NABL a History

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2039 Playoffs

Championship Round

The Eastern League Championship Series was the third season in a row that Boston would take on Indianapolis in the playoffs (but was their first meeting at this stage). Between them the two teams had been the EL representative in seven of the last ten World Series (IND 5, BOS 2), for Indianapolis this was their tenth appearance in the Pennant series whilst for Boston this was number five with the Pilgrims unbeaten in their four previous appearances. Game one was an interesting study of the two teams different offensive philosophies, Indianapolis out hit Boston 12-6 but where all twelve of the Racers hits were singles resulting in just three runs, half of Boston’s six hits were homeruns (one each for Jared Guest, Eduardo Moreno and Rob Penney) as the hometown Pilgrims blasted their way to an 8-3 victory in the series curtain raiser. The feast or famine nature of Boston’s offense showed itself during game two as once again the Pilgrims were out hit (10-7) but this time none of their hits went over the fence and Indianapolis used their speed on the bases to eke out a tough 4-2 win. With the series tied and the next three games in Indianapolis the advantage was firmly in the hands of the Racers, game three was a pitching duel between Dave Lockhart (IND) and Gerald Helton (BOS) with neither team able to break through until both were back in the dugout. An RBI single from Jose Villalobos and a bases loaded walk gave Indianapolis a 2-0 lead entering the ninth but a disastrous outing from Pedro Rosario (0.1 IP, 2BB, 3H 4R) put Boston in the driving seat. Despite Randy Harrington hitting a solo homerun to give the Racer fans hope, Armando Cuzzocrea stood firm as Boston stole ahead 2-1 in the series. Boston’s Steve Raines had a night to remember in game four, blasting a pair of homeruns and driving in six of the Pilgrims nine runs, a late rally from Indianapolis (sparked by a Jim Mailes homer) almost snatched the game away from Boston but Armando Cuzzocrea came out of the bullpen to save the day, and secure the 9-7 Pilgrims victory. Facing elimination, Indianapolis turned to veteran pitcher Ramon Schoof to matchup against Boston ace Brett Knight, entering the seventh with the Racers holding a 2-0 lead and Schoof proving difficult to score against the decision looked to be a good one. At that point Boston’s dormant offense woke up, battering Schoof and reliever Barry Hayden for six runs, keyed by a 2-RBI homerun from 41-year-old 2B Jack Underwood. Indianapolis tried for one last rally cutting the lead to two on Pancho Sousa’s 2-run homer, but Armando Cuzzocrea and Ralf Conrad saw Boston safely home as the Pilgrims secured their place in the World Series for the third time in four years and kept alive their 100% record in EL pennant series (now 5-0).

The Western league pennant series saw playoff newbies Omaha continue their dream postseason debut with a matchup against 98-win Houston. Pitching dominated game one with both starters hurling seven innings of one-run ball, Omaha LF Vincent Drew's eighth inning homerun off Houston reliever Alex Allenby proved the difference in a cagey 2-1 Braves victory. Houston RF Wolfgang Worns' first inning homerun set the tone for game two as Omaha starter Jacobie Harksdale imploded early, surrendering six runs before exiting after four innings. Houston's starter, Wes Pierson on the other hand was masterful before he left the game with an injury, as the Stars cruised to 9-4 win. With the series finely balanced at one apiece and the next three games all in Omaha, the Stars would need to win at least one road game to take the series back to Houston, something they had not accomplished in the last two regular seasons (0-8 in Omaha during that spell) and that record duly became 0-9 as a late 2-RBI Luis Ortiz homerun propelled Omaha to victory in game three. The following night Houston starter Dave Martinez was pitching well until a mistake in the seventh (he surrendered a go ahead 2-run homer to SS Sixto Castro), turned the game in Omaha's favour. With the home fans daring to dream of a World Series appearance the two teams took to the field for game five, Houston starter Jose Vasquez struggled through 4.2 innings, giving up six runs including homeruns to 1B Carl Stokes and SS Sixto Castro before being relieved, leaving Houston with a mountain to climb. Led by Bryant Deshields and Hector Soto Houston mounted an impressive rally cutting the lead to just one run entering the ninth inning, where after putting two men aboard and with the home fans getting decidedly nervous, Omaha pitcher Sergio Olivarez held his nerve to close out the game and send Omaha to their maiden World Series.

