Baseball: The World's Game - Page 125

FuzzyRussianHat · 10-02-2025, 08:45 PM

Two players were first ballot additions for the South Asia Baseball Hall of Fame in 2036. OF Rahul Gonzales was the clear headliner at 93.1%, while IF Hamidul Rahman sneaked past the 66% requirement at 70.1%. SP Siddhant Shakya narrowly missed out on his ninth try at 62.5%. LF Ganga Wong was also close with a debut at 62.2%. Also above 50% was 1B Rochana Sanson at 53.1% on his fifth attempt.

Dropped after ten ballots was SP Shafiq Khaimi, who peaked at 42.0% in 2028 and ended at 13.2%. In 16 seasons, he had a 161-147 record, 3.47 ERA, 2932.2 innings, 3593 strikeouts, 649 walks, 92 complete games, 14 shutouts, 112 ERA+, 89 FIP-, and 52.5 WAR. Khaimi got a championship ring in 2017 with Yangon, although he missed the playoff run to injury. He also led twice in strikeouts and ranks 19^th in Ks.

Despite the strikeout totals, Khaimi was never a Pitcher of the Year finalist. His WAR was comparable to some of the lower-end starters that had gotten inducted, but his ERA was higher than almost all of them. The few exceptions had gotten to 200+ wins and 4000 Ks unlike Khaimi as well, limiting him to the Hall of Pretty Good.

Rahul Gonzales – Right/Left Field – Hyderabad Hippos – 93.1% First Ballot

Rahul Gonzales was a 6’4’’, 200 pound switch-hitting corner outfielder from Hajipur, India; a city of about 147,000 people in the state of Bihar. Gonzales was a very good contact hitter with an above average eye for walks and avoiding strikeouts. His best results came facing right-handed pitching (.942 OPS, 164 wRC+) but he wasn’t bad by any means against lefties (.770 OPS, 124 wRC+). Gonzales’ power was mostly towards the gaps with a 162 game average of 33 doubles, 8 triples, and 24 home runs.

Few players were better at baserunning than Gonzales and he had good-to-great speed. He split his career between the corner outfield spots with about a 60/40 lean towards right field. Gonzales graded as a reliably solid glove man in RF with below average metrics in LF. His durability was generally strong, playing 150+ games in all but two of his 16 pro seasons.

Gonzales was the fifth overall pick in the 2014 SAB Draft by Hyderabad, who made him a full-time starter right away. He took third in 2015’s Rookie of the Year voting, then won his only Silver Slugger in 2017 in RF. Gonzales was second in 2017’s MVP voting, leading the league with career highs for hits (228), doubles (47), average (.388), OBP (.449), OPS (1.077), and wRC+ (209). He also had his top WAR at 10.1, helping the usually mediocre Hippos become a contender.

Hyderabad ended a seven-year playoff drought in 2016, but lost in the divisional round. They went 100-62 in 2017 and got to the Indian League Championship Series, but were thwarted by 101-win Kanpur. Gonzales struggled in the playoffs with .496 OPS and -0.2 WAR in eight games. Still, the Hippos felt they had a chance to contend with Gonzales at the helm, giving him an eight-year, $55,360,000 extension that fall.

Gonzales was second in 2018’s MVP voting and hit for the cycle in September against Kanpur. He led again in hits that year and fared better in the playoffs with a .989 OPS and 0.5 WAR in eight games. Hyderabad got back to the ILCS at 99-63 and this time had the top seed, but they were thwarted in a rematch with the Poison. The Hippos hovered around .500 for the next few years, ceding the South Division’s thrown to Nagpur.

After strong efforts in 2019-20, Gonzales disappointed Hyderabad fans by opting out of his contact and leaving for free agency at age 28. It was his longest and most successful tenure with 946 games in six years, 1168 hits, 595 runs, 200 doubles, 54 triples, 139 home runs, 548 RBI, 317 steals, .332/.393/.539 slash, 167 wRC+, and 41.1 WAR. Gonzales stayed very popular with fans, but some in Hippos management felt betrayed by his exit, thus his #18 uniform wasn’t retired.

Gonzales signed a five-year, $44,500,000 deal with Da Nang and generally maintained the same production levels in 2021-22 with 313 games, 383 hits, 201 runs, 70 doubles, 43 homers, 200 RBI, 101 steals, .326/.382/.518 slash, 140 wRC+, and 11.0 WAR. He hit for the cycle for the second time in July 2022 against Mandalay.

Da Nang got a division title in 2021 at 96-66 and made it to the Southeast Asia League Championship, but got upset by wild card Dhaka. This was Gonzales’ best playoff effort with 20 hits, 8 runs, 1.070 OPS, 182 wRC+, and 0.8 WAR. The Drillers had the same record in 2022, but fell two wins short of the playoffs. After only two seasons, Gonzales opted out of that deal and returned to free agency at age 30. He went back to India on a five-year, $60,700,000 deal with Delhi.

The Drillers were the 2021 SAB champ and finished 102-60 in Gonzales’ 2023 debut, but lost in the divisional round. That year, Gonzales won his lone MVP, leading in hits (213), and OBP (.422) while adding 1.011 OPS, 187 wRC+, and 8.7 WAR. He was still good in 2024, but down to .842 OPS and 4.3 WAR. Delhi lost a tiebreaker game to Kolkata that year to miss the playoffs at 90-63.

Gonzales yet again took advantage of his opt-out clause, leaving the Indian capital after only two seasons. For the Drillers, Gonzales had 315 games, 393 hits, 201 runs, 75 doubles, 46 home runs, 197 RBI, .330/.394/.533 slash, 167 wRC+, and 13.1 WAR. Now 32-years old, Gonzales signed a five-year, $70 million deal with Patna, who was debuting as an expansion team for 2025. Many assumed he’d opt out again eventually given his history, but Gonzales actually spent six seasons total with the Pointers.

His first two years in Patna had some injuries, most notably hamstring woes in 2026. Gonzales was back to all-star levels the next two years and solid in 2029, although expansion Patna was awful in their first decade. Gonzales’ deal ran out for 2030 and he went back to free agency, but signed a new two-year, $12 million deal to stay with the Pointers.

2030 finally saw the sharp decline with age, posting .692 OPS, 85 wRC+, and 0.1 WAR over 158 games. Gonzales retired that winter at age 38 and finished his Patna tenure with 854 games, 906 hits, 453 runs, 148 doubles, 126 home runs, 445 RBI, 215 steals, .299/.362/.493 slash, 141 wRC+, and 23.3 WAR.

Gonzales played 2428 games with 2850 hits, 1450 runs, 493 doubles, 113 triples, 354 home runs, 1390 RBI, 800 walks, 1619 strikeouts, 725 steals, .320/.381/.520 slash, 155 wRC+, and 88.5 WAR. Gonzales ranks 40^th in games, 30^th in runs, 14^th in hits, 34^th in total bases (4631), 45^th in doubles, 72^nd in triples, 46^th in RBI, 38^th in walks, and 33^rd in WAR for position players. His .901 OPS is 84^th among those with 3000+ plate appearances and he ranks 30^th in batting average and 25^th in OBP.

You probably wouldn’t call Gonzales an inner-circle Hall of Famer since he didn’t have a ton of big accolades or jaw-dropping seasons. However, few bats were more reliably and consistently solid in the 2010s and 2020s for South Asia Baseball. Almost all voters felt Gonzales hit the totals needed to make the cut, earning a strong 93.1% to headline the two-man class for 2036.

Hamidul “Turbo” Rahman – Second/First Base – Hai Phong Prowlers – 70.1% First Ballot

Hamidul Rahman was a 6’0’’, 200 pound right-handed infielder from Dhaka, the capital and largest city of Bangladesh. The nickname “Turbo” came from Rahman’s energy and work ethic, although he was never a fan of the attention. He was incredibly humble and quiet, but also fiercely loyal, selfless, and intelligent. Rahman was a good to occasionally great contact and power hitter against both sides. His 162 game average got you 34 home runs, 34 doubles, and 3 triples.

Rahman was above average at drawing walks, but was middling at avoiding strikeouts. He was an incredibly crafty base stealer with an impressive success rate considering his speed was subpar at best. Roughly half of his career starts came at second base with the rest split between first and designated hitter. Rahman was a lousy defensive 2B, but a perfectly average 1B. His durability was largely good with 134+ starts each year from 2016-28.

After an excellent amateur career, Rahman was the #1 overall pick in the 2014 SAB Draft by Hai Phong. The Prowlers were an expansion team from 2008 and still hadn’t posted a winning season to that point. After playing only 98 games and starting 33 in 2015, Rahman got the full-time gig from 2016-onward. He led the Southeast Asia League with 50 doubles in 2016, a career best. Rahman won his first Silver Slugger at 2B in 2017 with a career high 7.8 WAR season.

Rahman won another Slugger and was second in 2018’s MVP voting with a 7.7 WAR, .944 campaign, prompting Hai Phong to extend him that winter for eight years at $60,420,000. He won another Slugger in 2019 and the Prowlers finished 84-78, their first-ever winning season. The next three years would see their first division titles with 97, 101, and 102 wins; earning the top seed in 2021 and 2022. Rahman led in OBP in 2020 at .393 and was second in 2022’s MVP voting. On August 31, 2020; Rahman also notably hit four homers against Mandalay, one of only 11 such games in SAB history.

Hai Phong was unable to claim the pennant though in their brief run. They lost the SEAL Championship in both 2020 and 2022 to Yangon, while suffering a divisional series defeat in 2021 to Dhaka. Rahman missed the 2022 playoffs because of an elbow sprain. In his 12 playoff games for the Prowlers, he had a .734 OPS, 98 wRC+, and 0.3 WAR.

Rahman did also have some big game experience as a regular in the World Baseball Championship with Bangladesh. From 2017-29, he played 97 games with 84 starts and posted 70 hits, 38 runs, 17 doubles, 18 home runs, 51 RBI, .232/.312/.480 slash, 129 wRC+, and 2.4 WAR.

In 2023-24, Rahman dropped off noticeably with only 4.3 WAR between the two seasons, although he bounced back to 6.3 and 4.9 WAR the next two years. His lone Silver Slugger at 1B came in 2025 with a career-best 45 home runs. Hai Phong hovered in the mid-tier for the rest of his run with Rahman’s contract expiring after the 2026 season, becoming a free agent for the first time at age 35.

For Hai Phong, Rahman played 1810 games with 1943 hits, 1073 runs, 396 doubles, 35 triples, 406 home runs, 1236 RBI, 536 walks, 186 steals, .294/.346/.548 slash, 145 wRC+, and 62.2 WAR. He would be the franchise’s first Hall of Famer and his #28 uniform was the first to be retired by the club. Rahman signed a four-year, $43,100,000 deal next with regular contender Yangon.

Rahman was a decent starter in 2027-28 and had strong playoff numbers for the Green Dragons with a 1.078 OPS and 0.9 WAR in 14 starts. Yangon had a division title in 2027, but suffered a divisional round defeat. They won a weak division in 2028 at 85-77, falling to 124-win Mandalay in the SEAL Championship. Rahman started to struggle and had a reduced role with only 65 games in 2029 and 41 in 2030.

Yangon missed the 2029 playoffs, but won the SEAL title in 2030 with an SAB Championship loss to Ahmedabad. Rahman was cooked by that point and wasn’t on the postseason roster, retiring that winter at age 38. With the Green Dragons, he had 399 games, 354 hits, 182 runs, 70 doubles, 56 home runs, 206 RBI, 103 walks, .277/.330/.468 slash, 116 wRC+, and 4.8 WAR.

Rahman played 2209 games with 2297 hits, 1255 runs, 466 doubles, 38 triples, 462 homers, 1442 RBI, 639 walks, 1768 strikeouts, 213 steals, .291/.344/.535 slash, 140 wRC+, and 67.0 WAR. Rahman ranks 72^nd in games, 51^st in runs, 62^nd in hits, 57^th in total bases (4225), 55^th in doubles, 55^th in homers, 38^th in RBI, 80^th in walks, and 91^st in WAR among position players.

His totals were definitely borderline compared to other South Asia Baseball Hall of Famers and Rahman very rarely was a league leader. Still, he got a lot of praise for being Hai Phong’s first star player, helping the young franchise to contention for the first time. Rahman debuted on the 2036 ballot at 70.1%, narrowly crossing the 66% induction threshold for a first ballot selection.

FuzzyRussianHat · 10-03-2025, 07:06 AM

The Asian Baseball Federation added two pitchers as slam dunk inductees for the 2036 Hall of Fame ballot with Hafez Farzani at 97.4% and Temuri Omarov at 96.5%. 3B Quraishi Lalak was the best returner at 59.2% on his third ballot. Two others were above 50% with CL Raghid Yazdani at 57.9% for his sixth ballot and LF Ramin Abilov at 56.3% on his fourth try. No players were dropped after ten failed ballots in 2036.

Hafez Farzani – Starting Pitcher- Tabriz Tiger Sharks – 97.4% First Ballot

Hafez Farzani was a 5’9’’, 175 pound right-handed pitcher from Andimeshk, Iran; a city with roughly 135,000 people in the country’s west. Farzani had incredible stuff in his prime that many scouts called a 10/10. He also had very good control and respectable movement. Farzani’s 99-101 mph fastball was world class and he had a strong slider and changeup along with a decent curveball. It was shocking for many to see such a powerful fastball come from a guy of his smaller stature.

Farzani had solid stamina, but he’d be cursed with injury issues over a 15-year career, only having six seasons with 200+ innings. He was decent at holding runners, but subpar defensively. Farzani was a sparkplug type who had a remarkable work ethic, allowing him to still thrive even when his smaller frame was beginning to break down.

In the 2015 ABF Draft, Farzani was picked 13^th overall by Tabriz and he spent his entire career with the Tiger Sharks. He was a full-time starter right away and an immediate success, winning 2016’s Rookie of the Year with 305 strikeouts, 2.52 ERA, and 5.4 WAR. The injury trouble started in his second season though, missing most of the regular season to a torn back muscle. His first two seasons started what would be a nine-year playoff streak for Tabriz, although they were a one-and-done wild card in 2016-17.

From 2018-22, the Tiger Sharks were the West League’s top seed and won 103+ games each year. Farzani’s emergence as an elite ace played a huge part in this, leading the league in WHIP from 2018-21. He would three-peat as Pitcher of the Year from 2019-21 and won the Triple Crown each season. There have only been six total pitching Triple Crown wins in ABF history. Farzani joined EAB’s Do-Kyun Lee as the only pitchers in all of pro baseball history to earn three successive Triple Crowns.

2019 had Farzani’z career bests for ERA (1.72) and strikeouts (412), ranking as the tenth-best single-season by Ks in ABF history. 2020 was his best WAR at 10.9 and his 23-1 record gave him a league-record .958 winning percentage. Farzani’s highest win total was the next year at 24-6. After the 2019 campaign, the Tiger Sharks locked Farzani up to a seven-year, $46,180,000 extension.

Tabriz had mixed results in the playoffs, falling in the WLCS in 2018, 2020, and 2022. Their best records were 109-53 in both 2020 and 2021, the latter having a disappointing first round exit. The Tiger Sharks did break through in 2019 at 107-55, winning the West League pennant over Izmir. Tabriz then bested Dushanbe for their first-ever ABF Championship.

Farzani had an all-timer playoff run in 2019, winning all five of his starts with a 1.10 ERA over 41 innings, 59 strikeouts, 2 walks, 305 ERA+, and 1.7 WAR. That tied the ABF playoff record for both wins and Ks in the playoffs to that point. He kept rolling in the Baseball Grand Championship with a 3-1 record, 2.27 ERA, 31.2 innings, 51 Ks, 166 ERA+, and 1.4 WAR. The Tiger Sharks finished 15-4 and became the first ABF team to earn the Grand Championship.

His overall playoff stats were good, although Farzani never quite had a run like that again. Over 140.1 career innings, he had a 2.82 ERA, 8-2 record, 193 strikeouts, 31 walks, 130 ERA+, 67 FIP-, and 4.4 WAR. Farzani was also a regular from 2017-30 in the World Baseball Championship for Iran, although his numbers there weren’t remarkable with a 3.94 ERA in 160 innings, 9-5 record, 266 strikeouts, and 3.1 WAR. He was important for the Iranians’ second place finish in 2018 and third in 2023.

Farzani had his worst injury in July 2022, a torn rotator cuff that knocked him out more than a calendar year. He was back by the 2023 playoffs, which saw a 92-win wild card Tabriz with a surprise playoff run. The Tiger Sharks upset Baku in the WLCS, then upset defending champ Bishkek in the ABF Championship. Farzani had a middling 3.96 ERA in 25 playoff innings, then surprisingly was terrible in the 2023 BGC with a 7.14 ERA over 29 innings. Tabriz finished 8-11 for the event.

Tabriz had one more division title in 2024 at 94-68, but suffered a first round playoff defeat to Baku. The Tiger Sharks missed the playoffs on a tiebreaker in 2025, then spent the next four seasons at or below .500. Farzani had smaller injuries from 2024-26 and was no longer as dominant as his peak, but he was still good for 4+ WAR those three years. The Tiger Sharks gave him a five-year, $84 million extension in March 2026.

