Baseball: The World's Game

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Starting pitcher Dan Potra was elected into the Eurasian Professional Baseball Hall of Fame as the lone member of the 1983 class. Potra was a no-doubt pick, getting 96.6% on the first ballot. Fellow SP Eryk Wozniak had a nice showing on his fifth ballot at 60.5%, but was still short of the 66% requirement. Also above 60% were 2B Ali Alasgarov at60.5% in his debut and SP Artyom Rudasev with 60.2% on his fifth ballot. Two others received above 50% in their debuts with reliever Elgiz Gulyamov at 59.0% and starter Maxym Veremeenko at 52.6%.



Dropped after ten ballots was LF Eldar Vdovichenko, who ended at 22.9%. He started as high at 60.8% on his debut before slowly falling over time. In 15 seasons with four teams, Vdovichenko had one MVP, four Silver Sluggers, and a Gold Glove along with 2141 hits, 1243 runs, 365 doubles, 321 home runs, 1059 RBI, 928 stolen bases, .284/.329/.498 slash and 73.4 WAR. He had also won a title in 1956 with Minsk, but his totals and lower power numbers didn’t win over enough voters with the EPB intelligentsia being stingy towards hitters.



Dan Potra – Starting Pitcher – Tirana Trojans – 96.6% First Ballot

Dan Potra was a 6’8’’, 195 pound left-handed pitcher from the capital of Romania, Bucharest. The lanky lefty was known for having great control and movement on his pitches, allowing him to flourish despite merely above average stuff. He still had 96-98 mph peak velocity, but it was his knuckle curve that brought him the most success. Potra also had a slider, curveball, and screwball in his arsenal. He was excellent at holding runners and considered solid defensively. Potra didn’t throw quite as many complete games as some of his contemporaries, but he still gave you reliable innings each year with good durability.

Potra earned plenty of attention as a prospect and was picked second overall in the 1960 Eurasian Professional Baseball Draft by Tirana. He’d ultimately spend his entire career in Albania with the Trojans. Potra was mainly used as a reliever in his first three seasons, then earned a big spot in the rotation from 1964 onward. From there, he had ten consecutive seasons worth 6+ WAR. Potra also was a regular for his home country Romania in the World Baseball Championship. From 1963-77, he had an impressive 1.78 ERA over 126.2 innings with 149 strikeouts and 4.3 WAR.

Potra emerged as a true ace in his late 20s, leading the European League in ERA and quality starts three different times between 1967-70. He posted a career best 1.27 ERA in 1967, 299 strikeouts in 1968, and 10.8 WAR in 1968. Potra finished second in 1968 Pitcher of the Year voting, then won the award in both 1969 and 1970. This stretch turned Tirana into a contender for the first time, as the Trojans didn’t make the playoffs in their first 12 seasons. From 1967-72, they made it five teams, thrice to the ELCS. They won the league title in 1970 and 1972, but lost both years in the Soviet Series. Still, Potra put up excellent postseason numbers and couldn’t be blamed for the 4-8 record with a 1.82 ERA over 108.2 innings, 115 strikeouts, and 3.8 WAR.

Potra suffered a partially torn labrum in 1972, although he bounced back with mostly the same innings as before. His production dropped a bit in the next couple seasons, but he was still starter quality. Tirana became more middling at this point and Potra saw his use scaled down. Although his numbers seemed fine, he was reduced to a reliever in 1977, retiring after the season at age 36. His #28 uniform would be immediately retired.

Potra’s final stats saw a 213-132 record, 2.11 ERA, 3470.2 innings, 3221 strikeouts to 543 walks, 345/425 quality starts, a FIP- of 73 and 92.6 WAR. At induction, his ERA was second best among EPB Hall of Famers and he had the 10^th best WAR of any EPB pitcher. Potra didn’t have the longevity to be at the very top of the accumulations, but his resume was more than enough to earn the first ballot nod at 96.6%.

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The third and fourth Hall of Famers for the Oceania Baseball Association were added in the 1983 class. SP Hugo Georgakoupoulou secured a first ballot selection with 93.2%. His was joined by fellow pitcher Te Paoro Rangi, who on his sixth try finally got the boost he needed to get in with 79.4%. No other player was above 50%.



For the first time, a player was dropped after ten ballots. SS Fineasi Hausia ended at 9.7% after peaking at 37.3% in his fifth ballot. The beloved Tongan was hurt by leaving for MLB in his final six seasons. Still, in nine years with Adelaide, he won two MVPs and seven Gold Gloves with 1343 hits, 502 runs, 200 doubles, 68 home runs, 473 RBI, a .276/.308/.386 slash and 63.7 WAR. The lack of accumulations and power stats sunk him in the eyes of enough voters to leave Hausia on the outside.



Hugo “Junkyard” Georgakoupoulou – Starting Pitcher – Gold Coast Kangaroos – 93.2% First Ballot

Hugo Georgakoupoulou was a 5’7’’, 195 pound left-handed starting pitcher from Melbourne, Australia. Nicknamed “Junkyard,” the stocky left was known for having excellent stuff along with above average movement and control. His fastball only peaked at 93-95 mph, but he mixed it expertly along with a devastating curveball. Georgakoupoulou also had a forkball and changeup in his repertoire. His stamina was considered weak compared to many of his contemporaries and he had some injury issues in the four-man rotation world of OBA. But Georgakoupoulou was an important force in the clubhouse as a team captain, renowned by teammates for his leadership, loyalty, and work ethic.

Georgakoupoulou had an impressive amateur career in Australia which earned him the second overall pick in the 1963 Oceania Baseball Association Draft by Gold Coast. He was used as a part-time starter in his first two seasons, then became a full-time member of the rotation beyond that. Georgakoupoulou posted eight seasons worth 6+ WAR, although he was rarely a league leader. He was the WHIP leader in 1966 and the 1969 WARlord with 10.2, earning his lone Pitcher of the Year in 1969. Georgakoupoulou was also a finalist with a second place in 1974.

For the Australian national team, Georgakoupoulou pitched in 11 editions of the World Baseball Championship from 1966-76. He was mostly used as a reliever with a 3.41 ERA over 58 innings with 96 strikeouts. Gold Coast was middling in his earliest seasons, but emerged as a dynasty with three straight Australasia League titles from 1971-73. The Kangaroos were the overall OBA champ as well in 1971 and 72. While Georgakoupoulou certainly helped them get there, his 0-4 record and 4.13 ERA in 28.1 innings was surprisingly poor. Elbow inflammation kept him out of the 1972 postseason run. Still, Georgakoupoulou helped them to two OBA rings and would see his #14 uniform retired by Gold Coast at the end of his career.

Georgakoupoulou remained fairly steady into his 30s, but saw his numbers drop a bit in 1976, his last season with the Kangaroos. He became a free agent for the first time at age 36 and signed with his hometown team Melbourne. Georgakoupoulou was average at best though and the Mets traded him in June to Adelaide. He was a decent back-end starter for the Aardvarks, who had won the OBA title twice in the prior three seasons. Adelaide capped off the 1977 season with another ring, although Georgakoupoulou only made one relief appearance in the final. He decided to end his career there at age 36.

Georgakoupoulou’s final stats: 208-136 record, 2.51 ERA, 3294.2 innings, 3744 strikeouts to 711 walks, 325/457 quality starts, 74 FIP- and 83.8 WAR. His numbers would be more towards the top third of the leaderboard among eventual OBA Hall of Famers, not at the top but certainly not out of place as the years went by. He picked up the firm first ballot induction with 93.2% of the vote.



Te Paoro Rangi – Starting Pitcher – Auckland Avengers - 79.4% Sixth Ballot

Te Paoro Rangi was a 5’9’’, 190 pound right-handed pitcher from Manukau, New Zealand; a small suburb of South Auckland. His biggest strength was having excellent pinpoint control, making up for the fact that he had merely average stuff and above average movement. Rangi’s peak velocity was 93-95 mph with a mix of fastball, slider, curveball, and splitter. For most his career, Rangi was considered quite durable, although he wasn’t one to throw a ton of complete games. The biggest knock on his was despite his intelligence, he was considered to have a poor work ethic, no loyalty, and no leadership. Rangi wasn’t the most liked by teammates, which led him to bounce around in his career.

The timing was such that Rangi had just begun his professional career when the Oceania Baseball Association was formed for the 1960 season. This allowed him to sign as a 22-year old free agent to a four-year, $151,200 deal with Auckland. Rangi was immediately successful with 8.1 WAR in his debut, earning Rookie of the Year. He’d have four straight seasons worth 6+ WAR to start his career and regularly posted quality starts. On April 28, 1963, he struck out 11 against Gold Coast in OBA’s second perfect game. In five seasons with Auckland, Rangi had a 90-64 record, 2.85 ERA, 1293 strikeouts in 1472.1 innings, and 35.1 WAR. He also pitched 81.1 innings for New Zealand’s national team from 1963-70. In the World Baseball Championship, he had a 3.98 ERA over 81.1 innings.

Auckland hadn’t found success yet and Rangi made it clear he wanted to leave. Before the 1965 season, the Avengers traded him to Tahiti for three prospects. His one season with the Tropics would be his best and his lone Pitcher of the Year season with career bests in wins (24-11), quality starts (33), and WAR (8.5). The Tropics won the Pacific League for the first time and beat Rangi’s former team Auckland in the OBA Championship. He allowed five earned runs over 16 playoff innings. Rangi figured his stock was at an all-time high and he entered free agency at age 28.

Adelaide was the buyer and signed him to a six-year, $648,000 deal. Rangi had a strong debut season and helped the Aardvarks to the 1966 Australasia League title, although he stunk in the postseason and they fell in the OBA Championship to Guadalcanal. Adelaide remained good, but would fall just short in the playoffs in the next few years to Melbourne’s dynasty. Rangi never quite lived up to the strong production of his first season again, although he was still deserving of the spot in the rotation.

1967 was a notable year with a no hitter on April 17 against Brisbane with nine strikeouts and one walk. Then on June 7, he threw his second perfect game, joining East Asia Baseball Hall of Famer Moon Kim as the only pro pitchers to have thrown two perfect games at that point in history. In total with Adelaide, Rangi had a 79-68 record over 1438.1 innings with a 2.84 ERA, 1112 strikeouts, and 22.3 WAR. In early 1971, Rangi suffered a torn labrum, which essentially ended his career. He’d attempt a comeback in 1972 with New Caledonia, but would only pitch 2.2 innings before retiring that offseason at age 35.

Rangi’s final stats had a 193-143 record, 2.81 ERA, 3214 innings, 2657 strikeouts to 414 walks, 320/442 quality starts, 85 FIP, and 65.9 WAR. They were respectable stats with two rings as well, but a combination of an earlier retirement, bouncing between teams, and being a jerk kept Rangi waiting with some voters not wanting him to be one of the first Hall of Famers. He debuted at 48.3% and slowly climbed over the next few years, including a narrow miss at 65.8% on his fifth ballot. In 1983, the sixth ballot was the one to put Rangi into the Hall of Fame with 79.4%.

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Austronesia Professional Baseball added pitcher Wei-Chung Hsu into its still fledgling Hall of Fame as the fifth member. Hsu was the lone inductee from the 1983 voting, receiving 77.4% on his first ballot. One other first ballot guy came close but missed at 61.8% in 3B Stanley Susilowati. No other players were above 50% and no one was dropped after ten ballots. 1B Shen-Hsiung Hsue was close though, falling below 5% on his ninth allot. He was hurt by beginning at age 31 and spending only five seasons in APB with three in CABA. Still, Hsue won two MVPs and five Silver Sluggers in his brief run, leading in home runs thrice.



