Baseball: The World's Game

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In Double Round Robin Group A, the United States dominated at 6-0 to advance along with 3-3 Haiti. Australia went 2-4 and Finland was 1-5. Advancing from Group B at 4-2 was Russia and Indonesia, while Brazil and Argentina both were ousted at 2-4. From Group C, India (5-1) and Cuba (4-2) prevailed while Uzbekistan (2-4) and Austria (1-5) fell. Lastly, Canada (4-2) and Vietnam (4-2) made it through Group D while the Dominican Republic (3-3) and Czechia (1-5) were eliminated.

In the quarterfinals, the Americans won the opener 2-0 over Indonesia, but dropped game two 9-3. The US got another sweep 9-0 to advance in game three as Mason Dixon tossed a three-hitter with 13 strikeouts. The Americans have been a semifinalist now 63 times. They would meet Haiti, who swept Russia on 6-3 and 7-1 wins. The Haitians had only once gotten to the semis, finishing fourth in 1980.

Vietnam opened on a 7-3 win over India, but the Indians took game two 6-2. The Vietnamese claimed game three 6-1 for their third-ever trip to the final four. Vietnam had finished third in 2027 and fourth in 2033. Meanwhile, Cuba swept their quarterfinal on 5-2 and 13-9 wins over Canada. The Cubans picked up their third semifinal trip, having finished third in the inaugural 1947 WBC and fourth in 1991.



Haiti upset the reigning champ USA 2-0 to open the semi, getting a two-hit Maddux from Gus Rene. The Americans countered with one run wins of 3-2, 4-3, and 3-2 to take the series 3-1. This kept the US seven-peat bid alive for a 59^th World Championship appearance. On the other side, it was guaranteed to have the 35^th unique nation to earn a trip to the finale. Vietnam ended up sweeping Cuba with 6-3, 3-1, and 2-1 scores. The clincher came on a RBI walkoff single in game three by Van Toi Dac.

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The United States was 48-10 all-time in the World Championship entering the 2040 finale and going for a seven-peat, a feat they previously earned in 1971-77. The Americans were also going for their ninth title in a decade. Vietnam was trying to become the 24^th different country to win its first title and the seventh Asian country to win it all.

The series opened with 9-2 and 5-2 wins for the United States as the official home team. The next three with Vietnam as the home team saw them win on 10-5, 7-5, and 8-7 scores. In game five, Thanh Binh Hoang’s two out RBI double scored Duc Loc Sy for a walkoff win. The Americans claimed game six 6-2, sending the finale to game seven for the first time since 2030. That was the last time the US had lost in the finals courtesy of Algeria.

Xuan Lam Phan had an all-time gutty performance on the mound in the finale. He threw 141 pitches and allowed four hits and five walks, but he kept a shutout intact and struck out six. Vietnam completed the 7-0 upset to claim their first-ever world title and deny the Americans’ seven-peat bid.



Phan had also gotten a win with a quality start in game three. Van Phong Bui led the Vietnamese offense in the series, going 9-23 with two homers and 10 RBI. Sahn Duong was their top pitcher overall with 1.8 WAR over 36.2 innings with 72 strikeouts. The Americans set a record for walks drawn (179) and had the second-most doubles (60) and pitching strikeouts (544) in event history.

Tournament MVP went to US RF Indiana Hill, a two-time National Association MVP with Louisville. The Valparaiso, Indiana native was the WBC leader in runs (30), hits (46), home runs (18), RBI (32), total bases (108), and WAR (3.1). Hill had a 1.205 OPS and 238 wRC+. His hits were the second-most in event history (Morgan Short, 49 in 2009) and his total bases tied for the second-most (Thomas Rich, 126 in 2031).



Both Vietnam and the US had 17 team saves, setting a new event record. Zane Ogden had a WBC-record 16 of those saves for the Americans and set a record for appearances at 21. It was Germany’s Tim Miller who won overall Best Pitcher. A veteran EBF closer, Miller had a 0.32 ERA over 28.1 innings, 48 strikeouts, 3-0 record, 1 save, and 2.0 WAR.



Other notes: Vietnam’s title was another huge accomplishment for Binh “The King” Tang. He now has 723 total bases in WBC history, tied for the most with Connor Neumeyer. Tang also moved up the individual leaderboards to 3^rd in homers (114), 3^rd in runs (242), 3^rd in hits (326), 5^th in RBI (210), and 3^rd in WAR (20.46) for position players. Tang is one of four players with 20+ WAR in WBC history and is now 2^nd in games played at 317. Morgan Short is the overall WARlord at 22.94.

Tang could conceivably become the event’s home run king as early as next year, as Filipino Jimmy Caliw has the #1 spot at 121. American Alair White is also there, moving up to #2 at 115. Iraq’s Jamil Naima became the event leader in saves with 48, passing Wes Kihn’s 44. Longevity has pushed Japan’s Masanori Fukuoka to 371 strikeouts, the most of any WBC batter. The USA’s Uriah Easton stole 36 bases in 2040, breaking his own event record from the prior year by one.

2040 had the 14^th and 15^th perfect games in WBC history. The first was January 7 by Argentina’s Cristian Valdez, striking out 18 over 119 pitches. Then on January 16, Madagascar’s Zizi Rodgriguez did it with 20 Ks over 131 pitches facing Sierra Leone. There were four other no-hitters, including a 21 strikeout one by Canada’s Gerard Schmidt against Poland.



The Netherlands’ Jelte Ossevoort had a 23 strikeout game facing Hawaii, two short of the single-game record. Sweden’s Jesper Burstrom hit four home runs against Palestine, the 17^th four-homer game in WBC history. Russia’s Maksim Krutov had a 21-game hitting streak carrying over from the prior year; only the 12^th streak of 20+ games in WBC history.

Below are the updated all-time tournament stats for the World Baseball Championship.

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Two players rated as five-star talents were on the free agent market entering the 2040 season. Five-time EPB MVP Maksim Krutov stayed in Russia as the 34-year old signed a four-year, $112 million deal with Samara. St. Louis got the other in three-time CLB MVP Jinhao Lin, who left for America on a five-year, $225 million deal. That wasn’t even the biggest overall deal given out by the Cardinals, giving former Kathmandu RF Sin Mang Da an eight-year, $311,600,000 deal. The richest yearly salary for the free agent class was 2B Pablo Rivera at $49,500,000 for 2040 with Denver.