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2039 Playoffs

World Series

The 2039 World Series saw Boston making their fifth appearance face off against first timers Omaha, and despite the western league champs having the home advantage, Boston were seen by many as the favourites to lift the trophy. For the first six innings game one was a pitching duel between starters Jacobie Harksdale (OMH) and Gerald Helton (BOS) with both teams combining for just three hits and one run apiece. Then came the seventh inning, in the top half Boston turned four hits into four runs to take 5-1 lead before in the home half, the Braves battered Gerald Helton to the tune of six runs including back-to-back homeruns from CF Luis Ortiz and LF John Salazar putting Omaha on top 7-5. Neither team added to the score in the eighth before Omaha closer Sergio Olivarez took just eight pitches to wrap up the series opener in favour of the Braves. Game two was a similar story to the series opener with a single inning making the difference, this time it was the sixth. With Omaha holding a 3-1 lead Boston pummelled a trio of Braves pitchers for five runs including a Grand-Slam from George Shreeve to turn the game on its head as Boston went on to tie the series with a 7-4 victory. Two nights later back in Beantown, a sixth inning Rob Penney homerun put Boston ahead for good as the Pilgrims withstood a ninth inning Omaha rally to take game three. A pitching duel of the highest quality between Omaha's Pedro Flores and Boston ace Brett Knight was the story of game four, where despite allowing just four hits Knight ended up the loser as the Pilgrims dropped a tight one to leave the series once again all-square. Boston had the chance to put game five to bed early, entering the bottom of the fourth 3-1 to the good the Pilgrims proceeded to load the bases before anyone was out, but completely failed to take advantage allowing Omaha to escape the inning still only 3-1 down. Spurred on by stellar defense (including an unassisted double play by 1B Carl Stokes) and timely hitting culminating in 3B Sergio Romo’s ninth inning RBI double, Omaha turned the tables on their hosts with a come from behind 4-3 victory. After the disappointing way they lost game five Boston arrived in Omaha up against it, knowing they had to win both of the final two games on the road to claim their third World Series title, their hosts on the other hand were full of confidence after back-to-back road wins and were secure in the knowledge that they would have two bites at the cherry. Omaha had plenty of opportunities to wrap up the World Series in game six, they put men on base in all but the seventh inning and held leads of 2-0 and 3-2 but couldn’t find that knockout blow, Boston fought back to take the lead with homeruns from CF Weldon Render and 1B John Herman before closer Armando Cuzzocrea worked around a ninth inning Michael Hoover double to collect the save and ensure the series would go to a deciding game seven. In the biggest game in franchise history Omaha’s players seemed to freeze in the spotlight, coming up short in game seven, Boston starter Mike Mayfield went the distance holding the Braves to a single run on five hits while the Pilgrims offense blasted three homeruns (C Eduardo Moreno, CF Weldon Render and little used outfielder Won-Sub Park) on their way to a comfortable 6-1 series clinching win. The victory gave Boston their third World Series title putting them one behind Indianapolis for the most Championships in NABL history and to many people this had been their most impressive (recovering from disappointing home losses in games four and five to win the final two games on the road).

