Baseball: The World's Game

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Shenzhen and Shantou were the Southern League standouts taking the top spots at 102-60 and 101-61, respectively. The Scorpions became the first team in Chinese League Baseball history to score 800+ runs at 811 and also set single-season records for home runs (303) and team slugging (.479). They also finished with the best differential at +233, although the Spartans just edged them for first place. Both teams earned repeat playoff berths and Shantou tied their franchise-best record.

The top two had pulled away with strong first halves. The best records post all-star break went to Wenzhou and Dongguan, who took the remaining playoff spots at 96-66 and 93-69, respectively. The Wild ended a seven-year playoff drought and the Donkeys snapped a four-year skid. Dongguan had the fewest runs allowed at 485. The first teams out were Foshan (91-71), and Guangzhou (87-75). Last year’s semifinalists had middling efforts with Nanchang at 76-86 and Hong Kong at 77-85. For the defending SL champ Crickets, this ended a four-year playoff streak and was only their second miss in nine years.



Leading Shantou’s historic offense was CF Wenyang Huang, who repeated as Southern League MVP and took it unanimously. The 26-year old righty led in runs (120), total bases (405), slugging (.704), wRC+ (220), and WAR (11.7). Huang added 180 hits, 27 doubles, 15 triples, 56 home runs, 124 RBI, and a .313 average. This gave the former #1 draft pick back-to-back 11+ WAR seasons. It was only the sixth time a CLB player scored 120+ runs in a season, falling six short of the single-season record.

The Scorpions also had the Pitcher of the Year Bar Khan with 21 first place votes and 223 points, just edging out Shenzhen’s Peng Adnan with 19 first place votes and 217 points. The runner-up Adnan led in innings (272.1) with 8.2 WAR and tied with Khan for wins (both at 21-6). It was actually Dongguan’s David Gan who notably led in both WAR (9.5) and strikeouts (334), posting a 2.06 ERA and 16-9 record. Khan won it with the ERA title (1.98) and best FIP- (49). In only his second year as a starter for Shantou, the 24-year old righty tossed 241 innings with 280 strikeouts, 165 ERA+, and 9.1 WAR.



Despite their offense and award winners, Shantou fared the worst in the Triple Round Robin at 1-8. Both Shenzhen and Dongguan advanced to the semifinal at 6-3 while Wenzhou at 5-4 just missed. The Donkeys last made the semi in 2037 while the Spartans’ drought went back to 2028. Although it was #1 versus #4 seed, Dongguan got home field from the #4 spot having gone 2-1 over Shenzhen in the Round Robin.

Dongguan opened with a 5-0 win on a three-hit, 13 strikeout shutout by Wendell Chavez. They narrowly held on 2-1 the next night. Shenzhen claimed the first two on their home diamond by 3-2 and 6-2 margins. The Donkeys took the series’ lone road win 3-1 in game five, then clinched 5-4 in game six.



1B Zhengyu Yang was series MVP, going 13-35 with six homers and ten RBI across their nine playoff games total. This ended the longest drought between China Series trips in CLB history at 68 years, as Dongguan’s only prior trips were in 1972-73.

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The 73^rd China Series was the second in three years for Zhengzhou, who won it all in 2040 and in 2027. It was their fifth appearance overall and the third for Dongguan, whose only prior appearances were way back in 1972-73; the third and fourth seasons for Chinese League Baseball. The Donkeys did win the title in 1973 and would set the longest gap between titles in CLB history (68 years) with a win. Home field alternates between leagues and went to Dongguan for 2042.

The Donkeys opened with an 11-4 home win, but Zhengzhou countered 6-3 the next night. The Zips raced ahead in the series with 9-1 and 1-0 home wins, getting a combined two-hitter in the game four pitcher’s duel. Game five was also 1-0, but Dongguan took it with a two-hit, 13 strikeout shutout by David Gan. The Donkeys picked up a 5-1 road win in game six to send the series the full distance.