The legendary Binh Tng was back on the market heading towards age 40, fresh off his first two MLB seasons with Washington. The 13-time APB MVP remained in MLB on a two-year, $96 million deal with defending Baseball Grand Champion Houston. Another famous veteran 3B Jamel Forysth signed a one-year deal worth $40 million with Detroit. He is in position to reach 4000+ combined hits across his 22-year CABA/MLB odyssey. Forysth will turn 44 on September 2 and is the second-oldest signed player in the world for 2040.

Below is the free agent batters signed with a 3.5 star rating or better. One notable at only three stars was 1B Artyom Masharipov, who was a six-time MVP over 14 seasons with Baku. He stayed in ABF on a three-year, $70,200,000 deal with Bursa.



Sutrisno Kartanto was a five-star rated free agent starting pitcher and the American Association’s defending ERA champ with Seattle. He had major injuries costing him starts from 2036-38, but Phoenix gave the 34-year old righty a five-year, $200 million deal. Jens Van Der Vloet was a five-star closer and three-time Reliever of the Year with EBF’s Budapest. He signed a two-year deal to join MLB with Hartford. Below are the other top free agent pitchers signed for 2040.

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Below are the top-rated batters in the world entering the 2040 season. The richest overall contact is Douala 2B Ram Lengani at $374,500,000. He will make $53 million in 2040, tied for the most with Louisville RF Indiana Hill and Chicago CF Amani Gonalves. This was the start of a seven-year, $360 million extension Hill signed to remain the star for the Lynx.



Here are the top-rated pitchers in the world entering 2040. The richest deal for a pure pitcher is Semarang’s Yuchi Jiang with a $322 million total contract and a $45 million salary for the season.



MILESTONE WATCH

Seattle’s Milton Ramirez enters 2040 with 4002 hits with a shot to pass Stan Provost’s MLB hits record of 4133 which has held since 1956. Orlando’s Jackson Brafford has 887 home runs with a shot at Isaac Cox’s MLB record of 929. Brafford also sits at 2211, making Cox’s record 2333 reachable with a strong showing. Neil Hollinger (834) and Pat Eichelberger (802) are also both climbing up MLB’s homer chart.

In CABA, Leon’s Benedetto Rodriguez has 3459 hits and 1992 runs scored, hoping to become the 6^th to 3500 hits and the 3^rd to 2000 runs. Legendary ace Israel Montague missed most of 2039 to a torn rotator cuff and is expected out until late spring for Haiti. CABA’s wins (347) and Ks (5963) leader is trying to become the 6^th in world history with 350 wins and the 6^th to 6000 strikeouts.

In BSA, runs leader Paco Amorim is at 3716 hits, close to passing Niccolo Coelho for second at 3745. Owen Arcia’s #1 spot of 3940 is likely still unreachable for another year. Amorim’s 2097 RBI are 134 away from Coelho’s record and he’s 11 short of joining the 800 home run club.

EPB’s home runs and runs scored records will be safe for 2040. Dmitri Khodakovsky was six away from the former and 66 from the latter, but he left Russia for America on a two-year deal with MLB’s Indianapolis for 2040.

In CLB, Syamsul Azzahari is already the leader in runs, total bases, home runs, and RBI. The Jinan star is at 2749 hits, in striking distance of Junjie Hsiungs record 2824. In WAB, Junior Jose has 874 home runs with a shot to be the third in the league with 900+ dingers. In ABF, HR and runs leader Sultan Han is only 40 RBI away from passing Hakan Mocuk’s 2132 for the federation record. Youssouf Raza could also become the third to 2000 RBI in ABF, entering the year at 1916.

ALB hits leader Ahmed Yasser Basha (3825) was hoping to join the vaunted 4000 hit club in 2040. Sadly, the Muscat superstar suffered a broken kneecap in spring training that is expected to keep him out all season. He was the WARlord last year at age 38, but it is uncertain if he’ll continue playing or will be able to bounce back. He’s also due to become a free agent in the winter after a 20-year run with the Threshers.

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The European Tier Three season was incredibly competitive with most of the league right in the fight for the four promotion slots. At the all-star break, Kyiv was first at 53-41, but eight other teams also had 50+ wins. By the start of September, Leeds (83-55) and Cyprus (81-58) had built up a bit of a lead on the rest of the field. Both needed it as both squads were sub .500 in their final ten games.

Lviv had an eight game winning streak to start the month and later took three of four against the Crush. Meanwhile, Donetsk made a late charge, ending on an eight-game winning streak including a sweep of Cyprus. Leeds and Lviv both ended up 93-69 (the Lagers were first by the tiebreaker) and both Donetsk and Cyprus ended 92-70. Kyiv lost five of their last six, finishing 91-71 and missing promotion by one game. The next teams just short were Newcastle (89-73), Sheffield (87-75), and Montenegro (86-76).

The Lagers and Crush both earned their second-ever promotions to the European Second League, although both had only lasted one season before getting relegated back to ET3. The Dozers grabbed their first promotion. The Lunkers first got demoted to ET3 for 2037 and finally earned their escape after four years.



In the postseason, Cyprus edged Leeds 3-2 and Lviv topped Donetsk 3-1 in the semifinals. The series clincher for the Crush notably was a 2-1, 12 inning affair. In the 12th ET3 Championship, the Lunkers downed Cyprus 4-2.

Other notes: Leading Lviv was Gennadi Fedorenko, who set a new ET3 single-season record for WAR by a position player at 10.7.

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Antananarivo, who was just demoted back to the African Second League for 2040, led the Southern Conference at the all-star break at 58-33. Reunion was 53-38 and everyone else was below 50 wins. Nampula ended up surprising the field by going 46-25 after the break, the best back-end of any A2L team. That ultimately launched the Pheasants to first place at 94-68, their first playoff trip since 2035. Nampula had gotten promoted to the African Association of Baseball’s First League in 2023, but got sent back after one year and haven’t gotten back to AAB since.

The Eagles ended up blowing their lead by finishing 32-39 on the season. Reunion took second place at 92-70 while Antananarivo missed the playoffs at 90-72. Next was Bulawayo (86-76) and Maputo (85-77). This was the first playoff trip for the Revolution, who was one of the 2029 expansion teams. Maseru, a wild card last year, fell to sixth at 83-79.



Hargeisa dominated the Central Conference field early with a seven-game lead at the all-star break. The Green Eagles had a losing record on the back end, but the cushion still got them first place at 93-69. Another 2029 expansion team, this was Hargeisa’s first playoff trip. Down the stretch, Bahir Dar and Kigali ended up battling for the second playoff spot.

