Baseball: The World's Game

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Torreon dominated the Mexican League in the regular season at 116-46, tying their franchise-best set back in 2033. The Tomahawks are on a 12-year playoff streak with 10 North Division titles in the run. The mark tied the third-best record in ML history. Torreon had by far the best run differential (+330) in the Central American Baseball Association. They also allowed the fewest runs in CABA (531) and led the ML with 861 runs.

The #2 seed had a tight race between Central Division champ Guadalajara (102-60) and South champ Tuxtla (100-62). Although the Hellhounds earned repeat playoff trips, this was their first division title since 2017. The Terror repeated and earned four straight playoff trips. They were the MLCS runner-up last year to eventual CABA champ Leon.

The Lions and Juarez were the first two wild card teams at 92-70. Leon’s playoff streak grew to 18 seasons, tying the all-time CABA record set by Monterrey from 1988-2005. In 2042, the Jesters ended a 15-year playoff drought. Ecatepec was .500 at the all-star break, but a strong finished earned them the final wild card at 87-75. Both Puebla and San Luis Potosi were 85-77 and had losing records in the back end, including a five-game losing streak to close the year by the Potros. The Explosion earned a third straight playoff berth.



Although Merida was a mediocre 76-86, they had the Mexican League’s unanimous MVP in 1B Vinny Gonzalez. The 25-year old Mexican righty won a Gold Glove and led in runs (126), hits (220), home runs (69), total bases (473), slugging (.746), OPS (1.132), wRC+ (208), and WAR (10.7). He was four homers short of the CABA record. Gonzalez added 32 doubles, 145 RBI, and a .347 average. The 6’8’’ slugger nicknamed “Ratbreath” was the #3 draft pick in 2036 by the Mean Green. In July, Gonzalez signed a five-year, $139,800,000 extension with Merida.

Torreon’s Gilberto Terrero won Pitcher of the Year with 36/40 first place votes. It was the second win in three years for the 26-year old Puerto Rican/Honduran dual national. Terrero led in wins (25-4), strikeouts (347), and WAR (8.9). He had a 2.35 ERA while the runner-up Yousel Vega of Leon led with 1.99. Terrero tossed 260 innings with a 167 ERA+ and 60 FIP-. He’s signed through 2047 with the Tomahawks.



Leon and Juarez had the same record and were even 3-3 head-to-head, but the Jesters had the differential tiebreaker in those games to earn home field and the one-game bonus for the first round. The Lions won the first game 6-1, but Juarez got the one win they needed 5-3 to oust the defending champs. On the other side, Ecatepec upset Tuxtla 5-3 in 13 innings in their first meeting. The Explosion couldn’t get the second win to advance, as the Terror walked them off 5-3 on a two-run Eduardo Poraha homer.

Tuxtla carried momentum into round two with a 11-4 win at Guadalajara to open. The Hellhounds countered 5-2, but the Terror pulled off a 3-2 upset in 11 innings, followed by a 3-0 shutout on a Solomon Lujan two-hitter. Tuxtla earned back-to-back trips to the Mexican League Championship Series.

On the other side, Torreon secured 4-2 and 7-3 wins against their divisional foe Juarez. The Jesters snagged an 8-5 win in game three, but the Tomahawks clinched 8-3 in game four. Torreon earned its sixth MLCS trip in the last eight years, having won the pennant in 2035, 37, and 40. The Tomahawks had won the regular season series 4-2 over Tuxtla.



Despite being earlier on the brink of a first round elimination, the Terror shocked the country by sweeping 116-win Torreon in the MLCS. Tuxtla took back-to-back 5-2 road wins, then clinched with 5-4 and 10-8 home victories. Of the eight teams who arrived in either the 2025 or 2030 expansions, the Terror are the second to win a pennant, joining Toluca. LF J.C. Wener was series MVP going 7-12 with a homer and three RBI. He was 36-year old American who had mostly struggled on bad Miami teams before coming to Mexico in 2041.

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Several teams were in the mix initially for the Caribbean League’s top record in 2042. It ended up coming down to the top East Division squads with Trinidad (102-60) edging out Puerto Rico (100-62). The Trail Blazers ended a decade-long playoff drought and had the CL’s best run differential at +161. The defending Caribbean champ Pelicans grew their playoff streak to six seasons despite having the division title streak snapped.