In the finale, Dongguan prevailed 2-0 to end their lengthy title drought. It was a do-it-yourself effort for SP Jon Moran, who tossed seven shutout innings and had a two-out, two-RBI single in the second inning for the game’s only runs. LF Virgil Christopher was series MVP going 9-27 with four homers, seven RBI, and five runs. The 31-year old Tanzanian arrived in China in 2037 for the Donkeys.



Other notes: Dongguan’s Zhengyu Yang set a playoff record with nine doubles. Zhengzhou’s Tiquan Liu set a bad record with 44 strikeouts. No player in any world league had ever struck out 40+ times in a single postseason. The Zips did play the maximum possible games under the CLB playoff structure at 23. The only other leagues where a team could play 23 postseason games are MLB and ABF, although it hasn’t happened in either yet.

Kunming’s Jinming Li hit for the cycle on July 25 and July 26 facing Zhongshan. This was a world first, as no one had ever hit for the cycle on consecutive days or within the same series. MLB’s Dylan Fabian notably did it against separate foes one day apart in 2028. Shenyang’s Zheng Zhang had a 32-game hitting streak in the late spring, falling one short of the CLB record 33 set in 2034 by Di Zhou. Zhang also reached 1000 RBI and 2000 hits in August.

In other milestones, Xiaotian Xu became the 9^th to 500 home runs and Hesmay Memetjan became the 26^th to 400. Wuyao Chen reached 1000 RBI, a mark met by 27 in CLB. Hoa Tian became the 28^th to 1000 runs scored. C Te Liu won his 9^th consecutive Silver Slugger, a position record. Zhenying Chen became the 19^th pitcher with 3000 strikeouts. 2B Isaac Suwito won his 7^th Gold Glove.

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Taichung and reigning Austronesia Professional Baseball champ Taipei were close together at the all-star break battling for the Taiwan League crown. The Tigercats were six above .500 after the break, while the Toucans went on a 46-24 tear; the best in the Taiwan-Philippine Association. Taichung pulled away to take the TL at 104-58 and narrowly got the TPA’s top seed. Taipei at 94-68 easily got second place with Chiayi a very distant third at 84-78.

The Toucans led all of APB with 693 runs scored and had the best differential at +226. It was Taichung’s fourth consecutive playoff berth and third TL title of that stretch. The Tigercats earned repeat playoff trips. The City Hawks despite their third place set a new APB team record for on-base percentage at .322.

In the Philippine League, both Cebu and Manila had double-digit leads on the rest of the PL by the summer. They battled intensely all season with mirrored records for much of 2042. In the end, both finished at 103-59; one win short of the top seed. APB doesn’t use tiebreaker games for division titles, thus it comes down to head-to-head as the first tiebreaker. The Crows won that battle 11-8 with a critical sweep in late August.

Cebu ended a five-year playoff drought dating back to their 2036 pennant and earned their first PL title since 2034. The Manatees playoff streak grew to five seasons, although their first place run ended. Cagayan de Oro was the only other Filipino team above .500 at 84-78 and allowed the TPA’s fewest runs at 446. Zamboanga dropped to 74-88, ending a seven-year playoff streak for the Zebras. It was their first losing season since 2032.



Repeating as Taiwan-Philippine Association MVP was Chiayi 1B Maysaroh Putro. He earned 22 first place votes, while Taichung 1B Chih-Sheng Hsaio had six first place votes. Hsiao notably was the WARlord (10.0). City Hawks CF Yu-Te Ouyang was third in the voting and notably broke APB’s single-season record for OBP at .420. The previous best was Binh Tang’s .416 in 2032.

Putro’s power pushed him to the award in his 11^th year with Chiayi. The 31-year old Indonesian lefty led in home runs (51), RBI (120), total bases (.646), OPS (1.010), and wRC+ (215). Nicknamed “Bluto," Putro added 179 hits, 105 runs, a .311 average, and 9.4 WAR. Putro also became APB’s 47^th member of the 400 home run club.