Although his innings were limited in 2027, Farzani won his fourth ERA title at 2.13. He had a good pace in 2028, but missed two months to a strained abdominal muscle. Another strained ab and elbow inflammation kept him out most of 2029. His stuff and control were both starting to decline as Farzani tried to work through the injuries.

Various injuries kept Farzani to only 110.2 innings in 2030 with middling production. Tabriz ended their playoff drought and got to the WLCS as a wild card, although they fell to Baku’s dynasty. Farzani struggled in 13 playoff innings to a 7.62 ERA and suffered a torn flexor tendon during the run. His contract was also up and between the injury and his decline, Farzani retired that winter at age 37. Tabriz quickly retired his #40 uniform for his excellent 15 years of service.

Farzani finished with a 179-88 record, 2.65 ERA, 2467.1 innings, 3680 strikeouts, 464 walks, 213/328 quality starts, 83 complete games, 21 shutouts, 142 ERA+, 71 FIP-, and 69.8 WAR. Farzani ranks 33^rd in wins, 56^th in innings, 52^nd in complete games, 42^nd in shutouts, 27^th in strikeouts, and 18^th in WAR among pitchers. Among those with 1000+ innings, his ERA is 54^th and his 0.90 WHIP is 9^th. Farzani is also 19^th in H/9 (6.42), 2^nd in K/9 (13.42), and 51^st in opponent’s OPS (.590) with .199 average ranking 18^th and .242 OBP 15^th.

At his peak, Farzani was among the most dominant pitchers ever in the Asian Baseball Federation. The injuries limited his innings and success in his later years, preventing what could’ve been a top five ace level career. Still, Farzani’s brief prime and role in Tabriz’s 2019 title and Grand Championship win made him a Hall of Fame lock at 97.4%, co-headlining ABF’s 2036 class.

Temuri Omarov – Starting Pitcher – Istanbul Ironmen – 96.5% First Ballot

Temuri Omarov was a 6’6’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Tbilisi, the capital and largest city in Georgia. Omarov was the first Georgian added into ABF’s HOF, although there had been two who made it in Eurasian Professional Baseball. Omarov had tremendous stuff with good-to-great movement and control. He had a three-pitch arsenal with a 97-99 mph fastball, excellent changeup, and a good curveball.

Omarov’s ability to change speeds brought him his greatest successes. His stamina was respectable relative to other ABF aces and he lasted 17 seasons, although he did run into a few big injuries along the way. Omarov was average at holding runners and weak defensively. He didn’t have a big personality, but his big size certainly drew plenty of attention from scouts.

The Tbilisi Trains franchise and Georgia generally was in the European Baseball Federation sphere as Omarov was a teenager, but ABF and EPB teams still kept an eye on the capital. He ended up leaving in December 2010 for Turkey on a developmental deal with Istanbul. Omarov spent his entire career with the Ironmen, debuting in 2014 as a part-time starter at age 22.

Omarov had mixed results in his first three years, but emerged as a true ace by 2017 as the West League leader in WAR (9.2) and wins (21-7); taking second in Pitcher of the Year voting. In May 2018, he signed a six-year, $42,900,000 extension to stay with Istanbul. Omarov was second in POTY voting for both 2019 and 2020. The Ironmen got a wild card in 2019, but lost in the first round.

It was a down period for Istanbul, as this would be their only playoff trip from 2010-28. Omarov’s lone playoff start was quality, allowing two runs in 7.2 innings. They weren’t usually atrocious but were often aggressively mid, averaging 80.1 wins during that stretch. Still, Omarov kept his head down and continued pitching at a high level.

2021 was Omarov’s first major injury with a partially torn labrum in mid-August. He bounced back impressively and won his lone Pitcher of the Year award in 2022 with an ERA title (2.16) and league bests for WHIP (0.87), FIP- (59), and WAR (7.4). Omarov was the WARlord again the next two years and led with career bests in 2023 of 10.2 WAR and 365 Ks. He also won another ERA title at 2.42, but finished second to Elnur Hasanov in POTY voting.

In July 2024, Omarov signed a new five-year, $98,800,000 extension with Istanbul. He would miss all of the 2026 season from a torn flexor tendon in spring training. Omarov made it back in 2027 and was still quite effective in limited innings with a 1.84 ERA, the best of his career. When healthy in the next few years, Omarov proved to still be effective.

Unfortunately, he was never really healthy again. Back trouble and a hamstring strain cost him part of 2028, although Istanbul gave him a three-year, $44,100,000 extension regardless. Forearm inflammation and a ruptured finger tendon kept him out much of 2029, missing out on only the second playoff berth of his Ironmen run.

Omarov suffered a torn rotator cuff in April 2030, although he did make it back for the very end of the season. He made it back right at the end of the year and still had a 1.98 ERA that season in his 36.1 innings. However, the physical toll was exhausting and Istanbul wasn’t interested in a new extension. Omarov retired that winter at age 38 and immediately had his #4 retired by the Ironmen for his efforts.

In total, Omarov had a 190-137 record, 2.85 ERA, 2941 innings, 3941 strikeouts, 560 walks, 251/391 quality starts, 102 complete games, 28 shutouts, 129 ERA+, 68 FIP-, and 86.8 WAR. Omarov ranks 24^th in wins, 34^th in innings, 31^st in complete games, 20^th in shutouts, 18^th in strikeouts, and 8^th in pitching WAR. Among those with 1000+ innings, Omarov’s 12.06 K/9 ranks 27^th and his .612 opponent’s OPS is 90^th.

Omarov was consistently one of the top pitchers in the Asian Baseball Federation, although he almost was underappreciated since Istanbul was so forgettable in that era. Like his Hall of Fame classmate Hafez Farzani, Omarov might have also had a shot at top five spots in the leaderboards if not for injuries. Still, his career was still plenty good for a no-doubt election at 96.5% to co-headline the 2036 class for ABF.

FuzzyRussianHat · 10-03-2025, 08:32 PM

Arab League Baseball’s first Hall of Fame inductee came in 2005. No one made it in 2006, but since then there had been someone making it each year. 2036 would buck that trend with the best debut only getting 37.1%. Three returners came very close to the 66% threshold led by 1B Faqi Al-Thakur at 64.2% on his eighth ballot. Next was 1B Lance Vogel at 63.6% also for his eighth try. SP Muhammad Fadel had 61.6% with his third go. 1B Mohamed Ali Mansour got 57.2% for his second ballot and SS Ayoub El Taib received 50% even with his third ballot.

Dropped after ten failed ballots was RF Rauf Salah, who had a 20-year career mostly with Doha. He peaked in his debut at 40.3% and finished at a low of 10.3%. Salah won one Silver Slugger and played 2516 games with 2485 hits, 1503 runs, 356 doubles, 92 triples, 550 home runs, 1301 RBI, 1215 walks, 2703 strikeouts, 816 steals, .273/.364/.517 slash, 137 wRC+, and 56.0 WAR.

Salah only ever led in walks and ranks 6^th for his career, while also ranking 24^th in runs, 41^st in hits, 30^th in homers, and 59^th in RBI. However, Salah was only 70^th in WAR despite being 22^nd in games played, leading many to dismiss him as a compiler. Plus, Doha never made the playoffs in his 15-year prime run there, ultimately banishing Salah to the Hall of Pretty Good.

FuzzyRussianHat · 10-04-2025, 07:17 AM

3B/1B Warren Biloa stood alone for induction in 2036 for the African Association of Baseball at a near unanimous 98.6%. 1B Lifa Moyo fell painfully short of the 66% threshold with 64.5% on his tenth and final try. Also above 50% was CL Labama Nkurunziza at 57.4% on his second ballot, SP Teo Tokala with 55.1% for his fourth go, and 1B Herve Otepa with 52.0% on his seventh attempt.

For Moyo, he was above 60% four times and had a low of 49.7%. In a 15-year career with four teams, he won one Silver Slugger with 2027 games, 2228 hits, 1082 runs, 543 doubles, 448 home runs, 1301 RBI, 577 walks, .293/.344/.552 slash, 143 wRC+, and 47.3 WAR.

Moyo had three batting titles and ranked 13^th in doubles and 35^th in homers. However, he was stuck mostly on bad teams and had an abrupt decline, out of the game at age 34. Moyo still came painfully close to induction, but needed either a few more years of accumulations or more dominance and accolades to make the cut.

SP Anton Berger also made it ten ballots, peaking at 50.0% in 2034 with a bottom of 15.1% in 2035 and finish of 44.9%. Berger had an unusual path to AAB, as the Dutchman pitched his first five seasons in the European Second League. He was in AAB from 2011-21 between Maputo and Dar es Salaam and led in WAR thrice, although he never claimed Pitcher of the Year.

In AAB, Berger had an ERA title, 141-77 record, 2.71 ERA, 2006.1 innings, 1820 strikeouts, 386 walks, 149 ERA+, 61 FIP-, and 68.7 WAR. His short tenure got him to 6^th in the WAR leaderboard for pitchers, but he lacked the tenure needed for the traditional counting stats. Berger needed either a few more seasons in Africa or more accolades to cross the line.

Also dropped after ten ballots was P Augustine Ugwu, who peaked at 25.6% in 2028 and ended at only 3.4%. He won two Reliever of the Year awards and led in saves thrice in his first three years with Antananarivo. Ugwu was a good starter after that, but multiple torn rotator cuffs quickly derailed his career. Ugwu had a 79-94 record, 187 saves, 3.23 ERA, 1239.2 innings, 1294 strikeouts, 357 walks, 125 ERA+, 73 FIP-, and 34.0 WAR. He was quite good in his brief prime, but it was far too brief to have a real HOF shot.

Warren “Meter Man” Biloa – Third/First Base – Bujumbura Bighorns – 98.6% First Ballot

Warren Biloa was a 6’1’’, 200 pound right-handed corner infielder from Bangui, the capital and largest city of the Central African Republic. Nicknamed “Meter Man,” Biloa was a great contact and power hitter in his prime with equal potency against both right-handed and left-handed pitching. His 162 game average got you 47 home runs, 34 doubles, and 5 triples. Biloa had six different seasons with 50+ home runs. Relative to other AAB batters, he was average to below average at drawing walks and avoiding strikeouts.

On the basepaths, Biloa’s skill and speed were above average in his prime. His career starts were split roughly 2/1 between third and first base. Biloa graded as a poor defensive third baseman, but was delightfully average at first. His durability was mostly good over a 19-year career. Biloa was a true fan favorite known for his loyalty, work ethic, and team-first attitude. He emerged as the first real superstar player to come from the Central African Republic and was the nation’s first Hall of Famer.

As he grew up, the CAR didn’t have a pro team and its baseball infrastructure was limited. Biloa’s home city Bangui would earn a major franchise with the 2018 debut of the African Second League. Still, news of Biloa’s potential made its way to Burundi as a scout for Bujumbura signed him to a developmental deal in August 2009. He spent around five years in their academy, debuting with eight at-bats in 2014 at age 22.

The Bighorns named Biloa as a full-time starter from 2015 onward, although he ran into injury issues in his first few seasons. A sprained ankle and sprained MCL kept him out almost half of 2015, but Biloa still earned Rookie of the Year honors. He had similar production in 2016 and lost another chunk to a sprained ankle. A strained MCL cost Biloa six weeks in 2017, but that year was the jump from a good starter to a bonafide stud.

Even in only 120 games, Biloa was second in 2017’s MVP voting and won his first Silver Slugger at 3B, leading the Central Conference in batting average (.332), slugging (.702), OPS (1.095), and wRC+ (203). Bujumbura finished 99-63 to end a nine-year playoff drought, but they fell 4-1 to Mogadishu in the conference final. Biloa was 9-19 in the series with 3 homers, 2 doubles, 4 runs, and 7 RBI.

After running into the initial injury woes, Biloa would be good for 140+ starts each year from 2018-29. 2018 was his first MVP win and his second Slugger, securing a Triple Crown with 56 homers, 134 RBI, and .309 average. Biloa also led in total bases, slugging, OOS, wRC+, and WAR. He would have five consecutive seasons with the best slugging. Biloa’s Triple Crown win is one of only five in AAB history by a batter. Despite that, Bujumbura had a middling 84-78 record.

Biloa repeated as MVP and a Slugger winner with his finest season, posting career and conference bests for runs (126), homers (56), RBI (146), total bases (406), slugging (.710), OPS (1.132), and WAR (10.4). His .348 average and .422 OBP were both career bests as well, but Kigali’s Matheus Mabanza denied him a repeat Triple Crown by five points. Bujumbura tied their franchise record at 104-58, but were second in the standings to 107-win Brazzaville and lost 4-2 to the Blowfish in the conference finals. Biloa was 4-18 in the series with -0.1 WAR.

Bujumbura fell into perpetual mid-ness for the next six seasons. Apart from a poor 69-93 mark in 2022, the Bighorns won between 81-84 games each year from 2020-25. Biloa continued to roll with MVPs and Sluggers in 2020-21, becoming the first in AAB history to win four consecutive MVPs. He led in RBI and slugging in 2020, then led in runs, homers, RBI, total bases, slugging, wRC+, and WAR in 2021. In May 2021, Bujumbura signed Biloa to a seven-year, $61,300,000 extension.

Biloa wouldn’t be a conference leader after the 2021 season. He remained a solid power hitter, but he hovered in the 4-5 WAR range from 2022-26. The Bighorns became a contender again at 101-61 in 2026, second by one game to Nairobi. They upset the Night Hawks 4-2 to win their first-ever conference pennant, then defeated Cape Town 5-3 in the Africa Series.

In the playoffs, Biloa had 15 hits, 7 runs, 4 doubles, 4 homers, 9 RBI, 1.014 OPS, 147 wRC+, and 0.4 WAR. The Bighorns finished 8-11 in the Baseball Grand Championship with Biloa posting 15 hits, 9 runs, 2 doubles, 5 homers, 10 RBI, .740 OPS, 117 wRC+, and 0.6 WAR.

At age 35 in 2027, Biloa looked like his old self with a 1.061 OPS, 7.0 WAR, 54 home runs, and 135 RBI. He won his sixth Silver Slugger (his only one at 1B) and was second in MVP voting. Bujumbura led the conference standings at 93-69, but lost the Central Conference Championship in a seven-game war with Mogadishu. Biloa was below average for the series at .769 OPS and 0.1 WAR. For his playoff career in 28 starts, he had 35 hits, 17 runs, 8 doubles, 9 homers, 23 RBI, .312/.358/.625 slash, 150 wRC+, and 0.9 WAR.

Biloa regressed back to what he had generally done in his 30s in 2028 at 4.2 WAR and the Bighorns extended their longtime superstar for a two-year, $48,400,000 deal. He then had career lows in 2029 with 1.2 WAR, 25 homers, and 98 wRC+. Bujumbura had fallen below .500 in 2028, but just missed the playoffs in 2029 at 90-72. The Bighorns would be a losing team for the next four years and eventually got relegated.

In 2030, Biloa had a decent pace and reached the 2500 hit and 1500 run milestones. However, a fractured foot kept him out most of the summer. He did notably hit for the cycle on August 30 against Mombasa. Bujumbura didn’t re-sign their longtime icon, sending him to free agency for the first time at age 39. He remained beloved though and Biloa’s #27 uniform would soon be retired.

Biloa wanted to still play, but most AAB teams didn’t want to pay a high figure for an aged star. He ended up in the Arab League on a two-year, $9,360,000 deal with Jeddah. Biloa was a part-time starter with the Jackals in 2031 with decent results, getting 20 homers, .863 OPS, 121 wRC+, and 1.9 WAR in 108 games. He was set to play in 2032, but suffered a ruptured MCL in spring training that effectively ended his career. Biloa missed all of 2032 and retired that winter at age 41.

In AAB with Bujumbura, Biloa had 2294 games, 2554 hits, 1525 runs, 481 doubles, 68 triples, 674 home runs, 1738 RBI, 733 walks, 1723 strikeouts, 517 steals, .301/.365/.613 slash, .978 OPS, 154 wRC+, and 83.5 WAR. Biloa ranks 21^st in games, 15^th in runs, 14^th in hits, 9^th in total bases (5193), 30^th in doubles, 11^th in homers, 10^th in RBI, 59^th in walks, 38^th in strikeouts, and 12^th in WAR among position players. Among those with 3000+ plate appearances, Biloa is 25^th in OPS and his triple slash ranks 43^rd/65^th/20^th.

Biloa easily is viewed as a top 20 batter for the African Association of Baseball’s relatively brief history and his biggest fans might even place him in the top 10. He was universally beloved and helped grow the game both in Burundi with the Bighorns and back home in the Central African Republic. Biloa stood alone for induction at 98.6% for AAB’s 2036 Hall of Fame class.

FuzzyRussianHat · 10-04-2025, 06:33 PM

The 2036 World Baseball Championship was the 90^th edition of the event and was hosted in Tainan, Taiwan. The top team in the divisional round was South Africa, dominating Division 1 at 13-0. They were only the third team to go unbeaten since the divisions expanded to 14 teams in 2031. The South Africans got their third straight division title, fourth playoff berth in five years, and fifth overall. Behind them were Algeria and Guatemala tied at 9-4, followed by the Czech Republic, England, and Iran at 8-5. The tiebreaker sent the Guatemalans forward for the seventh time overall and second time in three years.

