held on 4-3 in game four to earn their fifth Mexican League Championship Series trip in six years.

Ecatepec upset Leon 2-1 to start their series, getting both runs in the ninth via three walks and two singles. The Lions won game two by a 4-1 margin, but the Explosion grabbed game three 6-3. Ecatepec completed the upset taking game four by a 7-5 score, dethroning the reigning CABA kings. The Explosion earned their first MLCS trip since their 2031 pennant.

Torreon won the MLCS opener 7-4, but Ecatepec snagged a 3-2 road win the next night. The Tomahawks countered with their own 3-2 road win, but the Explosion tied it back up on a 6-5 win in game four. They used a three-run eighth inning to pull ahead. Ecatepec held on 4-3 in game five to take a 3-2 series lead back onto the road. Torreon prevailed 3-1 in game six to set up a decisive finale.

The clincher was a pitcher’s duel until the seventh inning, which saw the Tomahawks unload with four runs. Torreon won 5-1, earning their third pennant in six years. The Tomahawks became seven-time Mexican champs (1979, 87, 2013, 14, 35, 37, 40). Ecatepec RF Alfredo Escobedo was MLCS MVP in a losing effort, going 13-29 with four homers and seven RBI.

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The Caribbean League was incredibly competitive as the top eight teams were separated by only seven wins. Five of these teams were in the West Division with Haiti holding the best record at the all-star break of 61-37. The Herons went .500 the rest of the way, which allowed Santo Domingo to move into first place and take the top seed at 97-65. This ended a five-year playoff drought for the Dolphins, who had the CL’s best run differential.

Costa Rica in the Central Division was one back on SD for the top seed at 96-66, which ended a two-year drought for the Rays. Puerto Rico meanwhile won a non-competitive East Division at 92-70, ten games ahead of Trinidad. It was the fourth straight division crown for the Pelicans, who led the Central American Baseball Association in 2040 with 915 runs.

Haiti and Havana were both four back in the West at 93-69, which grabbed them the first two wild cards. The Hurricanes had the best post-break record in the CL at 39-25, extending their playoff streak to five seasons. The Herons had their wild card streak extended to three seasons.

For the final spot, Honduras (91-71) edged out Jamaica (90-72), and Bahamas (90-70). The Horseman have now posted 19 consecutive seasons with a winning record and are back in the playoff field after a rare miss in 2039. The Jazz missed for only the second time in nine years. Next in line was Nicaragua (85-77) as well as defending CL champ Guatemala (84-78) and Panama (84-78). The Buccaneers notably had 1730 hits as a team, third-best in CABA history.



Santo Domingo 2B Noel Goulet was the unanimous Caribbean League MVP with one of the all-time great seasons in league history. The 24-year old Haitian led in runs (150), home runs (64), RBI (158), total bases (475), slugging (.762), OPS (1.170), wRC+ (215), and WAR (13.9). Goulet was one run short of Donald Gonzalez’s single-season record from 2005. It is one of only 20 seasons in world history of 150+ runs scored.

Goulet’s 13.95 WAR was the third-best by a CABA position player and 35^th among all position players in all world leagues. His OPS was also good for the 25^th-best by a CABA qualifier. Goulet also added 230 hits, 35 doubles, 9 triples, and a .369 average; missing the Triple Crown by three points. He also hit for the cycle in April and was all-star game MVP in June. Goulet is set to be a free agent in the winter and could get a record-breaking deal considering his 2040 effort and young age.

Havana’s Melido Cervantes repeated as Pitcher of the Year, getting 33 first place votes while Suriname’s Duaner Castanon had five and SD’s Alejandro Rosales had two. The 28-year old Dominican righty Cervantes led in ERA (2.78), FIP (2.79), and FIP- (64). He had a 16-7 record, 220 innings, 265 strikeouts, 155 ERA+, and 6.2 WAR. In June, Cervantes signed a three-year, $57,600,000 extension to stick with the Hurricanes.



Puerto Rico had the one-game bonus and shutout Honduras 4-0 in the first round. Haiti had the bonus over Havana, but the Hurricanes upset them with 4-2 and 7-3 road wins. Despite losing the division to Santo Domingo, Havana had gone 10-3 against them in the regular season. The Dolphins seemed destined to lose initially down 7-1 in game one, but a six-run ninth inning tied it, capped off by Noel Goulet’s dramatic grand slam.

Santo Domingo would earn the walkoff in the 12^th on a solo homer by Yunel Llano with a 8-7 final. The Dolphins won the next two by 5-3 and 9-8 for a hard-earned sweep, although game three also needed a late rally. Santo Domingo earned its first trip to the Caribbean League Championship Series since 2034, their most recent playoff berth. Their pennant drought was back to 2027.