Wei-Chung Hsu – Starting Pitcher – Tainan Titans – 77.4% First Ballot

Wei-Chung Hsu was a 5’8’’, 195 pound right-handed pitcher from Juifang, Taiwan; a suburban district in eastern New Taipei City. He was a well-rounded pitcher with very solid stuff, movement, and control. Hsu’s velocity peaked at 95-97 mph, but he could beat you just as easily with his sinker, curveball, or changeup. Hsu had excellent stamina and solid durability, regularly going deep into games. His pitch arsenal led to an extreme groundball tendency, although he also got plenty of strikeouts.

Hsu was a great college pitcher at Taipei’s National Taiwan University. In the 1966 Austronesia Professional Baseball Draft, Tainan selected Hsu 11^th overall. He was an immediate starter and star, winning Rookie of the Year in 1967 and leading the Taiwan League in strikeouts. The next year saw a career-best 11.8 WAR and league leading 353 strikeouts. Each of his seven seasons with Tainan were worth 7+ WAR with three being worth 11+.

However, Hsu never won the Pitcher of the Year because of his teammate and fellow Hall of Famer Kun-Sheng Lin, who won six straight from 1969-74 and won four MVPs in that stretch. Hsu was second in 1968, 69, 70, and 72 with a third place in 1973. In any other scenario, Hsu’s stats were good enough to win multiple awards, but he was stuck as the second best on his own team behind arguably the greatest six year stretch from any pitcher by Lin.

Despite their combined efforts, Tainan only made the playoffs twice in this stretch. They would win the Taiwan-Philippine Association title in both 1969 and 1972, but fell in the APB final in both seasons. Hsu missed the 1969 postseason with a torn labrum, although he bounced right back without issue. In the 1972 postseason, he went 3-0 over three complete games with a 1.67 ERA and 28 strikeouts. In total with Tainan in seven seasons, Hsu had a 118-78 record, 1.96 ERA, 1885 innings, 2296 strikeouts, and 67.0 WAR. This would ultimately be the entirety of his APB career, as also like Lin, he left for Major League Baseball.

Unlike Lin, whose MLB run was immediately derailed by injury, Hsu would manage a few solid seasons. He signed a five-year, $1,890,000 deal with Indianapolis. Although he missed a month to injury, Hsu led the National Association in ERA in his Racers debut, helping them to the 1974 World Series. He had an unremarkable 4.24 ERA in five postseason starts and saw very middling numbers the next year in Indy. After a rough start to 1976, the Racers traded Hsu to Oakland. In total for Indianapolis, he had a 3.30 ERA over 543 innings and 8.5 WAR.

Hsu managed a solid second half though with the Owls and gave Oakland two more respectable seasons in 1977 and 1978. They made the playoffs twice, but couldn’t put together a run. Hsu had a 3.31 ERA over 692.1 innings with 14.9 WAR. He became a free agent at age 34 and signed for the 1979 season to a four-year, $2,600,000 deal with Philadelphia. Hsu had a nice first year in Philly, but missed much of 1980 to elbow inflammation. After an poor spring training in 1981, Philadelphia cut Hsu before the season’s start.

Hsu signed later that month to a deal with Albuquerque and put up decent numbers with the Isotopes worthy of a spot in the rotation. Unfortunately that summer, he suffered a stretched elbow ligament, putting him out 10 months. Hsu attempted a comeback and spent parts of 1982 under minor league contracts with Las Vegas, Chicago, Cincinnati, and Baltimore. His only MLB action of the season was four relief appearances with the Reds. Hsu retired after the season at age 38 and for his MLB run had a 112-81 record, 3.14 ERA, 1784.1 innings, 1215 strikeouts, and 33.9 WAR.

For Hsu’s full professional career, he had a 230-159 record, 2.53 ERA, 3669.1 innings, 3511 strikeouts, 755 walks, 322/449 quality starts, 232 complete games, FIP- of 72, and 101.0 WAR. That combined resume would be undisputed for a HOF nod, but he was mostly to be judged on only his seven APB seasons with Tainan. 67.0 WAR over that short of a stretch is remarkable, but his teammate Lin’s unprecedented 95 WAR in a similar stretch overshadowed him. Still, Hsu remained a very popular player with many in Taiwan still cheering him on in his American endeavors. In the end, Hsu received 77.4% on his debut ballot and found his slot in the APB Hall of Fame.

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1983 was the fourth year that Chinese League Baseball had held Hall of Fame voting, but still no one had come particularly close to induction. In 1983, closer Mang Maung Yee set a new high mark in his debut. That high of 20.5% was still well below the 66% requirement for induction. CLB would see its first inductee in the following season.

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The 1983 World Baseball Championship was the 37^th edition of the event and returned to Mexico for the first time since 1967, this time with Tijuana as the primary host city. In Division 1, the Netherlands earned it’s fourth-ever division title and second in three years. The Dutch took it narrowly at 7-2, edging out both Colombia and France by one game. The defending world champion United States cruised in Division 2 at 9-0 with only 7-2 Paraguay showing much competition. The perennial powerhouse American team has been in the elite eight 33 times. Division 3 had a tie between Germany and China at 8-1, but the Germans advanced having won the head-to-head. This was the sixth division title for the Germans, although they hadn’t done it since 1961. It was also a rare back-to-back miss for the Chinese.

Italy rolled to the Division 4 title at 8-1 for their eighth division title and first since 1979. South Korea clobbered the completion with an unbeaten 9-0 in D5 for their 13^th division title and second in three years. Last year’s runner-up Australia was a non-factor at 5-4. In Division 6, Ukraine won at 7-2, edging 6-3 efforts by Mexico and Russia. It is the third division title for the Ukrainians and first since 1960. D7 had the Philippines and Canada tie for first at 7-2 with Romania at 6-3. The tiebreaker went to the Filipinos for their tenth division title. And in D8, Brazil prevailed at 7-2, topping both Cuba and Northern Ireland by one game. For the Brazilians, it is their 19^th time advancing to the Elite Eight.

In Double Round Robin Group A, Germany took first place at 4-2 to earn their third-ever final four appearance with the other two being 1959 and 1955. Ukraine and the United States were both 3-3 and the Netherlands was 2-4. The tiebreaker ousted the defending champion Americans, marking only the third time they had gotten to the elite eight without later getting to the final four. It was Ukraine’s second-ever semifinal trip, joining their 1958 runner-up season. In Group B, South Korea and the Philippines rolled with both going 5-1, while Italy and Brazil were 1-5. It marks the tenth semifinal berth for the Koreans and the seventh for the Filipinos.

Both semifinal series went all five games. Germany edged South Korea to earn their first-ever finals trip. Ukraine topped the Philippines to earn their second finals berth, joining the 1958 campaign. SK officially was third over the Filipinos due to the better round one record. It is the third time the Koreans have finished third and the sixth time the Philippines had been fourth.



The 37^th World Championship was the first to feature two European teams. It was also a surprising result for many considering neither Germany nor Ukraine had gotten to the elite eight in more than 20 years. The Germans would dominate the finale4-1 to earn their first-ever title, becoming the third European champ (Russia in 1956, Czechia in 1980). Leading the way was tournament MVP Bernd “Noodle” Sprenger, a 23-year old emerging star at shortstop for Belfast. In 25 games, Sprenger had 33 hits, 20 runs, 15 home runs, 28 RBI, and 2.0 WAR. Best Pitcher went to Vhon Lasam of the Philippines, the two-time Pitcher of the Year with Zamboanga. The 28-year old lefty pitched 16 scoreless innings with 24 strikeouts and four hits allowed.



Other notes: American Dorian Ferrer had an impressive 20 strikeout no-hitter with one walk against Mali. In the overall standings, South Korea’s third place allowed them to jump back into the fourth place spot overall ahead of Brazil.

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The fourth season of South Asia Baseball saw record setting win totals in the Indian League. Pune finished 119-43 atop the West Division to set a single-season wins record that wouldn’t be topped until 1995. Division foe Ahmedabad at 91-71 easily took the wild card. Not far from the Purple Knights dominance was defending South Asia champ Bengaluru, who dominated the South Division at 115-47. The Blazers smacked 254 home runs as a team, while held as the IL record until 2030. In a weak Central Division, Jaipur took first at 83-79. The Jokers, Pune, and Bengaluru have each made the playoffs all four SAB seasons so far, while Ahmedabad has made it thrice.

SS Al-Amin Kundu won his fourth straight Indian League MVP. The 31-year old Pune shortstop led in home runs (58), runs (117), RBI (139), and WAR (11.9). Purple Knights ace Sankar Sundaram won his third straight Pitcher of the Year. The 30-year old righty led in WHIP (0.84) and split his time between the rotation and bullpen with 20 starts and 39 relief appearances. Over 186 innings, he had a 2.37 ERA, 12-2 record, 22 saves, 284 strikeouts, and 6.6 WAR.

Pune pounded Ahmedabad with the expected first round sweep, but Jaipur shocked Bengaluru by upsetting them 3-1. The Jokers gave the Purple Knights a seven game classic battle in the Indian League Championship Series, but Pune proved too powerful in the end. The Purple Knights are now two-time IL champs, having also won it in 1981.



Defending Southeast Asia League champ Yangon had the top record in 1983 at 103-59, winning the North Division and a fourth straight playoff berth. The South Division went to Ho Chi Minh City at 96-66 for their first-ever playoff berth. Last year’s SEAL runner-up Dhaka easily took the first wild card spot at 93-69. No one stood out in the battle for the second spot with 84-78 Mandalay edging Phnom Penh for it by one game. The Mammoths have made the playoffs three of SEAL’s first four seasons.

1B Yamin “Enforcer” Thaw won his second Southeast Asia League MVP. He won the award and set the record with 66 home runs in 1981, but didn’t play at all in 1982 as no one met his big asking price. The 34-year old Burmese slugger signed for 1983 with Dhaka and led in home runs (53), RBI (135), total bases (372), OBP (.409), slugging (.681), OPS (1.090), wRC+ (209), and WAR (10.1). He had a .319 batting average, seven points shy of a Triple Crown. Pitcher of the Year went to Mandalay’s Kalapriya Bhoola. The 30-year old Indian righty had a 2.40 ERA over 232.1 innings with 241 strikeouts and 6.5 WAR. Sadly, he’d suffer a torn UCL the next season with Pune and see his career end prematurely.

Yangon swept Mandalay in the first round, while Dhaka upset Ho Chi Minh City 3-2. For the third straight season, the Southeast Asia League Championship Series had the Green Dragons and Dobermans with Dhaka having won in 1981 and Yangon taking it in 1982. The Green Dragons prevailed 4-1 to take their third SEAL title in its first four seasons.



Yangon would find themselves 0-3 all-time in the South Asia Championship though as the fourth edition went to Pune. The Purple Knights pummeled them in a sweep to win their first title with their 119-43 mark one of the best ever for a champion. League MVP Al-Amin Kundu was finals MVP and hit 8 home runs with 16 hits, 12 runs, and 15 RBI in 14 playoff games.



Other notes: Janistha Jai set a bad single-season record that still stands as of 2037, he was caught stealing 71 times.

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The Western League saw some changes at the top of the standings with defending West African Baseball champ Abidjan missing the playoffs on a fourth place 83-79 finish. The Athletes had made the playoffs in each of WAB’s first eight years and won the WL title four times in that stretch. Bamako took first at 105-57 to snap a five-year playoff drought for the Bullfrogs. Kumasi was second at 95-67 to keep its postseason streak intact at six years. Nouakchott grabbed third at 87-75 for the final wild card spot. This was the first postseason berth for the Night Riders. Monrovia, who was the WLCS runner-up last year, dropped to a lousy 72-90.