The Guardians hosted the Baboons in the final three games, but Bahir Dar won two of three to advance at 90-72. They had won the A2L title in 2035, but were a one-and-done in the top tier. Kigali was third at 88-74 with last year’s first place team Bukavu next at 87-75. Zanzibar and Brazzaville tied for fifth at 84-78. It was a rough finish for the Blowfish, who were second at the all-star break but struggled down the stretch.

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Top seed Nampula started with the one-game bonus for the Southern Conference Championship, but dropped the opening game 5-3 to Reunion. The Pheasants reclaimed the lead 5-2 in game two. In game three, a two-run rally in the ninth by the Revolution led to a 9-8 final to tie it back up. Reunion went ahead again in the ninth in game four, winning 5-4 for their first series lead.

Nampula cruised to a 13-1 win in game five, forcing a decisive sixth game with promotion on the line. It was 4-3 entering the ninth, but Reunion got four in the top half for extra cushion. The Revolution took the finale 8-4 to earn their first-ever promotion to the African Association of Baseball’s First League.

Bahir Dar upset top-seed Hargeisa 6-3 in the opener of the Central Conference Championship. However, the Green Eagles countered with 7-6, 18-9, and 15-8 wins; giving them the series 4-1 along with their one game bonus. Hargeisa also earned it’s first-ever promotion, making them and Reunion the second and third of the 2029 expansion teams to get promoted. Pretoria was the first the prior year.



The Second League Championship went all nine games in fierce battle. Hargeisa took the opener at home 9-5, but dropped the next two by 12-10 and 7-6 (10) margins on their diamond. As the series shifted locales, the Green Eagles grabbed 10-1 and 3-1 road wins to reclaim the lead. Reunion tied it back up on a 4-0 game six, a very rare shutout in the ultra-high scoring A2L.

Game seven was the final on the island and the Revolution scored a 9-8 walkoff win. Four straight singles tied the game, then a bases loaded walk ended it. Game eight was back in Somalia with an 11-2 Hargeisa win to force game nine. In the finale, Reunion won 5-1 on the road to claim the Second League Championship.

Other notes: Juba’s Timothy Tefera became the second in A2L with 2500 career hits.

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Nantes was by far the top team in the European Second League at the all-star break at 69-30. Lyon was the only other team with 60+ wins and nearly passed the Trappers for first place in the Western Conference. Nantes held on for the #1 spot at 107-55 with the Lords at 106-56. It was back-to-back playoff berths for the Trappers and the first by Lyon since getting relegated back to E2L in 2037. The remaining playoff slots went to Luxembourg (94-68) and Hanover (91-71), both of which were in their second year back in E2L. Toulouse (85-77) was the only other WC team above .500.

It came down to the wire for the two relegation slots down to European Tier Three. Turin had the worst collapse in the league going 21-42 in the second half, tying for last at 65-97 with Nuremberg. Geneva at 66-96 barely escaped their own demotion, as did London (70-92). The Nightmares lasted two years before getting booted back down to ET3. This was the first drop to the bottom for the Tanks, who had been in the European Baseball Federation’s Elite Tier from 2028-37.



Three Eastern Conference teams won 40 or 41 games after the break, pushing them to playoff spots. Dnipro was first at 99-63, trailed by Copenhagen (96-66) and Tallinn (93-69). It was the second playoff berth in three years for the Defenders, whose only prior promotion was from 2022-23. The Corsairs got their second playoff trip of their current seven-year E2L stint. For the Twisters, they had just gotten relegated for 2040.

Vilnius was a game below .500 at the break, but a strong finish just got them to fourth at 87-75 ahead of 86-76 Palermo and 84-78 Tirana. The Victory have never been an E2L playoff team since their initial relegation for 2016. Suffering relegation to ET3 was Gdansk (67-95) and Lodz (68-94); while Bratislava (73-89), Athens (74-88), and Prague (74-88) narrowly escaped. The Gunners lasted only one year in their second shot at E2L, while the Legion dropped to ET3 for the first time. Lodz had been in the top tier as recently as 2035.

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In the Western Conference’s Double Round Robin, the top two teams narrowly prevailed with Nantes and Lyon both at 4-2. Luxembourg was 3-3 and Hanover finished 1-5. The Lords actually swept the Trappers while spitting with the other two, but Nantes swept both the Lancers and Hitmen. The Trappers earned a promotion after a five-year European Second League tenure, while Lyon had a four-year run.

The Eastern Conference’s Round Robin meanwhile saw all four teams finish even at 3-3. Not only that, but the run differential was very nearly even between all four. Tallinn at +1 had the best differential, sending the Twisters right back up to the European Baseball Federation’s Elite Tier after a one year E2L stay. Meanwhile, both Copenhagen and Vilnius had an even zero run differential and top seed Dnipro was at -1.

The Corsairs won 10-3 over the Victory, while Vilnius’s win over Copenhagen was 5-1. That gave the edge between those two to the Danish capital, earning their first trip back to the Elite Tier since 2033. Both Conference Championships would go all seven games. The finale in the East went 17 innings with Copenhagen finally defeating Tallinn 3-2. Four of the games in the West were decided by one run, including the 3-2 game seven win by Nantes over Lyon.



The Second League Championship was less dramatic as the Trappers defeated the Corsairs 4-1. Game five notably saw Nantes score twice in the top of the ninth to tie the game 2-2, followed by the go-ahead run in the tenth. It is the second time the Trappers have been E2L champ, joining the 2026 run. They carried that into four EBF Elite playoff trips and a nine-year stint before their recent relegation.

Other notes: Vilnius’s Davis Morgan had the first seven-hit game in E2L history against Gdansk on May 6. Copenhagen’s Yanis Boucher won his second Pitcher of the Year with only the third pitching Triple Crown in E2L history (19-4, 1.78 ERA, 296 Ks).

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Dar es Salaam’s dominance of the Southern Conference continued with repeat finishes of 112-50. It was their sixth straight 100+ win season and first place finish as the Sabercats shoot for a sixth straight pennant. Dar es Salaam led the entire African Association of Baseball in runs scored (909), fewest allowed (629), and differential (+280). The dominance was absolute with the best first and second half record in AAB, as the Sabercats already had a 10-game lead at the all-star break. Dar’s 2,318,714 season attendance was the second-best in AAB history behind their own 2,350,732 the prior year.

At the break, Gaborone (55-39) was just ahead of Lusaka (54-40) and Harare (53-41) for the wild card slot. The Lake Monsters faded and finished below .500 in the second half, falling to fourth place at 87-75. The Hustlers had an 11-3 stretch in mid-September to pass the Golden Bears, but went on a six-game losing streak after that. That allowed Gaborone to get back ahead, but they lost their finale 6-3 to Luanda and Harare won 5-4 over Lusaka. This tied them at 92-70, requiring a tiebreaker game hosted by the Golden Bears. However, this game lacked drama with a 10-0 rout for the visiting Hustlers.