Puerto Rico opened their series with a 4-3 road upset of Costa Rica, but the Rays rebounded 5-4 in game two. CR had a three-run rally in game three for a walkoff sacrifice fly in an 8-7 win. Game four had another two-run rally, ending on Ulisses Alvarez’s walkoff RBI single for a 5-4 win. Costa Rica earned its first CLCS trip since winning the CABA title in 2036.

Both teams combined for 23 hits in game one, but the Rays did the scoring for a 6-1 road win. Costa Rica took game two by a 7-3 margin, leading the series before playing at home. Game three went 13 innings with a RBI walkoff single by Sonny Montero for an 8-7 Rays victory. Santo Domingo wouldn’t go down without a fight, taking the next two on the road by 4-1 and 5-3 margins.

Back in the DR, the Dolphins got two runs in the ninth, but couldn’t complete the rally with a 5-3 final for game six. Costa Rica claimed the series in six games for its ninth Caribbean crown (1932, 35, 36, 48, 77, 86, 87, 2036, 40). CF Jeronimo Polanco was CLCS MVP, going 10-22 with four homers, eight RBI, and eight runs. The two-time league MVP was in his eighth season with the Rays.

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The 130^th Central American Baseball Association Championship was a rematch from 1987, which had a Costa Rica win over Torreon. Both had recent rings with the Tomahawks winning it all in 2035 and the Rays the next year. Torreon was also the runner-up in 2037, entering at 2-4 in the finals to Costa Rica’s 5-3. The Tomahawks had home field advantage, but CR led 6-2 after the third inning and held on 6-4 in game one.

The Rays won again on the road 5-3, then kept rolling in San Jose. Costa Rica rolled 9-2 in game three, then had a go-ahead run in the eighth to secure game four by a 3-2 margin. It was the third time in five years the CABA final was a sweep, which included the Rays’ 2036 win over Toluca. They were now six-time champs with rings additionally in 1935, 48, 86, and 87. LF Mohamed Al-Aqrobi was series MVP, going 9-18 with one homer and nine RBI. The Emirati had mostly been a backup since coming to CABA, but was a decent starter in 2040 at age 30.



Other notes: 2040 was the final year for the legendary SP Israel Montague at age 43. After a torn rotator cuff kept him out most of 2039, the Panamanian made it back and was still decent with a 13-9 record, 2.91 ERA, 154.2 innings, 122 strikeouts, 147 ERA+, and 2.3 WAR. This allowed CABA’s career wins and strikeouts leader to reach two more big milestones; 350+ wins and 6000+ strikeouts.

Montague finished with a 360-131 record, 82 saves, 2.34 ERA, 4442 innings, 6085 strikeouts, 171 ERA+, 58 FIP-, and 161.93 WAR. He’s just behind the legendary Ulices Montero as the pitching WARlord at 165.65 and Montero has him beat for overall pro wins and Ks when adding his MLB totals. Montague is also CABA’s career leader for winning percentage (.733) and has the fewest losses of the world’s 300+ game winners.

He is one of only three pitchers in world history to win 11 Pitcher of the Year awards along with CABA contemporary Richard Wright and EPB legend Matvey Ivanov. On the world leaderboard, Montague retires 4^th in wins, 5^th in strikeouts, 6^th in pitching WAR, and 23^rd in WAR among all players ever;. Montague easily goes down on the shortlist for the best pitchers in baseball history.

Leon’s Benedetto Rodriguez completed his 22^nd season at age 43, becoming the 6^th in CABA to 3500 hits and the 3^rd to 2000 runs scored. He currently ranks 4^th in games (3192), 2^nd in runs (2069), 5^th in hits (3592), 19^th in homers (668), 15^th in RBI (1806), and 9^th in WAR for position players (133.57). On the world leaderboard, Rodriguez ranks 45^th in games, 31^st in runs, and 50^th in hits. He was still good for 3.7 WAR and 142 wRC+ in 2040 and is signed through 2043 with the Lions with plans to return for 2041.

Tuxtla’s Esequiel Chavira set the playoff record for slugging (1.200) and OPS (1.887). He had 21 plate appearances (20 required to qualify) with 13 hits, 5 runs, 3 doubles, 1 triple, and 2 homers. Costa Rica closer Jayce Kowlessar set the CABA record for appearances by a pitcher with 85. Both Cesario Gonzalez and Ernesto Escandel had four home run games, a feat that has occurred 28 times in CABA. CR’s Jeronimo Polanco again hit for the cycle, becoming the 6^th CABA player to do it thrice.