The Central Division had a three-team fight with each making the playoffs. Guatemala led at the all-star break and narrowly held onto first at 95-67. Costa Rica had the best post-break record in the league at 42-23, jumping to second at 93-69. Salvador at 91-71 snagged the third and final wild card. The Rays led the entire Central American Baseball Association with 895 runs while the Stallions allowed the CL’s fewest at 610.

It was the third division title in four years for the Ghosts. Costa Rica was the 2040 CABA champ, while Salvador was the CLCS runner-up last year. Of note was Honduras at 79-83, their first losing season since 2021. Guatemala ended up as the #3 seed, finishing with the same record as West Division champ Santo Domingo. They split their six regular season games with both teams earning home sweeps, but the Dolphins got the tiebreaker and the #2 seed.

Santo Domingo earned its second division title in three years. The first teams out in the wild card race were the first three out in the West Division race; Haiti (87-75), Havana (86-76), and Bahamas (84-78). The Herons and Buccaneers were both playoff teams the prior year, which ended a four-year streak for Haiti. Jamaica notably plummeted to 65-97, their first losing season since 2029.



The Caribbean League MVP race was exciting with several single-season records broken in 2042. Panama was lousy at 69-93, but their star 3B Erik Montesinos took the award with 34/40 first place votes. Trinidad had the #2-#4 finishers with LF Dean Mason getting four first place votes and 1B Gregory Jean with two.

For the winner Montesinos, he broke CABA’s single-season records for OPS (1.269) and total bases (487). The previous bests were 1.259 by Castulo Castro in 2031 and Franklin Madrid with 481 in 2024. Among qualifiers, Montesinos’ OPS is the 23^rd-best single-season in any world league and his total bases rank 24^th. A Panama City native, the 27-year old righty also led in average (.391), OBP (.449), wRC+ (236), and WAR (12.7). He also had 232 hits, 125 runs, 28 doubles, 65 home runs, 144 RBI, and .820 slugging.

Montesinos fell just short of the Triple Crown to Jamaica’s Amedeo Garcia, who had 66 homers and 151 RBI. Garcia was sixth in MVP voting to show how tough the competition was. Montesinos also had a .820 slugging percentage, which would’ve been the CABA single-season record if not for the MVP runner-up Dean Mason. The 26-year old Barbadian had a .821 slugging while adding 61 homers, 128 RBI, 1.218 OPS, 232 wRC+, and 10.0 WAR.

The previous slugging best in CABA entering the season was .806 by Castulo Castro in 2031. In world history, Mason and Montesinos rank #23 and #24. Mason’s OPS just misses the world top 50 but ranks #8 in CABA. Notably, Mason missed a month to a hamstring strain, keeping him from leading in the counting stats. He’s due for free agency after six seasons with the Trail Blazers and should be a top target for teams globally.

Another single-season record fell by a guy not even in the MVP race. Barbados 1B Hector Peron picked up 254 hits, beating the old record 252 set in 1949 by Prometheo Garcia and by Niles Albury in 2027. This is tied for the 27^th-best single season in world history.

Pitcher of the Year was Trinidad’s Quincy Lewis with all but one first place vote. He had the 24^th pitching Triple Crown season in CABA history and the first since 2031. In his fifth season, the 25-year old Jamaican lefty led in wins (23-5), ERA (2.39), innings (267.1), strikeouts (328), quality starts (22), and WAR (8.8). Lewis had a 172 ERA+ and 57 FIP-. The 6’7’’ emerging ace has one year left under contract for the Trail Blazers.



Puerto Rico had the one-game bonus for the first round and beat Costa Rica 4-2 to advance, dramatically winning on a three-run walkoff homer by Juan Bustamante. Guatemala had the bonus over Salvador, but the Stallions edged them 2-1 to start. The Ghosts held on 3-2 in the rematch to advance. Guatemala then shocked Santo Domingo in the second round with a road sweep on 11-5, 4-3, and 5-4 scores. The Ghosts had a go-ahead run in the ninth in game two while game three went 11 innings.

On the other side, the Pelicans opened with a 6-3 road win over Trinidad in a 14-inning marathon. The Trail Blazers grabbed the next two with 5-4 and 4-2 scores. PR picked up a 2-1 win in game four, getting a go-ahead Bustamante homer in the ninth after a 33-minute rain delay. In game five, Trinidad held on 5-3 to eliminate the defending champs. The Trail Blazers hadn’t been to the Caribbean League Championship Series since their 2020 pennant. For Guatemala, they were shooting for their second title in four years.