Harare ended a six-year playoff drought and earned its seventh playoff appearance. Gaborone, who started as an African Second League team, is still without its first-ever playoff trip in the top league. Luanda was fifth at 84-78 and Pretoria’s AAB debut had a winning season at 82-80. Last year’s wild card Durban finished 78-84.

Lilongwe was the worst by far at 51-111, suffering relegation after a six-year return to the top tier. This was the second-worst record in conference history as well as the third-worst team ERA (5.93) and team WHIP (1.608). The Lightning’s 2035 AAB return had a 90 win season, but they’ve been at 66 or fewer wins since. Until 2040, Lilongwe was lucky enough to have someone worse to spare them the second demotion in franchise history.



Dar es Salaam’s Mariano Pera made history as only the second AAB player to win both MVP and Pitcher of the Year in the same season. The only other was Yves Munyaneza in 1996 for Cape Town, who did it purely from pitching. Pera pulled it off as a two-way man, getting 13 first place votes in a tough Southern Conference MVP field. His teammates Sebastian Malema (3) and Ferdinand Rajerison (4) both got first place votes, as did Lusaka’s Leonardo Mazibuko (3).

Pera only barely got POTY with 12 first place votes and 129 points, while Harare’s Professor Nkuna had 11 and 126. Windhoek’s Godwin Mkandawire also had a first place nod. The 26-year old Angolan Pera was the leader in wins (23-4) and WHIP (1.04) while posting a 3.27 ERA, 234 innings, 305 strikeouts, 139 ERA+, 76 FIP-, and 6.2 WAR. He played right field offensively with 87 games, a .356/.458/.534 slash, 159 wRC+, and 4.3 WAR.

Also of note, Sabercats closer Jonathan Kabwe won his second Reliever of the Year with 45 saves, his second time finishing one save short of the AAB single-season record. With Dar es Salaam’s continued dominance, manager Hector Valencia won his sixth consecutive Manager of the Year. He’s already reached legendary status and is only 44 years old. The Argentine former journeyman RP took over the Sabercats in 2033, got them promoted back the top tier, and began their dynasty run.



Dar es Salaam was the massive favorite for the Southern Conference Championship with their 20 win advantage over Harare along with the one-game bonus and home field that comes with the #1 seed. The Sabercats opened with 6-3 and 7-2 wins over the Hustlers. Harare was feisty though with 9-3 and 4-3 wins once the series shifted to Zimbabwe.

However, Dar es Salaam took game five 6-3 on the road to clinch the series by a 4-2 margin. Three-time conference MVP Ferdinand Rajerison was series MVP as the slugger went 8-20 with two homers, four RBI, and four runs. The Sabercats are the second in AAB history to win six consecutive pennants, joining Addis Ababa who won eight straight Central Conference crowns from 2006-13. Dar es Salaam is now nine-time Southern Conference champs (1997, 2004, 27, 35-40), second to only Johannesburg (10) in SC history.

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At the all-star break in the Central Conference, two teams had pulled away with Mombasa at 62-32 and two-time defending Africa Series champ Kampala at 60-34. Djibouti was a distant third at 51-43 and everyone else was below 50 wins. Despite that, five teams ended up with a realistic shot at the playoffs by September with both Asmara and Kinshasa entering the picture with strong finishes.

The Anteaters (46-22), Berserkers (44-24), and Sun Cats (42-26) had the best marks post-break. However, the Bisons and Peacocks still had winning records down the stretch and used their cushions to hold on. Mombasa grabbed first at 99-63 with Kampala second at 98-64. Djibouti was third (95-67), followed by Asmara (94-68), and Kinshasa (91-71).

Mombasa notably outperformed their expected win/loss by 11 games, going 34-16 in one-run games. The Bisons led the conference with 885 runs, but only had a +82 differential, which ranked fifth. Kampala’s +210 led the CC as they allowed the fewest runs at 648. The Peacocks pitching staff had 1737 strikeouts and a 10.82 K/9, both single-season team bests for the African Association of Baseball.

The difference was Mombasa going 7-5 head-to-head against Kampala. This was the Bisons second playoff trip, joining their 2036 AAB title. The Peacocks’ playoff streak grew to four seasons. Mwanza was firmly last place at 58-102 to suffer relegation back to the African Second League. The White Tigers had a solid AAB debut the prior year at 83-79, but promptly fell off a cliff.



Asmara 3B Rajah Bhagwan won Central Conference MVP unanimously in his sixth season. The former #1 overall pick was the leader in batting average (.361), wRC+ (200), and WAR (11.0). The 29-year old South African Bhagwan added 207 hits, 129 runs, 33 doubles, 56 home runs, 146 RBI, 62 stolen bases, and a 1.174 OPS. Bhagwan was critical in getting the Anteaters promoted for 2037 and got them the closest they’ve come yet to a playoff trip in the top tier.

Kampala’s Abdullah Ali became the first six-time Pitcher of the Year winner in AAB history, earning the honors consecutively. He had 23 first place votes with teammate Yue Xu getting one. By Ali’s absurdly high standard, this was a more middling year since he missed the ERA title by 11 points to Mombasa’s Sunday Mudimu. Still, it was his seventh straight year leading in WAR and strikeouts, getting 10+ WAR and 375+ Ks each year.

Ali led in Ks (394), WHIP (0.83), FIP- (42), and WAR (11.4). The 28-year old Somali lefty had a 17-5 record, 7 saves, 2.32 ERA, and 198 ERA+ in 236.2 innings. His WAR was the fifth-best AAB single-season for a pitcher (he holds spots #1-3) and the fifth best for Ks (he holds the entire top five and seven of the top eight). Many argue Ali is the best active pitcher in the world and many globally hoped to poach him from Uganda, but he signed a seven-year, $252,500,000 extension with the Peacocks in February.

Kampala manager Alan Brzozowski also won his third straight manager of the year. The 55-year old Pole was a decent reliever in his prior European career. Brzozowski’s managing career started in AAB from 2029-34 with Kampala, although it ended without a playoff trip. The Peacocks gave him a shot in 2037 and he has delivered them the AAB title in 2038-39 and the Baseball Grand Championship crown in 2038.