Pitcher of the Year was a tight battle as Taichung’s Chih-Kang Kuo and Cagayan de Oro’s Vince Hernandez both got 13 of the 28 first place votes. Kuo narrowly edged out Hernandez 147-129 to claim the honor. Hernandez won the ERA title at 1.78, but he only 197.1 innings with an 8-12 record. Kuo led in strikeouts (315) as he bounced back from a torn back muscle that kept him out much of 2041. The 26-year old Taiwanese lefty had a 2.36 ERA, 271 innings, 15-10 record, 140 ERA+, 68 FIP-, and 6.9 WAR.



Taichung began the divisional round with the built-in one game bonus and a 6-3 win in the opener over Manila. The Manatees countered with a 3-2 win, but the Toucans ousted them 7-2 in game three. This ended a four-year streak of appearances in the Taiwan-Philippine Association for the Philippine capital. Taichung’s last trip was their 2040 triumph over Manila.

Cebu had the bonus on the other side, but dropped their opener in a 1-0 pitcher’s duel to Taipei. The Crows got the narrow 4-3 win the next night, then ousted the reigning champs 1-0 in game three. The finale saw a one-hitter by Hunter Chao with ten strikeouts and two walks. Cebu earned its first TPA finals trip since the 2036 pennant. Taichung won the regular season series 4-2 over the Crows and with only one win separating the teams, fans expected a tight battle.

Those fans were disappointed as it was the first TPA Championship sweep since 2032. Taichung rolled with 9-2, 5-4, 8-7, and 3-0 wins for their second pennant in three years. Game two had drama as the Toucans scored two in the bottom of the ninth to force extras at 4-4, then won it on a tenth inning walkoff. In game four, Aulia Wopi pitched a two-hit shutout with six strikeouts and one walk.



Taichung became six-time Taiwan-Philippine Association champs (1965, 1966, 1981, 1987, 2040, 2042). Series MVP went to LF Chun-Hsiang Lin who went 6-14 with two homers, six RBI, and four runs. Lin had two of the three RBI in game four, including a solo homer. The 35-year old lefty had been a playoff hero before, winning Austronesia Championship MVP in 2029 with Taoyuan and association final MVP with Tainan in 2037.

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The Sundaland Association ended up skewed at the top towards the Malacca League, but that came down to late tears by both Pekanbaru and Batam. The Java Sea League’s Depok and Palembang were right with them for the SA’s best record at the all-star break, but both the Demons and Panthers had middling finishes. The Palms were a blistering 52-17 after the all-star break and ended the season with a 14-game winning streak, pushing them to first place at 108-54. The Blue Raiders had a strong finish, but had to settle for the #2 spot at 101-61.

Pekanbaru tied for the second-best record in SA history and had the fewest runs allowed in all of Austronesia Professional Baseball at 414. Batam had them narrowly edged for run differential in the association (+183 to +162). The Palms’ playoff streak grew to four seasons while the Blue Raiders made their fourth trip in five years. Last year’s Sundaland champ Johor Bahru was a very distant third place at 80-82.

Although neither Depok nor Palembang had stellar finishes, their previous cushion kept them as playoff teams. The Demons got first at 93-69, one better than the 92-70 Panthers. Missing the cut was Jakarta (87-75) and last year’s winner Surabaya (86-76). Depok led the SA with 619 runs and their .414 team slugging was the second-best in SA history. The Demons grew their playoff streak to four seasons while Palembang ended a three-year drought. Makassar, a 2029 expansion team, notably had their first winning season at 82-80. Semarang, a top contender in the 2030s, set a franchise worst at 56-106.



Depok 3B Mohd Ashraf Matlan won Sundaland Association MVP unanimously, his second MVP in three seasons. The 27-year old Malaysian switch-hitter led in total bases (377), OBP (.390), slugging (.639), OPS (1.029), and wRC+ (215). Matlan had 9.1 WAR, 39 home runs, 94 RBI, 202 hits, 102 runs, and a .342 average. Nicknamed “Hawk,” Matlan has been a starter since 2036 for the Demons and has won four Silver Sluggers.