Guadeloupe had an all-time terrible team at 41-121, the worst record in Caribbean League history and only one win better than Mexico’s Guadalajara (40-122 in 1912) for the all-time worst. The Glory set CABA all-time pitching worsts for team ERA (5.74), runs allowed (976), earned runs (906), H/9 (11.24), and WHIP (1.625). Guadeloupe’s 1775 hits allowed were 2^nd-worst. In a positive CL team record, Santo Domingo’s 2,800,595 season attendance was the 3^rd-best.

In other hitting milestones, Leonardo Martinez (with Haiti) was the 33^rd to join the 600 home run club. Him, the other Leonardo Martinez (with Honduras), Oliver Lemus, and Cristopher Rodriguez made it 52 batters with 1500 RBI. Lemus, Ernesto Escandel, and Martinez (Haiti) made it 77 batters with 2500 hits. Wscandel also won his 7^th Silver Slugger in RF. Leonardo Santos was the 79^th to 500 home runs. Kian Baromeo and Castor Sanchez were the 92^nd and 93rd pitchers with 3000 strikeouts.

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The National Association had a noticeable shakeup from the prior year with four different division champs and only two returning playoff teams out of seven. The reigning World Series champ Cincinnati fell to 82-80, ending their three-year playoff streak. Last year’s NACS runner-up Grand Rapids meanwhile dropped to 76-86, ending their six-year playoff reign.

The clear standout was Chicago, who ran away with the top seed at 107-55. The Cubs ended a three-year playoff drought, but it was their first Upper Midwest Division title since 2030. The last time Chicago had the top seed was 1980. The Cubs had MLB’s best record at the all-star break at 66-33, but Cleveland kept pace in the division and was only four back. The Cobras collapsed going 25-38 in the back end, finishing 20 back at 87-75 and one out from the last wild card. Chicago had the best run differential (+203) and most runs scored (862) in the NA.

The other three divisions had competitive races. Brooklyn earned the #2 seed and won the East Division at 94-68, while Pittsburgh at 90-72 earned a wild card. The Dodgers ended a five-year playoff drought and 22-year division title drought. The Pirates snapped the second-longest active postseason drought in the NA at 33 years back to 2006. Wichita’s drought is the longest back to 2004. Raleigh (84-78) and last year’s division champ Philadelphia (82-80) both fell short in the wild card race. Washington notably dropped to 78-84, ending a 19-year run of winning records.

St. Louis closed the year on a seven-game winning streak, which vaulted them to the Lower Midwest Division title at 93-69 and a third straight playoff trip. Columbus at 90-72 earned a wild card to end a seven-year skid, an impressive turnaround since the Chargers were 63-99 the prior year.

Tulsa went 9-1 in their last ten to grab the final wild card at 88-74. It was their second berth in five years and also a strong turnaround, as they had won only 71 and 61 the prior two seasons. The Tornado allowed the NA’s fewest runs at 630. Most of the other wild card competitors were in the Lower Midwest with near misses for Louisville (85-77), Kansas City (83-79), and Cincinnati (82-80). The Lynx led the division at the break but fell apart down the stretch. Tulsa’s 40-23 mark was the best pro-break run in the NA apart from the Cubs.

The weakest division champ was Ottawa at 90-72 in the Northeast, earning repeat playoff trips and their first division crown since 2036. Just behind them and just short in the wild card race was Halifax (86-76), Montreal (84-78), and Quebec City (82-80). The Elks were a playoff team for the 46^th time, second-most among NA teams behind Philadelphia’s 55.



Leading the way for Chicago as National Association MVP was LF Kenneth Armstrong with 59/64 first place votes. It was the second year in the United States for the 26-year old Jamaican lefty, whose first five pro seasons came with Merida in Mexico. Armstrong signed with the Cubs to a hefty eight year, $312 million deal prior to the 2039 season. In 2040, Armstrong led the NA in home runs (55), RBI (162), and total bases (410). He added 202 hits, 123 runs, 35 doubles, a .332/.386/.679 slash, 179 wRC+, and 8.8 WAR.

Kansas City’s Rodney Marengue won Pitcher of the Year with 43 first place votes, while Brooklyn’s Tommy Nunn had 20 and KC’s Jack Enamorado had one. Marengue also had four first place votes for MVP as a two-way player. In his second season as a full-time pitcher, the 26-year old Filipino lefty led in wins (18-10), ERA (2.74), innings (279), complete games (22), FIP- (59), and WAR (10.5). Marengue was second in strikeouts with 248 and had a 151 ERA+. Marengue was also a full-time left fielder with 134 games and 113 starts, posting 132 hits, 76 runs, 24 doubles, 21 home runs, 54 RBI, .300/.372/.516 slash, 142 wRC+, and 4.2 WAR.