Trinidad claimed the opener 5-3, followed by a 2-0 Ghosts road win thanks to Gerado Aparicio’s four-hitter. Guatemala walked off 4-3 in game three and held off a late rally to survive 6-5 in game four. The Trail Blazers took game five 7-4 to force the series back home. However, the Ghosts clinched on the road 3-2 in game six. Trinidad got a solo homer to lead off the ninth and put the tying run on, but Guatemala held firm.



Aparicio pitched 7.1 innings in game six, allowing one run, three hits, and three walks with six Ks. That plus his game two shutout earned him CLCS MVP. The 25-year old Nicaraguan had been largely a middle-tier starter to that point, but stepped up when it mattered. The Ghosts are now 12-time Caribbean kings (1967, 69, 70, 71, 74, 83, 2022, 23, 24, 25, 39, 42).

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The 132^nd Central American Baseball Association Championship was the 12^th trip for Guatemala, who entered at 4-7 in the event. The Ghosts most recently lost in 2039 against Leon. They had two wins during their 2022-25 dynasty run. It was the first appearance for Tuxtla, a 2030 expansion team in its 13^th season. The series began in Mexico with a 4-0 Terror win on a five-hit, 10 strikeout shutout by Burnaby Alexander.

Game two was tied 3-3 after the fifth inning and stayed there until the tenth. Tuxtla’s Esequiel Charvira got a one-out single and was doubled in by Emiliano Garza for a 4-3 walkoff win. The Terror then went on the road and earned 7-1 and 6-1 wins to win their first title. This was the fourth finals sweep in eight years. Tuxtla joined 2019 Havana, 1924 Mexico City, and 1920 Guadalajara as the only teams to sweep the finals and LCS in the same run.



It was especially impressive considering the Terror had to rally to avoid elimination back in a first round elimination game against Ecatepec. Removing the one-game bonus in the first round, Tuxtla posted a 12-2 playoff record. The other mentioned teams went unbeaten in their postseasons, but under different formats with fewer games.

2B Esequiel Chavira was series MVP, going 8-16 with a homer and five RBI. He broke CABA’s single-season playoff record for RBI with 20. The 2039 Mexican League MVP had 23 hits, 11 runs, 7 homers, 1.186 OPS, 215 wRC+, and 1.2 WAR over 14 playoff games. Last February, the Terror gave the 26-year old Salvadoran a mammoth eight-year, $330,900,000 extension to be their star for the long haul, although he does have an opt-out after 2043.

Other notes: 2042 was the final season for LF Benedetto Rodriguez after 24 seasons between Leon and Chihuahua. He retired 2^nd in games played (3415), runs (2178), 3^rd in hits (3755), 3^rd in total bases (6765), 3^rd in singles (2352), 14^th in doubles (499), 11^th in homers (703), 11^th in RBI (1889), 10^th in walks (1067), 5^th in strikeouts (2566), 4^th in stolen bases (1114), and 5^th in WAR among position players (139.0).

On the world leaderboards, Rodriguez ranks 17^th in games played, 17^th in at-bats (12,465), 18^th in runs and 29^th in hits. Among all players ever, he is tied for 88^th in WAR. Rodriguez won three CABA titles with the Lions and is the career playoff leader for singles (102). He ranks 3^rd in hits (151), 3^rd in runs (94), 5^th in homers (29), 6^th in RBI (69), and 4^th in games (139).

Hugo Castillo was another notable retirement after 21 seasons for Torreon. He’s also in the 3500+ hit club, ranking 6^th in CABA at 3589. Castillo is 8^th in games (3037), 5^th in runs (1886), 8^th in total bases (6355), 3^rd in doubles (648), 68^th in homers (522), 18^th in RBI (1785), 3^rd in steals (1276), and 10^th in WAR for position players (133.0). He’s one of a very select few in world history to play 3000+ games with a single team. Castillo is also 7^th in playoff hits (132) and 6^th in runs (68).

The 700 homer club grew to 12 members with Rogerio Peraza also joining in 2042. Peraza and Cristopher Rodriguez became the 34^th and 35^th with 1500 runs scored. Oliver Lemus was the 35^th to 600 homers. 83 now have 500 dingers with Neiser Santos, Ernesto Escandel, and Amadeo Garcia reaching the mark. Santos was also the 54^th to 1500 RBI. Peraza and Mateo Valdivia were the 80^th and 81^st to 2500 hits. CF Jeronimo Polanco won his 7^th Silver Slugger.