The two-time defending world champ United States clobbered the Division 2 field at 12-1. The Americans advanced for the seventh consecutive season and the 67^th time overall. It was a four-way tie for second at 8-5 between last year’s runner-up Poland, Belgium, Denmark and France. The tiebreaker formula favored the Poles for a third straight postseason trip. Poland has advanced 14 times overall.

China claimed Division 3 at 10-3, advancing along with 9-4 Germany. Cuba, Nicaragua, and Panama were the first teams out at 8-5. The Chinese picked up a fourth playoff trip in six years and 31^st overall. The Germans have 17 playoff trips and three so far in the 2030s.

Somalia won Division 4 at 10-3 with all three of their playoff trips coming in the last four seasons. Tied for second at 9-4 were Haiti, Japan, and Pakistan. The Japanese ended up advancing on the tiebreaker for their fifth playoff try in six years and 27^th overall.

India led Division 5 at 10-3 for a third straight playoff trip and their sixth of the 2030s. The Indians have 16 postseason appearances overall, more than half coming since 2024. Egypt and Venezuela tied at 9-4 followed by Thailand and Zimbabwe at 8-5. The Egyptians had the head-to-head win over the Venezuelans, giving Egypt four playoff spots in five years as well as nine overall.

Advancing from Division 6 was South Korea at 11-2 and Bulgaria at 10-3. Last year’s third place finisher Russia missed at 9-4 with Malawi at 8-5. The Koreans picked up back-to-back berths and their 22^nd overall. It was only the second-time the Bulgarians had moved forward, joining their shocking 2027 world championship run.

Coming from Division 7 was 11-2 Nigeria and 10-3 Ethiopia. Four squads finished 8-5; Mexico, Peru, Romania, and Spain. This ended a drought back to their 2022 world title for the Nigerians, advancing for the tenth time. Ethiopia got its seventh playoff spot and third in five years.

Lastly from Division 8 it was Iraq (11-2) and Indonesia (10-3) prevailing. 2035 fourth place finisher Brazil and the Democratic Republic of Congo were next at 8-5. The Iraqis had never advanced before, becoming the 91^st unique nation to get a playoff berth at least once. The Indonesians secured a 31^st trip and sixth since 2028.

To the Double Round Robin, Somalia (5-1) and South Africa (4-2) advanced from Group A with Indonesia (2-4) and Poland (1-5) ousted. India (5-1) and China (4-2) won from Group B over Ethiopia (2-4) and Bulgaria (1-5). Both Egypt and Nigeria prevailed at 4-2 in Group C while South Korea and Germany were both 2-4. And in Group D, the United States and Japan succeeded at 4-2 with both Iraq and Guatemala eliminated at 2-4. The quarterfinal group was notable for a few reasons. This was the first time that half of the elite eight were African nations and also the first time since 2010 without a single European country in the quarterfinals.

Three of the quarterfinals were 2-0 sweeps with Somalia over China, India over South Africa, and Nigeria over Japan. The one needed all three games was the USA surviving a fierce challenge from Egypt. The Americans made it to the semifinal for the 59^th time and the sixth time in seven years. It was the ninth time in the final four by India, who finished third overall three straight years from 2030-32. The Nigerians had made it six times to the semis, most recently with their 2022 title. The Somalis had never gotten this far, becoming the 55^th unique nation with a final four run.

It was also the first time that two African nations had gotten to the semifinal. Somalia stunned India 3-2 to become the 34^th country to earn a championship berth. They were the third African squad to do it along with Nigeria and Algeria. The United States outlasted the Nigerians 3-2 to keep the three-peat bid alive. The Indians were officially third place for the fourth time in the 2030s and Nigeria was fourth.

Somalia couldn’t keep up their stunning run against the American juggernaut, as the United States won the 90^th World Championship 4-1. It was the fifth title in six years for the US, moving to 46-9 in their finals trips. The Americans had 218 runs scored over the event, a new WBC record. Their 103 team home runs were the second-most and the pitching staff’s 434 strikeouts was third-best.

Tournament MVP was 1B Alair White, who had won four consecutive American Association MVPs for Vancouver. The 26-year old from Clarksdale, Mississippi led all players with 39 hits, 32 runs, 22 homers, 43 RBI, 107 total bases, and 3.05 WAR. White had a 1.228 OPS and 245 wRC+. His WAR was the 5th-best by a position player in WBC history and the 9th-best among everyone.

White’s homers were second in WBC history behind only Thomas Rich’s 26 from 2031. His RBI fell three short of the event record and his total bases ranked 3rd-best. White was also only the 9^th to score 30+ runs. Also notable for the Americans was CF Brandon McElveen with 2.4 WAR, 27 hits, 29 runs, 18 homers, and 26 RBI. Leading the pitching both with 2.3 WAR efforts were Noah Skeen and Lendon McIntosh.

Somalia’s top star was SP Abdullahi Ali, who somehow wasn’t Best Pitcher winner. The 24-year old lefty with AAB’s Kampala struck out 107 over 53 innings with 2.8 WAR, a 2.21 ERA, and 4-1 record. Only once prior had a pitcher fanned 100+ in the WBC; Nick Hedrick’s record 109 from 1957. Ali’s WAR mark was also the 5^th-best by a pitcher in event history. Leading the Somali offensive effort was Omar Adan with 28 hits, 24 runs, 15 homers, 32 RBI, and 2.0 WAR.

Best Pitcher was given to India’s Rahul Katti, the 2034 Indian League Pitcher of the Year with Lucknow. He had a 0.77 ERA over 23.1 innings with an 0.77 ERA, 43 Ks, and 1.0 WAR. There were two no-hitters in 2036, the first coming from Somalia’s Ismail Cabdi with 12 Ks and 4 BB on January 15 against Moldova. The next day, Zambia’s Ian Kanyanta did it with 10 Ks and 1 BB facing Uruguay.

Other notes: Bulgaria’s Angel Gospodinov became the 16^th in WBC history with a four home run game, doing it January 24 against Ethiopia. Below are the updated all-time team stats:

FuzzyRussianHat · 10-05-2025, 07:18 AM

Antananarivo finished first in the Southern Conference at 95-67, trying to escape the African Second League in their sixth season there. The Eagles had one prior playoff berth in 2033. Mauritius at 88-74 narrowly got the second playoff spot, fending off Pretoria (87-75), Nampula (86-76), Bulawayo (85-77), and Maseru (83-79). This was the first playoff trip for the Monsoon since getting sent back to A2L for 2032.

Juba (99-63) and Asmara (97-65) dominated the Central Conference field with only Mwanza really coming close at 90-72. The Jungle Cats had never been a playoff team in their 19-year history despite averaging 83.4 wins per season. Juba was the only remaining original A2L team that had never gotten to the playoffs. The Anteaters earned back-to-back second place finishes and were hoping for their second promotion.

In the Southern Conference Championship, Antananarivo defeated Mauritius 4-2 to earn a promotion back to the African Association of Baseball’s First League after six years in A2L. Asmara upset Juba 4-1 in the Central Conference final for their second promotion. The Anteaters had moved up in 2033, but only stayed two years. In the Second League Championship, Asmara cruised to a 5-1 win over Antananarivo.

Other notes: Juba’s Timothy Tefera joined Simon Walusimbi as the only four-time MVPs in A2L history. 1B Dhabita Bubhutsu won his 8^th Gold Glove, the second in A2L to win 8+ GGs. 3B Husain Ferdous became the first with 10 Silver Sluggers.

FuzzyRussianHat · 10-05-2025, 07:40 PM

Six teams were within six games of the top spot in the European Second League’s Western Conference. The #1 spot was Valencia at 95-67 for their third straight playoff berth. The Vandals had been back in E2L since 2028. The other three playoff spots had a three-way tie at 93-69 between Belfast, Lisbon, and Rome. The first teams out were Brussels (91-71), Paris (89-73), and Manchester (87-75).

For the Brewers, it was their first playoff berth since 2030 as they tried to end a 17-year stay in E2L. Both the Red Wolves and Clippers had their first playoff berth since entering their current E2L stints. That started in 2033 for Rome and 2028 for Lisbon. Suffering relegation to European Tier Three was Ruhr at 55-107, eight games worse than the nearest foe Bordeaux. The Railhawks were the 2035 ET3 runner-up, only lasting one season in E2L.

In the Double-Round Robin, top seed Valencia fared best at 4-2 to secure a promotion, returning to the European Baseball Federation’s Elite Tier for the first time since 2027. Belfast and Lisbon tied at 3-3 with Rome at 2-4. The Brewers and Clippers had split their meetings, but Belfast had the tiebreaker to make it back to EBF for the first time since 2019. Since 2016, Belfast had been in E2L all but in 2018-19. The Brewers then rolled to 4-0 sweep of Valencia in the Western Conference Championship.

Leipzig dominated the Eastern Conference field at 102-60 for their third straight playoff berth. The Lumberjacks had been back in E2L since 2032. Second was Copenhagen at 95-67, their first playoff berth since returning to E2L two years prior. The remaining playoff spots were Varna at 90-72 and Naples at 88-74 with Sofia (85-77) as the first team out. The Vigilantes got only their second playoff trip of their current 16-year E2L stint. The Nobles had only just gotten relegated the prior season.

Firmly in last place was Lviv at 58-104, a rough bottoming out for the Lunkers. They had been a regular E2L playoff team in the last decade and had gotten promoted to the Elite Tier for 2035. Lviv had gotten immediately relegated back to E2L, then fell even further down to European Tier Three.

#4 seed Naples was the top team in the Double Round Robin at 5-1, getting promoted back up for the second time in four years. Copenhagen and Varna were both 3-3 and top seed Leipzig struggled to 1-5. The Vigilantes had the tiebreaker over the Corsairs for Varna’s second-ever promotion. Their only prior EBF stint was from 2016-20.

The Nobles outlasted the Vigilantes 4-3 in the Eastern Conference Championship. Naples then bested Belfast 4-1 to secure the Second League Championship.

Other notes: Skopje’s Apostolos Anazimenes became the third in E2L history to win Pitcher of the Year thrice.

The Hague dominated European Tier Three at 109-53 for their first-ever promotion up. Nottingham at 97-65 got the #2 spot, holding off Newcastle (93-69). The North Stars escaped after only one year in ET3, having gotten demoted after a ten-year run in E2L. The Hackers flattened Nottingham with a 4-0 sweep for the Third League Championship.

FuzzyRussianHat · 10-06-2025, 08:16 AM

Defending Africa Series champ Dar es Salaam repeated as the Southern Conference’s top team at 105-57, finishing the season on an eight-game winning streak. That allowed them to pass Cape Town for first in the final week, as they were even with three games to go. The Cowboys still firmly took second at 102-60 for their second playoff berth in three years. Durban (95-67), Johannesburg (94-68), and Windhoek (94-68) were in the mix, but ultimately came up short.

The Sabercats were the top scoring team for the entire African Association of Baseball at 951 runs, followed by Cape Town at 924. The Cowboys allowed 695 runs, the fewest in the conference. Dar es Salaam smacked 326 home runs for a new conference record with a .516 slugging percentage; the third-best in conference history. The Sabercats also had a 2,065,851 season attendance, the second-best in conference history.

The fall was quick for Port Elizabeth, who had won pennants in 2031 and 2033. The Elephants fell to 55-107 and suffered relegation, ending their tenure in the AAB First League after a decade. Comoros was the only team in range of PE, but survived at 61-101.

Much of Dar es Salaam’s historic power came from Southern Conference MVP Ferdinand Rajerison in his fourth year starting at first base. It was his third straight year as the homers leader, this time with a blistering 80 home runs. It is one of only 10 seasons in all of world history in any league of 80+ homers (with another coming in the adjacent conference). It was still ten away from Dagne Mersha’s 90 from 2028, which is second in world history.

Rajerison also had 178 RBI, which ranks as the sixth-best in AAB history and 15^th best in any world league. He was actually second in the conference to Sabercats teammate Ketema Gudeta’s 186. Gudeta’s mark was tied for the fifth-best in world history and just short of Mersha’s 189 RBI from the before-mentioned 2028 campaign.

As for Rajerison, the 26-year old Malagasy lefty led in total bases (486), slugging (.805), OPS (1.176), wRC+ (185), and WAR (8.2). His total bases were second in AAB history to Mersha’s 510 in 2028 and ranked 16^th in world history. Rajerison also had 201 hits, 41 doubles, 125 runs, and a .333 average. His slugging was seventh-best in AAB history and one of only 41 qualifying seasons in world history above .800. Dar es Salaam had picked him ninth in the 2031 AAB Draft and he helped them to a 2033 promotion back to the big league.

Harare was a non-factor at 74-88, but they had the Pitcher of the Year in Ghebrezgiabhier Alemayehu. It was his second time with the top honor, having also won in 2028. The 32-year old Ethiopian righty led in ERA (3.02), innings (265.2), WHIP (0.97), K/BB (6.4), quality starts (24), complete games (17), shutouts (5), FIP- (58), and WAR (10.3). Alemayehu had a 21-10 record and 305 strikeouts. The Hustlers’ long-time ace still had two years left on a $129,800,000 deal signed back in 2031.

Four teams finished within five wins of the top spot in the Central Conference. Mombasa went 9-1 in their final ten games to surge ahead for first place at 96-66. Prior to this, the Bisons had never even had a winning season in the top league, having been back up since 2030. For the #2 spot, Lubumbashi and Kampala finished tied at 93-69 while Kinshasa was 91-71.

In a one-game tiebreaker, the Loggerheads defeated the Peacocks for their first playoff trip since 2025. Lubumbashi had only gotten promoted back up the prior year. It was a brutal collapse late for Kampala, who lost their last seven games. Last year’s conference champ Nairobi fell to fifth at 85-77. The Loggerheads allowed the fewest runs in the CC at 640. Kigali scored the most at 933, but allowed 926 and limped to 72-90.

Bahir Dar ended up relegated at 64-98, finishing seven games from both Bangui and Brazzaville for the bottom spot. The Baboons were the 2035 African Second League champ, lasting only one season in the top tier. Bahir Dar set conference worsts for team ERA (5.75) and earned runs (919). Their 963 runs allowed were the 2^nd worst in CC history.

AAB’s other huge power season came from Kinshasa’s Martin Kulatilaka, who repeated as Central Conference MVP. The 28-year old 1B from Seychelles led in HRs, RBI, and total bases for the third straight year with 81, 172, and 484. Kulatilaka’s homers were the ninth-best single season in all of world history, the RBI ranked 24^th, and total bases were 18^th.

Nicknamed “Big Train,” Kulatilaka also led in runs (139), hits (205), slugging (.792), OPS (1.192), wRC+ (189), and WAR (8.5). He added 36 doubles and was second in batting average at .336, although he was still far from a Triple Crown due to Kigali’s Rivomanatsoa Vombola at .355. Kulatilaka had only been starting for five-and-a-half years with the Sun Cats and already had 347 home runs and 798 RBI.

There was also historic pitching as Kampala’s Abdullahi Ali repeated as Pitcher of the Year. His 13.0 WAR the prior year had set the league record for pitchers and was arguably the best pitching season in AAB to that point. At only age 24, the Somali lefty managed to best that in 2036 with back-to-back Triple Crowns and his third straight 400+ strikeout season. Before Ali, the AAB Ks record was 388.

Ali tied the wins record at 27-3 and had 437 strikeouts, breaking his record 430 from the prior year. He also led in ERA (1.63), innings (259), WHIP (0.78), K/BB (10.2), quality starts (25), complete games (12), shutouts (3), FIP- (28), ERA+ (293), and WAR (15.3). Ali’s WAR was the AAB record for all players and one of only 48 seasons by any player in world history of 15+ WAR.

His ERA was the second-best qualifying season (162+ innings required) in AAB history, behind only Yves Munyaneza’s 1.59 from 1996. Ali’s WHIP was also second only to Michael Wakachu’s 0.76 in 2010. 27+ wins has only happened 54 total times in world history. Ali’s 15.19 K/9 and .503 opponent’s OPS both were AAB’s third-best season and his .222 OBP ranked second. He also finished second in MVP voting, joining Lawal Deffallah (2032-33) as the only AAB players with multiple and/or repeat Triple Crowns.

The Southern Conference Championship went the distance with Dar es Saalam taking the series 4-3 after winning the finale 6-2. The Sabercats secured repeat pennants and their fifth overall (1997, 2004, 2027, 2035, 2036). Mombasa meanwhile rolled 4-1 over Lubumbashi for their first-ever Central Conference Championship win.

In the 42^nd Africa Series, Mombasa dethroned the defending champ Dar es Salaam 5-2, capping off their first-ever winning season in the top league with the title. The Bisons joined Djibouti (2031) as the only teams created in 2018 with the A2L to win the AAB’s top prize.

The series had drama right away in game one, with the Sabercats scoring two in the bottom of the ninth to force extras at 3-3. Mombasa scored four in the 12^th, allowing them to hold on ultimately 7-5. RF Yaya Kyomukama was finals MVP, going 9-26 in the series with 4 homers and 5 RBI. The 27-year old Ugandan closed the series with a walkoff solo homer to give Mombasa a 2-1 win in game seven.

Other notes: AAB’s 5^th perfect game and first since 2021 came on August 22 by Gaborone’s Mert Seyoum, who struck out nine facing Luanda. Gaborone’s Brandon Tsolope scored 145 runs, tied for the 7^th-best single season in AAB history. Bahir Dar’s Tshepo Masino on July 31 had AAB’s 19^th four home run game against Addis Ababa.