The combined 14.7 WAR was the most ever in a single-season for a player in MLB, even beating out Alair White’s insane year (13.69) over in the American Association. Marengue’s WAR was tied for 60^th best among all players ever in world history in a single-season. He was drafted out of Iowa in 2034 and spent his first four seasons as a part-time starting OF with limited innings. 2040 was certainly a breakout season that even his biggest fans didn’t expect.



Division champs got home field and the one-game bonus in the first round, needing only two wins while their foes needed three to advance. Ottawa swept Pittsburgh on 3-2 and 2-1 wins, the latter in ten innings on a walkoff single. St. Louis meanwhile got the sweep on 7-3 and 6-3 victories against divisional rival Columbus.

Tulsa meanwhile got 5-1 and 4-1 road wins over Brooklyn to start their series. The Dodgers held on winning 7-6 in game three, but the Tornado countered with their own 7-6 win to pull off the upset. In game four, Tulsa erased a 6-2 hole, getting the lead in the ninth on a two-run homer by Patrick Young.

Chicago opened round two with a 5-2 home win over Tulsa, but the Tornado countered 9-2 the next night. The Cubs rolled 14-0 in game three, but Tulsa stayed feisty with a 6-4 score in game four. In the finale back at Wrigley Field, Chicago took the 5-1 win, earning their first National Association Championship Series trip since 2022. The Cubs were hoping to end a 55-year pennant drought back to 1984.

St. Louis came out with 8-5 and 8-1 home wins against Ottawa. Back in the Canadian capital, the Elks took the next two by 7-4 and 4-3 margins. Game four saw the winning run score on a passed ball. The Cardinals bounced back to win game five 7-4 for their second NACS trip in three years. St. Louis had a pennant drought back to their 2014-15 repeat.

The last time two Lower Midwest Division teams got to the NACS was Cincinnati’s 2020 win over Kansas City. Although the Cubs were 14 wins better, the Cardinals had won the season series 4-2. Chicago opened the NACS on a 7-3 win, but the Cardinals countered 4-1. St. Louis then took the series lead on a 7-6 home victory in a 13-inning marathon. The winning run scored on Edward Toata’s RBI single.

Game four had drama with the Cardinals scoring three in the bottom of the ninth, but leaving two on base to force extras at 5-5. The Cubs got three runs off three hits and an error in the top of the tenth. St. Louis got one back and loaded the bases, but left them loaded as Chicago escaped an 8-6 road winner. The Cardinals claimed a 2-1 pitcher’s duel the next night though, giving them the 3-2 series lead heading back to the Windy City.

Chicago won game six by a 6-4 margin, then held on 5-4 in game seven. In the finale, the Cubs scored the tying and go-ahead run in the seventh on two hits, one walk, and one error. The final six Cardinal batters were retired in order and Chicago’s 55-year pennant drought ended.



The Cubs became four-time National Association champs (1964, 1980, 1984, 2040) and the sixth different champ in as many years. 2B Ryan Robinson was NACS MVP, going 15-29 with one homer, five RBI, and six runs. He was 3-4 in the finale with a run and RBI. The 25-year old Rhode Islander was a fourth-year starter for Chicago, picked in the 2035 MLB Draft.

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The two-time defending American Association champ and reigning Baseball Grand Champion Houston dominated the AA field at 107-55, leading MLB in runs scored (987) and differential (+255). The Hornets now outright hold the longest playoff streak in MLB history at 14 seasons. They won their 12^th consecutive South Central Division title and posted a fourth straight 100+ win season. Houston now has 66 playoff berths and 51 division titles, both the most of any MLB team by a healthy margin.

The other three division champs were 10+ games from Houston, but close together fighting for the #2 seed. Atlanta got the #2 spot at 96-66 atop the Southeast Division for their fourth playoff trip in six years. Birmingham was a distant second at 86-76, but that was a huge bounce-back as the Boomers were an abysmal 54-108 the prior year. Tampa was third at 85-77, which snapped their eight-year playoff streak as they were six games short in the wild card hunt. Charlotte, a division champ last year, was a non-factor at 78-84.

Denver ended an 11-year playoff drought and 17-year division title drought by winning the Northwest at 95-67. Seattle, last year’s top seed and AACS finalist, fell five short at 90-72 and Anchorage was 87-75. In the Southwest, a five-game winning streak and 40-23 run after the all-star break propelled San Diego to first at 94-68. The Seals got their second berth in four years and first division title since 2034.