CABA’s 47^th perfect game came on April 11 by Tuxtla’s Marvin Arias against Ecatepec. In a 9-0 road win, Arias struck out eight over 97 pitches. In other pitching milestones, Kian Baromeo was the 35^th to 3500 strikeouts. Castor Sanchez was the 64^th pitcher to 200 wins in his final season. In bad records, Merida’s Simon Vargas set a new CABA worst for whiffs with 263 strikeouts.

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Halifax entered the 2042 all-star break with the National Association’s top seed at 63-36, although they had plenty of competition including within the Northeast Division. The Hound Dogs held onto the top spot at 104-58 to set a new franchise record. Halifax earned repeat playoff berths and their fourth in six years. They had MLB’s best run differential at +164. Montreal gave chase in the Northeast at 99-63, earning the first wild card spot. The Maples earned their third playoff trip in four years.

The teams giving the closest fight for the top seed were St. Louis and Raleigh. Both went 101-61 with the Cardinals taking the #2 seed via tiebreaker. St. Louis took the Lower Midwest Division title for the third time in their five-year playoff streak.

The Raptors, whose 45-18 post-break record was the NA’s best, won the East Division and got the first-ever 100+ win season for the 2021 expansion squad. Raleigh ended a 13-year playoff drought with the team’s fourth-ever berth. They passed Washington for first place, but the Admirals secured the second wild card at 97-65. Washington went 9-1 in their last ten games to end a three-year playoff skid.

The weakest division winner was 92-70 Milwaukee in the Upper Midwest, ending a for-year playoff drought. The Mustangs were a game below .500 after the break, but their nearest foes Minneapolis (90-72) and Cleveland (87-75) weren’t much better. Chicago, who won the division the last two years, struggled hard at 69-93.

For the final wild card, reigning World Series champ Kansas City barely kept their repeat bid alive. The Cougars ended on a six-game winning streak to finish 92-70 with sweeps of Minneapolis and Wichita. Boston was the first team out at 91-71, followed by the 90-72 Moose and 87-75 Indianapolis. The Red Sox had a losing 30-33 record after the break, falling after being only two behind Halifax for first at the break. Hartford (83-79) was the top scoring team with 835 runs while Wichita (66-96) had the fewest allowed in all of MLB at 537. The Wasps also had the fewest scored at 486, thus their terrible record.



Toronto was a non-factor at 76-86, but their 3B Jeff Hartman won a competitive National Association MVP race with 22 first place votes and 662 points. Cardinals 3B DeMario Lara took second with 12 first place votes and 581 points. Milwaukee’s Raymund Bottcher, the unanimous Pitcher of the Year, had the most first place votes at 29. However, he was third with 512 points as many voters refuse to rank pitchers for MVP regardless of their dominance.

The winner Hartman was a second-year player drafted #4 in 2040 by the Timberwolves. The Memphis native led all position players with 8.9 WAR. Hartman added 203 hits, 97 runs, 24 doubles, 44 home runs, 103 RBI, .992 OPS, and 171 wRC+. The runner-up Lara was a 26-year old Dominican in his fifth year for St. Louis and had 6.4 WAR, 158 wRC+, .942 OPS, 48 homers, 117 RBI, 202 hits, and 107 runs.

Bottcher repeated as POTY and made MLB history with a 1.32 ERA; breaking the single-season record among qualifiers (162+ innings). The previous best was Seth Southworth’s 1.34 from 2018. The 26-year old Polish lefty also led in wins (22-4), innings (272.1), WHIP (0.78), quality starts (29), FIP- (57), and WAR (10.5). Bottcher struck out 233 with a 311 ERA+.

His WHIP was one point short of the single-season record. Bottcher’s .471 opponents’ OPS was also second-best in MLB history by Grayson Whittaker’s .459 in 2005. Opponents had a .176/.218/.253 slash against Bottcher which ranked 5^th/3^rd/4^th all-time among qualifying seasons. His 5.62 H/9 ranked fourth as well. Bottcher also tossed a no-hitter on July 29 with six Ks and two walks facing Boston.



In the first round, division champs get home field and only need two wins to advance, while wild cards have to win thrice. The lone sweep saw St. Louis oust defending champ Kansas City with 2-0 and 5-4 wins. Game one had a three-hitter by Chad Green, while game two had back-to-back-to-back solo homers in the ninth for a 5-4 walkoff win. Meanwhile, the other two first round series went the distance.