Recent history made some still favor Kampala for a Central Conference Championship three-peat. However, they were one game behind Mombasa in the standings, giving the Bisons the one-game bonus to begin the series and home field advantage. Mombasa came out firing with 5-4 and 9-5 wins to open the series in Kenya.

As it shifted to Uganda, the Peacocks won three straight at home with 10-3, 7-6, and 4-2 margins; evening the series at 3-3. In game four, Kampala rallied from a 6-0 hole, tying the game in the ninth. On the first pitch he saw, Shabani Luboya hit a solo walkoff home run to open the bottom of the tenth.

Luboya was the hero again in the game six finale back in Mombasa. Down 3-2 entering the eighth inning, the 29-year old Congolese LF smacked a two-run go-ahead homer 419 feet. Kampala held on for the 4-3 win for their third consecutive pennant and eighth overall (2018, 20-23, 38-40). Luboya was the series MVP going 9-25 with five homers and seven RBI.

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The 46^th Africa Series was the third straight battle between Kampala and Dar es Salaam. It was the second time in African Association of Baseball history to have the same matchup in three straight years, as it previously happened from 1998-200 between Kinshasa and Johannesburg. The Sun Cats won all three of those matchups and the Peacocks were looking to follow in their footsteps.

Kampala was looking for the three-peat, which last happened in AAB by the Peacocks in 2020-22. Yet again, the Sabercats had more wins in the regular season. However, Kampala had prevailed in nine game classics the prior two years. It was Dar es Salaam’s sixth straight finals trip, having won in 2035 over Nairobi, lost in 2036 to Mombasa, and won 2037 over Kinshasa.

The Sabercats opened the series with a 6-1 home win on a gem by Sylvestre Mbiwa, allowing only two hits and three walks with 11 strikeouts over a complete game. Game two had the reigning Pitchers of the Year battling with the six-time champ Abdullah Ali pushing Kampala to a 3-1 win. Both he and Mariano Pera pitched 8.1 innings, but Ali struck out 13 and gave up just four hits and the one run.

Great pitching again led the way in game three despite AAB’s high-offense environment. Kampala won 3-0 on a shutout by rookie Zakarias Houmed, who scattered seven hits and three walks with two strikeouts. He had only tossed 35.1 innings all regular season, a surprising playoff standout. This gave the Peacocks the 2-1 series lead with the next four back at their ballpark in Uganda.

The offenses opened up in game four with Kampala winning 8-6, going ahead with two runs in the eighth. Dar es Salaam grabbed a road win in game five 7-4, but the Peacocks countered with a 4-3 win as Ali struck out 17 over 7.2 innings. The Sabercats led 3-0 entering the ninth innings in game seven, but Kampala had a remarkable rally. A bases loaded triple by Shabani Luboya tied the game at 3-3. The next batter Thobias Thomas smacked a two-run homer 417 feet, giving Kampala the 5-3 walkoff win and the series 5-2.



The Peacocks completed the three-peat and became seven-time AAB champs (2018, 20, 21, 22, 38, 39, 40). This ties Kampala with Kinshasa for the most Africa Series rings. The Sabercats are now 3-6 all-time in their finals trips. 1B Marlon Muianga was series MVP, going 10-27 with two homers and seven RBI. The 32-year old Mozambican was in his tenth year as a Peacock and also was African Series MVP in the 2038 triumph.

Other notes: Abdullahi Ali notably struck out 59 in the postseason, two short of his playoff record from the prior year. In the regular season against Mwanza, he had his second 21 strikeout game. This is the AAB single-game record, which Paul Lambote also hit in 2009.

Gaborone’s Mert Seyoum became the 5^th pitcher to 3500 strikeouts. He sits at 3609, 484 short of Lambote’s record of 4093. Lawal Deffallah moved into the #2 spot at 3715 Ks despite missing half the year to a torn triceps. Defallah will be 34 next season and most assume the Chadian lefty will become the strikeout king barring a catastrophic injury. Jaco Bereng became the 9^th closer to 300 saves.

Djibouti’s Martin Kulatilaka hit 73 home runs, his fifth 70+ dinger season. He joins AAB’s Dagne Mersha (6) and the Arab League’s Wissam Magdy (5) as the only players in world history with 5+ seasons of 70+ dingers. There have been 28 seasons of 70+ homers in AAB. Kulatilaka became AAB’s 17^th member of the 600 home run club and Lazarus Abraham became the 18^th. Kulatilaka also won his 7^th straight Silver Slugger at 1B.

Asa Ngoie became the 8^th in AAB with 800 career home runs and is one of 68 in professional baseball history to achieve the feat. Ngoie and Abel Teklemariam became the 18^th and 19^th in AAB with 2500 hits. Teklemariam also became the 20^th to 1500 runs scored. 2B Kassim Nour won his 9^th straight Gold Glove, which is a position record. He’s one of five at any spot in AAB history with 9+ GGs.

Promotion/Relegation: Demoted down to the African Second League was Lilongwe in the Southern Conference and Mwanza in the Central Conference. Reunion is promoted up to the SC slot and Hargeisa in the CC, both earning their first shot at the big time.

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The Western Conference had six teams within six games of the top seed at the all-star break. Cairo had the best mark at the break (57-36) in the WC and had the best post-break record in all of Arab League Baseball at 46-23. This gave the Pharaohs the Nile Division title at 103-59 with the top record and run differential (+215) in all of ALB. It was Cairo’s third straight playoff trip and sixth in seven years, although it was their first division title since 2036.

Cairo had to contend with defending conference champ Alexandria in the Nile Division. The Astronauts at 96-66 took the first wild card for their third playoff trip in four years. Two-time defending champ Suez was in the hunt early, but faded late and missed the playoffs at 87-75. Beirut held firm at 98-64 for a fifth straight Levant Division crown and their eighth consecutive postseason berth. Amman (88-74) and Aleppo (84-78) were next in the division, but both fell short in the wild card race.

Tripoli and Algiers were neck-and-neck much of the season in the Mediterranean Division. The Privateers took first at 98-64 to end an 11-year playoff drought. The Arsenal at 94-68 got the second wild card and grew their playoff streak to six seasons. Algiers hasn’t had a losing season since 2023 and has only missed the playoffs once in that run. Tripoli led all of ALB in scoring (873) and Beirut had the fewest allowed (613). The Bluebirds won the season series 4-2 over the Privateers, giving them home field for the #2 versus #3 seed matchup in the second round of the playoffs.



Western Conference MVP was a tight field with Algiers leadoff man 3B Zakaria Badwan taking the crown with 16 first place votes and 343 points. Cairo 3B Arabi Younis was a close second with 13 first place votes and 334 points. Younis notably was the leader in total bases at 401. Badwan’s overall hitting efficiency couldn’t be ignored even without big home run power. It was the second MVP for the 29-year old Palestinian, who also won in 2036.