Pekanbaru’s Ai Sung won Pitcher of the Year with 21 first place votes, while the reigning winner Thuy Hai Mai of Surabaya had seven. Mai notably had APB’s best ERA at 1.25, but he only pitched 179.1 innings due to biceps injuries. Sung was second in ERA at 1.51 and led in strikeouts (326), WHIP (0.68), FIP- (32), and WAR (10.7). The 26-year old Cambodian righty had a 19-4 record, 214.2 innings, and 196 ERA+ in his third year as a full-time starter.



The Palms had the one-game bonus and opened the divisional series on a 2-1 win over Palembang. The Panthers countered 4-3 in ten innings for game two. Game three needed 11 frames with Pekanbaru prevailing 5-4, getting a walkoff RBI double by Arbi Rifqi. The Palms earned their third consecutive Sundaland Association Championship trip, having won it all in 2040.

Depok had the one-game bonus as a league champ, but Batam won three straight (5-4, 2-0, 2-1) to oust the Demons. In game one, the Blue Raiders rallied with a four-run eighth inning. Syafafuddin Lawadin tossed a seven-hit shutout in game two. Batam earned its second association finals trip in four years with a pennant drought back to 2029. Although Pekanbaru got the top seed, the Blue Raiders won the regular season series 12-8.

Batam opened with a 4-1 road win, followed by a 5-0 Palms counter punch. Pekanbaru took the series lead on their own 6-4 road win in game three, but Batam answered 7-2 the next night. The Palms claimed game five on the road 3-2, then went back home to clinch with another 3-2 result. Pekanbaru became five-time Sundaland champs (1965, 2011, 2014, 2040, 2042). 2B Marinus Andiaz won series MVP going 8-25 with three homers and four RBI. The 32-year old Indonesian was a free agent signing for 2042 after a decade with Cebu.

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The 78^th Austronesia Championship was a rematch of two years prior, which saw a 4-1 Pekanbaru win over Taichung for the 2040 crown. They also met in the inaugural 1965 final, a Toucans sweep. Taichung’s only other title was 1981 as they looked to end a 60-year drought. Pekanbaru also had rings in 2011 and 2014. Taichung had home-field advantage and erased a 3-0 hole to win the opener 4-3. Pekanbaru answered with a 7-2 road victory.

Back in Indonesia, the Palms took the lead with another 7-2 win. However, the Toucans secured 5-2 and 4-2 road wins to bring a 3-2 series lead back to Taiwan. Pekanbaru prevailed 4-2 in game six to force the series the full distance. In the finale, Taichung posted a 5-0 shutout to claim the franchise’s third title and first since 1981.



In the clincher, Aulia Wopi pitched 8.2 shutout innings, allowing five hits and two walks with 12 strikeouts. The series MVP went to 1B Chih-Sheng Hsaio, who was 8-24 with three homers and six RBI. Also of note, Pekanbaru’s Palani Pathammavong set a postseason record with 16 stolen bases. There has been an impressive run of parity for the top spot in Austronesia Professional Baseball with ten different champions in a decade.

Other notes: 2042 was the final season for six-time MVP James Yuwono, who struggled at age 43 to -0.3 over 75 at-bats with Batam. He was primarily a legend with Pekanbaru and retired with 146.48 career WAR, 2^nd-among APB position players to only Binh Tang (189.61). Among all players ever in world history, Yuwono ranks 62^nd in WAR. On the APB leaderboard, he’s 3^rd in runs (1544), 7^th in hits (2832), 2^nd in total bases (5695), 3^rd in homers (723), and 4^th in RBI (1583).