Lilongwe at 66-96 avoided relegation despite having historically bad pitching. The Lightning’s 5.96 team ERA and 957 earned runs allowed were both the worst in AAB history. Their 998 runs allowed were the 2^nd worst. Port Elizabeth, who did get relegated from the Southern Conference, had a 5.87 ERA for the 3^rd worst mark and their 10.32 H/9 was the 4^th worst.

Dagne Mersha became AAB’s 7^th member of the 800 home run club. Asa Ngoie was the 14^th to 600 homers and Panya Hailemariam the 23^rd to 500 dingers. Ngoie also won his 9^th Silver Slugger in LF. Zenzele Mnisi, Noah Njuguna, and Tariku Desta grew AAB’s 2000 hit club to 39 batters. Ghebrezgiabhier Alemayehu and Lawal Deffalah were the 25^th and 26^th AAB pitchers to 2500 strikeouts.

Longtime American star Jason Perazzo made his AAB debut in 2036 at age 41 for Nairobi with 36 homers and 113 RBI. He had been in the ABF the prior three years, but had gotten famous with San Diego’s dynasty in MLB. In 2036, Perazzo got to 2506 combined RBI for his career, becoming only the 6^th player in world history at 2500+ RBI.

Perazzo was also up to 13^th on the world homer list at 946 and 22^nd in runs with 2110. He also breached 3500 pro hits in 2036 with 3516 and was just outside of the top 50. Perazzo also crossed 600+ total doubles and was close to cracking that top 50 as well. The Los Angeles native had signed a three-year, $33,300,000 deal with the Night Hawks.

FuzzyRussianHat · 10-06-2025, 08:21 PM

Beirut set a franchise best at 106-56 and had the top record in all of Arab League Baseball. The Bluebirds earned a fourth consecutive playoff berth and their third Levant Division title of that streak. They had the fewest runs allowed in ALB at 632. It was an 11-game drop to the next best record in the Western Conference, which was last year’s WC runner-up Cairo at 95-67. The Pharaohs repeated as Nile Division champ with their third straight playoff berth.

Damascus at 94-68 was second in the Levant to Beirut, but got the first wild card. The Dusters have eight playoff berths in nine years. Defending WC champ Algiers and Oran tied at 92-70 atop the Mediterranean Division and both made the playoffs. The Rattlesnakes won the tiebreaker game to claim the division, leaving the Arsenal as the second wild card.

Oran finished 9-1 in their final ten games and had been the only of the 2016 expansion teams without a playoff berth to that point. Algiers has missed the playoffs only once since 2023. The Rattlesnakes led the conference with 843 runs scored. The next closest teams in the wild card race were Khartoum (86-76), Alexandria (85-77), Giza (85-77), and Tripoli (85-77).

Western Conference MVP went to Algiers RF Zakaria Badwan, who led in hits (224), triples (16), stolen bases (145), average (.384), OBP (.448), and WAR (7.5). The 25-year old Palestinian added 116 runs, 47 doubles, 11 homers, and 82 RBI. The 145 steals ranked as the 4^th-best single season in ALB and was the 9^th-best in world history. In April, the Arsenal gave Badwan a four-year, $119,800,000 extension.

Beirut’s Abdul Muhaimin Akbar repeated as Pitcher of the Year and posted only the 10^th pitching Triple Crown in ALB history. Akbar was also second in MVP voting and had the most first place votes at 15, although Badwan had 10 and more total points (300-256) with many reluctant to vote for any pitcher. Akbar had a 22-2 record, 2.24 ERA, and 317 strikeouts. The 26-year old Iraqi lefty also led in WHIP (0.86), K/BB (13.8), quality starts (25), FIP- (55), and WAR (8.9). Akbar had 224.2 innings and a 198 ERA+.

Damascus dethroned Algiers 2-1 in the wild card round, then pulled off the huge 2-1 upset in the second round over top seed Beirut. The Dusters earned their fourth trip to the Western Conference Final of the decade. Cairo held on 2-1 over Oran on the other side to earn repeat WCF trips. Despite both team’s recent successes, the Pharaohs and Dusters hadn’t met before in the conference final.

Cairo started the series with back-to-back walkoff wins, 7-6 in 11 innings for game one and 5-4 in game two. Damascus evened it up with 6-3 and 8-5 home wins, then took the decisive game five 9-6 on the road. The Dusters won their fifth Western Conference pennant (2014, 2016, 2029, 2032, 2036).

The Eastern Conference was incredibly competitive at the top as the five playoff teams were separated by six wins. Every other team sans 84-win Riyadh was .500 or worse, so it was obvious who the playoff teams would be by early fall. Notably, these were the same five teams that made up the 2035 and 2034 playoff fields; but the positioning did shift somewhat.

Muscat at 100-62 got the top seed and a third straight Gulf Division title. The Threshers grew their playoff streak to a decade and had a .306 team batting average, .357 on-base percentage, and 1736 hits; each the second-best in conference history. Muscat was the top scoring team at 939 and had to fend off 97-65 Doha in the division. The Dash earned the first wild card and grew their playoff streak to seven seasons.

Reigning ALB champ Basra won a fourth consecutive Mesopotamia Division at 97-65 and the best run differential at +204. Medina (95-67) edged out Mecca (94-68) for the Arabia Division title. The Mastodons got their fourth straight division title and ninth since 2026. The Marksmen allowed the EC’s fewest runs at 644.

Although Baghdad struggled to 76-86, they had the Eastern Conference’s MVP Abdullah Al-Hafith. It was his third MVP, having won in his 2034 Brown Bears debut and with Tunis in 2031. The 32-year old hometown favorite led in runs (134), homers (72), RBI (170), total bases (474), slugging (.786), wRC+ (199), and WAR (9.4).

Al-Hafith’s RBI ranked as the 4th-best single season in ALB history and was one of only 33 seasons in world history of 170+ RBI. His effort was also the 18^th time an ALB slugger smacked 70+ dingers. Al-Hafith also had 213 hits, 41 doubles, .353 average, and 1.175 OPS. He became the 46^th member of the 500 home run club in May and also reached 2000 hits.

In his second season with Basra, Hamid Hovakimian won Pitcher of the Year. He came to the Bulldogs in a November 2034 trade after six seasons for Giza. The 29-year old Lebanese lefty led in wins at 22-3. Hovakimian had a 3.05 ERA in 195 innings, 208 strikeouts, 147 ERA+, and 4.9 WAR. He was only the second in ALB to win POTY while finishing below 5 WAR.

Doha beat Mecca in the wild card round and gave Muscat a challenge in the second round, but the Threshers survived 2-1 with a pair of 3-2 wins. For Muscat, they advanced to the Eastern Conference Final for the sixth time in a decade. Medina ousted defending champ Basra 2-1 on the other side in a rematch of the prior year’s ECF. The Mastodons were making their third straight conference final trip and also their sixth in a decade.

Muscat and Medina had turned into a fierce playoff rivalry. The Threshers won the conference final over the Mastodons in 2030 and 2031 to cap off their EC four-peat. The most recent meeting in 2034 was a Medina win. The 2036 battle ultimately lacked drama with a 3-0 Muscat sweep for their fifth pennant (2028-31, 36).

The 47^th Arab League Championship was a rematch of the 2029 finals, which saw a 92-win Damascus upset a 114-win Muscat. The Threshers took the first two games at home and got a road win in game four, while the Dusters won games three and five. In game six, Muscat won 6-3 to clinch the series in six for their third ALB crown (2030, 2031, 2036).

1B Abdul Jalil Dahir was series MVP, going 14-22 with 3 homers and 8 RBI. It was the second finals MVP for the 37-year old from Lebanon, having also done it in the 2031 triumph. Damascus saw playoff records for at-bats (65) set by Ric Cabrera and both innings (35) and hits allowed (40) by Mahmoud Sedik.

Muscat Manager Shigeichi Emoto also joined Bertel Pitkamaki and Dong-Yeon Kim as the only ALB skippers with three championship rings. The former relief pitcher from Japan took over the Threshers in 2029 and had eight straight playoff trips since arriving.

Other notes: Muscat’s Ahmed Yasser Basha had a .405 batting average, the 5^th-best qualifying season in ALB history. Basha joined world hit king Fares Belaid of WAB and BSA’s Marc Melgar as the only players in world history to post three or more seasons above a .400 average. Basha was now at 3232 hits, ranking 4^th in ALB history but within striking distance of Nordine Soule’s record 3339.

Elsewhere, Kamal Qasim became the 8^th ALB batter with 3000 career hits and won his 9^th Silver Slugger in CF, a position record. Basha also became a nine-time Slugger winner in RF. Khali Allawi was the 22^nd to 600 home runs and the 23^rd to 1500 runs scored. Walid Zaoui was the 24^th to 1500 runs and the 37^th to 2500 hits. Dahir was the 45^th to the 500 homer club and he and Wandy Martadinata became the 32^nd and 33^rd to 1500 RBI. Martadinata and Mokhtar Bouziane both also breached 2500 hits, now met by 39 ALB batters.

Hassan Shanshol became ALB’s new leader in stolen bases with 1806, passing Amar Rasmi’s old record of 1730. The 34-year old Iraqi actually had his worst full season total in 2036 for Aleppo, but still swiped 100 bags. Shanshol moved into the #2 spot in all of world history behind only EBF legend Carsten Dal’s 1995. Medina’s offense had 113 triples, a new ALB single-season team record. Mohammed Jamil led that effort with 27, one short of the ALB player record.

2036 was the final year for five-time Pitcher of the Year Muhammad Nour in a one-off with Basra with 1.9 WAR and 3.38 ERA in 117.1 innings. Almost all of his career came with Algiers, finishing with a 268-126 record, 3.09 ERA, 3515 innings, 4326 strikeouts, 142 ERA+, and 114.6 WAR. Nour retires 4^th in wins, 3^rd in strikeouts, and 4^th in pitching WAR.

It was also the final year for LF Walid Bennani, who finished with 945 home runs, 1938 RBI, 2460 hits, 1887 runs, 1119 steals, 2812 strikeouts, 1.004 OPS, 148 wRC+, and 90.3 WAR. He retires #2 in homers, #4 in RBI, #4 in runs, #7 in steals, and #4 in strikeouts in ALB history. On the world leaderboard for all leagues ever, Bennani is 14^th in dingers.

ALB’s 10^th perfect game came on July 5 as Kuwait’s Muse Abdi struck out 10 against Cairo. Alexandria’s Mohammed Ibn Sultan had a 34-game hitting streak, tied for the 5^th-longest in ALB history. It was only three games short of the league record set by Abdul Jalil Dahir with 37 in 2028.

RF Nathan Nasreddine won his 14^th consecutive Gold Glove and LF Karrar Mazloum became a ten-time Gold Glove winner. Nasreddine leads all ALB defenders and is only one of 19 in all of baseball history with 14+ Gold Gloves at any position and one of two in right field along with ABF’s Hana Zuhair (15). Mazloum was only the 4^th ALB player to win 10+ Gold Gloves.

FuzzyRussianHat · 10-07-2025, 05:07 AM

Hyderabad extended its Asian Baseball Federation record playoff streak to 13 seasons, earning the East League’s top seed at 104-58. They repeated as Pakistan Division champs and led the EL in runs scored (738) and run differential (+243). Rawalpindi was second in the division at 98-64 for the first wild card and their sixth consecutive playoff berth. The Red Wings finished the season on a 15-game winning streak.

Tashkent repeated as North Division champs at 97-65 for their fifth playoff trip in six years. The Tomcats and Horned Frogs both allowed 495 runs, the fewest in the ABF. Defending EL champ Osh was six games back at 91-71 and ended up just short in the wild card race. Lahore (93-69) edged out Gujranwala (92-70) and the Oxen for the final spot. Although the Longhorns have had 12 straight winning seasons, this ended a five-year playoff drought.

Osh 1B Dzhurakhon Asadullayev won his third East League MVP in four years and earned his second Triple Crown. The 28-year old Kazakh lefty led in runs (137), hits (211), home runs (64), RBI (138), walks (108), total bases (454), triple slash (.364/.459/.784), OPS (1.243), wRC+ (243), and WAR (12.5). Asadullayev also had 45 doubles.

He now has the #1, #3, and #4 qualifying seasons by OPS in ABF history. Asadullayev’s 2036 also ranked as the 7^th-best OBP, 5^th-best slugging, 5^th-most runs, 4^th-most total bases, and 4^th-most walks in ABF history. There have only been 12 100+ walk seasons in ABF and Asadullayev has five of them. The #2 pick by the Oxen in the 2030 ABF Draft, Asadullayeev has led in OBP in all six of his seasons and has five times led in walks, OPS, and wRC+. He already has 62.4 career WAR, making his first six years among the best-ever starts to a career.

In two seasons with Tashkent, Shahrokh Morteza has back-to-back Pitcher of the Year wins. The 33-year old Iranian righty had signed a five-year, $87 million deal for 2035 after previously pitching with Peshawar and Bishkek. Morteza won POTY unanimously in 2036, leading in wins (23-7), ERA (1.93), innings (280), and quality starts (28). He added 360 strikeouts, 190 ERA, and 7.5 WAR. Morteza was 41 Ks from the Triple Crown with Osh’s Balazs Volgyi first with 401. That was only the 22^nd time an ABF ace fanned 400+ in a season.

Lahore upset top seed Hyderabad 2-0 in the first round and Tashkent edged Rawalpindi 2-1, taking game three with a 3-2 walkoff win. The Tomcats then swept the Longhorns 2-0 to earn a third straight trip to the East League Championship Series. In the loser’s bracket, the Horned Frogs ousted the Red Wings 2-0, then got 2-0 revenge over Lahore to bounce back in the double-elimination bracket. Hyderabad earned its eighth ELCS trip of their playoff streak, having gone 6-1 during the run.

Tashkent started the series with a 7-4 road win, followed by a Hyderabad 5-1 win. The Tomcats posted back-to-back shutouts at home, but the Horned Frogs won game five 3-1 to force a return to Pakistan. Tashkent took game six on the road 3-2 for the 4-2 series win to end a 33-year pennant drought. The Tomcats’ only ABF pennants came right after they arrived in the league in 2000 and 2002. Tashkent also had pennants in 1969, 1998, and 1999 when they were still in Eurasian Professional Baseball.

The West League was incredibly top-heavy as all four playoff teams won 100+ games. Baku was West Division champ for the eighth straight year and got the top seed at 115-47. The Blackbirds now have won at least 110+ games in seven successive seasons. They were the top scoring team with 856 runs and had the best run differential at+250.

Tabriz took a third straight Central Division crown at 109-53 and allowed the fewest runs in the WL at 539. The Tiger Sharks won a lot of close games with 63 saves, a WL team record and the second-best in ABF history. Both second place teams finished 101-61; Isfahan in the Central and Bursa in the West. The Imperials ended a five-year playoff drought and Blue Wings got back-to-back wild cards. Bursa set a new ABF team record with 393 doubles.

Defending ABF champ Gaziantep was the only other team above .500, but was still 13 games away in the wild card race at 88-74. Also notable was Mashhad at 79-83, their first losing season since 2020. Adana (77-85) also was below .500 for the first time since 2025.

For the ninth year in-a-row, the West League MVP went to a Baku player. 1B Ular Esenov got it for the second time, having also won in 2033. The 29-year old Uzbek righty led in hits (224), average (.356), wRC+ (205), and WAR (9.4). Esenov added 53 homers, 125 RBI, 108 runs, and 1.056 OPS. He had 21 of the first place votes while Bursa’s Khattak Baweja had 11.

Bursa lefty Refik Sagir was 2035 Rookie of the Year and followed it up as 2036 Pitcher of the Year. The 24-year old Turk led in wins (23-8), complete games (21), shutouts (3), and WAR (6.3) while also earning a Gold Glove. Sagir had a 2.73 ERA in 254 innings, 150 ERA+, 69 FIP-, and 286 strikeouts. The Blue Claws had taken him third in the 2034 ABF Draft. Sagir had 25 first place votes, while Reliever of the Year winner Reza Sabir had seven.

Sabir became the third in ABF history to win ROTY four times and made it three straight for Tabriz. He set the ABF saves record with 54, which is tied for the 8^th-best single-season in world history. Sabir had a 1.28 ERA in 80 games with 91.2 innings, 172 strikeouts, and 5.3 WAR. Shortly after his 30^th birthday, the Iranian righty left for free agency and signed a one-year deal with MLB’s Brooklyn Dodgers.

The first round had Bursa upset Baku 2-1 while Tabriz swept Isfahan 2-0. The Blue Claws kept rolling in round two 2-0 over the Tiger Sharks, earning their first West League Championship Series trip since 2024. In the loser’s bracket, the top-seed Blackbirds outlasted the Imperials and then Tabriz, both by 2-1 margins. Baku was back in the ELCS after missing the last two years despite 124 and 110 win seasons.

After trading wins in the first four games, Bursa bested Baku 3-2 in game five and 5-0 in game six to win the series 4-2. It was the fifth pennant for the Blue Claws (1999, 2001, 2004, 2020, 2036). Despite remaining dominant in the regular season, the Blackbirds have failed the capture the pennant in three straight years, unable to follow up on the 2029-33 five-peat.