Phoenix and San Francisco were close behind San Diego to get two wild cards. The Firebirds at 93-69 allowed MLB’s fewest runs at 608, ending the longest playoff drought in franchise history at 16 seasons. The Gold Rush went 9-1 in their final ten games to end at 91-71, their fifth wild card in six seasons.

In the South Central, Oklahoma City won 10 of their last 13 games, including taking two of three over Memphis. The Outlaws ended 91-71 for a wild card, one win ahead of the Mountain Cats. Seattle also fell one short at 90-72, although their run of winning seasons is now at 21 years. Also just missing the cut was 88-74 Las Vegas, who had posted four straight 100+ win seasons. This was only the second playoff miss in eight years for the vipers.



In his second season with San Diego, 1B Alair White obliterated records to win American Association MVP unanimously. It was his fifth MVP, having won from 2032-35 with Vancouver. White joined Elijah Cashman, Morgan Short, and Andrei Tanev as the only MLB players with 5+ MVPs. MLB’s home run record entering the season as 84 by Jose Angel Esqueda in 2036, a number that had seemed impossible for the talent of the league. Before that, 70+ had only been breached once in MLB.

White had three of the top ten MLB seasons with 67, 67, and 65. But his 2040 was insane with 90 home runs, one short of the world record set in 2009 by Majed Darwish of South Asia Baseball. White smashed the MLB records for slugging (.864), OPS (1.310) and total bases (527); as the previous bests were .786, 1.243, and 500, respectively.

His 13.69 WAR was also a single-season record for MLB position players, passing Killian Fruechte’s 13.04 from 2014. It would’ve been the overall MLB record if not for Rodney Marengue’s 14.7 two-way season for Kansas City. White’s 184 RBI tied Esqueda’s MLB record from 2036, while his 153 runs scored was second-best to Esqueda’s 166. The 30-year old lefty from Mississippi also led in hits (231), average (.379), OBP (.446), and wRC+ (240).

White earned only the ninth Triple Crown hitting season in MLB history and the first since Mike Rojas in 2020. On the world leaderboards for all leagues in baseball history, White’s season ranked as the 5^th-most total bases, 10^th-most runs scored, 9^th-most RBI, 6^th-best qualified slugging and 7^th-best OPS. The WAR was 49^th-best for a position player in any season.

He also became the 59^th in MLB with 600 home runs and won his seventh Silver Slugger. Through ten seasons, White has 616 homers, 1469 RBI, 1961 hits, 1234 runs, a 1.086 OPS, 175 wRC+, and 81.9 WAR. White’s seven-year, $245,500,000 deal with the Seals runs through 2045, but he does have an opt-out clause after the 2043 season.

Phoenix’s Leo Chapa won Pitcher of the Year with 41 first place votes, beating Atlanta’s Orlando Cepeda (10), Charlotte’s Mohammed Otu (12), and teammate Sutrisno Kartanto (1). Chapa was the leader in quality starts (24) and posted a 2.78 ERA, 15-12 record, 265 innings, 226 strikeouts, 163 ERA+, 65 FIP-, and 7.7 WAR. The 28-year old Cuban righty was in his seventh season with the Firebirds.



San Diego swept Phoenix on 5-3 and 6-5 wins in the first round. Game two was a 15-inning marathon ending with a solo walkoff homer by Jeremy Rioux. Denver had the one-game bonus as a division champ, but San Francisco upset them with 5-3, 3-0, and 5-1 road wins. Atlanta edged Oklahoma City 6-5 to open their series, but OKC won 9-2 the next night. The Aces advanced on a 7-6, ten inning win in game three.

San Diego outraced Atlanta 11-7 for a road win to open round two, but the Aces countered 10-6 despite Alair White hitting for the cycle in the defeat. The Seals then snagged 10-3 and 6-3 home wins to advance to their first American Association Championship Series since their 2032 World Series win.

Top seed Houston held on 4-3 in game one against San Francisco, getting a walkoff solo homer from Jose Angel Esqueda. The Hornets rallied again in game two, as Esqueda had a game-tying double in the bottom of the ninth to send the game to extras at 5-5. In the 12^th, Esqueda led off the inning with a solo homer to win it 6-5.

San Francisco earned a 2-1 home win in game three, but Houston clinched 9-2 in game four to keep the three-peat bid intact. It was their seventh AACS trip in a decade and 31^st overall, the most CS trips for any MLB team by a healthy margin. Despite both franchise’s storied histories, it was only the third AACS between the Hornets and San Diego. The Seals won 4-3 back in 1966 and 4-2 in 2008. Since 2008, roughly half the pennants have been split between them. The team that won would be the first MLB franchise with 16 pennants.