Nouakchott had the Western League MVP in 3B Epule Fongang. The Cameroonian righty was already in his fifth season at only age 23 and led in hits for the fourth straight season, this time with 190. He also led in runs (103), triples (25), total bases (333), and WAR (9.2), adding a .314 average and 20 home runs with 113 RBI. Bamako lefty Addise Assefa won the Pitcher of the Year with the 26-year old Ethiopian leading in strikeouts (401), WAR (9.1), quality starts 930), and wins (21-9). Assefa was the first-ever WAB pitcher to strikeout 400+ in a season, topping the previous record of 386. He had a 2.32 ERA in 283.2 innings.



In the Eastern League, Ouagadougou finished first at 105-57 to earn back-to-back playoff berths. After missing the field for the first time ever last year, Lagos earned the first wild card with their second place finish at 93-69. The third spot went to Kano at 89-73, giving the Condors a sixth playoff berth in WAB’s first nine seasons. Last year’s EL champ Port Harcourt tied for fourth at 84-78 with Douala. Benin City, the runner-up last year, fell to sixth at 79-83.

Osprey CF Robbie Oakes won the Eastern League MVP. The 25-year old lefty from South Africa led in runs (127), walks (112), stolen bases (85), OBP (.422), and WAR (10.8). Pitcher of the Year was Moussa Sidi, who had been traded to Lagos from Conakry during spring training. The 28-year old Mauritanian lefty led the league in ERA at 2.32, posting 256 strikeouts, a 15-8 record, and 6.3 WAR in 221 innings.

Both wild card round series were sweeps with Nouakchott upsetting Kumasi in the WL and Lagos topping Kano as expected in the EL. Both League Championship Series went all five games with the WLCS going to Bamako over the Night Riders, giving the Bulldogs their second Western League title (1976). In the ELCS, Lagos upset Ouagadougou to return to their throne atop the Eastern League. The Lizards are now five-time EL winners, having won in 1977, 78, 79, 81, and now 83.



Lagos added its fourth overall WAB title as they crushed Bamako with a sweep in the ninth West African Championship. The Lizards have won those four in six years with the additional rings in 1978, 79, and 81. SS Ismael Sidi was the finals MVP with the 29-year old former league MVP getting 16 hits, 7 runs, 6 extra base hits, and 8 RBI in 11 playoff games.



Other notes; Douala’s Mokhtar Mariama had a 30-game hit streak, setting a new WAB single season record. The mark would get topped later in the decade. Stephen Tshukudu and George Nandjou became the first WAB batters to 400 career home runs.

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For the first time since their 1972 China Series win, Tianjin earned a playoff spot. The Jackrabbits finished first in the Northern League at 101-61, leading in both runs scored (544) and fewest allowed (387). Last year’s Chinese League Baseball runner-up Nanjing took the second playoff spot at 92-70. Xi’an was a distant third at 85-77, while last year’s first place squad Qingdao dropped to below .500 with a ninth place 79-83.

Tianjin fourth-year RF Mingqi Dai was the Northern League MVP. Nicknamed “Bumblebee,” the 25-year old lefty was one RBI short of a Triple Crown with 38 home runs, 105 RBI, and a .334 average. Dai also led in runs (107), hits (185), total bases (371), OBP (.391), slugging (.670), OPS (1.061), and wRC+ (266). His 13.3 WAR was the third ever by a CLB batter to that point, but he was second in the league to Libo Li. The Qingdao CF had 14.0 WAR with strong defense helping him, although he had a .964 OPS, 33 home runs, and 106 RBI.

Tianjin also had Pitcher of the Year in Bongxiang Bai. The #1 overall draft pick in 1980, he bounced back from a torn UCL suffered midway through 1981. The 24-year old lefty led in ERA (1.66), WHIP (0.70), K/BB (19.5), FIP- (29), and WAR (10.4), adding 292 strikeouts in 217 innings and a 16-8 record. Sadly for Bai, this would be his peak with two more UCL ruptures later in the 1980s ending his career prematurely. He’d have a 1.70 ERA in 1046 career innings and 40.0 WAR, but he’d only play parts of six seasons. Also of note, Yongjie Xie won a historic sixth Reliever of the Year. In a season split between Beijing and Harbin, he posted a 0.44 ERA with 208 strikeouts in 101.1 innings and 7.5 WAR.



The Southern League was incredibly tight in 1983. Chongqing very narrowly finished first at 93-69, while Macau finished second at 92-70. It was the second-ever playoff berth for both the Cavaliers and Magicians. Defending CLB champion Hong Kong and Wuhan both tied for third at 91-71, barely missing the playoff field. Chengdu, winners of 101 games the prior year, were also in the mix in fifth at 89-73; just four games out of first.

Chengdu RF Haojian Yu won back-to-back Southern League MVPs. The 28-year old righty led in runs (92), home runs (45), RBI (109), total bases (337), slugging (.588), OPS (.917), and wRC+ (196), adding 7.7 WAR. Shenzhen’s Xinyu Dai won back-to-back Pitcher of the Year, leading the league with 120 WAR, 362 strikeouts, 282.1 innings, 22 complete games, and a 43 FIP-. Dai added a 1.82 ERA and 16-13 record.

Both first place finishers prevailed in their semifinal series against the opposing league’s second place finisher. Tianjin topped Macau 4-2, while Chongqing swept Nanjing. For the Jackrabbits, this sent them to the championship for the third time, having been the 1971 runner-up and 1972 champion. For the Cavaliers, it was their first time in the finals. The 14^th China Series ultimately gave Tianjin its second ring, as they would sweep Chongqing. Pitcher Tai Zhang was the finals MVP, making two postseason starts with two runs allowed over 16 innings for a 1.12 ERA with 11 strikeouts.





Other notes: Zhijan Dong became the first CLB pitcher to 3500 career strikeouts. Chiming Chen became the second to 200 wins. Xinze Yan became the second batter to 2000 hits. Hongchen Wang and Hao Lan became the fourth and fifth batters to have 1000 runs scored. Lan also became the second to 400 home runs and won his eighth Silver Slugger at LF. . Shenchao An won his record 12^th Gold Glove at first base. Junjie Hsiung won his eighth Gold Glove at shortstop. Two-way player Nick Wei won his 11^th Silver Slugger, his ninth for pitching.

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Defending Austronesian Champion Taoyuan won the Taiwan League title for the fourth time in six years. The Tsunami took first at 99-63, fending off a solid challenge from 99-67 Taichung. Taoyuan led the Taiwan-Philippine Association in both runs scored (586) and fewest allowed (457). In the Philippine League, Manila snapped a 12-year playoff drought with the Manatees first at 86-76. Defending PL champ Quezon and Cebu both tied for second at 80-82.

The Tsunami had the league MVP in veteran first baseman Ming-Chin Lin. The 33-year old led in the triple slash (.336/.369/.575) and led in OPS (.945), wRC+ (189), RBI (96), and doubles (36). He added 27 home runs and 8.2 WAR. Zamboanga’s Vhon Lasam won his third Pitcher of the Year award. The 28-year old lefty had been the World Baseball Championship’s Best Pitcher to start the year, then boasted a TPA best 1.97 ERA, 365 strikeouts, 0.83 WHIP, 57 FIP-, and 9.1 WAR. Lasam led in strikeouts for the fourth straight season, getting a 16-9 record in 264.2 innings. Also of note, Taoyuan’s Ting-Wei Ping won his fifth Reliever of the Year, posting 41 saves and a 1.14 ERA with 5.8 WAR. This would end the 30-year old’s APB career, as he’d spend the next decade bouncing between MLB squads.



The fight for the Malacca League crown was intense with Medan taking it at 96-66, finishing one ahead of Pekanbaru and three ahead of Batam. This gave the Marlins their third playoff berth in four years. They set a Sundaland Association record as a pitching staff with only 194 walks surrendered, a record that held until 2036. Last year’s ML winner Singapore fell to 77-83. Defending SA champ Jakarta cruised to the Java League crown at 89-73.

Bandung CF Fajar Lastori was the Sundaland Association MVP, his second time winning having also taken it in 1978. Nicknamed “Soupy,” he led in runs (85), home runs (42), total bases (312), and slugging (.533) with 9.1 WAR. Medan’s Ryco Bujang won his second Pitcher of the Year in three years. The 26-year old Indonesian lefty led in ERA (1.59), wins (22-7), quality starts (31), FIP- (55), and WAR (9.4). He added 325 strikeouts in 271.2 innings.

Taoyuan topped Manila 4-1 in the Taiwan-Philippine Association Championship, giving the Tsunami back-to-back TPA pennants and their fourth overall. Medan mauled Jakarta with a Sundaland Association Championship sweep, giving the Marlins their second title in three years and third overall.



In the 19^th Austronesian Championship, Taoyuan downed Medan in five games, giving the Tsunami back-to-back titles and their third overall. 1B Tsi-Hsiang Li was the finals MVP with the 25-year old getting 12 hits, 6 runs, and 2 home runs in 10 playoff games. Taoyuan became the third APB franchise to repeat as overall champs; Kaohsiung did it twice in their mid 1970s dynasty and Jakarta did it in 1969-70.



Other notes: APB’s ninth perfect game was pitched by Shu-Nung Zhang of Pekanbaru on July 10. He struck out six against Surabaya in his perfecto. Dada Wibowo set a bad all-time APB record, striking out 320 times. Francis Pung became the first APB batter to 2500 career hits. He retired after the 1984 season with 2741 hits, which would remain the APB all-time mark until the early 2000s. Abracham Gumelar became the first to 600 home runs, ending his career with 604. Chun-Chia Lan became only the third to 500 home runs. Wisnu Dharmayuman became the first pitcher to 4000 strikeouts. 1B Kent Wang won his 14^th Gold Glove. 2B Max Diama won his eighth Silver Slugger.

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Christchurch finished atop the Australasia League standings in 1983, giving them their third league title (1980, 1963). The Chinooks took it at 93-69, finishing three ahead of Adelaide and four better than Sydney. Auckland’s three-peat bid was thwarted as the Avengers were a fourth place 87-75.

Leading Christchurch’s effort was 28-year old LF Jude Goldney. A hometown boy done good, Goldney led the AL in WAR (8.6), adding a .312 average, 30 home runs, and 95 RBI. Adelaide’s Tarzan Rao won his third Pitcher of the Year in four seasons and made history in the process. The 30-year old Ni-Vanuatu righty had an all-time season with the sixth OBA pitching Triple Crown on a 25-9 record, 1.91 ERA, and 524 strikeouts. The 524 Ks was not only a new OBA record, but was the second most in any season in any professional league. Only Mohamed Ramos’ 549 in 1936 in Beisbol Sudamerica was better. It remains #2 in any league as of 2037 and Rao is one of only four pitchers with a 500K season. Rao also set a OBA record with 15.5 WAR and led in innings pitched (349.1), WHIP (0.76), K/BB (16.4), quality starts 933), complete games (23), and FIP- (45).



The Pacific League was a two-team battle between two-time defending champ Honolulu and the 1979-80 champ Guam. It came down to the final day, but the Honu were able to three-peat as champs, finishing 104-58 while the Golden Eagles were 103-59. Tahiti was a solid 93-69, but a distant third. Honolulu is the second franchise to three-peat in the Pacific League, joining the 1974-76 Tropics.

Fiji was a terrible 64-98, tied for the worst record in OBA. Despite that, Freedom 1B Trent Atkins won his second Pacific League MVP. The 30-year old Hawaiian led in home runs (53), RBI (11), total bases (332), slugging (.563), OPS (.891), and wRC+ (186). Guam’s Thomas Harrison won his second Pitcher of the Year. The 27-year old Australian was the leader in wins (25-8), ERA (1.93), quality starts (37), FIP- (63), and WAR (9.0). Harrison added 323 strikeouts over 284.2 innings.