The 52^nd ABF Championship needed all seven games. Tashkent opened ahead with 5-4 and 9-3 road wins, but Bursa matched with 9-3 and 7-2 road wins. The Tomcats took game five 8-2 at home to hold the advantage headed back to Turkey. The Blue Claws won game six 3-2 at home with the go-ahead run in the bottom of the eighth inning.

In the decisive game seven, Bursa bested Tashkent at home 6-3 to earn only their second ABF title (2004, 2036). The Blue Claws were the first Turkish team to win the ABF crown since Ankara in 2018. RF Bekzat Lunin was finals MVP, going 10-29 with three home runs and six RBI in the series. The Uzbek RF had missed the first half of 2036 due to a torn PCL from the prior August.

Bursa also had a historic playoff run from LF Khattak Baweja, who was MVP in the WLCS and the first two rounds. He set ABF playoff records for homers (12) and total bases (66). The 24-year old Pakistani in 17 games had 26 hits, 16 runs, 4 doubles, 18 RBI, 1.646 OPS, 353 wRC+, and 2.2 WAR. Baweja was one run and three RBI short of those ABF playoff records. Refik Sagir also tied the ABF playoff record for wins with five, but also set the record for most hits allowed at 46. He was 5-1 in 46.2 innings with a 3.09 ERA, 47 Ks, and 1.1 WAR.

Other notes: Between them, Hasan Yousefi and Agshin Jumayev had won ten Pitcher of the Year awards from 2025-35. Both finished their careers in 2036. Yousefi went 14-12 with a 3.89 ERA, 172 Ks, and 2.6 WAR in his 16^th and final season with Ankara. Jumayev in his 14^th season for Baku had a 10-4 record and 3.73 ERA in 144.2 innings with 137 Ks and 0.0 WAR. Both men breached 250 career wins, a mark previously only hit by Sijad Khaleel.

Yousefi got to 258 wins, passing Khaleel for the all-time wins lead in ABF. Jumayev got to 256 to tie Khaleel for second. Yousefi also passed Hasan Afshin’s 5151 strikeouts to become ABF’s all-time leader with 5246 while also sitting 27^th in the world strikeout leaderboard.

Jumayev ended with 4706 Ks, ranking 5^th best in ABF and just outside of the world top 50. Yousefi at 105.1 WAR ranked 3^rd and Jumayev’s 93.6 was 6^th among ABF aces. Maksat Gurbanov also retired in 2036, finishing 4^th in wins (246), and 5^th in WAR (94.9), but 28^th in Ks (3671). Gurbanov allowed the most hits in ABF at 3697.

ABF’s 25^th perfect game occurred on July 9 as Bursa’s Korcan Akbaba struck out 11 facing Isfahan. He needed to be perfect as it was a 1-0 victory with the lone run in the first inning. In other pitching notables, Ibrahim Tolibov became the 30^th to 3500 career strikeouts and Mansoor Kayam was the 21^st to 200 wins.

Artyom Masharipov became the 24^th to 500 home runs while Mustafa Sarir, Mehrdad Azghadi, and Ammar Sanjrani grew the 400 home run club to 50 members. Sultan Han was the 20^th to 2500 hits. Youssouf Raza was the 11^th to 1500 RBI.

OF Khalaf bin Abdullah became the 6^th ABF player with 10+ Silver Sluggers. He had 12 for his career having also won twice during his 2028-31 MLB stint. Bin Abdullah had 10 Sluggers in center field and two in right. LF Cihat Cetinkaya won his 9^th consecutive Gold Glove and 2B Mahmut Gurbuzerol won his 8^th Gold Glove.

FuzzyRussianHat · 10-07-2025, 11:27 PM

The Indian League’s five playoff teams were separated by only five wins with the top three squads battling in the South Division. Madurai was 7-3 in their last ten games to finish on top at 99-63 ahead of 97-65 efforts by both Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam. This was the first-ever playoff berth or winning season for the Rams, who were one of the 2025 expansion teams. Madurai allowed the fewest runs in South Asia Baseball at 583.

The Hippos and Volts got the wild cards with Hyderabad earning the tiebreaker for home field having dominated the season series 12-6. That made it six straight playoff berths for the Hippos and the 12^th since 2023 for Visakhapatnam. The Volts led the IL in scoring with 788 runs scored and had the best run differential at +175.

Pune won the West Division at 96-66, nine games ahead of defending IL champ Mumbai (87-75). The Purple Knights got repeat playoff trips, but it was their first division title since 2025. Kolkata claimed the Central at 94-68 for their third berth in four years. Patna was the closest foe at 89-73 for their first-ever winning season. Delhi, last year’s division champ and 2034 SAB champ, dropped to 80-82. Ahmedabad was also 80-82, their first repeat losing season since the 2010s.

The Pointers notably set an IL team record with 1699 hits with LF R.C. Gutta leading the way as the unanimous Indian League MVP. The hometown hero also posted only the fifth-ever hitting Triple Crown in SAB and the first since Majed Darwish in 2009-10. Gutta did it in 139 games, tragically suffering a ruptured Achilles tendon in late August. A recovery setback in December sadly may sideline until the late fall in 2037.

In his sixth season for Patna, Gutta led in runs (116), home runs (62), RBI (148), total bases (424), triple slash (.389/.459/.817), OPS (1.276), wRC+ (235), and WAR (10.8). He added 202 hits and 30 doubles. Gutta’s OPS was the 7^th-best qualifying season in SAB history with the triple slash ranking 10^th/9^th/5^th. He also had the 19^th-best slugging in world history and 17^th-best OPS. Gutta’s hometown Pointers picked him #1 overall back in the 2030 SAB Draft.

Abjit Shirvastava had a breakout season for Pitcher of the Year in 2036 with Visakhapatnam. He had been middling in his previous efforts with Vientiane and Jaipur, signing a two-year, $7,320,000 deal for 2036 with the Volts. The 27-year old lefty had a 19-5 record, 2.55 ERA, 229 innings, 292 strikeouts, 160 ERA+, and 4.8 WAR. In a relatively weak field, Shrivastava got 32/36 first place votes.

Although Hyderabad won the season series easily, Visakhapatnam beat them 2-0 in the wild card round, including a 4-3 game two win in 12 innings. The Volts were promptly swept by Madurai in the divisional series, becoming the first of the 2025 expansion teams with an Indian League Championship Series berth. Pune downed Kolkata 3-1 on the other side for their first ILCS trip since their 2027 title.

Madurai won game one 6-5, but Pune evened the series on a 12-6 road win. The Purple Knights won game three 2-0, but the Rams got their own 2-0 win the next night. Pune picked up game five 6-2 for the advantage heading back to Madurai. The Purple Knights then won game six 4-1 on the road to wrap the series on a eight-inning, two-hit, one run performance by Brian Truong. Pune became six-time Indian League champs (1981, 1983, 1984, 2019, 2027, 2036).

Da Nang surprised the Southeast Asia League with the top seed at 101-61, ending an 11-year playoff drought. The Nailers had the best run differential at +167 and won the South Division over Bangkok (92-70) and Ho Chi Minh City (90-72). Those squads snagged both wild cards, giving the Bobcats their fifth wild card in six years and giving the Hedgehogs an eighth consecutive playoff berth. Last year’s division champ Colombo fell to 78-84. Bangkok was SEAL’s top scoring team at 898 runs.

Reigning SAB champ Mandalay won the West Division at 96-66 and allowed the fewest runs at 641. The Mammoths have only missed the playoffs once since 2026. Last year’s SEAL runner-up Dhaka was second at 89-73 and fell one short in the wild card race behind HCMC. This was only the second playoff miss since 2021 for the Dobermans.

Hanoi won the Central Division at 89-73, ending a six-year division title reign by Yangon. The Hounds earned their second berth in three years, but hadn’t been a division champ since 2017. The Green Dragons were 86-76, missing the playoffs for only the third time in 42 years. Vientiane was third at 81-81, their first winning season since 2028.

The Vampires had a huge turnaround after winning 65 or fewer games in each of the last six seasons. Leading the way was Indian League MVP Fanmuong Try, the #1 draft pick from 2033. In his third season, the 24-year old Cambodian 1B led in homers (52) and total bases (418). Try had 202 hits, 119 runs, 34 doubles, 128 RBI, .325/.378/.672 slash, 177 wRC+, and 7.3 WAR. He had 25 of the first place votes while Da Nang’s Totam Akila had the remaining 11.

Mandalay’s Munfik Madushanka was the unanimous Pitcher of the Year and posted the tenth pitching Triple Crown in SAB history. It was his second POTY, having also won in 2032. The 31-year old Sri Lankan lefty led in wins (20-11), ERA (2.95), innings (265), strikeouts (327), quality starts (24), and WAR (5.7). Madushanka had a 152 ERA+ and 76 FIP-. The upcoming season would be a contract year for him.

Bangkok edged Ho Chi Minh City 2-1 in the wild card, winning game three 7-6 with a three-run rally in the bottom of the ninth. Da Nang downed the Bobcats 3-1 in the divisional series, sending the Nailers to their fourth Southeast Asia League Championship (2004, 2021, 23, 36) in search of their first-ever pennant. Hanoi upset Mandalay 3-1 on the other side for their first LCS since making eight straight trips in the 2010s.

The series was even after four games, then Hanoi took the advantage with a 6-4 home win in game five. A back-and-forth game six saw Hanoi tie it at 5-5 with a run in the top of the ninth. The Hounds then got one in the tenth to for the 6-5 road win and 4-2 series win. Hanoi ended a 19-year pennant drought and became seven-time Southeast Asian champs (1985, 2007, 08, 10, 13, 16, 36).

The 57^th SAB Championship started with a 1-0 pitchers’ duel home win for Pune. Hanoi evened the series on a 6-5 road win in 10 innings, then got 1-0 and 4-3 wins back in Vietnam. The Purple Knights took game five 5-1 to force the series back to India. In game six at Pune, Hanoi scored two in the top of the eighth to go up 4-3, which held as the final score.

The 4-2 series win give the Hounds their fifth SAB title (2007, 08, 13, 16, 36). It was also the first time a Vietnamese team took the SAB crown since Hanoi’s 2016 win. Finals MVP was RF Dilipan Samataweera in his third year with the Nounds and 12^th season as a starter, going 9-25 with the two RBI in game six.

Other notes: SAB’s 16^th perfect game came on July 28 by Kathmandu’s Vu Nhat Mai with 7 strikeouts against Khulna. He would leave and sign a three-year, $12,960,000 deal with Kolkata for 2037.

Colombo’s James Pham had SAB’s 11^th four home run game on April 19 against Bangkok. Madurai’s Ivo Sykora hit for the cycle on May 4 then again on May 23. He is surprisingly not the first SAB batter to get the cycle twice in a month, as Loc Bui did it on 4/2/17 and then again on 4/10/17. The record for shortest gap between cycles was MLB’s Dylan Fabian, who did it on 7/15/2028 and then again two days later on 7/17/28.

Topu Ahsan and Jim Ngo were the 39^th and 40^th members of the 500 home run club. Tan Tai Nguyene and Randall Batin were the 22^nd and 23^rd to 1500 runs scored. Mongkol Sangpon and Anant Chamroon were the 22^nd and 23^rd to 300 career saves. 3B Vatish Bharat won his 9^th Gold Gove and SS Madfai Mirza got his 8^th. Two-way player Deep Rajagopol won his 8^th Silver Slugger as a pitcher.

Nagpur’s pitching staff allowed 1691 hits and Kanpur’s had a 1.506 team WHIP, both of which were new Indian League worsts. The Patriots 10.47 H/9 was 2^nd-worst, while the Poison’s 1185 strikeouts and 7.41 K/9 were both 2^nd-worst. Kanpur allowed 869 runs, the 3^rd-worst in IL history.

It was the final season for OF Gunavati Candrajita, who retired with 3485 hits, 1860 runs, 632 doubles, 288 triples, 154 homers, 1042 RBI, 1781 steals, .871 OPS, 141 wRC+, and 85.5 WAR. He retires as the SAB stolen bases king and 3^rd in all of world history. Candrajita is also 5^th in hits , 6^th in doubles, and 6^th in runs for SAB.

FuzzyRussianHat · 10-08-2025, 10:03 AM

Dakar again was the Western League’s top seed and had the best overall record in West African Baseball at 105-57. The Dukes’ playoff streak grew to 13 seasons, one short of the WAB record by Kumasi from 1978-91. Dakar also guaranteed their ninth WLCS appearance of the streak and led the league with 951 runs and a +206 run differential. The Dukes’ pitching staff also set a new record with only 241 walks surrendered while their 1.50 BB/9 was second-best in WL history.

It was a steep 20+ game drop to the #2 spot in the North Division, but five teams were right in the mix. Bamako and Conakry ended up tied at 83-79 while both Touba and Cape Verde were 81-81 and Nouakchott was 80-82. The Bullfrogs bested the Coyotes in the tiebreaker game to earn their third playoff trip in four years.

None of the six 2030 expansion teams had posted a winning season in their first six campaigns. Daloa bucked that trend in 2036 with an impressive 97-65 finish atop the South Division. Accra was the only other team above .500 at 90-62 for back-to-back wild cards. The Alligators had the WL’s fewest runs allowed at 684. The defending WL champ Monrovia fell to 80-82, ending a four-year playoff streak.

In a competitive race for the Western League’s MVP, Touba 1B Kapi Keita emerged on top. He had 13 first place votes and 301 points, beating out Accra’s Emmanuel Marshall (10, 278) and Dakar’s Prince Kofi (4, 247). Accra’s Jossy Montgomery also got two first place votes and Dakar’s Junior Jose got one.

It was Keita’s third season and his first with a full slate of games since getting picked third by Touba in the 2033 WAB Draft. The 25-year old Guinean lefty led in total bases (430), triple slash (.378/.420/.683), OPS (1.103), wRC+ (180), and WAR (7.3). Keita had 238 hits, 113 runs, 56 doubles, 44 home runs, and 132 RBI.

Accra’s Mohammed Otu won Pitcher of the Year with 27/30 first place votes. The 25-year old Nigerian lefty led in ERA (2.67), WHIP (0.95), and FIP- (68). Otu had a 14-9 record, 188.2 innings, 267 strikeouts, 171 ERA+, and 5.8 WAR. He had been a scouting discovery in 2027 by the Alligators and a full-time starter since 2033. Also notable was Dakar’s Irad Lawali winning his third straight Reliever of the Year with a 1.32 ERA and 43 saves.

Bamako upset Accra 2-1 in the first round, including a 1-0 victory in game three. Daloa outlasted the Bullfrogs in a high scoring second round with 10-9, 10-9, and 14-13 final scores. In game three, the Danes scored seven runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to pull off the stunning comeback. Daloa was the first of the 2030 expansion teams to earn a trip to the Western League Championship Series.

The Danes got a 9-4 road upset to start the series with Dakar, followed by a 12-3 Dukes win in game two. Daloa won 4-1 at home in game three, but Dakar earned a 5-4 win in game four to four a return to Senegal. The decisive fifth game was 1-1 after the third inning and didn’t see another run scored until the 15^th inning. The Dukes scored in the bottom half to win 2-1 and escape with their tenth pennant (1988, 2012, 13, 16, 25, 27, 29, 30, 32, 36).

It was an intense race for both the Eastern League’s top seed and the Coastal Division crown. Douala (104-58) narrowly outraced defending WAB champ Libreville (103-59) for first place. The Dingos got their fourth playoff trip in five years and the Lakers made it three straight. Douala had the best run differential (+217) while Libreville allowed the fewest runs at 658. The Dingos also guaranteed their third Eastern League Championship Series trip in five years.

Benin City was the top scoring team at 966 runs, winning the Interior Division by 16 games with a 99-63 finish. The Blue Devils extended their playoff streak to five seasons and got their seventh berth in eight years. It was a big drop to second place Ibadan at 83-79 for their second trip in three years. The Iguanas were two ahead of last year’s division winner Ouagadougou (81-81).

Benin City 3B Joao Sebastiao da Silva was the unanimous Eastern League MVP, earning the award for the fourth time having also three-peated in 2030-32. He became the fifth in WAB history to win 4+ MVPs and also grabbed his seventh Silver Slugger. The 33-year old Angolan was in his 12^th season for the Blue Devils.

Da Silva was the leader in runs (146), homers (67), slugging (.718), OPS (1.114), and wRC+ (179). He added 205 hits, 136 RBI, a .336 average, and 9.0 WAR. The run tally was tied for the 9^th-best in WAB history. Da Silva is on pace to reach 600 home runs, 1500 runs, and 1500 RBI all next year.

Ibadan’s Yakubu Babawo was Pitcher of the Year for the third straight year and fourth time in his seven year career. He had 22 first place votes, while Libreville’s Ibeh Ferguson had eight, becoming the seventh WAB ace with 4+ POTY wins. Babawo led in strikeouts (316), walks (74), quality starts (20), FIP- (66), and WAR (6.7). The 28-year old Nigerian lefty had a 2.70 ERA in 210 innings, 171 ERA+, and 13-8 record.

Ibadan upset Libreville 2-1 to start the first round, but the Lakers survived with 6-2 and 6-0 wins. Benin City then swept Libreville in round two, ending the Lakers’ three-peat bid. The Blue Devils were in the Eastern League Championship Series for the fifth time in seven years.