Houston was the favorite having won 13 more games, home field advantage, and having swept San Diego in their season series. In game one, SD tied it at 5-5 in the top of the ninth, but a RBI single by Toshiki Naruse in the bottom half gave the Hornets the 6-5 walkoff win. In game two, Rex Seguin smacked a walkoff homer in a 7-6 Houston win.

Most importantly in game two, MVP Alair White was injured running the bases; plantar fascitis that knocked him out the rest of the series. Even without their star, San Diego earned back-to-back 8-2 home wins to tie the series. However, Houston dominated game five 10-2 to take the 3-2 lead back to Texas. They held firm 6-3 in game six, earning the fifth-ever AACS three-peat. The Hornets did it previously in 1910-12, along with 1913-15 Memphis, 1970-72 New Orleans, and the Seals’ 2026-29 four-peat.



Houston’s 16 pennants came in 1905, 06, 08, 10, 11, 12, 20, 22, 52, 2019, 24, 31, 35, 38, 39, and 40. Seguin was the series MVP, going 11-25 with two homers, four RBI, and five runs. The 31-year old Frenchman was in his tenth season with the Hornets and had been dealing with recurring injuries. He had only 1.6 WAR and 87 wRC+ in the regular season over 112 games, but stepped up when it counted.

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The 140^th World Series was the 16^th for Houston, their third straight, and fifth in a decade. Despite winning the Baseball Grand Championship with a dominant 20-1 run last year, the Hornets have been the runner-up in the last two Fall Classics. They fell to Cincinnati in 2039 and Quebec City in 2038, but had recent wins over Louisville (2035) and Toronto (2031). It was the fourth trip for Chicago, who won in 1964 and 1984, while falling in 1980.

Both teams were the top seed at 107-55 and both had been the top scoring squad in their association. Home field alternates with even-numbered years going to the National Association squad. Houston jumped out to a 9-2 lead after the fourth inning in game one and held off a rally bid to take game one on the road 9-7. The Cubs bounced back 3-2 in game two, then took the series lead off a 10-6 road win.

Game four went extras at 8-8. In the 11^th, Binh Tang scored on Bryce Hall’s walkoff RBI double, tying the series with the 9-8 result for Houston. In the bottom of the ninth in game five, Marty Wolters led off with a 337 foot homer that just cleared the left field fence, giving the Hornets a 5-4 win and the 3-2 series lead. Back in Illinois, Chicago won 6-2 to send the World Series to game seven for the first time since 2036.

In the finale, Toshiki Naruse smacked a three-run homer in the sixth to put Houston up 4-0. Chicago got two back in the eighth, but left the bases loaded. They went down 1-2-3 in the ninth for a 4-2 Hornets road win. 1B Jose Angel Esqueda was series MVP, going 7-23 with three homers and five RBI. In three seasons with the Hornets, the 33-year old Dominican has delivered three pennants, plus 164 homers, a 1.063 OPS and 24.1 WAR.



Houston became 11-time MLB champs (1908, 10, 11, 12, 20, 22, 52, 2019, 31, 35, 40), second only to San Diego’s 12. The only other franchises in any world league to win their overall title 11+ times are CABA’s Mexico City and Honduras (11 each), EPB’s Minsk (15), WAB’s Kano (12), and SAB’s Ahmedabad (13). They will also have a chance to join San Diego as the only repeat Grand Champions as the favorite for the 2040 edition.

Also of note, NL MVP Kenneth Armstrong with the Cubs scored 23 runs across the postseason, a new MLB record. The only player in any world league with more in a playoff run was Sol Kim’s 24 in the 1979 EAB season. Armstrong had 29 hits, 7 doubles, 7 homers, 18 RBI, 1.162 OPS, 215 wRC+, and 1.5 WAR.

Other notes: Earning his first World Series ring was 13-time APB MVP Binh Tang, who signed a two-year deal with the Hornets. He spent his first two MLB seasons with Washington after his storied run as APB’s GOAT. It was his weakest season since his rookie year, but the 40-year old Vietnamese IF set a high standard as he was still good for 4.7 WAR, 28 homers, .871 OPS, and 135 wRC+.