In the 24^th Oceania Championship, Honolulu defeated Christchurch 4-2 to make the Honu repeat champions. RF Daniel Barnes was the finals MVP with the 33-year old American posting 9 hits, 4 runs, 2 doubles, 2 home runs, and 5 RBI. Honolulu becomes the fourth OBA franchise to repeat as overall champs, joining 1971-72 Gold Coast, 76-77 Adelaide, and 79-80 Guam.





Other notes: Guadalcanal’s Jack Nix set a single-game OBA record with 23 strikeouts over 9.2 innings against Fiji on April 3. This remains the OBA record as of 2037. Nathaniel Doloran became the first pitcher to 5000 career strikeouts. He would retire with 5026 and still sits sixth all-time as of 2037, although he’d lose the top spot later in the 1980s. Nigel Chalmers became the first pitcher with 250 wins and became the third to 4000 strikeouts.

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The top record in Eurasian Professional Baseball in 1983 went to Minsk at 107-55, leading the European League in both runs scored (593) and fewest allowed (399). The Miners were North Division champs and earned their 26^th playoff appearance through EPB’s first 29 seasons. St. Petersburg was a distant second at 91-71 in the division, but they took the second wild card spot, beating division foe Vilnius by four games and Warsaw by five. This snapped a three year playoff drought for the Polar Bears. Defending EL champ Kyiv won the South Division title at 100-62 and earned a sixth consecutive playoff berth. Kharkiv was four back at 96-66, easily getting the first wild card spot. For the Killer Bees, it is their third playoff berth in the last four seasons.

Kharkiv 1B Vyacheslav Afonin won the European League MVP. The fourth-year Ukrainian righty led in WAR (9.3), RBI (130), runs (90), total bases (373), and slugging (.598), adding a .300 average and 50 home runs. Only Kyiv’s Ilkin Hasanov beat him in homers, smacking 59 for the highest tally by an EPB slugger in nearly a decade. Pitcher of the Year went to Minsk’s Jaylan Harrell, who earned EPB’s fourth pitching Triple Crown season. Harrell was a 26-year old American who defected to the Soviet Union after playing college baseball at the University of Michigan. In his fourth season with the Miners, he had a 25-6 record, 1.44 ERA, and 354 strikeouts. Harrell also led the league in WHIP (0.72), quality starts (30), shutouts (7), FIP- (49), and WAR (11.5). Also of note, Kharkiv’s Maksym Badlo won his third Reliever of the Year, posting 8.3 WAR in 103 innings with 40 saves, 193 strikeouts, and a 0.61 ERA.

The first round playoff series were sweeps for the division champs with Minsk over St. Petersburg and Kyiv over Kharkiv. The European League Championship Series saw the Miners and Kings meet for the eighth time in the league final with both shooting for their eighth league title. Like their 1981 meeting, it was a seven game classic. The finale went 12 innings with visiting Kyiv taking it 5-4, earning back-to-back EL pennants and their fourth in six years.



The Asian League South Division ended in a three-way tie for first between Bishkek, Baku, and Dushanbe each at 94-68. The wild card race was such that all three earned a spot in the playoffs, but one-game tiebreakers were needed to determine the division champ. The Black Sox would defeat both the Blackbirds and the Dynamo to take their first division title since 1968, although it was their third playoff berth in four years. Dushanbe earned a third straight playoff berth and Baku got their third in five years. The Blackbirds officially were the #1 wild card and the Dynamo the #2. The top overall seed though was North Division champ Novosibirsk at 95-67, ending a 24-year playoff drought. Defending Soviet Series champ Krasnoyarsk was a non-factor, taking third at 83-79.

The Asian League’s top awards went to players that weren’t on playoff teams. Tbilisi center fielder Nikolai Sekhniashvili won MVP with the 26-year old Georgian leading in RBI (106), slugging (.573), and OPS (.924) while adding 7.8 WAR and 32 home runs. Ulaanbaatar’s Azer Sattarli won back-to-back Pitcher of the Year honors. The 29-year old Russian led in ERA (1.58), strikeouts (418), WHIP (0.65), K/BB (13.9), shutouts (11), and WAR (10.4). His WHIP was the second-best season in EPB history behind Artur Golub’s 0.63 in 1969. Among Sattarli’s shutouts was a 15 strikeout no-hitter against Krasnoyarsk on May 18.

Novosibirsk defeated Dushanbe 3-1 in the first round while Bishkek swept Baku 3-0. This sent the Black Sox to the Asian League Championship Series for the third time in four years, while it was only the second-time ever for the Nitros (1957). Bishkek claimed the series in six to deny Novosibirsk its first AL pennant and give the Black Sox their fifth (1964, 65, 67, 80, 83).



In the 29^th Soviet Series, Kyiv made quick work of Bishkek and finally took the title after taking runner up thrice in the prior five seasons. The Kings swept the Black Sox and became five time Soviet Series champs, adding to their cups from 1958, 59, 63, and 65. CF Atanas Dyakov was finals MVP with the 33-year old Bulgarian getting 16 hits, 4 runs, 2 doubles, and 3 triples over 14 playoff starts.



Other notes: Bishkek second-year pitcher Vasif Agharahimov had an opponent slugging percentage against him of .231, setting a single-season record that still stands in EPB as of 2037. Ivan Valev and Konrad Mazur became the fourth and fifth EPB sluggers to 600 career home runs. Andrzej Kosciuszko, Leonid Kharin, and Valev each got to 2500 hits, bringing it to 11 EPB batters to reach the mark. Valev also won his ninth Silver Slugger at DH. LF Artyom Kahn won his 11^th Gold Glove.

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Amsterdam had the best record in the European Baseball Federation’s Northern Conference for back-to-back seasons, again taking the Northwest Division with a 95-67 mark. Copenhagen was one game behind for the #1 overall seed, winning a very competitive North Central Division at 94-68. The Corsairs were four ahead of 90-72 Berlin and Hamburg, who tied for the wild card spot. The Barons won the tiebreaker game to snap an 11-year playoff drought. Copenhagen won its second division title in three years. Last year’s division winner and European Champion Stockholm was a non-entity at 79-83. In the British Isles Division, Birmingham ended a four-year playoff drought. At 83-79, the Bees were one game better than London, while last year’s champ Dublin fell to 74-88.

Despite the Dinos’ struggles, 3B Ben Kelly won his third Northern Conference MVP in four seasons. The 26-year old Englishman was the leader in runs (133), home runs (59), RBI (143), total bases (444), slugging (.735), OPS (1.115), wRC+ (225), and WAR (12.6). His .331 average left him nine points shy of back-to-back Triple Crown efforts. Pitcher of the Year was Luxembourg’s Richie Hoek. The 26-year old Dutch righty led the league in WHIP (0.81), quality starts (31), and shutouts (5). Hoek had 7.4 WAR and 327 strikeouts over 286.1 innings with a 1.82 ERA and 21-10 record.

In the first round of the playoffs, Amsterdam swept Birmingham and Copenhagen swept division foe Berlin. This gave the Anacondas their first Northern Conference Championship appearance since their 1950s success, while the Corsairs only prior appearance was back in the inaugural 1950 season. Amsterdam took the series 4-2 for their third conference title, joining their 1951 and 1954 European Championship seasons.



For the third time in four years, the best overall record in the EBF went to Marseille. The Musketeers won a fourth consecutive Southwest Division title with their 107-55 record and a high-powered offense that scored 775 runs; no one else in the Southern Conference was above 700. Madrid was a distant second in the division at 94-68, but they were four ahead of Belgrade for the wild card spot. This snapped a three-year playoff drought for the Conquistadors. The Bruisers also missed the Southeast Division title by three games behind Munich’s 93-69. This ended a six-year playoff drought for the Mavericks and gave them their first division title since 1971. Meanwhile, defending conference champ Zurich extended its record division title streak to 11. The Mountaineers dominated the South Central Division at 98-64.

Zurich had both the MVP and Pitcher of the Year in 1983. MVP went to LF Jack Kennedy as the 28-year old Irishman led in home runs (62), RBI (137), runs (119), total bases (421), slugging (.726), OPS (1.121), and wRC+ (225). He also had 11.8 WAR and a .331 average, along with a 31-game hit streak. Jean-Luc Roch won his eight Pitcher of the Year, a historic mark that hasn’t been met in the EBF as of 2037. The 32-year old French lefty was the ERA leader (1.85) and had the top marks in strikeouts (346), WHIP (0.70), K/BB (13.8), FIP- (54), and WAR (8.8). It was his tenth time leading in strikeouts.

Both first round playoff series went all five games in the Southern Conference with Zurich surviving Madrid and Amsterdam outlasting Copenhagen. This gave the Mountaineers a seventh SCC berth in nine years and was the third in four years for the Musketeers. Despite their recent success, they had only met once in this stretch in the finale with Zurich winning in 1980. The Mountaineers did it again and beat Marseille 4-2, taking back-to-back conference pennants and their third in four years.



The 34^th European Championship was an instant classic and the first one to see a game seven that went extra innings. After 12 innings, Amsterdam prevailed for a 6-5 victory over Zurich, giving the Anacondas their third title and first since 1954. 2B Mats Love was the finals MVP with the 24-year old Swede getting 25 hits, 8 runs, 4 doubles, 2 triples, 1 home run, and 11 RBI with 7 stolen bases in 16 playoff starts. The Mountaineers remain snake-bitten in the final with a 0-5 record in their division title streak and a 1-6 mark all-time. For the eighth time in the last 15 seasons, a team from the Northwest Division ended up on top.



Other notes: The 19^th EBF Perfect Game was thrown on May 31 by Oslo’s Julian Faye Mikkelsen, striking out nine against Berlin. Pitcher of the Year Jean-Luc Roch became the third EBF pitcher to 250 career wins and the second to 5000 strikeouts. Greg Saint-Pierre became only the fifth to 4000 strikeouts. Giorgio Piccolo became the sixth reliever to 300 saves. Christophoros Zarkadis became the seventh to 500 home runs. 2B Richard Rautenstrach won his eighth Gold Glove.

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For the first time in the franchise’s ten year history, Ciudad Guayana earned a division title. The Giants finished 99-63 atop the Bolivar League’s North Division, beating out Valencia by six games and both Bogota and Caracas by ten. They are the second of the 1974 expansion teams to earn a playoff spot, as Recife had done it the prior season. Defending Copa Sudamerica champ Barquisimeto finished at 85-77, placing fifth in the division. Quito had an impressive turnaround from 70 wins the prior year to 99-63, easily winning the South Division. The Thunderbolts had won the Bolivar League in 1981 before struggling in 1982. Last year’s division winner La Paz fell to 76 wins.

Leading Ciudad Guayana’s success was Venezuelan 3B Slim Villar. Nicknamed “Professor,” the 25-year old was the leader in WAR (8.9) and batting average (.362), adding a 1.031 OPS, 211 hits, 102 runs, 26 home runs, and 106 RBI. Valencia’s Lazaro Rodriguez won a historic eighth Pitcher of the Year and as of 2037 is still the only Beisbol Sudamerica with eight or more. The 32-year old Paraguayan righty was the leader in ERA (2.30), strikeouts (364), WHIP (0.94), quality starts (26), FIP- (52), and WAR (10.5). Rodriguez had a 21-7 record over 262 innings and led in strikeouts for the tenth consecutive season and WAR for the eleventh.



In a very tight Brazil Division of the Southern Cone League, Sao Paulo finished first at 93-69, topping Belo Horizonte by two games and Recife by three. This snapped a five-year playoff drought for the Padres. Cordoba won the South Division at 88-74, edging Santiago by only one game and besting Concepcion by six and defending league champ Buenos Aires by seven. The Chanticleers hadn’t made the playoffs since their 1974 championship season.