In his tenth season for Algiers, Badwan led in runs (131), hits (235), triples (21), stolen bases (133), average (.394), OBP (.450), wRC+ (178), and WAR (9.5). It was his fourth batting title and fifth time leading in steals. Badwan also had 39 doubles, 15 home runs, 62 RBI, and a 1.055 OPS. The Arsenal locked Badwan up for the long haul in May with an eight-year, $311 million extension.

Cairo’s Mohammed Al-Saudi repeated as Pitcher of the Year with 21 first place votes and 182 points. Beirut’s Abdul Muhaimin Akbar was the clear #2 with nine first place nods and 144 points. Al-Saudi was the WARlord (10.3) and leader for quality starts (27), and FIP- (51). The 28-year old member of the royal family had an 18-6 record, 2.72 ERA, 241.1 innings, and 296 strikeouts. 2041 is his last year under team control with uncertainty that the Pharaohs will re-sign him.



Alexandria had the one-game bonus and home field, but Algiers upset the Astronauts with 7-1 and 6-0 road wins in the wild card round to oust the reigning Western Conference champ. The Arsenal stayed hot initially with a 9-2 road win to start round two against top seed Cairo. Game two went ten innings with Arabi Younis winning it on a solo walkoff homer 3-2 for the Pharaohs. Cairo claimed game three by a 4-1 margin for their third conference final trip in six years.

Tripoli opened their series with Beirut with a 1-0 road win, but the Bluebirds countered with their own 1-0 home win. A four-run third inning was enough in game three for Beirut to prevail 5-2, earning a fourth consecutive WCF trip. Every Western Conference Final since 2034 has featured either Beirut or Cairo, but 2040 would be the first of those where they met in the WCF. Despite 27 WCF trips between them, this was their first finals battle altogether.

Cairo went up 4-0 in the first inning of game one with a three-run homer by Ahmed Abdel Monsef. That held for a 4-1 victory to open the series. Game two was tied 4-4 entering the ninth inning. Beirut got a solo homer in the top half to go ahead, but the Pharaohs countered with a two-run shot by Kamal Qasim down the left field line for a 6-5 walkoff win. Cairo then grabbed game three 5-3 on the road to secure the sweep and their first pennant since 2030.



With the win, the Pharaohs are eight-time Western Conference champs (1990, 92, 96, 2000, 20, 21, 30, 40). This is tied for the third-most pennants in ALB behind only Casablanca (10) and Basra (9). Qasim was series MVP, going 5-12 with one homer and three RBI. The 40-year old CF had joined Cairo in 2040 after two years with Medina and nearly two decades with Amman before that. It would be Qasim’s first time playing in the finals since the Aviators’ 2023-25 dynasty run.

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The strength in the Eastern Conference was concentrated in the Arabia Division. Riyadh at the all-star break led all of Arab League Baseball at 60-32 with reigning ALB champ Mecca next at 55-37. Medina also in the division was 50-41, while the rest of the conference had fewer than 50 wins. The Rats and Marksmen used their cushion to remain ahead of the field in the second half.

Riyadh held on to take the top seed at 99-63, ending an eight-year playoff drought with their first division title since 2028. The Marksmen at 96-66 earned the first wild card, growing their playoff streak to seven seasons. Medina at 87-75 led the conference in scoring with 852 runs, but finished four games short of the second wild card. The Mastodons have posted 12 straight winning seasons, although this was their third consecutive playoff miss.

The strongest second half records were Doha (45-26) and Bahrain (42-27) in the Gulf Division. The Dash passed the Blitz in September, allowing them to fend off a six-game Bahrain win streak to close the year. Doha won the division at 92-70 and the 91-71 Blitz picked up the second wild card. Muscat finished 84-78, ending their 13-year playoff streak. The Dash now have the longest active postseason streak at 11 years, while Bahrain earned a second wild card in three years. Doha allowed the EC’s fewest runs at 671 and had the best run differential at +159.

Basra’s seven-year run atop the Mesopotamia Division ended with a thud as they finished 74-88. It was a lackluster division overall with only 84-78 Sulaymanyiah above .500, ending a seven-year playoff drought for the Sultans. Kuwait was the lone team with a winning record at the all-star break, but the Whales were an abysmal 26-45 the rest of the way, the worst record in the conference.



Eastern Conference MVP went to Sulaymaniyah 1B Mohamed Mohammed with 25 first place votes, while Mecca’s Hamdi Bahri had the other five. Mohammed was a free agent signing for 2040 at $132 million over six years after mixed results with Giza previously. The 27-year old Sudanese righty led in home runs (60) while posting 145 RBI, 196 hits, 119 runs, a .321/.389/.687 slash, 178 wRC+, and 7.5 WAR.

Mecca’s Azzam Salman won Pitcher of the Year at 17 first place votes and 168 points, edging out Jeddah’s Hesham Abdel Monsef at 12 and 144. Monsef had edged out Salman for the ERA title by eight points. This was the breakout year for the 30-year old Salman, whose career had been a mixed bag. He spent his first six years with Jeddah and won 2033 Rookie of the Year, but his production had been inconsistent since.

The Jackals sent him to Jerusalem in July 2038 as trade rental. Salman signed with Casablanca for 2039, but they traded him after a year to the Marksmen. In his Mecca debut, the 6’5’’ Iraqi lefty led in wins (19-7) and quality starts (24). Salman had a 3.10 ERA over 221 innings, 212 strikeouts, 140 ERA+, 81 FIP-, and 5.2 WAR.



Mecca had the one-game bonus for the wild card round, needing just one win to advance over Bahrain while the Blitz needed two road wins. The opener was longer than two games, as Bahrain survived 19 innings and 7:37 to win 6-5. The next night, the Marksmen needed a three-run Juma Javed homer in the ninth to force extras again at 3-3. Mecca earned a walkoff RBI double in the 12^th to win 4-3 and keep the repeat bid intact.

The fatigue from those games certainly drained the Marksmen, who got blown out 10-0 to open round two against Riyadh. Game two went ten innings, but the Rats got a walkoff single to win it 4-3, advancing to only their third-ever Eastern Conference Final trip (2002, 2028). The only charter ALB franchises to never win a pennant entering 2040 was Riyadh, Tunis, and Baghdad.