It was their third battle of that run against Douala with Benin City winning in 2032 and the Dingos taking the 2033 rematch. Both times, the top seed prevailed. 2036 had the same story as Douala swept Benin City with 7-2, 7-0, and 5-1 wins. The Dingos starting pitchers allowed only two runs across 20.1 innings, helping them to their second pennant.

The 62^nd West African Championship was a seven game classic. Dakar was shooting for their fifth title (2016, 2025, 2029, 2032) while Douala was trying for their first. They traded wins across the first six games with the Dukes taking the odd-numbered encounters and the Dingos winning the even games. Game seven was highly anticipated, but ended up being a dominant 10-0 Dakar win for their fifth ring.

3B Junior Jose was finals MVP going 9-19 with 4 homers and 7 RBI. In 14 seasons, Jose had now delivered four WAB rings and six pennants for the Dukes. The 36-year old Mozambican won his 11^th Silver Slugger, joining the legendary SS Darwin Morris as the only 11+ winners in WAB history. Jose took over the career WAB playoff records for homers (33), RBI (78), and doubles (24). He also became the 8^th to 750 career home runs and the 45^th to 2500 hits.

Other notes: In his 20^th season with Abidjan, DH Abdel Aziz Ashraf continued to make both good and bad history. The 41-year old Egyptian was limited to 103 games because of shoulder inflammation, but still had 33 home runs, 83 RBI, 122 wRC+, and 2.2 WAR. WAB’s home run king now had 1056 dingers, moving to 4^th all-time on the world leaderboard behind only Majed Darwish (1271), Harvey Coyle (1092), and Nordine Soule (1073).

Ashraf was now #9 on the world RBI list at 2469 and in striking distance of being the 7^th to reach 2500. He was also at 2089 runs and 3169 hits, the former ranking 24^th in world history and 6^th in WAB. On the bad side, Ashraf was also the all-time world leader in whiffs. He struck out 162 times in 2036 to get to 4166 strikeouts, passing Konrad Mazur’s former record of 4051. Despite the gaudy power totals, his Ks and being a career DH meant he had only 70.8 WAR to this point.

Youssoupha Diop continued to chase Ashraf for the RBI title, now sitting at 2416 after a 26 home run, 71 RBI, 1.0 WAR season for Dakar. He had spent his age 39 season with the Dukes after a 19-year run with Freetown. Diop became the 5^th WAB batter in the 3500 hit club, moving to #4 on the leaderboard at 3606. He was also #4 in runs (2195), #2 in homers (884), and tied for #4 in doubles (704).

Following 2036, Diop’s rankings on the world leaderboards had him 30^th in homers, 11^th in RBI, 16^th in doubles, 13^th in runs, and 37^th in hits. He also had 2953 strikeouts, the 36^th-most whiffs in world history. Both Diop and Ashraf planned to return for 2037. In other hitting milestones, Haji Mussa and Batch Kargbo were the 28^th and 29^th to 1500 RBI. Edward Mumini was the 44^th to 2500 hits. SS Prince Kofi won his 9^th consecutive Silver Slugger.

Guillaume Mbimbiangoye had 32 saves in a one-off in 2036 for Monrovia, although he had a lackluster 4.16 ERA. Still, this got him to 393 career saves, passing Christopher James’ 377 for the WAB career saves record. Youssuf Salou became the 28^th WAB pitcher to 3000 strikeouts.

FuzzyRussianHat · 10-08-2025, 09:20 PM

The Northern League had an odd distribution of wins as three of the four division champs had only 84 or 85 wins. Southeast Division champ Hangzhou was the exception at 96-66, their second division title in four years. Qingdao at 91-71 had the NL’s second-best record, but missed the playoffs with only division champs advancing. Last year’s division champ Shanghai was 85-77. The Hens were the NL’s top scoring team with 667 runs. The other divisions were decided by one win margins.

Shijiazhuang won their sixth consecutive East Central Division at 85-77 ahead of 84-78 Beijing and 80-82 Jinan. The Serpents’ 551 runs allowed was the NL best. Xi’an at 84-78 edged 83-79 Lanzhou for their second West Division title in three years. Defending NL champ Urumqi dropped to 72-90. In the Northeast, Dalian and Shenyang were even at 83-79 after 162 games. The Gold Dragons won the tiebreaker game to advance for their second division title in three years. Last year’s winner Changchun dropped to 72-90.

Dalian RF Bo Zhou won Northern League MVP unanimously in his fourth season as a starter. The 26-year old lefty led in runs (107), home runs (55), slugging (.640), OPS (1.022), and wRC+ (201). Zhou added 202 hits, 25 doubles, 120 RBI, .328 average, and 9.5 WAR. The Gold Dragons had drafted him 13^th in the 2029 CLB Draft.

Shijiazhuang’s Sihua Fan took Pitcher of the Year with 25 first place votes, while Xi’an’s Bangxao Huang had seven. Fan was in his seventh season and led in ERA (2.12) and WAR (7.3). The 27-year old lefty had 253 strikeouts in 250.1 innings, an 11-10 record, and 154 ERA+. The 11 wins were the fewest in CLB history by a starter that won POTY.

The Triple Round Robin was hypercompetitive with Hangzhou and Dalian advancing at 5-4 while Shijiazhuang and Xi’an were 4-5. The Gold Dragons earned their first semifinal trip since 2023, while the Hens had a shot at their second NL pennant in four years.

Dalian started the series with a 3-1 road win in 12 innings, but Hangzhou bounced back with three straight wins. The Hens had a three-run rally in game three to win 4-3 and won a 1-0 pitcher’s duel in game four. The Gold Dragons won their own pitcher’s duel 2-0 in game five, but Hangzhou took game six 4-2 to clinch the series 4-2. The Hens earned their fifth trip to the China Series (1979, 1989, 2013, 2033, 2036).

Guangzhou repeated as Southwest Division champ at 100-62 and had the top record in the Southern League and all of Chinese League Baseball. It didn’t come easy though with 96-66 Kunming giving chase. The Gamecocks have won six of the last seven division titles and allowed the fewest runs at 477. Macau at 96-66 rolled to a third Southeast Division crown in-a-row.

Defending CLB champ Nanchang repeated in the East Division at 89-73 and led in scoring with 702 runs. The Crickets were eight games ahead of Wenzhou in the East. Lastly in the Central, Wuhan and Chongqing tied at 83-79 while Chengdu was 82-80. The Wolverines beat the Cavaliers in the tiebreaker game to end an eight-year playoff drought. Changsha, who had won four straight division crowns, fell to 75-87.

Chongqing 1B Subahan Rozali won a competitive Southern League MVP race, getting 17 first place votes compared to nine for Hong Kong 2B Faxien Rao and six for Macau CF Haoxuan Li. Rozali was in his eighth year for the Cavaliers and led with 59 home runs, 140 RBI, 410 total bases, .660 slugging, and wRC+ (199). The 28-year old Malaysian lefty added 191 hits, 103 runs, 36 doubles, .308 average, and 9.3 WAR.

Pitcher of the Year was an intense battle with Macau’s Vihaan Gita getting with 16 first place votes and 168 points compared to Changsha’s Zhenying Chen at 13 first place votes and 147 points. Gita was in his third year starting and led with 389 strikeouts, which was the seventh-best single-season in CLB history. The 23-year old Indian had a 2.05 ERA, 18-8 record, 255 innings, 160 ERA+, and 8.2 WAR.

Chen meanwhile was the leader in ERA (1.86), WHIP (0.75), K/BB (13.7), FIP- (30), and WAR (11.0). He had a 14-4 record and 370 strikeouts over 213.1 innings. Chen had a 15.61 K/9, breaking the CLB record by a qualifying pitcher (162+ innings) previously held by Min-Yen Fu with 15.32 in 2015.

The top two records advanced out of the Triple Round Robin with Guangzhou at 6-3 and Macau at 5-4, while Nanchang was 4-5 and Wuhan 3-6. The Gamecocks made it to the Southern League Championship Series for the fifth time in seven years, while the Magicians earned back-to-back trips.

Guangzhou started the series with three straight wins in one-run games. Game two was a 3-2 win in 11 innings with game three seeing 12 innings and a 4-3 final. Macau avoided the sweep winning game four 8-2, but the Gamecocks took game five 4-0 for the 4-1 series win. Guangzhou earned a ninth finals trip (1971, 74, 87, 99, 2000, 12, 23, 32, 36); which is tied for the most along with Beijing and Hong Kong.

In the 67^th China Series, Guangzhou rolled in game one 11-1, followed by a 1-0 walkoff win in game two. Hangzhou got a 3-2 win in game three, but the Gamecocks matched in game 3-2 after 11 innings. Guangzhou then won game five 6-4 on the road to clinch the series in five, becoming three-time Chinese champs (1971, 2000, 2036).

Finals MVP was seventh-year RF Yan Bashi, who went 8-20 with 3 RBI. For the postseason, Bashi had 22 hits, 10 runs, 7 extra base hits, and 10 RBI in 19 games. Gamecocks pitcher Bucky Hein tied the playoff record for wins with five, going 5-1 in 37.2 innings with a 1.43 ERA. Hangzhou’s Chuan Lin set a bad playoff record with five losses, going 0-5 in six starts with a 3.56 ERA in 30.1 innings.

Other notes: CLB’s 57^th perfect game came on August 24 by Shangahi’s Shibo Huang with 5 strikeouts against Hangzhou. Two players broke the previous CLB single-season record for doubles of 47 by Weihao Lu in 2012. Macau’s Yongxin Li set the new high mark of 52 while Hangzhou’s Di Zhou had 48. Hong Kong’s Faxien Rao had 230 hits, the 3^rd-best in CLB history begind Aniwa Xirzat’s 235 in 2035 and Li’s 231 from 2035.

Syamsul Azzahari and Simon Chang became the 5^th and 6^th members of the 500 home run club. Azzahari got to 542, 3^rd behind Tao Cai (595) and Cheng Kang (552). Zhongting Zhang was the 23^rd to 2000 hits, the 24^th to 1000 runs, and the 20^th to 400 homers.

SS Weiman Hiang won his 10^th Gold Glove and 1B Boren Zhong won his 8^th consecutive. Hiang was only the 5^th CLB player with 10+ Gold Gloves at any position. In team stats, Xiamen’s 215 homers and Nanchang’s 112 triples both were the 3^rd-best in Southern League history. Shenzhen’s 4.02 team ERA and 722 runs were the 2^nd-worst in SL history while their 651 earned runs were 3^rd-worst.

FuzzyRussianHat · 10-09-2025, 09:46 AM

Zamboanga and Cebu had an intense battle for the Philippine League title, the top seed in the Taiwan-Philippine Association, and the best record in all of Austronesia Professional Baseball. The Zebras won their final two games while the Crows lost theirs, allowing Zamboanga to finish first at 107-55 with Cebu at 106-56. Zamboanga repeated as PL champ and allowed the TPA’s fewest runs at 453. The Zebras also set a new APB single-season attendance record with 2,388,142 tickets solid.

For the Crows, they earned their tenth playoff berth in 12 years. They scored 723 runs, the second-highest in APB history behind Hsinchu’s 725 from 2033. Cebu also had a team .446 slugging percentage, a new APB best. Batangas had back-to-back 91-71 seasons, but had the misfortune of being in the stacked PL. Quezon fell to 81-81, ending their four-year playoff streak.

Three-time defending TPA champ Tainan earned a sixth straight playoff berth and their fifth Taiwan League title of that run with a 90-72 finish. Taipei narrowly repeated as the second place team at 83-79, fending off Kaohsiung (82-80) and Taichung (81-81). The Toucans ended on a six-game winning streak, but couldn’t make up enough ground.

Cebu’s Jackson Costa won Taiwan-Philippine Association MVP with 23 first place votes, while Tainan SS Douglas Diwa had five. Costa had spent five years with Depok before getting traded to the Crows for 2035. The 29-year old Indonesian 1B led in runs (108), RBI (124), total bases (352), slugging (.601), OPS (.961), and wRC+ (195). Costa had 177 hits, 29 doubles, 48 homers, .302 average, and 8.3 WAR.

Tainan’s Yu-Lin Hsu won his third consecutive Pitcher of the Year, although it was an incredibly close race. He had 11 first place votes and 138 points, edging out Manila’s Dan Aponte (10, 130) and his Titans teammate Kuan-Yang Kang (4, 80). The Manatees’ Stanley Hwang and Zamboanga’s Apichart Arjvirai also got first place votes.

Hsu led in shutouts (6) and had an 18-12 record, 2.32 ERA, 252 innings, 313 strikeouts, 143 ERA+, and 5.8 WAR. The 32-year old Taiwanese lefty notably tossed his first no-hitter on September 2 with 14 Ks and 1 walk facing Taichung. Unfortunately for Hsu, his season ended two weeks later with a ruptured finger tendon in his pitching hand.

The divisional round saw a stunning 3-2 upset by Taipei over Zamboanga, rallying from the one-game handicap and losing game one. Cebu had to go on the road to outlast Tainan 3-2, taking the finale 2-1. The Crows earned their seventh trip to the Taiwan-Philippine Association Championship since 2025, while the Tigercats got their third trip in seven years.

Cebu took the first two games 3-2 and 7-0. Taipei got home wins 6-5 in game three and 4-0 in game five, but the Crows got game four 4-2. Cebu grabbed game six 5-1 to clinch the series for their sixth pennant in 12 years. The Crows now have 11 pennants (1980, 90, 91, 92, 2012, 25, 26, 27, 28, 31, 36). This leads TPA teams and is second among all APB teams behind Jakarta’s 12.

For the fourth straight year, Semarang and Bandung battled for the Java Sea League crown. The Sliders finally ended the Blackhawks’ four-year hold on first place at 95-67, one game ahead of 94-68 Bandung. Semarang finished the season on a seven-game winning streak and earned the top seed in the Sundaland Association. Palembang was a respectable third at 86-76. The Blackhawks led the SA with 573 runs scored.

Six of the seven Malacca League teams had a shot at first place, finishing separated by only seven wins. Reigning APB champ and two-time defending SA champ Kuala Lumpur got first at 87-75 for their fifth playoff trip in six years. The Leopards allowed TPA’s fewest runs at 416 and set single-season records for fewest walks allowed (188) and best BB/9 (1.13).

Johor Bahru (85-77) ended up taking the #2 spot ahead of Batam (83-79), Singapore (83-79), Medan (81-81), and Pekanbaru (80-82). The Blue Wings ended a seven-year playoff drought, while the Marlins missed for only the second time in that same stretch. The Blue Raiders as a team had 102 triples, the second-best in SA history.

In his third season for Johor Bahru, 2B Yusuf Tarif earned Sundaland Association MVP. Six players earned a first place vote, but Tarif had more than half with 16. The 24-year old Indonesian righty led in hits (201), doubles (36), and WAR (7.5). Tarif had 89 runs, 16 triples, 9 homers, 55 RBI, 33 steals, .327/.348/.481 slash, and 157 wRC+. The Blue Wings had drafted Tarif #8 overall in 2033.

Semarang’s Yuchi Jiang won Pitcher of the Year with 17 first place votes, beating out KL’s Thipanraj Shahdan (6) and Medan’s Pao-Huang Lin (4). In his tenth season starting for the Sliders, Jiang had a 17-9 record, 1.67 ERA, 175 ERA+, 252.2 innings, 286 strikeouts, 5 shutouts, and 6.1 WAR. Back in January 2034, Semarang gave the 31-year old Chinese lefty a mammoth seven-year, $322 million deal. Jiang is currently APB’s highest-paid player with the fourth-largest annual salary in the world.

Kuala Lumpur rolled to a 3-0 sweep of Bandung in the divisional round, while Johor Bahru upset top-seed Semarang 3-1. The Blue Wings took game one 4-3 and game two 3-2 after 14 innings. JB earned their first trip to the Sundaland Association Championship since their 2028 pennant, while KL was shooting for a three-peat. It was the first time that the finale featured two Malaysian teams.

The Leopards started with 4-2 and 4-0 home wins, then the Blue Wings got the next two by 2-1 and 3-2 margins. Kuala Lumpur won game five 7-2 on the road to reclaim the advantage, but Johor Bahru forced game seven with a dramatic 14-inning, 3-2 win in game six.

Game seven also had plenty of drama and was tied 4-4 after regulation. Erick Tabuni’s leadoff double led to a Blue Wings run in the top of the tenth en route to a 5-4 upset victory, denying the Leopards’ three-peat hopes. Johor Bahru won their fifth Sundaland Association title (2017, 18, 26, 28, 36).

The 72^nd Austronesia Championship renewed a recent finals rivalry, as Cebu had beaten Johor Bahru in both 2026 and 2028. The Blue Wings started with a 6-5 road win, followed by a 6-3 Crows win in game two. JB won 5-1 and 3-1 on their home field, but Cebu claimed game five 8-2 to force the series back to the Philippines. That didn’t save them as Johor Bahru won game six 8-4 to secure the big upset and avenge the losses from the prior decade. This was the Blue Wings’ second title, joining the 2017 triumph.