Washington grabbed 8-3 and 8-1 road wins to open at Raleigh. The Raptors claimed game three 8-5, but the Admirals advanced 4-2 in game four. Montreal won at Milwaukee 5-2 to start, followed by a 4-3 Mustangs counter punch in 12 innings. The Maples won 5-2 and 8-2 in the next two to advance. Montreal had no luck against St. Louis in the second round, getting swept 4-1, 3-1, 8-3. The Cardinals earned their third National Association Championship trip in five years, but their pennant drought was still back to their 2014-15 repeat.

Top seed Halifax routed Washington 14-4 to start their series but took a 3-0 road loss in game two on a three-hitter by Joel Hawes. The Hound Dogs reclaimed the momentum with 7-5 and 5-3 wins in DC. Halifax earned repeat trips to the NACS and also made it in 2037, but the 2021 expansion squad was still searching for its first title.

St. Louis went to Nova Scotia and won 4-2 to start the series. Halifax countered 7-6 with a walkoff RBI single. Now in Missouri, the Cardinals rattled off 3-0, 4-2 and 7-1 road wins to take the series in five games. It was an impressive playoff run going 9-1 on the diamond. St. Louis won its eighth National Association title (1908, 09, 10, 63, 82, 2014, 15, 42).



NACS MVP went to LF Jinhao Lin, who was 6-16 with three homers, five RBI, and five runs. The 35-year old Lin was a three-time MVP in China with Nanchang. He came to the United States in 2040 on a five-year, $225 million deal with the Cardinals. The National Association has had eight different champs in as many years.

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Last year, Miami ended a MLB-record 68 season playoff drought. In 2042, the Mallards had the American Association’s best record at the all-star break of 62-37, although several teams were within a few games. Among those was Seattle, who had MLB’s best post-break record at 46-17. The Grizzlies ended with the top record at 105-57 for their fifth playoff berth in six years and fourth Northeast Division title in that stretch.

San Francisco also had a big finish at 44-19 and secured the #2 seed at 102-60. The Gold Rush had to fend off feisty San Diego (98-64) in the Southwest Division. SF secured its sixth playoff trip in eight years, but it was their first division title since 2026. The Seals were the first wild card for their second berth in three years. San Diego led MLB with 913 runs scored while the Gold Rush had the AA’s fewest runs allowed (586) and best differential (+159).

Miami still cruised to the Southeast Division crown at 100-62, 14 games better than Charlotte. The weakest division winner was Houston at 89-73 in the South Central, passing Austin (86-76) and Oklahoma City (83-79). The Hornets were 48-51 at the break but finished strong and went 8-2 in their last ten. Houston is back in the playoffs after seeing their 14-year streak snapped in 2041.

For the remaining wild cards, Denver (94-68) and Las Vegas (92-70) emerged ahead of Los Angeles (91-71), defending AA champ Salt Lake City (90-72), and Albuquerque (88-74). The Dragons picked up their second berth in three years, while the Vipers got their fifth in seven years. Notably Edmonton, a wild card last year, fell completely off a cliff with an abysmal 51-111 record.



Miami LF Stewart Knox won American Association MVP with 50/64 first place votes. In only his third season, he led in runs (130) while adding 208 hits, 60 home runs, 143 RBI, a .338/.382/.669 slash, 177 wRC+, and 7.1 WAR. Knox was the #10 pick in 2039 by the Mallards out of Central Florida.

The top power hitter and MVP runner-up was San Diego RF Arkadiy Medvedyev with 69 homers and 179 RBI. The RBI ranked as the third-best in MLB history and the homers fourth. His RBI were also tied for the 17^th-best single-season in any world league. Medvedyev had 1.030 OPS, 178 wRC+, and 6.1 WAR. The 34-year old Ukrainian had one year left in his deal with the Seals, having signed in 2037 after starting his career with Amsterdam.

Fifth in MVP voting was Rajinder Jayanta, although he had 13 first place votes. He was the unanimous Pitcher of the Year for Seattle and led in wins (25-3), ERA (2.19), innings (279), WHIP (0.91), K/BB (8.2), quality starts (23), shutouts (9), FIP- (54), and WAR (10.4). The 31-year old Indian righty struck out 221 with 210 ERA+. Jayanta was one shutout shy of the MLB single-season record. He was in his tenth season for the Grizzlies and was signed through 2045.



Division champs get home field and need to win just twice in the first round to advance while wild cards must win three. San Diego did just that, rattling off 5-2, 6-3, and 5-3 road wins over Houston. The Hornets scored twice in the ninth to tie game three, but the Seals won in ten. Denver snagged a 5-1 road win to start at Miami, but the Mallards countered with 7-5 and 3-1 victories to move forward. Game two was an 18-inning marathon finally ended with a two-run walkoff bomb by Cameron Hogg.