Both major awards went to players from Belo Horizonte. Southern Cone League MVP was fourth-year first baseman Keith Ormeno, who led in runs (114), RBI (131), total bases (389), slugging (.688), OPS (1.084), and wRC+ (218). He added 9.2 WAR, a .336 average, and 52 home runs. 27-yeaer old Benjamim Alegre won his third Pitcher of the Year in four years and had back-to-back Triple Crown seasons. It was the ninth Triple Crown for a BSA pitcher and he became the first guy to do it twice. Alegre had a 22-6 record, 2.11 ERA, and 374 strikeouts. He also posted a career best 12.6 WAR and 36 FIP- over 252 innings.

The Bolivar League Championship Series was a seven game battle with Quito coming out on top of the newcomer Ciudad Guayana. This gave the Thunderbolts their second BL pennant in three years and the fifth in franchise history. The Southern Cone Championship went six games with Sao Paulo defeating Cordoba. It was the Padres 11^th title and first since 1977.



In the 53^rd Copa Sudamerica, Sao Paulo pummeled Quito with a sweep to give the Padres their fourth Cup win (1944, 58, 76, 83). RF Oscar Linares was finals MVP, a 32-year old veteran who was a starter on their last title winner. Linares in 10 playoff starts had 15 hits, 9 runs, 3 doubles, 3 home runs, and 6 RBI. The Thunderbolts are now 1-4 all-time in the final.



Other notes: Salvador slugger Valor Melo had his 10^th season with 50+ home runs and crossed 700 for his career. He finished the season with 739, passing Diego Pena’s all-time mark of 725. Melo would stay BSA’s home run king for more than two decades before getting passed in the 2000s by Milton Becker. Melo and Saul Puerta both crossed 1500 RBI, making it 12 batters to have reached the milestone. Pitcher of the Year Lazaro Rodriguez became the fourth to reach 5000 career strikeouts. There was not a single no-hitter in Beisbol Sudamerica in 1983, the first time since 1958 that there wasn’t at least one. 3B Leonardo Valdez won his 11^th Gold Glove.

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The Japan League had three of the same four division winners from the prior season. Defending East Asian Champion Kawasaki had the best overall record at 99-63, topping Tokyo by seven games in the Capital Division. This gave the Killer Whales their third straight division title. Sapporo claimed its fifth straight North Division with a 94-68 mark, seven better than Saitama and eight over Sendai. Nagoya snapped a three-year drought by narrowly winning the Central Division at 89-73. Osaka fell one game short and Kobe was three way. Kitakyushu won a third straight West Division, taking the spot despite a losing record at 80-82. Kumamoto finished three behind and Hiroshima was five back.

Nagoya’s Sol Kim won the Japan League MVP. The 31-year old shortstop was the leader in hits (217), doubles (44), and batting average (.348) with a .944 OPS and 11.9 WAR aided by great defense. Kim edged out Sendai CF Ryota Shintani, who had league bests in runs (133), home runs (50), RBI (125), and WAR (11.9). 24-year old Aiya Kodama won back-to-back Pitcher of the Year honors. The Hiroshima lefty led in ERA (1.81), strikeouts (336), FIP- (57), and WAR (9.3), adding a 17-8 record in 263 innings.

Both first round playoff series went all five games with Kawasaki surviving Kitakyushu and Sapporo outlasting Nagoya. This set up a rematch in the Japan League Championship Series. The Swordfish got their revenge over the Killer Whales in a seven game classic, giving Sapporo its second pennant in three years. The Swordfish have won the Japan League a record 12 times.



In the Korea League, Daejeon won the South Division for the third straight season as the Ducks had a franchise-record 106-56 mark. Busan gave chase at 102-60 to get the first wild card and their fourth straight playoff berth. In the North Division, Suwon took first at 98-64 for their fourth playoff spot in five years. Defending KL champ Seongnam was second at 91-71, taking the second wild card spot. They were three ahead of Seoul and four better than both Ulsan and Yongin.

Snappers 1B Ye-Seong Van picked up Korea League MVP honors. He was the leader in WAR (8.9), slugging (.691), OPS (1.092), and wRC+ (195), adding a .353 average, 51 home runs, and 130 RBI. Yongin fifth year pitcher Ju-Eon Eun won Pitcher of the Year. The 24-year old righty led in WAR (10.4) and WHIP (1.00). He had a 2.38 ERA and 17-7 record over 283.1 innings with 278 strikeouts. Also notably, Busan’s Dong-Hyeok Song won his third Reliever of the Year.

Daejeon’s first round playoff woes continued as the Ducks were upset 3-1 by Seongnam. Suwon would sweep Busan, sending the Snappers to their fourth Korea League Championship Series berth in five years. The defending champion Spiders made it back-to-back titles though with Seongnam besting Suwon 4-2.



In the 63^rd East Asian Championship, Seongnam won its first-ever title by defeating perennial power Sapporo 4-2. Former KL MVP Byung-Il Jun had a big postseason, winning KCLS MVP. In 16 playoff starts, he had 18 hits, 10 runs, 5 doubles, 4 home runs, 11 RBI, and 9 walks.



Other notes: Yu-Jin Choi became the 19^th batter to 600 home runs and also crossed the 1500 runs scored and 1500 RBI milestones in 1983. LF Ki-Chun Park won his 13^th Gold Glove.

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The three playoff teams from 1982 in the Mexican League each missed the field in 1983. Torreon, who won 80 games the prior year, had the best record at 96-66 atop the North Division. Hermosillo was second at 93-69 and took the wild card, finishing six ahead of two-time defending league champ Juarez. The Hyenas earned a third playoff berth in four years, while the Tomahawks ended a two-year drought. In the South Division, Queretaro snapped a seven season playoff skid. The Terriers were 89-73, ending four ahead of Mexico City, five better than Guadalajara, and six over Puebla.

Juarez LF Caetano Penuelas won his third Mexican League MVP, his first since 1977. The 31-year old led the league in runs (107), triples (30), total bases (364), triple slash (.352/.403/.634), OPS (1.037), and wRC (207) with 7.7 WAR. Puebla’s Junior Vergara won his fifth straight Pitcher of the Year and posted his historic fourth Triple Crown in five years. Vergara joins Kun-Sheng Lin of Austronesia Professional Baseball as the only pitchers in any pro league to have four Triple Crown seasons. He had a 19-8 record, 1.47 ERA, and 368 strikeouts over 251 innings. The 29-year old lefty also led in WHIP (0.69), FIP- (45), and WAR (10.7). Also notable was Chihuahua closer Francisco Gonzalez winning his third Reliever of the Year award.

Hermosillo won over Queretaro 3-2 on the road in the wild card round. This sent the Hyenas to the Mexican League Championship Series for the third time in four years, while it was the third berth in five years for Torreon. The wild card Hermosillo didn’t play like a wild card, as they swept the Tomahawks in the MLCS. This gave the Hyenas their fifth Mexican League pennant (1930, 33, 47, 80, 83).



For the fourth consecutive season, Guatemala won the Caribbean League’s Continental Division. The Ghosts were 103-59, finishing 11 games ahead of Salvador. Defending CABA champ Santo Domingo won the Island Division for the third consecutive season, taking it at 101-61. Puerto Rico snapped an eight-year playoff drought to take the wild card. The Pelicans were 94-68, topping Salvador by two games and Nicaragua by three. Jamaica, who had made the postseason three of the prior five years, were middling at 81-81.

Santo Domingo RF Lobo Villanueva won his fourth Caribbean League MVP. The 30-year old Nicaraguan led in home runs for the fourth season, smacking 55 dingers. He also led with 376 total bases, a .658 slugging percentage, 1.016 OPS, and 183 wRC+. Villanueva added a .322 average, 6.4 WAR, and 117 RBI. Jamaica’s Luis Feliz Brea won his second Pitcher of the Year. The 31-year old from Panama had an 18-13 record, 2.32 ERA, and 281 strikeouts in 279.2 innings with 7.9 WAR. Guatemala’s Reynaldo Alvarado won a third consecutive Reliever of the Year as well.

Puerto Rico stunned their division rival Santo Domingo in the wild card round. The defending champ Dolphins even with the one-game handicap and home field had no luck with the Pelicans taking the series 3-1. This was the first Caribbean League Championship Series berth since 1974 for PR. It was the third in four years for Guatemala, who finally took the CLCS after falling in 1980 and 1981. The Ghosts won the series 4-1 for their first title since 1974. They’ve won the Caribbean pennant six times in the last two decades.



Despite their general success, Guatemala would fall to 1-5 in the CABA Championship all-time. The 73^rd finale saw Hermosillo take the title in six games, giving the Hyenas their second ring in franchise history (1947). RF Zolin Lizama was the finals MVP and MLCS MVP. Nicknamed “Village Idiot,” the 25-year old had 24 hits, 11 runs, 9 doubles, and 7 RBI in 14 playoff starts. The 9 doubles was a CABA playoff record and still stands as of 2037.



Other notes: Solomon Aragon became the seventh CABA hitter to reach 1500 runs scored. Rafioby Barajas became the 30^th to 2500 hits and also won his 14^th Gold Glove at first base. This is a CABA record for most Gold Gloves at any position and still stands as the most as of 2037. Catcher Hansel Morel and 2B Ricardo Dias both became eight time Silver Slugger winners.

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Ottawa again had the top record in the National Association, although the Elks dropped from their historic 115-win 1982. Still, 105-57 allowed them to finish atop a very strong Northeast Division. Both wild cards came out of the division with Hartford at 98-64 and Montreal at 95-67. All three of those teams have now made the playoffs three times in the last four years. Defending World Series champion St. Louis at 94-68 fell one short of the second wild card with Columbus three back and Washington four back.

The Cardinals ended up five short of the Lower Midwest Division title. Louisville won it at 99-63 to earn the other first round bye, giving the Lynx their seventh playoff appearance in nine years. In the East Division, Baltimore at 92-70 edged the Admirals by one game, giving the Orioles back-to-back playoff spots. In the Upper Midwest Division, Omaha ended an eight-year playoff drought with a 91-71 first place finish, seven games better than Milwaukee. Minneapolis, a 100-game winner and NACS finalist last year, fell to a lackluster 75-87.

Winning National Association Most Valuable Player was St. Louis 2B Austin Shaw. The fourth-year lefty led in WAR (8.7) and runs (114), adding a .324/.405/.569 slash, 32 home runs, and 103 RBI. Pitcher of the Year went to third-year Columbus righty Victor Cook, who posted a 18-12 record, 2.49 ERA, 217 strikeouts, and 7.1 WAR over 217 strikeouts. It would be the peak for Cook, who would struggle immensely and get demoted to the minors the next year, followed by major injuries after that.

In the first round of the playoffs, Omaha beat Hartford 2-0 and Baltimore bested Montreal 2-0. The Orioles upset Omaha 3-2 in the second round, while Ottawa outlasted the Hawks in five. For Baltimore, this was their first National Association Championship Series appearance since their 1939 World Series win, while it was the first for the Elks since their 1975 pennant. Ottawa would roll the Orioles 4-1 for their ninth National Association title, tying them with Montreal and Philadelphia for the most NA pennants.



Houston had the best record in the American Association and set a franchise record at 113-49. The Hornets pitching staff impressively allowed only 536 runs, fewer than anyone in MLB including the teams in the DH-less National Association. Houston set the AA record for fewest hits allowed (1153), which would only get bested by the 2012 Oakland Owls. Their 466 earned runs allowed was behind only Albuquerque’s 461 in 1972 and would sit third as of 2037. Despite their dominance, the Hornets only won the South Central Division by eight games with a very strong Oklahoma City at 105-57. The Outlaws easily got the first wild card and their fourth playoff berth in five years.