2039 Playoff Recap

Divisional Series
EL: Boston 3-2 Chicago, Indianapolis 3-1 Atlanta
[B]WL: Houston 3-0 Sanfrancisco, Omaha 3-1 Las Vegas
Championship Series[/B]
EL: Boston 4-1 Indianapolis
WL: Omaha 4-1 Houston
World Series
Boston 4-3 Omaha

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2039 Season Leaders and Awards

EL Batting
Hits
220 David Evans (CHI)
215 Jose Villalobos (IND)
201 Joe Scott (TB)
Batting Avg
.361 Chad Hammond (CLE)
.349 David Evans (CHI)
.344 Joe Scott (TB)
Homeruns
44 Rick Flynn (NO)
43 Jerry Wright (NY)
35 Steve Blanton (TB)
RBI
119 Steve Blanton (TB)
114 Randy Harrington (IND)
114 Joe Scott (TB)
Stolen Bases
32 Valentin Gonzalez (MIA)
31 Marcos Casas (WAS)
30 Luis Garza (CHA)

EL Pitching
Wins
19 Eugene Fey (CHI)
19 Brett Knight (BOS)
17 Seung-Jae Park (CHI)
ERA
2.60 Dillon Parsons (NY)
2.61 Seung-Jae Park (CHI)
2.82 David Adams (PHI)
Strikeouts
316 Les Scott (STL)
268 Cristobal Chapa (BAL)
246 Jim Jacques (CHA)
Saves
44 Barton Rogers (CHI)
40 Vince Luscombe (MIA)
40 Javier Ramirez (WAS)

WL Batting
Hits
217 Francisco Perez (SF)
214 Fernando Diaz (DEN)
210 Matt Romero (SF)
Batting Avg
.363 Francisco Perez (SF)
.354 Joaquin Corona (LV)
.346 Matt Romero (SF)
Homeruns
36 Joe Clark (SJ)
35 Mike Brown (PHO)
33 Herminio Azurara (SF)
RBI
124 Mike Brown (PHO)
111 Francisco Perez (SF)
108 Bryant DeSheilds (HOU)
Stolen Bases
45 Tom Carter (KC)
44 Joaquin Corona (LV
44 Jeff Hardy (KC)

WL Pitching
Wins
20 Nick Ford (PHO)
19 Jacobie Harksdale (OMH)
17 Wes Pierson (HOU)
ERA
2.66 Floyd Wilson (SJ)
2.76 Jacobie Harksdale (OMH)
2.78 Lucious Sandford (AUS)
Strikeouts
244 Carlos Flores (MIN)
242 Bryan Marburg (SEA)
231 Rafer MacNeil (OKC)
Saves
44 Philip Redmond (LV)
39 Jesus Espinoza (SD)
39 Jeremiah O’Hearne (PHO)

Batting Champion – In the east Cleveland’s Chad Hammond (.361) held off Chicago SS David Evans (.349) to claim his maiden title, while Sanfrancisco star Francisco Perez (.363) won his second straight WL batting title.
Homerun Champion – New Orleans 1B Rick Flynn (44) just held off New York 1B Jerry Wright (43) to win the title in the east, denying Wright his third consecutive crown. San Jose’s LF Joe Clark (36) just pipped Phoenix 2B Mike Brown (35) to claim the western league title.
Outstanding Hitter – Tampa Bay star LF Joe Scott (.344, 34 HR, 114 RBI) capped off his impressive season pipping both Rick Flynn (NO) and David Evans (CHI) to the EL award. In the west Houston 3B Bryant DeShields (.342, 27, 108 RBI) collected the award ahead of Sanfrancisco teammates Francisco Perez (.363, 18 HR, 111 RBI) and Herminio Azurara (.303, 33 HR, 106 RBI)
Outstanding Pitcher – in the EL Chicago’s Eugene Fey (19-9, 3.09 ERA) finished ahead of Boston’s Brett Knight (19-10, 3.16 ERA) in the voting to win his first award. Phoenix’s Nick Ford (20-5, 3.05 ERA) claimed the WL award holding off strong challenges from Omaha ace Jacobie Harksdale (19-7, 2.76) and LV’s Gil Wallace (17-8, 2.88 ERA).
Rookie of the Year – Charlotte’s Haden Bowden (.328, 32 HR, 95 RBI) ran away with the award in the east, while in the west it was a close race between Austin’s 22-year-old CF Raul Cruz (.270, 29 HR, 75 RBI) and San Diego’s young 3B Don Campbell (.295, 9 HR, 63 RBI). While Cruz was impressive and many peoples favourite, it was Campbell who won the WL award.
Manager of the Year – In the east it was Boston’s Christian Eberlein who collected the award (his second) for leading his charges to their third World Series title. Over in the west the result was somewhat controversial as Houston manager Cipriano Gonzalez collected his second award ahead of Omaha’s Michael Bradshaw, even though it was Bradshaw and his Braves who defeated Houston in the WLCS.
Glove Wizards EL – P – Dillon Parsons (NY) C – Mike Willis (TB) 1B – Randy Harrington (IND) 2B – Norberto Rivera (CLE) 3B – Marc Stephens (DET) SS – Robert Kendall (NY) LF – Rob Penney (BOS) CF – Alex Bayley (CLE) RF – Mike Hicks (ATL)
Glove Wizards WL – P – Benton Hartman (AUS) C – Tom Walsh (MIN) 1B – Mike Bonner (OKC) 2B – Mike Brown (PHO) 3B – Tom Sterling (SJ) SS - Brandon Buck (PHO) LF - Alfonso Sosa (DAL) CF – Derius Bedford (LV) RF – Glenn McGhee (MIN)