Las Vegas was upset-minded with 6-2 and 7-1 wins to start at San Francisco. The Gold Rush got a walkoff single in game three 6-5, then won 8-5 to advance. In round two, Miami started with a 3-1 road win over SF. The Gold Rush countered 4-2, but the Mallards reclaimed control with 6-4 and 5-1 wins in Florida. Hardly anyone was alive the last time Miami made the American Association Championship Series as they ended a 110-year drought. Their only two prior trips were 1928 and 1931, both ending with World Series wins.

Top seed Seattle rolled to a sweep of San Diego 6-4, 4-2, and 4-2; although the finale needed ten innings. In the last two decades, the Grizzlies had been in the AACS nine times, but had a lousy 1-8 record. Seattle was also 3-17 all-time in the AACS. The reputation as big game chokers reared its head as Miami opened the AACS with 7-1 and 5-0 road wins. The Grizzlies got a key 2-0 road win in Florida for game three off a two-hitter by Eloi St-Onge.

Road winners continued with 4-3 and 6-3 Seattle wins, taking a 3-2 series lead back to Washington. Game six had an eight-run seventh inning which pushed the Grizzlies to a 9-6 victory. Seattle became four-time American Association champs (2000, 05, 30, 42). 2B George Joyner was MVP going 8-24 with three homers, four RBI, and five runs. The 27-year old came to the Grizzlies in a July 2040 trade with the Angels.

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The 142^nd World Series was the eighth for St. Louis, whose most recent trips were repeat losses in 2014-15. The Cardinals were trying to end a 59-year title drought with their three wins in 1982, 1963, and 1909. It was the fourth trip for Seattle, who won in 2030 and 2005 with a loss in 2000. Home field alternated and belonged to the National Association in 2042.

St. Louis kept their playoff dominance going with lopsided 7-1 and 9-0 home wins to start. They kept rolling in Washington with 7-2 and 3-0 road wins for the first World Series sweep since 2031. The Cardinals were the seventh different MLB champ in as many seasons. C Vadim Vadsenin was series MVP, going 7-15 with four RBI.



The Cardinals had an all-time postseason run going 13-1 on the field, only losing to Halifax in the NACS. The last team to sweep was Houston in 2031, which also went 13-1 with a lone second round defeat. The only team to ever go unbeaten in the MLB playoffs was Phoenix (11-0) in 2014, who bested St. Louis in the World Series. The Cardinals’ 2042 effort though certainly ranks as an all-timer.

Other notes: At age 40, MLB home run king Neil Hollinger was still good for 47 homers, 104 RBI, .964 OPS, and 5.3 WAR. He’s now at 994 career homers, on the cusp of being the 9^th in world history in the 1000 club. Hollinger also got to 2378 RBI, passing Jackson Brafford’s 2377 by one to become MLB’s RBI leader. He’s up to #14 on the world chart for RBI.

Hollinger is also at 2217 runs, up to #3 in MLB and #14 in the world. Stan Provost’s 2348 have stood since 1956 as the MLB record. With 3766 hits, Hollinger is up to #3 in MLB and #26 in the world although he’s at best two years from Provost’s 4133. He remains under contract with the Admirals for 2043.

For the legendary Binh Tang, age finally caught up to the 42-year old 13-time MVP. He signed with Cleveland for 2042 but only played 12 games after a ruptured tendon in his foot. Tang will be a free agent again in 2043 and plans to play somewhere. For his combined career between MLB and Austronesia Professional Baseball, Tang has 3542 games, 4148 hits, 2328 runs, 929 homers, 2349 RBI, and 212.1 WAR. On the world chart, he’s #5 in hits, #8 in runs, #22 in homers, #18 in RBI, and #3 in WAR.

SS Jude Hoffer ultimately didn’t sign or play in 2042, officially announcing his retirement at age 45. He had 23 seasons, all but one in Washington, and finished with 3025 games, 3022 hits, 2019 runs, 627 homers, 1532 RBI, .866 OPS, 150 wRC+, and 155.2 WAR. Hoffer finishes tied for 39^th on the world WARboard for all players ever.