The accumulations don’t reach the world leaderboard with APB’s extremely low scoring environment, but Yuwono’s batting efficiency in that space was legendary. He finished with a 204 wRC+ and only eight Hall of Famers or retired locks in world history are above him. Many rank Yuwono as the #2 batter in APB history with Tang as the undisputed king.

Tainan’s Chin-Tsai Lan became APB’s 4^th member of the 700 home run club. He has 708, behind Tang (771), Will Tabaldo (766) and Yuwono (723). Lan struggled to 0.1 WAR and 91 wRC+ in 2042 though, so his chances of taking the top spot seem slim. Wijaya Yama became the 18^th member of the 500 home run club. 47 have 400 homers with Zahrul Said and Chih-Fang Hu getting there in 2042. Medan’s Arthur Jerez had APB’s fifth four-home run game on July 13 against Pekanbaru.

46 have scored 1000 runs with Yuniarto Djajadiningrat and Saiful Wahyu crossing the mark. 62 have reached 1000 RBI with five making it in 2042. RF Raja Zaharudin won his 8^th Gold Glove. Both 2B Val Wie and 3B Leo Galutira won their 7^th consecutive Gold Glove while SS Chun-Cheih Chang also grabbed #7.

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The prior two years, Sydney dominated the Australasia League en route to 110+ win seasons and the Oceania Championship. In 2042, the AL had one of its most competitive ever seasons. Six of the 12 teams finished within six wins of first place. At the all-star break, it was Canberra on top at 50-37, although Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane, Sydney, and Christchurch were each within five games. The Centurions and Chinooks both had losing records on the back end to fall out of the fight.

It was a strong finish for the Mets propelling them to the top spot. Melbourne went 45-30 after the break and ended the season on a seven-game winning streak. They took first at 92-70 while both the Snakes and Aardvarks tied for second at 88-74. Next was Canberra (87-75), Perth (86-76), and Brisbane (86-76). The Mets won their second pennant in five years and their 17^th overall (1967-70, 2003-12, 2037, 2042). They’re tied for the most pennants in Oceania Baseball History along with the Pacific League’s Guam and Honolulu.

Melbourne was seventh in the league for run differential at only +16, outperforming their expected win/loss by nine. The Mets had a 34-23 record in one-run games. Sydney had the AL’s most runs scored at 739 while Gold Coast allowed the fewest at 561. The Kangaroos also scored the fewest (584), thus a .500 finish. Adelaide remains the bridesmaid, finishing second for the fourth year in-a-row.



Although Sydney’s three-peat bid was thwarted, Snakes RF Sam Erickson became a four-time Australasia League MVP. He won the 2042 award unanimously and had previous wins in 2037, 38, and 40. Erickson is one of 11 players in OBA history with 4+ MVPs. The 2042 win did have a career first for Erickson; the Triple Crown. It was the 12^th Triple Crown season for an OBA hitter.

The 30-year old Australian lefty had 55 home runs and 143 RBI while leading in the triple slash (.366/.408/.689), OPS (1.096), wRC+ (202), and total bases (416). Erickson added 221 hits, 122 runs, and 8.8 WAR. He also won his sixth Silver Slugger, but it was his first in right field. Erickson had won thrice previously in left and twice as a designated hitter. He remains signed through 2046 for the Snakes.

Perth’s Vuthy Thon won a competitive Pitcher of the Year race with 13 first place votes and 132 points. Gold Coast’s Roland Daly had nine first place votes and 95 points, plus Melbourne’s Ron Morrison had two first place nods. Daly repeated as Reliever of the Year and had a 1.65 ERA, 5.1 WAR, 34 saves, and 157 strikeouts in 98.1 innings.

For Thon, he led in WAR (9.1), quality starts (28), and FIP- (69). The 29-year old Cambodian righty had a 19-13 record, 2.99 ERA, 306.2 innings, 299 strikeouts, and 121 ERA+. Thon had started his career in South Asia Baseball with decent results before joining OBA and the Penguins in 2041 on a seven-year, $114,100,000 deal.