On the other side of the bracket, Doha swept Sulaymaniyah on 6-4 and 8-1 wins. The Dash earned their second ECF trip in three years, but they haven’t won a pennant since the 2032-33 repeat despite their playoff streak. Although Riyadh finished seven wins ahead of Doha and had home field advantage, the Dash had swept their six regular season meetings.
Game one went ten innings with Doha getting a run in the top half on two walks, a hit batsmen, and one hit. Riyadh countered with four singles in the bottom half, scoring twice for the 5-4 walkoff win. The Rats held on 4-3 in game two, going ahead with a two-run seventh. The series shifted to Qatar with Doha hitting a solo homer in the ninth, sending game three to extras at 2-2. Three singles in the 12^th inning allowed the Dash to take a 3-2 win.

In game four, Riyadh tied it at 2-2 with a two-run top of the ninth inning. In the bottom half, the first batter Tarek Yousry narrowly cleared the right field fence, giving Doha a 3-2 walkoff homer to force game five. Back in Saudi Arabia, the Rats raced ahead with a five-run second inning and held a 6-2 lead after the fourth. In the top of the ninth, the Dash got six hits to score four runs, tying the finale at 6-6.



In the bottom half, Lorival Gordinho got a leadoff double, then was doubled in by Janusz Garbacik. This gave Riyadh the 7-6 walkoff win and the series to secure their first-ever pennant. 2B Florencio Salomon was series MVP, going 9-20 with four runs and three RBI, including two of each in game five. Salomon initially played in Austronesia Professional Baseball with Makassar and won an MVP there in 2034. The 32-year old from East Timor joined ALB and the Rats in 2039 on a two-year deal.

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The 51^st Arab League Championship was the eighth finals trip for Cairo, although they had only won once before back in 1996. That was also the only time previously that an Egyptian team won it all with a combined 1-11 finals mark between them entering 2040. It was Riyadh’s first appearance as they looked to keep the cup in Saudi Arabia. Last year, Mecca became the 17^th franchise to win their first title.

It was the first time since 2035 that both top seeds made the final. They did have an interleague series in April with the Rats winning two of three on the road. Each was a one-run game and one went ten innings, so fans were expecting an even matchup. Cairo’s offense unloaded for a 10-5 home win to start the series. Riyadh evened it with a 6-5 road win, then earned a 6-5 home win two days later.

Game four saw a 7-5 Cairo road rally to even the series. The Pharaohs got a two-run Hassan Hamed homer to force extras, then got a solo homer and two other hits in the 11^th to go ahead and win. Riyadh held off another rally try in game five and held on 6-5, giving them the 3-2 series advantage with play shifting back to the Egyptian capital. Game six was tied 2-2 after the fourth inning and stayed there until the tenth. Marcel Awad’s walkoff RBI single gave Cairo the 3-2 win, forcing game seven for the first time since 2034.

The big inning in game seven saw four runs in the fourth for Cairo, punctuated by Ahmed Maher’s three-run homer. Nawaf Al-Khodaim tossed a complete game as the Pharaohs held on for a 9-4 win to claim their second-ever ALB crown. C Abdel Said was series MVP, going 12-28 with two homers and four RBI. He was a free agent signing from the prior year after starting with Bahrain.



Other notes: Kamal Qasim breached 3500 career hits, joining Ahmed Yasser Basha (3825) as the only players to do it in ALB. Through 2040, 74 players have 3500+ career professional hits. Basha had hoped to join the exclusive 4000 hit club in 2040, but missed the entire season with a broken kneecap. He does plan on returning for 2041 for his 21^st season, but he is due free agency after spending his entire career with Muscat.

Fekri Al-Baada became the 13^th in ALB to reach 3000 hits. Mokhtar Bouziane and Souhail Zubaidi became the 26^th and 27^th members of ALB’s 600 home run club. Zubaidi and Abdullah Al-Hatfith made it 31 guys with 1500+ runs. Ali Zaki and Abdullah Nazerudeen were the 54^th and 55^th to 500 homers. Sulaymaniyah’s Elnatan Gold had a 30-game hitting streak. There have been 21 streaks of 30+ in ALB and Gold notably has done it twice, going 32 games in 2037. CF Kareem David won his 8^th Silver Slugger. Amer Tawfik and Abdul Muhaimin Akbar were the 32^nd and 33^rd pitchers to 3000 strikeouts.

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Five teams seemed to be in the hunt for the East League’s four playoff spots at the midway point of the season. Into the fall, three pulled away; defending Asian Baseball Federation champ Faisalabad, Karachi, and Almaty. The Assassins had the best record after the all-star break in all of ABF at 42-19 and ran away from the North Division field at 103-59. It was Almaty’s third straight playoff trip, but first division title since 2034. They allowed only 432 runs, the best in ABF by a healthy margin.

The Assassins narrowly claimed ABF’s best record as the other two jockeyed for the Pakistan Division. The Carp (102-60) edged out the Fire (101-61), ending a 13-year playoff drought for Karachi. It was four straight berths for Faisalabad, who have won three straight EL pennants. The Carp had the EL’s best run differential at +163.

Hyderabad had been right with them in the first half, but struggled to 28-34 after the break. The Horned Frogs and Tashkent fought for the second wild card and finished even at 88-74. ABF doesn’t use tiebreaker games, but the head-to-head favored the Tomcats. They had a four-game road sweep in June, then got one of four in the September rematch. Tashkent’s playoff streak grew to eight seasons. Lahore was the only other EL team above .500 at 83-79. Hyderabad’s streak of winning seasons is now up to 17 years, although they’ve missed the playoffs thrice in a row now.



Peshawar, a wild card last year, was a non-factor at 76-86. Still, Predators 1B Yaman Kamil was East League MVP with 24 first place votes. Tashkent’s Uranchimegiin Gerelt had five first place votes, while two pitchers shared the other three first place votes. It was only the second-year as a starter for Kamil, nicknamed “Chubby.”

The 6’7’’, 200 pound righty led in hits (203), total bases (381), average (.341), slugging (.639), and wRC+ (197). The 25-year old Pakistani Kamil also had 105 runs, 35 doubles, 47 home runs, 109 RBI, a 1.028 OPS, and 8.7 WAR. He also earned MVP honors of the all-star game.

Pitcher of the Year went to Karachi’s Rinat Qasimov with 22 first place votes, while teammate Asgar Gurbanov had nine. Qasimov’s 2.03 ERA was one point short of Almaty’s Asmar Ali. The runner-up Gurbanov notably led in wins (21-5) with a 2.11 ERA and his 339 strikeouts were two short of the top spot of Multan’s Ala Hussain at 341.