San Francisco won the Southwest Division at 102-60, their first time with a first place finish since 1965. Tampa took back-to-back Southeast Division titles with a 99-63 finish and Denver ended an eight-year playoff drought and won the Northwest Division at 98-64. For the second wild card, 95-67 Calgary claimed the spot to end a four-year playoff skid. Las Vegas finished one back of the wild card with Atlanta two back. Like in the NA, both AACS teams from the prior year missed the postseason. Defending champ Phoenix was 85-77 and runner-up Vancouver fell off a cliff at 67-95.

Although Houston’s pitching got the major attention, SS Jimmy Caliw won his third American Association MVP in four years. The 37-year old Filipino showed no sign of slowing down, winning his record 12^th MVP when you factor in his nine in the Oceania Baseball Association. He led in WAR at 9.7, adding a .269/.366/.543 slash, 40 home runs, and 103 RBI. Caliw also won the 15^th Gold Glove of his career. Taking Pitcher of the Year was Denver’s Marijan Peros. The 23-year old Croatian righty led in ERA (2.37) and posted 8.0 WAR over 285 innings with 248 strikeouts, 27 quality starts, and a 21-10 record. Also of note, Calgary’s James Chretien won his third Reliever of the Year.

Denver swept Oklahoma City in the first round despite OKC’s great record and Calgary topped Tampa in two. The first round bye didn’t protect the top two with round two upsets. The Cheetahs stunned Houston 3-2, sending Calgary to its first American Association Championship Series appearance since 1941. The Dragons edged San Francisco 3-2 to give Denver its first AACS berth since 1964. Calgary came out on top 4-2 over the Dragons to give the Cheetahs their fourth AA pennant (1902, 1904, 1940).



The 83^rd World Series was only the second to feature two Canadian teams squaring off. Back in 1940, Ottawa defeated Calgary in a seven game classic. The 1983 edition was also a seven-game classic and yet again, the Elks bested the Cheetahs. Second year 1B Noah Karla was the World Series MVP, picking 26 hits, 12 runs, 4 home runs, and 15 RBI over 17 playoff starts. Ottawa now has five MLB rings to their name (1924, 1929, 1940, 1965, 1983), while Calgary is 0-4 in the Fall Classic. Only Indianapolis (0-7) has made more appearances without at least one ring.



Other notes: Houston pitcher Mike Lee had 27 wins on the mound, becoming the fifth in MLB history to win 27+ in a season. Fellow Hornet Jeremy Frechette has the record with 29 wins in 1905. Sawyer Williams became the 10^th MLB hitter to 3500 career hits. He’d play one more season and retire fourth all-time at 3655. 3B Christopher Sollinger won his 10^th Gold Glove and RF Naomi Fujita won his eighth. Two-way player Khalid Scott won his 10^th Silver Slugger as a pitcher.

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Major League Baseball had an impressive four player Hall of Fame class with the 1984 voting. The top three guys were all first ballot picks with two absolute no-doubters in starting pitcher Julius Jordan at 98.6% and closer Carson Hanford at 98.0%. 2B Grayson Angeline also got the first ballot recognition at 81.7%. The fourth player in the group was 3B Benton Gibney, who narrowly crossed the 66% threshold with 69.3% on his fifth ballot. RF Bo Salinas was close but just short with 63.0% on his fourth attempt. Also above 50% were 3B Jim Booth at 56.2% for his second go and 1B Braylen Nelson with 54.4% in his seventh attempt.



Dropped after ten tries was closer Wes Kihm, who had a 17-year career primarily with Oakland. He debuted at 51.4%, but was down to 21.2% by the end. He won Reliever of the Year once and had 255 saves with 310 shutdowns, a 2.16 ERA, 1155 strikeouts over 792.2 innings and 35.9 WAR. Kihn lacked the dominance that some other closers had though, keeping him out.

Three others were dropped after ten ballots with each finishing in the single digits. SP Logan Davis had a 16-year career primarily with Ottawa and won 1966 Pitcher of the Year, putting up a 207-172 record, 3.10 ERA, 2819 strikeouts over 3691 innings and 77.1 WAR. He peaked at 32.2% in his debut. Closer Tyrone Brown won Reliever of the Year twice and peaked at 43.3%. In 17 years almost exclusively in San Francisco, Brown had 227 saves and 287 shutdowns, a 1.92 ERA, 990 strikeouts over 712 innings and 35.0 WAR. 1B Krispen Bell played 16 years with four teams and peaked at 24.8%. He had a solid 575 career home runs, but only 48.5 WAR along with 2157 hits, 1290 runs, 1490 RBI, and a .268/.322/.531 slash. Nice careers for those three, but they lacked the big accumulations or accolades to get much traction.



Julius Jordan – Starting Pitcher – Houston Hornets – 98.6% First Ballot

Julius Jordan was a 6’3’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Lyons, Oregon; a tiny town of around 1,000 people located about 70 miles south of Portland. Jordan was known for incredible 10/10 stuff with 97-99 mph peak velocity. His movement was merely average with his control becoming solid later in his career. Jordan had three pitches; fastball, changeup, and cutter; and was a master at changing speeds. Jordan was also an ironman who never missed a start to injury and had very good stamina. His main flaw was being poor at defense and holding runners.

Jordan played college baseball at East Carolina and was relatively unheralded compared to other eventual Hall of Famers. His home state team Portland would pick him late in the second round, 110^th overall, in the 1958 Major League Baseball Draft. Jordan was split between the rotation and bullpen, then was a full-time starter with 33+ starts each year for the next 18 seasons. He had some issues allowing home runs in his early years and although he ate innings, his advanced stats had Jordan as an average-at-best pitcher in his first seasons with the Pacifics. They made the playoffs thrice while Jordan was there, but never got out of the second round.

Jordan started to improve and get more notice towards the end of his Portland tenure, leading the American Association in strikeouts in both 1965 and 1966. He led in WHIP in 65, but saw his ERA skyrocket in 66. Jordan was decent to start 1967, but a rebuilding Pacifics squad opted to move the now 29-year old Jordan with it being a contract year. He was traded in a six-player deal to San Francisco at the deadline and finished out the year with the Gold Rush, who were eliminated in the second round of the playoffs. In total with Portland, Jordan had a 128-130 record, 3.82 ERA, 2250.1 innings, 2251 strikeouts, and 41.7 WAR.

Jordan had established himself if nothing else as someone who got you a lot of innings, although his 107 ERA+ with the Pacifics marked him as an above average at best arm. Regardless, he had suitors in free agency and signed a seven year, $1,722,000 deal with Houston. Jordan had a strong debut season with the Hornets and led in strikeouts, but his ERA jumped above four in the next two seasons. Improving his control, Jordan became considered elite for the first time in 1971. He had a career best 2.61 ERA and led the AA in strikeouts, innings, quality starts, and WAR, earning his lone Pitcher of the Year.

Jordan’s 1972 set career highs in WAR (10.2) and strikeouts (330), although he’d surprisingly not be a PotY finalist. Houston had been middling in his tenure, then fell off a major cliff with only 57 wins in 1973. Jordan’s productivity dropped a bit and that summer, they moved Jordan for prospects to Seattle. He finished 1973 and pitched a solid 1974 with the Grizzlies, taking second in 1974’s Pitcher of the Year voting. Jordan had a 2.90 ERA in 40.1 playoff innings for Seattle, who fell in the AACS in 1974.

Jordan wouldn’t resign with the Grizzlies and became a free agent at age 37. Houston signed him again and he posted very solid efforts in 1975 and 76, taking third in PotY in the former. The Hornets made the AACS in 1976 but were denied with Jordan ultimately never making it to a World Series. He was okay in 1977, then struggled in 1978 and wasn’t used in their playoff run. Still, that year he became the seventh pitcher to 300 career wins and ended up just short of 5000 career strikeouts, retiring the all-time leader with 4988. Jordan retired at age 41 and between his two runs with Houston, had a 160-123 record, 3.65 ERA, 2608 innings, 2297 strikeouts, and 60.3 WAR. The Hornets added him to the ring of honor by retiring his #8 uniform.

Jordan’s final career stats: 312-275 record, 3.67 ERA, 5308 innings, 4988 strikeouts to 1241 walks, 376/660 quality starts, 308 complete games, FIP- of 85, and 112.8 WAR. His longevity pushed him up the leaderboards and at induction, he was the strikeout leader, tied for fourth in wins, fifth in innings pitched, third in complete games, and seventh in pitching WAR. On the downside, he was second all-time in losses, second in home runs allowed, and his ERA was among the worst of other Hall of Famers. Still, even as of 2037, Jordan is still MLB’s career strikeout leader. He was never the most dominant or impressive pitcher in the league, but his longevity and durability made him a fixture on the leaderboards and a first round selection at 98.6%.



Carson Hanford – Closer – Oakland Oaks – 98.0% First Ballot

Carson Hanford was a 5’11’’, 180 pound right-handed relief pitcher from Carlsbad, California; a city of around 115,000 people in San Diego County. He only had a 97-99 mph fastball and changeup, but his stuff was considered legendary. Hanford also had very good control and solid movement, making him tough to crack when he was on. He was known for solid stamina and durability and was one of the only relievers to hold a closer role his entire run, getting 20+ saves in all of his 20 professional seasons. Hanford was also a team captain and incredibly hard worker, making him an endearing player, especially on the national stage.

Even though he’s considered by many to be Major League Baseball’s greatest closer, perhaps his most notoriety came in the World Baseball Championship. Hanford was a fixture from 1960-78 on the United States team with 17 starts, 101 appearances, and 255 innings. In that stretch, he had an impressive 560 strikeouts, 2.12 ERA, 26-6 record, 31 saves, 0.65 WHIP, and 12.8 WAR. As of 2037, no pitcher has appeared in more WBC games and he’s one of nine pitchers with 550+ career strikeouts. Hanford won 14 world titles and was the 1975 Best Pitcher with a 0.83 ERA over 21.2 innings.

He made a few starts in the WBC, but was a career reliever as a pro. Hanford was a great starter in college though at Tennessee and was second in 1959 NCAA Pitcher of the Year voting. Over 205 college innings, he had a 1.54 ERA, 293 strikeouts, and 11.3 WAR. In the 1959 MLB Draft, Albuquerque selected Hanford 29^th overall. In his second year with the Isotopes, he took second in Reliever of the Year voting with 5.1 WAR. Hanford was the closer five seasons for the then middling Albuquerque squad, posting 135 saves, a 1.80 ERA over 335.1 innings, 480 strikeouts, and 18.7 WAR.

Just before the start of the 1965 season, the Isotopes traded Hanford straight up for starting pitcher Rylan Zimerman. His one season with the Firebirds saw him lead the American Association in saves for the second time. Hanford became a free agent that offseason at age 27 and signed a four-year, $604,000 deal with Oakland. This began his signature run of 13 seasons with the Owls, the type of longevity almost never seen for a closer in pro baseball.

Hanford was the starting closer for all of that run for Oakland, who was consistently at or just above .500. They made the postseason six times in his tenure, but never got out of the second round. Hanford won Reliever of the Year twice; in 1973 and 1976. He also took second in 1969 and third in 1974. In total with the Owls, Hanford had 368 saves, a 1.96 ERA over 800.1 innings, 1101 strikeouts, and 36.3 WAR.