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Defending Pacific League champ Guadalcanal was by far the top team in the first half of the 2042 Oceania Baseball Association season with a 58-29 at the all-star break. They were six ahead of both Honolulu and Guam in the PL and eight better than Vanuatu. The Wizards played around .500 in the back end to finish a distant fourth at 88-74. The other three teams each had strong runs in the back end, none better than the Honu at 50-25.

Critically for the Green Jackets, they took two of three in Hawaii for the penultimate series. Guadalcanal held onto first place at 104-58 ahead of Honolulu (102-60) and Guam (99-63). With the repeat, the Green Jackets are 13-time Pacific League champs (1961, 64, 66, 68, 77, 2010, 12, 13, 31, 32, 36, 41, 42). Guadalcanal had the fewest runs allowed in OBA at 494 and was an impressive 38-19 in one-run games. The Honu had the OBA’s best run differential (+155) and the most runs scored (754).



MVP went to Guam RF Robert Bush, who got all but one first place vote. The two-time defending MVP LF Teheivarii Ludivion had the other top vote. In his fourth year with the Golden Eagles, Bush won his sixth Silver Slugger. The 31-year old Australian led in runs (114), home runs (53), total bases (356), slugging (.637), OPS (1.000), wRC+ (182), and WAR (6.9). Bush added 172 hits, 114 RBI, and a .308 average. It was a contract year and he expects to be a highly pursued free agent in the winter.

Guadalcanal’s Alfie Smith repeated as Pitcher of the Year, albeit barely. He had 11 first place votes and 126 points. Vanuatu’s Nathan Moran had him beat for first place votes (12) but just lost out on points (123). Guadalcanal’s Allan Clover also got a first place vote. Moran edged Smith out for the ERA title (2.13 to 2.17), while Clover was the wins leader at 24-13. Clover also had the most strikeouts at 395, but posted a 3.06 ERA. For Smith, he led in WHIP (0.82), K/BB (10.3), FIP- (67), and WAR (8.8). The 26-year old Australian righty had a 15-9 record, 286.2 innings, 359 strikeouts, and 167 ERA+.

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The 83^rd Oceania Championship was the fourth finals battle between Guadalcanal and Melbourne. The first was way back in 1968, a 4-3 classic won by the Green Jackets. They then met twice during the Mets’ 2003-12 dynasty run with a 4-2 Melbourne win in 2010 and 4-3 Guadalcanal win in 2012. The Mets’ 2010 title was their most recent one, while the Green Jackets last won in 2036 and were the runner-up the prior year to Sydney.

Melbourne opened with a 5-3 road win, although Guadalcanal countered 2-1. Now in Australia, the Mets took game three 3-0 on a four-hit shutout by Dave Shaffer. The Green Jackets answered 2-0 the next night as Alfie Smith pitched a shutout and scattered eight hits. Game five saw a five-hitter by Melbourne’s Ellis Palin in a 3-0 win, taking the 3-2 series lead back to the Solomon Islands. The Green Jackets secured game six by a 5-2 margin to send the series the full distance.

In game seven, Guadalcanal went up 5-1 after the fifth inning and held on for a 6-3 home win. The Green Jackets became seven-time kings of the Oceania Baseball Association (1961, 66, 68, 2012, 32, 36, 42). Melbourne 3B Dan Jones was series MVP even in defeat, going 8-24 with three homers and nine RBI.



Other notes: OBA’s 19^th perfect game came June 14 by Christchurch’s Nigel Pitt against Gold Coast. In a 2-0 win, the 2036 Pitcher of the Year winner Pitt struck out 10 over 95 pitches.



In other pitching notables, Ashton Aucoin became the 17^th to 4000 career strikeouts and Wyatt Ferullo was the 58^th to 3000 Ks. In batting notables, Jody Riley became the 14^th member of the 600 home run club and Jun Lopez-Torres was the 25^th to 500 dingers. Levi Cole was the 18^th to 1500 RBi and the 33^rd to 2500 hits. C Sebastian Robins won his 7^th Silver Slugger.