Association MVP Yusuf Tarif was also series MVP, going 11-25 with 4 runs and 4 RBI. He set APB playoff records for at-bats (70), hits (27), and singles (23). Cebu veteran Roland Arias also had a historic run, setting APB playoff records for homers (8) and total bases (43). A few bad playoff records were also set. Cebu’s Philip Guevara had the new worst for strikeouts with 34. His teammate Chia-Jen Han had the new high mark for hits allowed (40). Johor Bahru’s Faiz Arif had a new worst with nine home runs allowed.

Other notes: For the first time since his first full season in 2019, “The King” Binh Tang wasn’t an MVP finalist. The 36-year old Vietnamese infielder had a down year by his standards, although he still had an excellent 8.3 WAR with 29 homers, .836 OPS, and 153 wRC+.

Tang won his 16^th Silver Slugger and 5^th consecutive at second base. He also has three as a DH and eight at 1B. Tang is only the 5^th player in all of world history with 16+ Silver Sluggers, joining OBA/MLB legend Jimmy Caliw (the lone with 17), CABA/MLB legend Prometheo Garcia, CABA’s Emmanuel Zavala, and BSA’s Cicero Lugo.

He became the outright APB leader for career doubles with 550, adding to his records for runs (1820), total bases (6193), RBI (1836), and WAR (182.7). Tang climbed to #9 in WAR among all players ever in baseball history, becoming the 11^th to have 180+ in his career. Tang is now at 735 home runs, within striking distance of Wil Tabaldo’s 766 dingers for the APB record. Tang is also second in hits at 3324, but would likely need two good years still to pass Junior Sanchez’s 3564.

In 2036, his Sweathogs had 278 team doubles, setting a single-season APB record. Hsinchu struggled to 74-88 though with an all-time awful pitching staff. The Sweathogs allowed 722 runs and 665 earned runs, both all-time worsts for the extremely low scoring APB. Their 4.05 team ERA was second-worst behind their own 4.06 the prior year.

APB’s 2036 made world history with four perfect games in one season, bringing the total to 65 in league history. Kuala Lumpur’s John Gonzalez was first on April 11 with 14 Ks facing Singapore. On August 28, Pekanbaru’s Markandan Sofian did it with 13 Ks against eventual champ Johor Bahru. Three days later, it was Medan’s Pao-Huang Lin, also striking out 13 facing the Sharks. It was Lin’s second-career no-hitter.

The fourth perfect game came on October 1 by Kuala Lumpur’s Thipanraj Shahdan in the 1-0 divisional series clincher over Bandung. The only previous playoff perfect games in any world league were in MLB by Ned Giles in 1938 and Jesse Riley in 2015, plus ALB’s Ahmed bin Nu’aim in 2033. Each example was in an earlier round; there still hasn’t been a perfect game in an LCS or championship. It was Shahdan’s second no-hitter, having also done it in 2033.

In other pitching notables, Shih-Hao Chuang was the 24^th to reach 4000 career strikeouts and Kuan-Yang Kang was the 31^st to 200 wins. SP Zulfadhmi Suhaimi won his 10^th Gold Glove, becoming only the 4^th pitcher in world history with 10+ GGs. Only Kang and MLB’s Theron Summers and Wayne Mitz had done it previously. Suhaimi was also only the 7^th APB player at any position to win 10+ GGs. RF Jeremiah Lang won his 9^th consecutive Gold Glove.

In batting milestones, James Yuwono became the 5^th member of the 600 home run club and Wei-Yin Wang became the 4^th to 3000 hits. Chia-Jung Su and Chin-Tsai Lan were the 14^th and 15^th to 500 homers. Lan and Kai Yu were the 37^th and 38^th to score 100 runs. Shen Chang was the 48^th to 1000 RBI. LF Roland Arias won his 9^th Silver Slugger and C Isaac De Leon won his 7^th.

FuzzyRussianHat · 10-09-2025, 10:20 PM

Defending Oceania Baseball Association champ Hobart made it three straight Australasia League titles, setting a new franchise best at 100-62. The Tasmaniacs had a five game lead at the start of July and never surrendered the top spot, but Gold Coast (97-65) and Melbourne (96-66) both chased them closely. Christchurch was fourth at 91-71, their fourth straight 90+ win season without a pennant. Hobart led the AL with 741 runs while the Kangaroos allowed the fewest at 545.

The Tasmaniacs swept the top awards, led by 2B Chaz Callihan as the unanimous Australasia League MVP. He had won the honor in 2033, but had missed big chunks of the next two years between shoulder inflammation in 2034 and a torn PCL in 2035. Still, Hobart signed Callihan in January 2036 to an eight-year, $168,600,000 extension.

The 27-year old Australian lefty was healthy for 2036 and led in runs (107), home runs (50), RBI (134), total bases (384), slugging (.663), OPS (1.030), wRC+ (195), and WAR (9.0). Callihan added 186 hits, 24 doubles, 12 triples, and a .321 average. He also hit for the cycle on July 11 against Gold Coast. Hobart had taken Callihan third overall in the 2027 OBA Draft.

Nigel Pitt won Pitcher of the Year with 17/20 first place votes. The 26-year old Cook Islander was in his fourth season with Hobart and second as a full-time starter. Pitt led in wins (21-13) and had a 2.98 ERA, 313.2 innings, 262 strikeouts, 119 ERA+, and 6.4 WAR.

The Pacific League came down to the wire with five teams within three games of first place entering September. Entering the final week, Guadalcanal, Fiji, and Vanuatu were each tied for first at 91-65. The Green Jackets narrowly had the best finish at 95-67, outlasting the Wizards (94-68), Freedom (94-69), and Tahiti (93-69). Defending PL champ Samoa was tied for first, but a weak finish dropped them to fifth at 89-73.

Guadalcanal earned their third pennant in six years and their 11^th overall (1961, 64, 66, 68, 77, 2010, 12, 13, 31, 32, 36). They had the best run differential in the PL at +115 and scored the most at 726 runs. The Tropics allowed the fewest runs with 523.

Tahiti swept the Pacific League’s top awards, including a fourth MVP and third straight for LF Jun Lopez-Torres. He became the tenth in OBA history to win 4+ MVPs and had the first hitting Triple Crown since Roe Kaupa in 2014. It was only the tenth hitting Triple Crown in OBA, but Lopez-Torres still wasn’t an MVP lock. He got 13 first place votes and 245 points while Guadalcanal’s Servando Perez had 7 and 215.

In his second year with the Tropics, Lopez-Torres led in homers (50), RBI (122), total bases (397), average (.338), slugging (.684), OPS (1.070), wRC+ (195), and WAR (9.5). The 31-year old Australian also had 196 hits, 95 runs, 23 doubles, 14 triples, and 55 stolen bases. Lopez-Torres and Kaupa are the only players to win MVP with three different teams. He now has two with Tahiti, plus 2034 for Guam and 2030 with Melbourne.

Dirk Murray was the unanimous Pitcher of the Year, giving him three in four years. The 33-year old Canadian was in his first season for Tahiti, signing in 2032 after spending his first seven seasons with MLB’s Sacramento. Murray led in wins (23-8), ERA (2.03), innings (340.2), quality starts (33), complete games (18), shutouts (6), FIP- (77), and WAR (8.6). His 368 strikeouts ranked third, his first time not leading since joining the Tropics.

Hobart opened the 77^th Oceania Championship with a 6-3 home win over Guadalcanal. It was all Green Jackets after that with 5-3, 12-4, 6-3, and 8-1 finals; taking the series in five. Guadalcanal became six-time OBA champs (1961, 1966, 1968, 2012, 2032, 2036). 3B Peter Gosden was series MVP in his second year with the squad, going 10-20 with 7 runs, 2 doubles, 2 homers, and 8 RBI. The 37-year old Australian had spent his first 12 seasons with Adelaide.

Other notes: Hobart’s Jody Riley had OBA’s 9^th four-home run game on July 3 against Perth. The Penguins’ Gael Bradley had a 34-game hitting streak that carried over from the prior season. This fell one short of the OBA record set by Jordy Vincent in 2029.

In milestones, Darren Soo and Alec Teika were the 36^th and 37^th pitchers to 200 wins. Soo also was the 52^nd to 3000 strikeouts. Henry Lui was the 56^th to 400 homers. 1B David Odom won his 13^th Gold Glove, becoming the 4^th with 13+ GGs in OBA. He is one of 30 players across baseball history with 13+ Gold Gloves and one of seven first basemen. SS Mathew Bellamy won his 9^th Silver Slugger.

FuzzyRussianHat · 10-10-2025, 08:28 AM

The European League’s division champs both finished 102-60 with Krasnodar in the South and St. Petersburg in the North. The Steamers got the #1 seed by tiebreaker as they ended their four-year playoff drought. The Polar Bears got back-to-back berths, but this was their first division title since 2027. St. Petersburg led all of Eurasian Professional Baseball with 749 runs, while Krasnodar allowed the fewest in the EL at 559.

The South wasn’t a guarantee for the Steamers, as they had to fend off 97-65 Voronezh. The Zephyrs grew their playoff streak to five seasons. It was a huge gap down to the second wild card, which went to reigning EPB champ and two-time defending EL champ Moscow. Their 84-78 was a far cry from the 110 wins in 2035, but they snuck in ahead of Volgograd (83-79), Minsk (81-81) and Kazan (80-82). The Mules grew their playoff streak to eight seasons.

Krasnodar swept the top awards with Anar Arzhanov taking European League MVP unanimously. It was the second MVP for Arzhanov, who also won back in 2029. The 32-year old Uzbek scored 127 runs, setting a new EPB single-season record. This was one better than Jov Sakharov’s 126 which had held as the record since 2006.

Arzhanov also led in RBI (124), total bases (393), slugging (.672), OPS (1.059), wRC+ (195), and WAR (9.4). He added 185 hits, 57 homers, 23 doubles, 52 stolen bases, and .316 average. Arzhanov was the #1 overall pick in the 2026 EPB Draft for Krasnodar and since then has four Silver Sluggers, 359 homers, and 53.4 WAR.

Maksim Astratenko had joined the Steamers for 2036 in an offseason trade from Nur-Sultan. He made an impressive Krasnodar debut as Pitcher of the Year with the 16^th pitching Triple Crown in EPB history. It was the first Triple Crown since Ivan Nikolin in 2024. The 27-year old Belarusian righty had a 22-6 record, 2.04 ERA, and 335 strikeouts and also led in quality starts (27), and WAR (9.1). Astratenko tossed 260.1 innings with a 174 ERA+.

Despite the wins difference, defending champ Moscow put up a fierce fight in the first round. They won games three and four to force a decisive game five, but Krasnodar survived 4-3 to dethrone the Mules. The Steamers got their fourth trip in franchise history to the European League Championship Series, having lost in 2031 and won in 2017-18.

The other side of the bracket had Voronezh upset St. Petersburg 3-1, giving the Zephyrs their fourth ELCS berth in five years. The Steamers had home field and were the favorite, but Voronezh had beaten them 12-6 in the regular season series. Krasnodar opened with a 3-2 home win, but Voronezh snagged a 7-5 road win, then won 4-2 as the series shifted.

The Steamers evened it 6-1 in game four, but the Zephyrs reclaimed the edge 3-2 in game five. Krasnodar rallied with 8-2 and 5-2 home wins to take the series in seven games for their third pennant (2017, 18, 36). In game seven, the Steamers had two home runs in a four-run bottom of the eighth inning to go ahead.

Defending Asian League champ Novosibirsk went 7-3 in their last ten games, allowing them to pass Irkutsk (3-7 in their last 10) and Yekaterinburg (2-8) for the top seed. The Nitros won the East Division at 99-63 to grow their playoff streak to eight seasons. The Ice Cats were second in the East at 97-65 for their fourth straight playoff trip. The Yaks easily won back-to-back West Division crowns at 96-66.

For the second wild card, Ulaanbaatar (89-73) earned a fourth playoff berth in-a-row by holding off Nur-Sultan (87-75) and Chelyabinsk (85-77). For the Cadets, it was notably their first winning season since 2026. Novosibirsk led the AL with 713 runs, while Irkutsk allowed the fewest in EPB at 500. The Ice Cats also had the best run differential in EPB at +169.

Repeating as Asian League MVP was Yekaterinburg 1B Andrey Golovin. The 27-year old Kazakh lefty won unanimously and led in runs (109), hits (210), total bases (369), average (.361), OBP (.429), OPS (1.064), wRC+ (206), and WAR (10.4). Golovin added 30 doubles, 41 home runs, and 101 RBI. He was the #1 draft pick in 2031 and had already won four Silver Sluggers in five seasons.

A competitive Pitcher of the Year race went to Irkutsk’s Vardan Aslan with 15 first place votes and 141 points, beating the Yaks’ Javaid Kamran with 8 and 113. Aslan repeated in his third year with the Ice Cats and became a four-time winner, having won in 2028 and 2030 with Nur-Sultan. He’s the eighth in EPB history to win 4+ POTYs.

Aslan led in wins (21-10), innings (272.1), and complete games (22). The 32-yeaer old Uzbek righty had a 2.48 ERA, 245 strikeouts, 144 ERA+, and 5.2 WAR. Meanwhile Kamran in his third season for Yekaterinburg was the ERA champ at 2.33 and had a 20-7 record, 277 Ks, and 7.0 WAR. He was only one win and six strikeouts from a Triple Crown, but Aslan’s notoriety and reputation won the day.

Both first round series needed all five games. Ulaanbaatar won game one 7-6 in 10 innings at top seed Novosibirsk. The Nitros responded with 3-2 and 4-1 wins, but the Boars took game four 3-1 and completed the upset in a 1-0 game five pitching duel. Ulaanbaatar earned a third consecutive trip to the Asian League Championship Series as they looked to end an 18-year pennant drought.

Yekaterinburg and Irkutsk traded games with both earning wins in 11-inning affairs; 1-0 for the Ice Cats in game two and 8-7 for the Yaks in game three. The decisive fifth game saw a 2-1 Yekaterinburg win, earning their first ALCS appearance since 2027. The Yaks’ last pennant had been the prior year in 2026.

After the thrilling first round battles, the Asian League Championship Series was mostly unremarkable with Yekaterinburg sweeping Ulaanbaatar with 3-1, 4-3, 6-0, and 3-1 wins. The Boars nearly took game two, but the Yaks escaped in a 13-inning war. Yekaterinburg leads all AL teams with 14 pennants (1955, 68, 70, 89, 2000, 03, 04, 06, 07, 08, 12, 24, 26, 36).

The 82^nd EPB Championship had an exciting extra-innings start. Yekaterinburg scored in the top of the tenth to go up 2-1, but a two-out two RBI walkoff double by Vadim Volkov won it for Krasnodar. In game two, the Steamers scored in the ninth to force extras at 6-6, then won it in the tenth on a solo walkoff homer by Yacub Hristov; his third homer of the game.

Krasnodar narrowly prevented a walkoff in game three with a 3-2 road win. They couldn’t avoid it in game four as the Yaks’ Anh Trong had a two-run walkoff bomb, giving Yekaterinburg a 4-2 win. The Yaks forced the series back to Krasnodar with a 2-1 win in game five. The Steamers locked it up 5-2 in game six to claim their second EPB title (2017, 2036). The 29-year old Hristov was finals MVP with a five homer series, going 8-23 with 7 RBI.

League MVP Anar Arzhanov was ELCS MVP and had an all-time playoff run, setting EPB postseason records for homers (14), RBI (26), total bases (67), and runs (18). He had 23 hits, 1.234 OPS, and 1.6 WAR, but also 27 strikeouts. The 14 homers tied the world record in any league’s postseason; only CLB’s Binhui Wen had done it previously in 2031.

Other notes: In addition to his big finals effort, Yacub Hristov had a four home run game on May 31 against Voronezh. It was the 13^th such game in EPB and Hristov became the first to do it twice, having also done it back in 2031. Hristov is one of six in all of baseball history with multiple four homer games.

Krasnodar’s Aleksey Andreev set a single season record with 173 singles. His 232 hits ranked as the 4^th-best in EPB history. For the first time since 2000-01, no players hit for the cycle all season. 3B Olzhas Vorsul won his 7^th consecutive Gold Glove.

Dmitri Khodakovsky became the 12^th member of the 600 home run club, the 13^th to 1500 RBI, and the 37^th to 2500 hits. Khodakovsky also won his 9^th Silver Slugger and 2^nd as a DH. Three others reached 2500 hits later in the year; Vladislav Illarianov, Termirlan Jalilov, and Seriozhenka Gusarov. Timofei Kolarov was the 29^th to 500 homers and Yuri Demyan the 84^th to 400 homers. Kolarov won his 7^th Silver Slugger with five at 2B and his first two at SS.

FuzzyRussianHat · 10-10-2025, 09:04 PM

The race for the Northern Conference’s top seed was generally also the race for the West Division title. Three teams finished within three wins of first place and two others were within eight games. East Division champ Warsaw also was right in the mix, but fell one short of the #1 seed at 100-62. The Wildcats still won the division by 12 games for their third straight division crown and fourth consecutive division title.

Defending conference champ Dublin narrowly repeated as West champ at 101-61, earning their fourth straight playoff berth and third division title. Antwerp was two back at 99-63 and Hamburg was three back at 98-64, ending the season with a nine-game winning streak. Both the Airedales and Hammers earned repeat wild cards.