He continued his productivity seemingly unabated through his 30s. In 1974, Hanford became MLB’s fourth pitcher to 400 career saves. By 1977, he was the all-time leader and the only one to 500. Hanford ended up with 536 MLB saves, still the all-time leader as of 2037 by a solid margin. He finished with Oakland after the 1978 season and saw his #27 uniform retired. Hanford played one more pro season in Monrovia of West African Baseball and after going unsigned in 1980, retired at age 42. Counting his WAB season, Hanford had 571 career saves.

For his MLB career, Hanford finished with 536 saves and 557 shutdowns, a 1.89 ERA, 130-96 record, 1104 games, 1192.2 innings, 1660 strikeouts to 331 walks, a FIP- of 49 and 58.2 WAR. As of 2037, he remains the MLB leader in saves and games pitched. Hanford also has the most WAR, most strikeouts, and second best ERA among Hall of Fame relievers. Many point at him as MLB’s GOAT closer for good reason and Hanford was an obvious first ballot choice at 98.0%.

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Grayson Angeline – Second Base/Utility – San Antonio Oilers – 81.7% First Ballot

Grayson Angeline was a 6’0’’, 200 pound left-handed hitting batter from Penobscot, Maine; a small town of 1,000 people on the Bagaduce River. At the plate, Angeline was known as a terrific contact hitter with a great eye and excellent ability to avoid strikeouts. He was also a very quick baserunner and effective base stealer, making him one of the most dangerous in the game when he got on. His drawback was a lack of major power, averaging around 30 doubles/triples and 10 home runs per year. Angeline was durable and versatile, making half of his career starts at second base with very solid defense. He also had notable stints with good D in left field and iffy D at shortstop, but could also be used at third or center in a pinch.

Angeline left for the west coast and played in college at Washington. He’d remain a Husky to begin his career, but traded in Washington’s purple for Hartford’s gold. Angeline was picked 35th overall in the 1960 MLB Draft and took second in 1961 Rookie of the Year voting despite only starting in 94 games. His second season was arguably his most impressive with a career best and National Association leading 8.9 WAR and 214 hits. He also led in runs scored (116) and stolen bases (66) and won his lone Gold Glove in left field. Angeline was moved to second the next season and won his first Silver Slugger.

He’d lead the NA in runs thrice and stolen bases twice, but this would be the peak of Angeline’s spots atop leaderboards. He won a second Silver Slugger with Hartford in 1966, who was regularly a playoff contender at this point. However, the Huskies couldn’t put it all together, only making the NACS once and falling in 1964. Angeline couldn’t be blamed though with 28 hits and 18 runs in his 24 playoff starts. For his full Hartford run, he had 1130 hits, 652 runs, 149 doubles, 67 home runs, a .335/.405/.465 slash, 397 stolen bases, and 44.4 WAR.

Angeline became a free agent after the 1966 season and decided to leave New England. He signed an eight-year, $2,154,000 deal with San Antonio. He played out that entire deal and became most known for his time in Texas, despite having more impressive stats with the Huskies. Angeline played shortstop initially with San Antonio and won Silver Sluggers in 1967 and 1968. He also won seven titles for the United States in the World Baseball Championship from 1963-75. In 144 games, Angeline had 142 hits, 103 runs, 16 doubles, 15 home runs, 103 stolen bases, and 6.5 WAR. He led the tournament in runs scored twice, hits one, and stolen bases twice.

San Antonio only made the playoffs twice during Angeline’s tenure and couldn’t get out of the second round. Still, he was extremely popular with Oilers fans and his #27 uniform would later be retired. In his eight seasons in Texas, Angeline had 1325 hits, 729 runs, 170 doubles, 70 home runs, 358 stolen bases, a .299/.373/.405 slash and 32.0 WAR. He became a free agent at 35 and signed a three-year deal beginning in 1975 with Ottawa.

After solid durability most of his career, his debut season with the Elks was cut short with a torn meniscus. Angeline rehabbed though and was able to get back in time for the postseason, helping Ottawa to a National Association title. They fell in the World Series to Albuquerque, but he had a chance to play in the Fall Classic and had a solid 20 hits and 13 runs in 16 playoff games. Angeline had a nice second season with Ottawa until a broken kneecap knocked him out in August. The Elks let him go and he signed at age 37 with Memphis. He had a full bounce-back season worth 5.0 WAR with the Mountain Cats, but lost chunks of 1978 with various injuries. Memphis let him go and Angeline was unsigned in 1979, opting him to retire that winter at age 40.

Angeline’s final career stats: 2881 hits, 1618 runs, 364 doubles, 107 triples, 167 home runs, 918 RBI, 980 walks, 864 stolen bases, .312/.385/.429 slash, 129 wRC+, and 87.8 WAR. At induction, he was fifth all time in steals and his OBP was among the better ones on the leaderboard, although his slugging was near the bottom. Some voters were dismissive of his lack of power stats and weren’t wowed by singles, walks, and steals. But his versatility and popularity couldn’t be ignored and Angeline earned the first ballot selection at 81.7%; the third member of the four-player 1984 class.



Benton “Ant” Gibney – Third Base/Left Field – Charlotte Canaries – 69.3% Fifth Ballot

Benton Gibney was a 5’9’’, 200 pound right-handed third baseman from Sulphur, Louisiana; a town of 21,000 people near sulfur mines in the southwestern part of the state near Lake Charles. Gibney was an excellent contact hitter with solid gap power, plus good speed and baserunning skills. He was okay at drawing walks, but generally above average at avoiding strikeouts. Gibney wasn’t a big home run hitter with around 15-20 per year on average. He’d get you about25-35 doubles and triples per season reliably though. Gibney was primarily a third baseman and considered below average, but not awfuld defensively. He also made about 1/5 of his starts in the outfield, primarily in left. Gibney was a scrappy sparkplug type player, which made him very popular among fans and teammates.

Gibney attended Arizona State University and in 148 college games, had 195 hits, 124 runs, 28 home runs, 101 RBI, and 8.4 WAR. He earned a college Silver Slugger as a sophomore and a Gold Glove as a junior. Gibney was a very hot commodity and Charlotte selected him with the #1 overall pick in the 1951 Major League Baseball Draft. He was a full-time starter immediately and stayed a starter his whole career when healthy. Gibney earned Rookie of the Year honors in 1952. He would lead the American Association in triples three times with the Canaries, which would be his only time as a league leader in his career.

Gibney was very popular with Charlotte, who was a terrible team throughout the 1950s. He had solid numbers for his first few seasons and signed an eight-year, $561,800 extension during the 1955 season. However, Gibney would get worn down from overuse. Gibney fell off in his fifth year, then was atrocious in the 1957 season with an all-time bad season of -4.8. He bounced back though with a 5.9 WAR 1958 season, earning his lone MLB Silver Slugger. In total with Charlotte, Gibney had 1438 hits, 703 runs, 202 doubles, 99 triples, 122 home runs, 510 RBI, 269 stolen bases, a .298/335/.457 slash and 23.1 WAR.

At the start of the 1960 season, Gibney suffered a torn PCL, putting him on the shelf for ten months. He played seven games in 1961 for Charlotte, who decided to cut their losses with the 30-year old Gibney in April. Two weeks later, he signed with Oklahoma City and ultimately spent five full seasons with the Outlaws. Gibney had a solid season and helped OKC win the 1961 World Series, posting 22 hits, 10 runs, 5 doubles, and 10 RBI in the postseason run. Oklahoma City got to the AACS in 1962 and the World Series again in 1963 with Gibney posting 43 hits, 19 runs, 14 extra base hits, 18 RBI, and a .314 average over 34 playoff games.

Gibney remained a solid starter into his 30s with the Outlaws, posting 833 hits, 441 runs, 94 doubles, 40 triples, 87 home runs, 285 RBI, a .304/.347/.463 slash, and 18.5 WAR while there. OKC began rebuilding in the mid 1960s and opted to release Gibney in April 1966. The 35-year old signed for one year with Ottawa, then spent 1967-69 with Toronto. He had 12.1 WAR with the Timberwolves, quietly providing solid value. Gibney continued to chug along, spending 1970-71 with Baltimore. He went to Columbus in 1972 and missed half the season with a torn back muscle, but bounced back with a solid 1973 at age 42. The Chargers traded him to San Francisco in 1974 and after an unremarkable season with the Gold Rush, he retired at age 44. Gibney is one of a select few to still be an MLB starter at such an advanced age.

Gibney’s final stats: 3565 hits, 1781 runs, 467 doubles, 199 triples, 322 home runs, 1285 RBI, 656 stolen bases, a .297/.335/.449 slash, 119 wRC+, and 72.5 WAR. His longevity meant that at induction, he was ninth all-time in hits and 16th in runs scored. However, Gibney lacked accolades or big stats, plus the advanced stats had him on the lower rung of Hall of Fame candidates despite his totals. Many voters looked at him as a guy who just was above average for a long time and he missed the cut in his first four ballots, although his bottom was 59.8%. Gibney’s popularity as a scrapper got him just enough of a boost on the fifth try to cross the 66% threshold with 69.3%, becoming the fourth and final member of the 1984 Hall of Fame Class.

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The Central American Baseball Association added two first-ballot players into the Hall of Fame with the 1984 voting. Pitcher Mario Benitez was a no-doubter with 98.5%, while fellow pitcher Allberto Gonzalez joined him with a very respectable 77.6%. 1B Carlos De La Fuente was close on his second try, but fell short with 59.2%. RF Juan Jose was at 58.3% on his tenth attempt and CF Santiago Perez had 51.5% in his seventh go.



For Jose, he had gotten as close as 60.5% in his eight ballot, but never could quite cross the line. The Panamanian had a 21-year career and four Silver Sluggers, but bounced around in his career, playing for five CABA teams and four MLB teams. For his entire pro career, he had 2764 hits, 1511 runs, 584 home runs, 1664 RBI, and 70.1 WAR. For just CABA, Jose had 2147 hits, 1177 runs, 304 doubles, 470 home runs, 1269 RBI, and 59.8 WAR. A nice career, but just low enough of the tallies to banish him to the Hall of Very Good.



Mario Benitez – Starting Pitcher – Guadalajara Hellhounds – 98.5% First Ballot

Mario Benitez was a 6’2’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Tuxpam, a city of around 150,000 people near the Gulf of Mexico in the east-central state of Veracruz. Tuxpan means “Place of Rabbits” in the Nahuatl language. Benitez was known for electric stuff with very good movement and above average control. His fastball peaked in the 99-101 mph range, but he could just as easily beat you with his forkball, changeup, or cutter. Benitez had excellent stamina and led the Mexican League in complete games seven times in his career.

Benitez quickly emerged as one of the top Mexican prospects and went to Guadalajara third overall in the 1963 CABA Draft. He played his entire pro career with the Hellhounds and debuted in 1964 primarily in relief. He became a full-time starter by year two, although it wasn’t until his fourth season that Benitez emerged as an ace. In 1967, he finished third in Pitcher of the Year voting and took his first of two Silver Sluggers; the other coming in 1969. For a pitcher, he was a decent batter with a career .238 average. Benitez also won a Gold Glove in 1973.

In 1969, Benitez won Pitcher of the Year for the first time. He’d win the top honor five times total, also taking it in 1971, 73, 75, and 76. He took second in 1970 and 1974 as well, becoming an elite strikeout pitcher in that stretch. Benitez led the Mexican League In strikeouts five times, wins six times, ERA twice, WHIP four times, and WAR four times. In 1970 against Chihuahua, he set a record for most strikeouts in a CABA no-hitter, fanning 20. In 1973, he had his finest season with a Triple Crown effort on a career-best 1.84 ERA with 342 strikeouts and a 19-8 record. That year also had career bests in WAR (9.0), and quality starts (27).