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The European League was top heavy with four teams well ahead of the rest at the all-star break. Reigning Eurasian Professional Baseball champ St. Petersburg had the top overall record at 62-35, but Minsk was close behind in the North Division (60-34) along with both Samara (61-33) and Rostov (95-68). The Polar Bears went on a 50-15 tear the rest of the way to stay in the #1 spot at 112-50, a franchise best. St. Petersburg won a fifth consecutive division title and grew their playoff streak to eight seasons.

The Polar Bears allowed the fewest runs in EPB at 492 and had the best run differential at +258. They were also the top scoring EL team at 750. Samara gave a spirited effort for the top seed, winning only their second-ever division title (2027). The Steelers at 107-55 had their first-ever 100+ win season and ended a decade-long playoff drought. Minsk finished second in the North at 100-62 and took the first wild card, growing their playoff streak to four.

Of the four early contenders, Rostov faded the most although they still had a winning record in the second half. Voronezh was able to catch them and they met in the final series of the regular season. The Zephyrs won two of three on the road, tying them at 94-68 for the second wild card. The Rhinos earned the narrow win in the tiebreaker game 4-3 for their fourth playoff berth in five years.



The next closest teams in the hunt were Nizhny Novgorod (87-75), Kazan (85-77), Moscow (85-77), and Krasnodar (84-78). The Steamers saw their playoff streak snapped at six seasons.



Gavrilovich Somov’s bid for a sixth consecutive European League MVP was thwarted as the St. Petersburg LF had a merely good 5.9 WAR effort. History was still made with Samara LF Maksim Krutov winning unanimously to become the first six-time winner in EPB history. The 36-year old Russian lefty won in 2031, 32, 34, and 35 with Nizhny Novgorod, then won for Vladivostok in 2039. Krutov joined Samara in 2040 on a four-year, $112 million deal.

His 2042 MVP was extra special for several reasons, but the biggest being it was his first Triple Crown and the 15^th by an EPB batter. Krutov led in triple slash (.351/.416/.705), OPS (1.121), wRC+ (212), WAR (10.4), home runs (51), RBI (118), runs (118), and total bases (396). He also reached several milestones including 600 career homers, 2500 hits, and 1500 RBI. Krutov is the 16^th to 600, 47^th to 2500, and 18^th to 1500. He also became a nine-time Silver Slugger winner in left field, tying the position record.

Pitcher of the Year was unanimous to St. Petersburg’s Veijo Kattilakoski, his third in four years. The 28-year old Finnish lefty led in ERA (1.96), wins (23-7), innings (284), quality starts (26), complete games (17), and shutouts (8). Kattilakoski struck out 308 with a 178 ERA+, 69 FIP-, and 8.4 WAR.



St. Petersburg rolled to a first round sweep of Rostov on 6-0, 9-1, and 3-2 wins. The Polar Bears earned their fourth consecutive trip to the European League Championship Series. On the other side, Samara opened with tight 2-1 and 3-1 wins against Minsk. The Miners got one back 5-3 in game three, but the Steelers clinched 7-4 in Belarus in game four. Samara earned their fourth-ever ELCS trip (2024, 27, 29).

The Steelers notably were the only of the eight early 2000s expansion teams that hadn’t yet won a pennant, but they’d have to dethrone a dynasty to advance. Samara and St. Petersburg had split their six regular season games. The Polar Bears came out firing with 5-3 and 2-1 home wins. Game two went ten innings, clinched by a RBI walkoff single by Ravil Musin. St. Petersburg kept rolling with a 7-4 road win in game three.

Samara stayed alive with 8-3 and 5-4 home wins to force the series back up north. However, the Polar Bears clinched dramatically in game six on a two-run walkoff homer by John Fofanah in a 10-8 victory. St. Petersburg won its third European League title in four years and seventh overall (1971, 76, 77, 2026, 39, 41, 42). 3B Anatolii Malyshev was ELCS MVP going 14-27 with seven RBI and three runs. The 36-year old vet had joined the Polar Bears the prior year after being a perennial all-star for a decade with Perm.