Close behind is 3B Jamel Forsyth, 50^th at 152.0. He officially retired at age 46 after going unsigned in 2042 as well. He was a CABA legend first with 17 seasons in Santo Domingo, but had an impressive 2036-4 0 MLB tenure including an MVP at age 40 for Houston in 2037. Forsyth played his last year in West African Baseball with only 10 games for Bamako. Across his combined career, the Grenadan had 3095 games, 3960 hits, 2049 runs, 644 doubles, 706 homers, 2356 RBI, .960 OPS, and 153 wRC+.

After 19 seasons in Peru with his hometown Lima, RF Marc Melgar made his MLB debut in 2042 with Houston. In 116 games, he had 1.003 OPS, 32 homers, 171 wRC+, and 4.5 WAR at age 40. This put Melgar into the 3500 hit and 2000 RBI clubs for his combined career. He’s back to free agency in the winter and plans to play somewhere. Melgar is also close to the 2000 run and 700 home run milestones.

Portland’s Roberto Ortega had a four-home run game on August 19 against Anchorage. Alair White became the 22^nd member of MLB’s 700 home run club. Hunter Morrissey was the 62^nd to 600 homers while Sohan Gala and Indiana Hill were the 148^th and 149^th to 500 homers.

Morrissey was also the 143^rd to 1500 runs scored. Morrissey, Gala, Alexander Reyna, Shane Vila, and Melvin Wagner each crossed 1500 RBI, now met by 158 MLB sluggers. Pablo Rivera was the 35^th in MLB to 3500 career hits. In world history, 83 players have hit the mark. Logan Eggers was the 85^th to 3000 hits in MLB. 1B Sax McIntyre won his 7^th Silver Slugger.

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The 32^nd Baseball Grand Championship was hosted in Auckland, New Zealand. Earning the automatic bids were MLB’s St. Louis and Seattle; CABA’s Guatemala and Tuxtla; EAB’s Cheongju and Hamamatsu; BSA’s Ciudad Guayana and Valparaiso; EBF’s Amsterdam and Zagreb; EPB’s St. Petersburg; OBA’s Guadalcanal; APB’s Taichung; CLB’s Dongguan; WAB’s Abuja; SAB’s Mumbai; ABF’s Karachi; ALB’s Kuwait; and AAB’s Dar es Salaam. Defending Grand Champion Da Nang (SAB) was an at-large along with APB’s Pekanbaru and ALB’s Algiers.

At the first break day, Mumbai was the lone unbeaten at 5-0. St. Petersburg, Dar es Salaam, and Seattle were each next at 4-1. By the second break day, the Sabercats had moved into first place at 12-4. The Grizzlies and Meteors were both 11-5, while Amsterdam, St. Louis, and Zagreb sat at 10-6. Five teams were at 9-7. Dar es Salaam edged Mumbai 5-4 the day before the break, but lost 4-3 to Seattle the day prior to that.

The Meteors would finish the event on an eight-game losing streak to completely fall out of the fight. Dar es Salaam won over Kuwait, St. Petersburg, and Zagreb, but lost their penultimate game 4-3 to Abuja. Seattle won over Hamamatsu, Abuja, Amsterdam, and Guadalcanal to move into a tie for first with a game to go. The Grizzlies were on a six-game winning streak that started with their win over the Sabercats, which would be the tiebreaker if they ended up even.



Seattle’s finale was an ugly 8-1 loss against Algiers. However, Dar es Salaam lost 1-0 in a pitcher’s duel with Guatemala with both teams only getting four hits apiece. Both teams finished at 15-6. Although not a triumphant way to end it, the Grizzlies had the tiebreaker to claim the Grand Champion title over the Sabercats. It was the 14^th time a Major League Baseball team won it all and the 11^th time by an American Association squad. It was also the fifth time that an MLB team was Grand Champion but didn’t win the World Series.



The 2042 World Series winner St. Louis finished alone in third place at 14-7. The Cardinals had obliterated the Grizzlies 14-2 in their lone encounter. St. Louis had the best run differential by far at +48, but went 5-5 in one-run games. The Cardinals scored 121 to lead all teams and set an event record for team on-base percentage at .348. They also had the second-most hits (181) and second-best batting average (.259) and slugging (.546) in BGC history.

The Grizzlies had four shutouts in the event with two tossed by Gabe Shingleton, who was 4-0 with a 1.03 ERA over 35 innings, 40 strikeouts, and 1.8 WAR. Rajinder Jayanta went 3-1 with a 2.80 ERA, 35.1 innings, 49 Ks, and 1.3 WAR. Closer Nathan Gallier tossed 10.2 scoreless innings with six saves. 3B Jaden Sellers led Seattle by WAR offensively (1.4) with 18 hits, 12 runs, 10 homers, and 16 RBI. As a franchise criticized for “failing to win the big one,” there was none bigger.