Improving his control allowed Benitez to see his most dominant seasons in his early 30s. After being a bottom-tier team in the 1960s, Guadalajara made the playoffs from 1969-71, although they were denied a deep run going against the Mexico City dynasty. After being more middling in the early 1970s, the Hellhounds put it altogether and won the 1976 CABA Championship, their first ring since the early 1920s. Benitez was excellent in the playoffs with a 1.53 ERA over 29.1 innings that year and 31 strikeouts. He was a great playoff performer generally with 59.2 career postseason innings and a 1.36 ERA.

Forearm inflammation cost Benitez part of the 1977 season and saw his production drop from the Pitcher of the Year quality the prior year, although he was still a solid starter. His velocity dropped noticeably in 1978 and Benitez had merely average stats, reduced to a relief role by the postseason. Guadalajara bought out the rest of his contract and Benitez decided to retire at age 36. His #12 uniform was retired almost immediately and he would remain one of the franchise’s favorite sons for years after.

Benitez’ final stats 243-151 record, 2.70 ERA, 3545.1 innings, 4057 strikeouts to 790 walks, 297/409 quality starts, 199 complete games, 77 FIP-, and 86.1 WAR. As of 2036, he is only one of six CABA pitchers to win Pitcher of the Year five or more times. At induction, he was 10^th in wins, seventh in strikeouts, fourth in complete games, and 15^th in WAR for CABA pitchers. Benitez doesn’t come up in the GOAT pitcher conversations, but his spot in the Hall of Fame is basically undisputed, getting the first ballot nod with 98.5%.



Allberto Gonzalez – Starting Pitcher – Guatemala Ghosts – 77.6% First Ballot

Allberto Gonzalez was a 6’0’’, 200 pound left-handed starting pitcher from Santa Barbara, Guatemala; a town of 30,000 people in the western part of the country. Gonzalez had merely average stuff, but his solid control and movement made him effective regardless. His velocity only peaked at 91-93 mph, but he had a strong slider and curveball, plus a rarely seen changeup. Gonzalez was great at holding runners and had pretty solid stamina. He was viewed as a team leader, but some would criticize him for his inconsistent work ethic.

Gonzalez was noticed in his home country by the Guatemala Ghosts, who selected him out of high school with the ninth overall pick in the 1962 CABA Draft. He debuted with four relief appearances in 1965 at age 21. Gonzalez made some starts in 1966 and 1967, although he couldn’t crack the rotation in 1968 despite being healthy. The Ghosts were a dominant force in the Caribbean League at this point, making the playoffs ten times during Gonzalez’ tenure. They won the CL pennant in 1967, 69, 70, 71, and 74.

In 1969, Gonzalez finally emerged as an ace with a 20-3 record, 2.45 ERA, and 7.3 WAR; taking second in Pitcher of the Year voting. He took third in 1971 and second in 1973 with Guatemala, but ultimately never won the top award. Gonzalez wasn’t a league leader, but he put up solid reliable stats as Guatemala continued to contend. Over 129 playoff innings, he had a 3.35 ERA with 90 strikeouts. Gonzalez also played for the Guatemalan national team in the World Baseball Championship four times with a 3.75 ERA over 50.1 innings.

In 1974, the Ghosts finally won the overall CABA crown. Gonzalez had a strong season, but stunk with an 8.16 ERA in three playoff starts. Still, he got the big ring and the franchise would later retire his #17 uniform for role in their 1960s and 70s success. In total with Guatemala, he had a 134-70 record, 2.98 ERA, 2016 innings, 1844 strikeouts, and 50.4 WAR. Gonzalez became a free agent at age 31 following their championship series and signed a six-year, $1,908,000 contract with Santiago.

Gonzalez had a great debut season with the Sailfish, finishing second in Pitcher of the Year voting. He was good at the start, but saw his production start to slowly decline with age. Elbow inflammation would cost him a chunk of his final season in 1978 and he’d retire at the end of the year at only age 35. In his time with Santiago, Gonzalez had a 55-41 record, 2.88 ERA, 909.2 innings, 839 strikeouts, and 21.4 WAR.

The final stats saw a 189-111 record, 2.95 ERA, 2925.2 innings, 2683 strikeout to only 427 walks, 245/366 quality starts, 78 FIP-, and 71.8 WAR. He didn’t have the longevity or dominance to see big totals, but his rate stats weren’t out of place amongst other pitchers in the CABA Hall of Fame. Although Gonzalez never won the top award, he was a key reason Guatemala was so consistently good for a decade. Enough voters respected that for a first ballot selection with 77.6%.

[FuzzyRussianHat]

Two first-ballot selections were made for East Asia Baseball’s 1984 Hall of Fame Class. Pitcher Jae-Hoon Seon was nearly unanimous with 99.3% of the vote and was joined by CF Seung-Hyeon Min at 90.7%. 2B Su-Yeon Park was close but still short of the 66% mark on his eighth attempt at 58.1%. The only other player above 50% was 3B Hiromichi Ono with 56.6% for his debut. No players were dropped after ten failed ballots.



Jae-Hoon Seon – Starting Pitcher – Seoul Seahawks – 99.3% First Ballot

Jae-Hoon Seon was a 6’4’’, 200 pound left-handed starting pitcher from Sinanju, a town of 15,000 people in North Korea located about 50 minutes north of Pyongyang. Seon had excellent control along with solid movement and respectable stuff. His velocity peaked at 95-97 mph with a good fastball, great curveball, and occasional changeup. Seon was an ironman who almost never missed a start and was a great team leader and captain, making him a beloved player across the Korean peninsula. He was very good at holding runners and had reliable and consistent stamina; making him one of the most steady pitchers in East Asia Baseball history.

Although he grew up in the North, Seon’s entire pro career would be with the South Korea capital Seoul. A scout from the Seahawks spotted him as a teenager amateur in 1955 and signed him at 16 years old. After five years in the developmental system, he debuted in 1960 at age 21 as a full-time starter. He’d pitch 200+ innings each year for the next 18 years and took second in Rookie of the Year honors. Seon was immensely popular for a Seoul franchise that couldn’t get over the hump. They had a number of winning seasons especially in the 1960s and 1970s, but Seon never saw a single playoff start. Some of the Seahawks’ better years came adjacent to Pyongyang’s historic dynasty.

Seon was the steady face of the franchise though for two decades, posting 15 seasons worth 6+ WAR. He wasn’t a dominant type though and never led the league in strikeouts or ERA. He did lead twice in wins, innings pitched, WAR, and WHIP, while also leading in quality starts five times. Seon would win Pitcher of the Year twice, taking the award in 1967 and again in 1975. He took second in 1964 and 1968, third in 1970, second in 1973, third in 1974, and third again in 1976. Seon also went home to North Korea and pitched for them in the World Baseball Championship regularly. He shined in the tournament with 172.2 innings, a 15-2 record, 2.55 ERA, 219 strikeouts, and 5.7 WAR.

In 1977 at age 38, Seon finally showed signs of slowing down after posting the same reliable solid production without fail for the prior 17 years. His 3.88 ERA was his first time with an ERA above three in a decade, but he still provided good innings that year. However in 1978, he struggled with a 5.98 ERA and injury woes. In September, the ironman saw his first major injury with a damaged elbow ligament effectively ending his career. Ironically, Seoul made the playoffs that year for the first time in his career, although Seon wouldn’t be able to take the field. He retired that winter at age 40 and had his #35 uniform retired immediately.

Seon’s final stats: 318-205 record, 2.99 ERA, 4902.1 innings, 4766 strikeouts to 639 walks, 422/626 quality starts, 176 complete games, 74 FIP-, and 132.4 WAR. Seon’s WAR total is the all-time record among East Asia Baseball pitchers still as of 2037. He was only the second EAB pitcher to reach 300 career wins and still sits third all-time as of 2037. Seon retired second all-time in strikeouts and remains fourth in 2037. His consistency and longevity put him in the conversation with the all-time greats, even if he didn’t have as dominant of a peak as some of his contemporaries. The pitching WARlord was a no-doubt first ballot choice and nearly unanimous at 99.3%.



Seung-Hyeon Min – Center Field – Chiba Comets – 90.7% First Ballot

Seung-Hyeon Min was a 5’10’’, 190 pound right-handed center fielder from the North Korean capital Pyongyang. Like his Hall of Fame classmate Seon, Min was an ironman and renowned for his durability and consistency. He was a career center fielder and viewed as slightly below average defensively. At the plate, he was a solid contact hitter with great speed and gap power. Min was a master at getting doubles and triples, leading the league in triples eight different times. He averaged around 25-30 doubles and 25-30 triples per year in his prime while also getting you around 20-25 home runs per season. Min also had an above average eye and was able to avoid big strikeout numbers.

Min was spotted by a scout from Chiba, who signed him as a teenage amateur in 1954. He made his debut with a few appearances in 1959 at age 20, then was a full-time starter from thereafter. Min would start 140+ games in the next 12 consecutive seasons for the Comets. He’d lead the Japan League in triples seven different times and posted 11 straight seasons worth 6+ WAR. Min picked up Rookie of the Year in 1960 and won nine straight Silver Sluggers in center field from 1961-69.

Min never won league MVP, but was a finalist twice. He finished third in 1964 and third again in 1968. Min had seven seasons with 100+ runs scored and was the WARlord in 1969 with 8.4. He had a career best 117 runs in 1964 and 389 total bases in 1968. Chiba became a contender in the early 1960s, winning three straight Japan League titles from 1961-63; although they never won the overall EAB title. In 36 playoff games, Min had 46 hits, 20 runs, 5 home runs, 10 RBI, and a .326/.392/.468 slash. He also was a regular for the North Korean team in the World Baseball Championship. In 115 games, Min had 101 hits, 61 runs, 24 home runs, 56 RBI, and 3.8 WAR.

The Comets remained a winning team for the next few years, but started a decade long playoff drought after their 1964 berth. By the end of the decade, they had fallen to the bottom of the standings. Min had signed an eight-year contract extension in 1965, but decided to opt out after the 1971 season at age 33. In total with Chiba, he had 2297 hits, 1190 runs, 349 doubles, 296 triples, 282 home runs, 1090 RIB, and 88.6 WAR. Even after leaving, he remained very popular with the Comets faithful and saw his #6 uniform retired later.

Min’s last season with Chiba was his weakest of his career with 4.3 WAR, but he still had plenty of suitors. MLB’s Miami Mallards signed him to a five-year, $1,558,000 deal. He had a respectable season in South Florida and Miami made the playoffs, but they decided to trade him to Toronto in the offseason straight up for pitcher Clifton Silas. Min’s 1973 was his best in North America as he won a Silver Slugger. In two years and change with the Timberwolves, he had 10.2 WAR.

In late May 1975, Toronto opted to release Min and the 36-year old returned home to North Korea and finished the season with Hamhung. He still showed he could be starter quality and another MLB team gave him a shot. Min spent 1976 and 1977 with Albuquerque, although he struggled in the second season. In total in MLB, Min had 772 hits, 431 runs, 100 doubles, 45 triples, 102 home runs, 356 RBI, and 15.1 WAR. He became a free agent and went back to Hamhung in 1978, posting a decent season that allowed him to cross 2500 career EAB hits. After going unsigned in 1979, Min retired at age 41.

For his entire pro career, Min had 3315 hits, 1750 runs, 476 doubles, 368 triples, 411 home runs, 1550 RBI, a .302/.361/.524 slash and 109.8 WAR. For just East Asia Baseball, he had 2543 hits, 1319 runs, 376 doubles, 323 triples, 309 home runs, 1194 RBI, 548 stolen bases, a .318/.371/.561 slash, 170 wRC+, and 94.7 WAR. Many felt he was the best center fielder in EAB in the 1960s and that earned Min the first ballot induction with 90.7%.