The winner Qasimov was the WARlord at 8.0 and led in quality starts at 27. The 27-year old Kyrgyz lefty had a 17-9 record, 247.2 innings, 339 strikeouts, 179 ERA+, and 64 FIP-. Qasimov had started with Asgabat and was traded to the Carp in 2039. After two years as the WARlord in Karachi, Qasimov will be one of the top free agents on the market in the winter. Also notable was Almaty’s Aydar Zholdoshov as Reliever of the Year with 50 saves, the third-best single-season in ABF history. In all of pro baseball history, there have been 75 total seasons of 50 or more saves by a closer.



Almaty won a pair of pitcher’s duels 2-1 and 1-0 over Tashkent in the first round. The second game needed ten innings before the Assassins plated the game’s lone run. Qasimov opened Karachi’s series with Faisalabad with a four-hit shutout in a 5-0 win. The Fire countered with 6-3 and 8-7 road wins to take the series and advance. In the second chance bracket, the Tomcats ousted the Carp on 12-6 and 4-1 wins.

In round two, Faisalabad and Almaty went back-and-forth in the first game. It was tied 5-5 after regulation with the Fire winning on a walk-off homer by Mohseni Hedayat in the 13^th. Faisalabad then won 8-3 to continue their bid for a fourth straight pennant.

Tashkent rematched Almaty with elimination at stake. The Tomcats this time won both games with 8-7 and 5-3 margins, the latter in 13 innings. Considering they got swept earlier and were 5-9 against Almaty in the regular season, it was an unexpected upset. Tashkent earned its fifth trip to the East League Championship Series of the eight-year playoff streak, although 2036 had been their only pennant of that run. They had faced and lost to Faisalabad two years prior.

The Fire opened the ELCS with 4-2 and 8-3 home wins. Tashkent evened the series with 6-2 and 5-1 wins at home in Uzbekistan. Faisalabad rolled 10-4 in game five on the road, then clinched at home 4-3 in game six. The finale ended on a walkoff RBI single by Augustin Babajide, giving the Fire four straight pennants and their seventh overall (2011, 14, 21, 37-40). C Bahir Saeed was series MVP, going 7-22 with three homers and six RBI. Saeed came to Faisalabad last year on a trade with Asgabat.

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Down the stretch, eight teams had a realistic chance at one of the four playoff spots in the West League, although three pulled away in the chase for the top seed. Isfahan and Tabriz were battling for the Central Division crown, while Istanbul pulled away in the West. The Ironmen at 41-22 had the best record post all-star break in the WL. The earlier cushion though allowed the Imperials and Tiger Sharks to both stay one game ahead of Istanbul.

Isfahan and Tabriz tied for the top spot at 98-64. The Asian Baseball Federation doesn’t use tiebreaker games, so the division crown went to the Imperials by way of winning the season series 8-6. It was the third straight division title for Isfahan, while the Tigers Sharks have earned nine playoff trips since 2030. Tabriz’s +166 run differential was the best in ABF.

Istanbul at 97-65 ended a six-year playoff drought, although they hadn’t led the standings since 2008. It was a big turnaround for the Ironmen, who were a lousy 66-96 the prior year. The Central Division had a shakeup as defending WL champ Bursa struggled to 75-87. That ended a five-year playoff streak for the Blue Claws which had three pennants.

Defending division champ Baku was in the crowded race for the final wild card spot. The Blackbirds were 50-50 early in the season, but made a late push going 40-22 after the break. Tehran had been right with Isfahan and Tabriz earlier in the season and used that cushion to hold onto the final wild card at 91-71. Baku was one short at 90-72, followed by Izmir (89-73), Kabul (88-74), and Mashhad (86-76).

This ended an 11-year playoff drought in the Iranian capital with Tehran’s last winning record in 2029. The Tarpons had excellent luck, outperforming their expected win/loss by +11 with a -6 run differential and 34-19 record in one-run games. It also marked the end of Baku’s 11-year playoff streak, in which they had won 100+ games each season. The Blackbirds still have a run of winning records back to 2022; this was their third playoff miss of that stretch.



It was the second West League MVP win in three years for 1B Khattak Baweja, earning it unanimously in 2040. He had won previously with Bursa in 2038, then signed as a free agent at $208,600,000 over eight years with Mashhad. The 28-year old Pakistani led in home runs (67), RBI (146), total bases (455), slugging (.718), OPS (1.116), and wRC+ (211). Baweja was second in batting average (.333) and WAR (11.1) while adding 129 runs, 211 hits, and 41 doubles.

Antalya still was without a winning season since joining as a 2030 expansion squad. Their ace Jarir Rashid repeated as Pitcher of the Year with all but two first place votes. The 25-year old Iranian righty led in ERA (2.70), strikeouts (361), WHIP (0.88), K/BB (12.4), FIP- (45), and WAR (9.0). Rashid had a 15-8 record and 223 innings with a 152 ERA+. He has one year left under team control with the Armada.



The first round of the playoffs had Isfahan defeating Tehran 1-0 and 8-1, while Istanbul bested Tabriz 2-1 and 5-3. The Ironmen notably got a walkoff sacrifice fly in their opener. Istanbul dominated the Imperials 2-1 to open round two, but Isfahan countered with an 8-2 result. Game three went 11 innings with a 4-3 win for the Ironmen as C Shahram Bahamin smacked the winning home run. This gave Istanbul its first trip to the West League Championship Series since their 2007-08 repeat.

The double-eliminated bracket rolled on with a 5-2 Tabriz win over Tehran, followed by a 4-3 Tarpons win. Game three was scoreless through regulation with the Tiger Sharks getting a two-run walkoff homer in the tenth by Neshui Cinar. Tabriz carried that momentum to 8-0 and 4-0 wins over Isfahan. This put the Tiger Sharks in their fourth WLCS of the seven years.

Istanbul began the WLCS with a 7-3 win, but Tabriz countered 9-1. The Ironmen claimed game three 4-3, but game four went to the Tiger Sharks 2-1. Tabriz took their first series lead with a 3-0 win in game five, then clinched on a 3-2 result in game six. The finale went 11 innings with two hits and two walks leading to the go ahead run.



Tabriz became four-time West League champs (2019, 23, 34, 40). Series MVP was LF Demir Potuk, who was 10-29 with four homers and six RBI. At age 28, it was Potuk’s third time as WLCS MVP, having also done it in 2034 and 2035. In 64 playoff starts for the Tiger Sharks, Potuk has a 1.145 OPS, 219 wRC+, and 5.0 WAR; staking a case as a clutch performer.