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Five teams were separated by six wins at the all-star break in the Asian League. Ufa was the weakest of that group, but their 49-19 run after the break vaulted them to the top seed at 103-59. It was the Fiends’ third playoff trip in six years and first West Division title since 2037. Ufa led all of Eurasian Professional Baseball with 787 runs scored. The top run differential (+230) and fewest runs allowed (545) both went to Irkutsk, who won a third straight East Division crown and grew their playoff streak to a decade.

It wasn’t an easy fight for the Ice Cats, but a 9-1 finish to the season pushed them to first at 98-64 while both Vladivostok and Khabarovsk had losing records in their last ten. Still, the Shibas (95-67) and Rockets (94-68) ended up as wild cards. Omsk had the top record at the break at 60-39, but a 31-32 finish left them as the first team out at 91-71. Yekaterinburg (87-75) and Krasnoyarsk (86-76) were next in line.

For Vladivostok, they bounced back from a terrible 65-97 campaign the prior year. Three years prior, the Shibas had won the AL title. Khabarovsk set a franchise record and earned their second wild card in three years. Tyumen, who shockingly won the pennant in their magical debut season in 2041, fell back to reality at 73-89 in 2042.



Ufa DH Konstantin Antonov won his fourth Asian League MVP, having previously gotten it in 2032, 33, and 38. The 34-year old Belarusian lefty had 24/32 first place votes in his 15^th season with the Fiends. Antonov led in walks (82), OBP (.397), OPS (1.026), and wRC+ (185). He added 174 hits, 115 runs, 51 home runs, 120 RBI, .311 average, and 7.7 WAR. Antonov also won his seventh Silver Slugger as a designated hitter and became an 11-time all-star. He has two years remaining on a $159,300,000 extension signed back in August 2037.

Pitcher of the Year had a first time winner in Omsk’s Tarko Zeland. He had 18 first place votes and 182 points, edging out Vladivostok’s Edik Timonov at 14 first place votes and 168 points. Timonov notably led in ERA (1.72), strikeouts (339), and WAR (10.2) with a 17-7 record and 245.1 innings. Zeland led in WHIP (0.83) and shutouts (7) while adding a 22-8 record, 1.97 ERA, 265 innings, 310 Ks, and 8.7 WAR. The 26-year old Russian righty was in his fourth year for the Otters. The 27-year old Timonov notably signed a seven-year, $137,400,000 extension in April to stick with the Shibas.



In the first round, Ufa was shocked as Khabarovsk opened with 8-0 and 5-4 road wins against the top seed. The Fiends avoided getting swept in game three, but they needed 14 innings to escape with the 7-6 result. The Rockets then prevailed 5-3 in game four to win their first-ever playoff series in the franchise’s 23-year history.

On the other side, Irkutsk opened on a 7-2 win followed by 3-1 and 5-1 counter punches on the road by Vladivostok. Game two notably saw the Shibas go ahead with a two-run ninth. The Ice Cats stayed alive 3-2 in game four, then held onto a 7-4 road win in the clincher. Irkutsk earned a second trip in three years to the Asian League Championship Series. They had home field over Khabarovsk, although the squads had split the regular season series 7-7.

The Rockets stunned Irkutsk with a 12-1 blowout opener, followed by another 5-1 road win. In game three, Khabarovsk won 5-4 in 11 innings on a walkoff RBI single by Denis Petrov. The Ice Cats avoided the swept on 8-5 and 3-2 road wins. Back at Irkutsk, the Rockets clinched their first-ever pennant on an 8-4 road win in game six. Veteran C Avtandil Vadachkoria was ALCS MVP going 12-23 with three homers and six RBI. He was a 34-year old part-time starter who had been with Khabarovsk since 2032.