Interesting Facts – With 36 Homeruns and 32 stolen bases, San Jose LF Joe Clark became the fifth member of the 30 HR / 30 SB club, and the first since Chicago’s Jose Munoz in 2025. Washington, as a team hit a total of 108 homeruns on the season while their pitchers surrendered 203, a difference of -95 the largest differential in NABL history. Boston created some history of their own as during their run to the World Series title, the Pilgrims clubbed an NABL playoff record 28 homeruns.

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Interlude – 2040 Hall of fame Inductees

Upon completion of the 2039 season and before the winter meetings kicked off the 2040 campaign, the NABL Hall of Fame opened its doors to its newest members, Inductees #7 and #8. Four-time Pitcher of the Year Eric Parker, and three-time World Series Winner Max Castle, two of the very best to take the mound in NABL history.

Eric Parker
College – Pepperdine
Drafted – 2015 – 1st Round - #10 overall by Indianapolis Racers
Current Team – None (Retired)
Previous Teams – IND (2015-2026), CLE (2027-2031), SD (2031), STL (2032-2033)

Originally drafted by Dallas with the sixth overall pick in the 2014 draft, but when the two sides couldn’t agree on a signing bonus Parker chose to return to college to complete his studies. One year on and with his Mechanical Engineering degree in his pocket, Parker once again declared for the draft, eventually being picked 10th overall by Indianapolis who immediately agreed to a $5.6M signing bonus. Parker quickly rose through the Racers minor league system breaking into the big leagues in 2017, finishing the season with an 8-3 record in thirteen starts. Earning a rotation spot the following year Parker posted a respectable 12-12 record as Indianapolis missed out on the postseason, he played a big part in helping the Racers win the World series in 2019 before a phenomenal triple crown season in 2020 resulted in his first Outstanding pitcher award. Despite strong pitching performances from Parker, including back-to-back Outstanding Pitcher Awards in 2022 and ’23, Indianapolis struggled in the playoffs only once advancing beyond the divisional round in four attempts. After a pair of underwhelming seasons in which the Racers missed the postseason, Parker chose to seek a new challenge, joining Cleveland on a five year $112M deal. The move proved a shrewd one, as Cleveland caught lightening in a bottle and went on to win the World Series with Parker once again excellent in winning his fourth Outstanding Pitcher award. 2027 proved to be the high-water mark of Parker’s time in Cleveland, as despite his solid play the Corsairs never got close enough the sniff the playoffs in any year apart from his first before eventually cashing in on their prized asset, sending him to San Diego in a deadline day deal for four prospects. At the end of the season San Diego and Parker failed to agree to a new deal leaving St. Louis a free run at the pitcher, signing him to a 2-year deal. However, Parker’s time in the Gateway city was not a success, his first season ending with Parker pitching out of the bullpen and a disappointing 6-19 record, he pitched exclusively in relief his second year which resulted in a 1-5 record and the highest ERA of his career. With little interest in his services after two underwhelming years in St. Louis, Eric Parker, now 37, chose to step away from baseball and announced his retirement in an emotional press conference.