Through 23 pro seasons, Tang now has 3402 games played, 3977 hits, 2229 runs, 632 doubles, 892 home runs, 2243 RBI, .969 OPS, 188 wRC+, and 207.0 WAR. He passed world strikeout king Mohamed Ramos on the all-time WARboard for all players ever, now just behind legendary shortstops Harvey Coyle (234.9) and Jimmy Caliw (214). Tang also ranks 17^th in games, 12^th in runs, 10^th in hits, 36^th in homers, and 27^th in RBI. He plans to return with the Hornets in 2041.

A former Cub and Hornet, RF Milton Ramirez played his final season with Seattle in 2040, struggling to -0.4 WAR over 105 games. He retired with 4078 hits, falling short of Stan Provost’s MLB record of 4078. Ramirez retires 6^th among all players in world history for hits. He ended with 2970 games, 2176 runs, 543 doubles, 263 triples, 311 homers, 1542 RBI, 1200 steals, 735 caught stealing, .361/.420/.539 slash, 164 wRC+, and 126.6 WAR.

Ramirez is MLB’s all-time leader for steals, caught stealing, and singles (2961). He also ranks 27^th in games, 3^rd in runs, 11^th in total bases (6080), 19^th in doubles, 6^th in triples, and 12^th in WAR among position players. On the world leaderboard, Ramirez clocks in at 16^th in runs.

He was the MLB leader for career batting average but the active Taylor Jarrawillah is ahead at .367, although he’s only played seven seasons and has room to drop. Ramirez also sits 3^rd in OBP among MLB qualifiers (3000+ plate appearances). Among world Hall of Famers and retired locks, Ramirez’s average ranks 4^th and OBP 5^th.

Another guy just short of the 4000 hit club for his combined pro career is 3B Jamel Forsyth, who at age 43 with Detroit finally looked human with 121 games, .653 OPS, 76 wRC+, and 0.2 WAR. The Grenadan wants to play somewhere in 2041, but is a free agent. Combined from CABA/MLB, Forsyth has 3085 games, 3955 hits, 2048 runs, 642 doubles, 706 homers, 2354 RBI, and 151.7 WAR. On the world leaderboard he’s 33^rd in runs, 12^th in hits, 12^th in RBI, and 50^th in WAR among all players.

For the first time in his 19 year run with Orlando, 1B Jackson Brafford failed to hit 40 home runs and for the second time missed 100 RBI. He was still close with 35 homers, 98 RBI, and 2.6 WAR at age 39. Brafford is up to 922 homers and 2309 RBI for his career, within striking distance of the MLB records of 929 homers and 2333 RBI by Isaac Cox.

Brafford became the 29^th in world history with 900+ pro homers and now sits 24^th for homers and 18th for RBI. He has 3414 hits, 1984 runs, 575 doubles, .988 OPS, 152 wRC+, and 105.3 WAR. Brafford has one more year left on his current deal with the Orcas.

Neil Hollinger is also giving chase, smacking 49 homers and 114 RBI in his age 38 season with Toronto. He moved into #3 in homers (883) and 6^th in RBI (2130) on the MLB chart. Hollinger has 3402 hits, 1998 runs, 1.009 OPS, and 113.0 WAR and is set for free agency in the winter. He’s up to #38 on the world home run list.

In other dinger news, Will Desbiens became the 6^th in MLB to 800 homers and is one of 68 in world history. Steve Castro became the 21^st member of MLB’s 700 home run club. 59 have reached 600 with Alair White and Woodrow Reed getting there in 2040. Pablo Rivera became the 81^st to 3000 hits and the 138^th to 1500 runs scored.

Calgary’s Bryce Henry hit for the cycle on both August 24 and August 31. He’s the second player in MLB to get the cycle twice in a week, joining Dylan Fabian in 2028. SS Titus Palmer and CF Andy Nagel both won their 7^th Gold Glove. C Montrell Curtis won his 7^th Silver Slugger.

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The 31^st Baseball Grand Championship was hosted in Manila, Philippines with the autobids going to MLB’s Houston and Chicago; CABA’s Costa Rica and Torreon; EAB’s Busan and Saitama; BSA’s Fortaleza and Ciudad Guayana; EBF’s Dublin and Zagreb; EPB’s Rostov, OBA’s Sydney, APB’s Pekanbaru, CLB’s Zhengzhou, WAB’s Libreville, SAB’s Mumbai, ABF’s Faisalabad, ALB’s Cairo, and AAB’s Kampala. The at-large spots went to AAB’s Dar es Salaam, EPB’s Irkutsk, and OBA’s Timor.

Houston was the defending champion after a record-setting 20-1 run in the 2039 event. Only San Diego (2026-27) had pulled off the repeat previously. The 2038 champ Kampala was also back in the mix hoping for another strong run. At the first break day through five games, the Hornets and Saitama were both 4-1, while 13 different teams were 3-2.