Dar es Salaam allowed the fewest runs at 68, followed by Seattle at 69. The Sabercats were making their eighth straight appearance with their dynasty and this was their best finish. Their previous best was fifth place in 2037. There was a four-way tie for fourth at 13-8. By tiebreakers, the finishing order was Algiers fourth, Amsterdam fifth, Guatemala sixth, and Ciudad Guayana seventh.

Next at 12-9 was Pekanbaru and Zagreb. Rounding out the teams with winning records at 11-10 was Tuxtla, St. Petersburg, and Mumbai. Defending BGC champ Da Nang and Dongguan both finished 10-11. Valparaiso, Abuja, and Cheongju each were 9-12. Taichung and Kuwait went 7-14 while both Guadalcanal and Hamamatsu ended 6-15. Alone in last place at 5-16 was Karachi.



NOTE: For whatever reason, not all players show up on the leaderboards page although they do register into the historical stat/leaderboard.

Although the Chickenhawks struggled, 1B Mitsuru Ishida won Tournament MVP with 23 hits, 14 runs, 9 doubles, 7 home runs, 21 RBI, .993 OPS, 170 wRC+, and 1.0 WAR. It caps off a remarkable year for the 30-year old slugger who won his fourth Japan League MVP and had a record-setting postseason for Hamamatsu. Ishida is also now the BGC all-time event leader with 26 career doubles.

Cardinals LF Jinhao Lin notably tied the event record for runs scored of 24, which was hit last year by Dar es Salaam’s Sebastian Malema. Ciudad Guayana’s Rafael Menendez became the first to win Best Pitcher twice, having also done it in 2040 for the Giants. In 2042, he pitched 30.1 innings with a 0.89 ERA, 2-0 record, 1 save, 45 strikeouts, 427 ERA+, 43 FIP-, and 1.3 WAR.

Other notes: With Dar es Salaam’s eighth straight appearance, their former MVP slugger Sebastian Malema dominates the career leaderboard. He is now the BGC all-time leader for games (160), at-bats (574), runs (101), hits (145), total bases (343), home runs (59), and RBI (124). His teammate Ferdinand Rajerison struggled in the 2042 event, but he’s top five in the big stats.

Malema is up to #4 in WAR for position players (7.64) just behind Loyd Wayne (7.92), Ben Conlee (7.78), and Artyom Masharipov (7.64). Ciudad Guayana’s Bruno Accioli is tied for the most stolen bases in BGC history at 43. Another Sabercat Sylvestre Mbiwa has the most career starts on the mound at 34.

Among Seattle’s four shutouts was a no-hitter on November 5 by Eloi St-Onge, striking out 11 with two walks in a 2-0 win over Dongguan. November 17 saw Da Nang’s Phoutdavy Chanthalangsy no-hit Guadalcanal with 10 Ks and one walk in a 7-0 win. Amazingly the next day, the Nailers had another no-hitter in a 2-0 win over Kuwait. Mamunul Rony struck out six and walked five in the effort.

In the world leagues, only twice before had a team thrown consecutive no-hitters. The 1967 Oceania Baseball Association season had Brisbane do it on July 27-28 against Christchurch, the latter a perfect game by Ollie Tear. In the 2022 European Baseball Federation season, Belgrade did it on May 26 and 27 against Malta; the latter a perfect game by Mykola Mischenko. Also in the 1996 Austronesia Professional Baseball season, Batam no-hit Depok on September 7, but the roles reversed the next night.

On November 22, the Green Jackets were no-no victims again by Taichung’s Tang Abu Bakar in a 6-0 win. He struck out 17 and walked two. There have been 21 no-hitters in Baseball Grand Championship history.

[FuzzyRussianHat]

Quick update, this series is going on hiatus for the time being. The main reason is that I'm been much more interested in my Level Playing Field game lately so for the time being I'm going to dedicate my OOTP time to that.

Additionally, I am in the process of migrating everything to a new laptop. This OOTP 22 save file is a mammoth so it might take some time and effort just to get everything back up and working again.

I do hope/plan to return to this at some point so this is not the end! My general thought is to at least get through 2050 because 150 years is a nice round number.

[FuzzyRussianHat]

Disregard, I accidentally posted on the wrong thread and don't see a delete button