Career Stats
Regular Season
G - 590 GS - 521 W/L – 219-174 SV -2 ERA – 3.21 IP – 3563.2 BB - 825 K - 3439 WHIP – 1.14 ERA+ 134 WAR – 115.3
Post Season
G - 29 GS - 26 W/L – 12-12 SV - 0 ERA – 3.29 IP – 175.1 BB - 42 K - 165 WHIP – 1.17 ERA+ 174

Career Achievements
Outstanding Pitcher Award x 4 (2020, 2022, 2023, 2027)
Pitching Triple Crown x 1 (2020)
8-time All-Star
2-time World Series Winner (2019, 2027)


Max Castle
College – Washington State
Drafted – 2016 – 1st Round - #5 overall by Los Angeles Lynx
Current Team – None (Retired)
Previous Teams – LA (2016-2024), LV (2025-2030), MIN (2031), CLE (2032-2033), KC (2034)

Max Castle was the first pitcher off the board when he was drafted fifth overall by Los Angeles in 2016 and the Washington State alum proved to be worthy of the pick, blitzing through LA’s minor league system and earning a major league call up by the end of 2017. Castle impressed enough during his stint to earn a place in LA’s rotation to open the 2018 season, an excellent 19-11 record with a 2.16 ERA put him contention for both the WL Outstanding Pitcher and Rookie of the year awards, but he eventually had to settle for the runners up spot in both. Over the next four years Castle was superb, his sparkling 69-24, 2.53 ERA record was the best in the majors over that span and culminated in the 2022 Outstanding Pitcher Award. As a team Los Angeles were also tops with a phenomenal 409-239 record, making three World Series appearances and winning back-to-back titles. Castle’s final two years in LA were frustrating for both player and franchise with both campaigns ending in Pennant series defeats at the hands of Denver. Seeking a new challenge Castle hit free agency and landed in Las Vegas, where he joined with Anthony Barrett and Dave Cahill to form “the three amigos”, one of the most potent pitching trios of all time. The two season’s the three spent together in Las Vegas resulted in a pair of playoff appearances and the 2026 World Series title, however the rest of Castle’s stay in Nevada was a story of missed opportunities for the team and declining play for him. Prior to the 2031 season Castle was on the move again signing with Minneapolis on a 3-year deal, after the most disappointing season of his career in which he was demoted to the bullpen after struggling as a starter, he was dealt to Cleveland. Castle, now aged 36 proved to be a model citizen and embraced his role as veteran leader on Cleveland’s young team, where despite the roster’s limitations he still produced solid play through 2032 and started the following year well until his campaign was cut short by injury. After being released by Cleveland and recovering from injury, Kansas City offered Castle a chance to play on a one-year prove it deal, not ready to retire Castle leapt at the chance, but father time had caught up with him as he produced by far the worst season of his career forcing him to face the inevitable. At the end of the campaign and despite being offered another one-year deal by KC, Max Castle announced his retirement after 18-years at the top.


Career Stats
Regular Season
G - 527 GS - 497 W/L – 218-141 SV - 2 ERA – 3.24 IP – 2993.1 BB - 822 K - 2894 WHIP – 1.12 ERA+ 122 WAR – 70.2
Post Season
G - 31 GS - 31 W/L – 11-14 SV - 0 ERA – 2.83 IP – 209.2 BB - 42 K - 202 WHIP – 0.96 ERA+ 154

Career Achievements
Outstanding Pitcher Award x 1 (2022)
6-time All-Star
1-time Glove Wizard
3-time World Series winner (2021, 2022, 2026)