By the second break day, three teams had pulled away. Houston held the lead at 13-3 with both Dublin and Chicago at 12-4, followed by 10-6 marks for Torreon, Kampala, and Zagreb. The Hornets had beaten their World Series foe 8-4 in the first game and had a matchup still to come with the Dinos. Dublin meanwhile had edged the Cubs 3-2 in the first week. Chicago was on a nine-game winning streak and had gone 10-1 since the first break day.

The Houston/Dublin showdown ended up a pitcher’s duel with the only run scoring in the first inning on a passed ball. The Hornets prevailed 1-0 and won their first three games after the break. The Cubs went 0-3 in the same stretch, while Dublin was 2-1. Houston lost their last two games, but the Dinos split and would’ve lost on the tiebreaker had they won out. Thus, the Hornets became the second-ever repeat Grand Champion at 16-5, holding off Dublin (15-6) and Chicago (14-7).



On top of repeating, Houston became the first franchise to win the BGC thrice, having also won in 2035. They had the best run differential (+44), fewest allowed (56), and best ERA (2.50) of the field. The Hornets were second in runs scored with 100. All of their losses were by only one run except for a 5-1 defeat to Cairo. MLB teams have been Grand Champion 13 times, 10 of those by American Association teams.

For their pitching staff, Borey Chhorn was 4-0 with a 1.32 ERA and 41 Ks in 34 innings; Marko Kusko was 3-0 in four starts with a 2.48 ERA, 32.2 innings, and 45 Ks; and closer Marten Hasan had a 0.90 ERA over 10 innings with eight saves. SS Paulo Costancia led the offense with 23 hits, 17 runs, 8 homers, 17 RBI, 1.152 OPS, 232 wRC+, and 2.1 WAR. Although he had a surprisingly weak showing (-0.3 WAR), Binh Tang’s 2040 saw a Grand Championship ring, World Series ring, and a World Baseball Championship ring with Vietnam.



Dublin notably finished in the top three for the fifth time. The Dinos were the 2024 champ and had taken third in 2022, 23, and 35. Chicago was the top scoring team with 107 runs. There was a four-way tie for fourth place at 12-9 and based on tiebreakers, the finishing order was Torreon, Zagreb, Kampala, and Fortaleza. The Tomahawks were 3-0 against that group, including an 18-inning, 3-2 win against the Gulls. That was the first time a CABA team has been in the top four since Tijuana was third in 2030.

Next in line were five teams at 11-10; Cairo, Dar es Salaam, Irkutsk, Libreville, and Mumbai. Finishing 10-11 was Ciudad Guayana, Pekanbaru, and Saitama. At 9-12 was Busan and Costa Rica, while Rostov was alone at 8-13. Sydney, Timor, and Zhengzhou each finished 7-14. Faisalabad was alone in last place at 6-15.

*NOTE: The leaderboard for some reason doesn’t log all players properly, although their stats do show up in their individual pages and on the all-time leaderboard.



Awarded Tournament MVP was Dar es Salaam LF Sebastian Malema. The 29-year old South African had 24 hits, 17 runs, 4 doubles, 10 home runs, 19 RBI, .308/.386/.744 slash, 226 wRC+, and 1.4 WAR. Pekanbaru leadoff man Palani Pathammavong notably had 32 hits, tying the event record set in 2035 by Rex Seguin. The 29-year old Lao 1B had a .427 average, the third-best by a qualifier in even history (65 plate appearances).

Ciudad Guayana’s Rafael Menendez earned Best Pitcher with a 1.32 ERA over 34 innings, 4-0 record, 48 strikeouts, 280 ERA+, 35 FIP-, and 1.7 WAR. Kampala’s Yue Xu notably set a record with three shutouts in his five stars. He was 4-0 with a 1.02 ERA, 44 innings, 60 Ks, and 2.1 WAR.

His Peacocks teammate Abdullahi Ali struck out 72, tied for the second-most which he hit the prior year. He also had a 22 strikeout complete game with two runs allowed against Timor. That tied the single game Ks record for the BGC, previously met in 2025 by Rotterdam’s Pasquale Barola against Nanjing. Ali also holds the BGC record with 83 in 2038.

Other notes: Chicago’s Amani Gonalves tied the BGC single-game runs record with five against Zhenghzou. That same game, Kenneth Armstrong tied the RBI record with eight. In bad pitching records, Zhgenzhou’s Duguan Xiao allowed the most hits in a BGC with 47, and Faisalabad’s Zahman Momand was the tenth pitcher to record five losses in an event.