Cardiff (95-67) and Edinburgh (93-69) were next to take the remaining wild cards. The Enforcers got their third berth in four years and the Crew grabbed their third straight and fourth in five years. Cardiff actually had the NC’s best run differential of +158. The next closest in the wild card hunt was the East Division runner-up Helsinki at 88-74, who led the conference with 758 runs. Warsaw had the fewest allowed in the entire European Baseball Federation at 526.

The worst record was Brno at 59-103 at the bottom of the East, finishing seven behind Wroclaw. The Bandits had gotten relegated to the European Second League for 2035, but was promoted right back up to the EBF Elite Tier for 2036. Unfortunately, the roller-coaster continued with another drop. Meanwhile, London was last in the West at 65-97 with their closest foe 70-92 Reykjavik. The Monarchs had been back in the top tier since 2022, but never made the playoffs in their return.

After the season, Krakow would be switched from the Southern Conference to the Northern Conference for geographic balance. For whatever reason, officials decided to include the Canines for the NC’s awards voting despite them playing 2036 in the SC. That allowed Krakow CF Leonid Spasskyi to earn MVP honors with 22 first place votes and 548 points. Antwerp 1B Bohuslav Vlasko had 17 first place votes and 467 points while Amsterdam’s Mihaly Geza had 5 and 426.

Spasskyi was in his seventh season with Krakow and posted 214 hits, 116 runs, 39 home runs, 104 RBI, 19 doubles, 13 triples, .368/.412/.647 slash, 200 wRC+, and 9.8 WAR. The 29-year old Ukrainian lefty was picked fifth in the 2028 EBF Draft by the Canines. After the 2033 season, Spasskyi signed an eight-year, $190,300,000 extension with Krakow.

Pitcher of the Year was Berlin’s Luis Garza with 30 first place votes. Hamburg’s Bastian Auerswald had nine, Wroclaw’s Marc Boulay had seven, and Warsaw’s Marco Roman had six. Garza started his career in MLB with little luck, then came to Europe in 2030 with Cologne. He was traded that winter to Berlin and has emerged as an ace for the Barons since.

The 34-year old Cuban lefty really broke through in 2036 with the ERA title at 2.13, as well as the conference best for WHIP (0.87), FIP- (62), and WAR (7.9). Garza had a 14-5 record, 232.1 innings, 226 strikeouts, and 176 ERA+. Berlin signed him to a five-year, $111 million extension after the 2034 season.

In the first round of the playoffs, Hamburg edged Cardiff 2-1 and Antwerp swept Edinburgh 2-0. The Hammers got back-to-back shutouts to defeat the Crew, then opened round two with a 3-0 shutout of Dublin. The Dinos took the next three to take the series 3-1, winning game four 4-3 in 11 innings.

Dublin earned its third trip in four years to the Northern Conference Championship. Warsaw made it three straight berths as they swept Antwerp 3-0 on the other side. It was the first conference finals rematch since Dublin’s early 2020s dynasty which had repeats facing both Hamburg and Rotterdam. Just like the prior year, the series needed all seven games.

Dublin opened with a 4-3 walkoff win in game one on a Serhiy Mamsurov RBI double. Warsaw earned a 7-3 road win to even it up, but the Dinos matched with a 2-0 game three win in Poland. Game four was a 14 inning showdown concluding with a 6-5 walkoff win for Warsaw. They had scored two in the bottom of the ninth to keep that game alive. The Wildcats then claimed game five 7-4 for the 3-2 advantage as it shifted back to Ireland.

Tied 2-2 in the ninth, Dublin’s Sal Kirwan smacked a two-run walkoff homer to force a decisive game seven. The Dinos got 11 hits in the finale, but were unable to score all game. Warsaw managed an RBI single from OF Yuriy Sapay in the fourth, which was enough for a 1-0 road victory. The Wildcats avenged the prior year’s defeat and earned their second pennant in three years. It was their third in EBF and seventh pennant overall counting their Eurasian Professional Baseball days (1960, 93, 94, 95 in EPB: 2003, 34, 36 in EBF).

Madrid had an impressive turnaround from only 76 wins the prior year. The Conquistadors ended a 16-year playoff drought at 105-57, taking the West Division and the top seed in the Southern Conference. Madrid allowed the conference’s fewest runs at 565, while Budapest scored the most in all of EBF at 823. The 101-61 Bombers earned a fourth straight playoff berth by winning the East Division, their first division title since 2014. Budapest smacked 279 homers as a team, the second-highest in conference history.

All four wild cards came from the West with Zurich the strongest at 97-65. It was a third straight wild card for the Mountaineers, whose pitching staff set conference bests for walks allowed (228) and BB/9 (1.37). The next six best teams were separated by only four wins. Malta (92-70), Zaragoza (91-71) and Seville (90-72) advanced while defending EBF champ Krakow (89-73), Tirana (89-73), and Belgrade (88-74) missed.

It was a huge triumph for the Marvels, who had just gotten promoted as E2L champ in 2035. Malta had been the only charter EBF franchise from 1950 that had never once made it into the playoffs until now; an 87-year wait for the small island nation. The Gold Hawks got back-to-back wild cards, while the Stingrays ended a decade-long drought.

Lyon was relegated from the West at 66-96, eight games from their nearest foe. It was an abrupt collapse for the Lords, who had been European Champion as recently as 2033. They were a playoff team in 2034 and just missed at 87 wins in 2035. Bucharest at 67-95 was demoted in a crowded East, only two behind Tbilisi, three behind Odesa, and four behind Zagreb and Athens. The Broncos were relegated back to E2L after only a three year stint. Things had seemingly been looking up for Bucharest after a 90-72 mark in 2035, but alas.

Leading Malta to their first-ever playoff berth was Southern Conference MVP Balazs Balog, who had 44 first place votes. The Marvels had gotten him in a prospect swap in November 2030 from Cluj-Napoca. In his second-year as a full-time starter, the 23-year old Hungarian 2B led in WAR at 9.9. Balog had 203 hits, 113 runs, 35 doubles, 15 triples, 44 home runs, 118 RBI, 1.026 OPS, and 189 wRC+.

Budapest’s Daan Rossum got seven first place votes, but was fifth in MVP voting despite becoming EBF’s new single-season home run king. The 31-year old Dutch LF smacked 78 dingers, passing Peter Brinkmann’s record 76 that had held since 1999. Rossum’s season ranked as the 12^th-best in all of world history.

He also led the conference in runs (123), RBI (153), and total bases (418); which was one of only 20 seasons of 150+ RBI. Hurting Rossum was a conference-worst 235 strikeouts with a 37.5% strikeout rate and .273 average. This was the 8^th-most Ks in a season by an EBF batter. Exactly 50% of his plate appearances ended in a homer or strikeout and he had only 32 walks.

Vienna was mid-grade at 82-80, but they had the Pitcher of the Year Achim Vetter with 33 first place votes. Five others got a first place vote with Madrid’s Alexander Schafer at 7 and Zurich’s Danila Filinov at 6. Vetter was in his seventh year for the Vultures and led in WAR (8.4) and FIP- (56). The 29-year old German righty had a 2.43 ERA, 17-6 record, 237 innings, 287 Ks, and 155 ERA+. Vetter also had his first EBF no-hitter on May 24 with 13 strikeouts against Chisinau, only missing a perfect game because of two errors.

Zaragoza edged Malta 2-1 in the first round, posting a three-run ninth inning rally to take game three 5-4. Seville swept Zurich on the other side, then shocked top seed Madrid in round two. The Conquistadors won the first two games, but the Stingrays had an improbable rally. Seville survived game three 5-4 in 12 innings and game four 5-3 in ten innings, followed by a 3-1 win in the finale. The Stingrays had only twice made it to the Southern Conference Championship, most recently with their lone pennant way back in 1977.

Budapest bested Zaragoza 3-1 on the other side for their second conference finals in three years. The Bombers had never won a pennant in EBF or in their prior EPB stint. Budapest opened the series with a 6-5 walkoff win, rallying from down 5-4. They had a 4-run eighth inning to claim game two 6-3. Seville won game three back in Spain 5-4, but the Bombers earned a 7-3 road win for game four.

The Stingrays weren’t prepared to surrender, taking a 1-0 pitcher’s duel in game five and a road win in Hungary 7-4 in game six. The Bombers lived up to their name, as three solo homers helped them secure their first pennant with a 4-1 victory in game seven. Budapest became the 43^rd different franchise to appear in the European Championship over its 87-year history.

The 2036 final was the second time that two former EPB teams played for the EBF title, joining the 2008 Kyiv-Bucharest battle. Budapest opened with a 3-2 home win, followed by a 7-6 Warsaw victory in game two. The Wildcats then won three straight in Poland by 7-2, 6-3, and 9-7 to earn their second EBF title in three years. Warsaw had three overall titles, having also claimed the EPB title in 1994.

The game five clincher saw a five-run bottom of the eighth for Warsaw, forcing extras at 7-7. In the tenth inning, Marvin Schalkhauser ended the series on a two-run walkoff homer. Schalkhauser was series MVP, going 7-21 with two homers and 7 RBI. The 31-year old German had 19 hits, 14 runs, 6 doubles, 5 homers, and 12 RBI in the playoffs.

It was the third straight year that the European Champion was Polish with Warsaw’s two wins and Krakow’s in 2035. The only other times the same country had the champ three successive years were Rotterdam’s 2025-27 three-peat and the German wins between Hamburg and Munich from 2019-21.

Other notes: Amsterdam’s Arkadiy Medvedyev had a four home run game on April 22 against London; the 23^rd such game in EBF. For back-to-back years, Gleb Artsimovich hit for the cycle. Zurich’s Walter Meier also had his second cycle, having also done it in 2034. Kharkiv’s Michael Beier had a 36-game hitting streak that carried over from the prior fall, tied for the 8^th-longest streak in EBF history.

Attila Sebek and Kamil Bufka were the 51^st and 52^nd members of the 500 home run club. Eduard Yurkov was the 28^th to 1500 runs scored. Lukasz Heneski was the 65^th pitcher to 3000 strikeouts and Kai James was the 45^th to 200 wins. Dominic Voicu had 39 saves in 2036 for Dublin and became EBF’s new career saves leader. The 35-year old Romanian was the first to 400+, as his 407 passed Wilfried Bergmann’s old EBF record of 387. 1B Waldemar Riemers won his 9^th consecutive Gold Glove.

Promotion/Relegation: See below for the teams moving up-and-down in the European baseball pyramid after 2036’s results.

FuzzyRussianHat · 10-11-2025, 08:37 AM

The Bolivar League’s top two squads battled it out in the Venezuela Division. Ciudad Guayana surprised many by taking the top seed at 108-54 ahead of 103-59 Valencia. The Giants hadn’t posted a winning season since 2027, hadn’t been in the playoffs since 2023, and hadn’t won a division title since 1993. Ciudad Guayana set new Beisbol Sudamerica team records for batting average (.312) and hits (1788) and their .353 OBP was the second-best in BSA history. The Giants were also BSA’s top-scoring team with 901 runs.

The Velocity allowed the BL’s fewest runs at 600 for their third playoff trip and 100+ win season in four years. Defending Venezuelan champ Caracas collapsed to 64-98, their worst seasons since 1991. In the Colombia-Ecuador Division, Bucaramanga dominated at 98-64 for the first playoff berth by one of the six 2029 expansion teams. Quito, who had been the division champ the prior three years, fell off a cliff at 66-96. They hadn’t had a season that bad since 1986.

Four teams fought over the Peru-Bolivia Division and the second wild card slot. Trujillo went 8-0 in their last ten games to take first at 90-72, ending a 14-year postseason drought. Lima and defending Copa Sudamerica winner Arequipa tied for second at 89-73, while La Paz was at 85-77. In a rematch of last year’s BLCS, the Lobos defeated the Arrows in a tiebreaker game. Lima’s playoff streak grew to a decade and Arequipa’s ended at seven seasons.

Barquisimeto was a lousy 75-87, but they had the Bolivar League MVP in 3B Yoendry Quispe with 24 first place votes. Lima 2B Joseph Ramirez had 11 and Guayaquil’s Hugo Rosado had six. In his fifth season on roster and second as a full-time starter, Quispe led in home runs (63) and WAR (8.8). The 28-year old Venezuelan had 171 hits, 115 runs, 32 doubles, 134 RBI, 1.070 OPS, and 177 wRC+. Quispe had been a surprise breakout for the Black Cats, having been a third round draft pick in 2027.

For only the third time in BSA’s 100+ year history, Pitcher of the Year was also Reliever of the Year. Valencia’s Wilkin Casillas took the honor with 31 first place votes, while teammate Geraldo Ahumada was the top starter with 10 first place votes. Casillas had also been the Reliever of the Year two years prior, although his 2036 was something special. The 27-year old Venezuelan lefty had a 0.74 ERA over 70 games and 85 innings with 37 saves, a 16-3 record, 53 shutdowns, 169 strikeouts, 579 ERA+, and 6.6 WAR.

Lima took the first round matchup in a 2-1 road upset over divisional rival Trujillo, but promptly got swept by top seed Ciudad Guayana 3-0 in the divisional series. The Giants earned their first trip to the Bolivar League Championship Series since 2021.

Valencia and Bucaramanga traded wins on the other side of the bracket. In game five, the Velocity rallied from down 3-1 in the ninth to win 4-3, capped off by a two RBI walkoff double by Norbertino Caban. Valencia had a shot at their second pennant in four years. The last time two Venezuelan teams had battled in the BLCS, it was the Velocity defeating the Giants.

Game one was a 17-inning marathon, eventually won 4-3 on the road by Valencia with a go-ahead solo homer by Michael Delgado. Ciudad Guayana evened it up 4-2 in game two. The Velocity won their first home game 7-4, but the Giants secured a 4-3 win in ten innings to even the series at 2-2.

Game five also went extras as Ciudad Guayana took it 5-2 in 11, roaring ahead on a three-run Dario Casarez bomb. Game six was the fourth to need extra innings, ending in a 4-3 result to seal the series at home for the Giants. DH Rolando Salinas capped it off with a walkoff RBI single, giving Ciudad Guayana its fifth pennant (1984, 1989, 1992, 2017, 2036).

Salta set a franchise best as the Southern Cone’s top team at 108-54. It was their third straight playoff trip, but the first-ever South Central Division title for the Silver Hawks. It ended a seven-year division title streak for Santiago, but the 97-65 Saints still got a wild card and grew their BSA-record playoff streak to 17 seasons. Santiago has had 28 straight winning seasons and have only missed the playoffs once since 2015.

Rio de Janeiro ended a 12-year playoff drought, claiming the Southeast Division at 95-67. Sao Paulo, the LCS runner-up the last two years, finished 91-71 for the second wild card. The Padres also have a streak of winning seasons back to 2021 and have only missed the playoffs twice since 2024. Sao Paulo was the league’s top-scorer in 2036 with 775 runs. Last year’s division champ Porto Alegre dropped to 78-84. Defending Southern Cone champ Brasilia repeated in the North Division at 93-69, finishing six games ahead of Belem. The expansion Blue Crabs had their best season to date and allowed the fewest runs at 561.

Leading the charge for Salta was Southern Cone League MVP Sol Rubio. The 27-year old Argentine third baseman had 33 first place votes, while Sao Paulo RF Manual Dias had eight. Rubio led in runs (123), RBI (126) and WAR (9.3). He added 45 homers, 215 hits, 31 doubles, 13 triples, 48 steals, .345/.373/.652 slash, and a 177 wRC+. He was in his fourth season with the Silver Hawks, having been drafted 28^th in 2029.

Belem’s Onofre Cruz won Pitcher of the Year with 28 first place votes, while Salta’s Denilson Lugo had 14. In his fourth season, Cruz led in ERA (2.28), strikeouts (330), quality starts (26), and WAR (9.6). Run support cost him a Triple Crown with a 14-9 record over 257 innings. The 26-year old Brazilian righty had been the Blue Crabs’ selection with the #3 pick in the 2032 draft and already had 26.5 WAR and 1148 strikeouts over four seasons.

Defending champ Brasilia swept Sao Paulo in the first round and gave Salta a war in the divisional series. After trading wins, the Silver Hawks took game five 3-0 to earn their second trip to the Southern Cone Championship in three years. The other side also needed all five games with Santiago taking the finale 5-0 over Rio de Janeiro. The Saints have been in the LCS more than any other team with 32 trips, eight of which have happened during their current playoff streak.

Salta opened the series with 7-3 and 15-4 home wins. The series shifted to Chile and Santiago won all three of their home games with 7-1, 4-3, and 7-4 margins. Back in Argentina, the Silver Hawks took game six by a 7-6 score. Game seven was lopsided for hits (15-2), but not for final score. Despite their big hits advantage, the Saints only earned the road upset 4-3. Santiago became 11-time Southern Cone kings (1933, 34, 36, 61, 64, 66, 68, 71, 2020, 33, 36).

The 106^th Copa Sudamerica was the first finals sweep since 2007 as Ciudad Guayana clobbered Santiago, earning their third cup (1984, 2017, 2036). The series did have lots of drama anyway, starting with a 12-inning, 9-7 game one ending in a two-run walkoff homer by Brian Romero. The next day, Romero again was the hero with a RBI walkoff single in a 3-2 win. Game three went 11 innings for a 4-3 Giants road win. There have now been ten different Cup winners in as many years.

In game four, CG scored four in the top of the ninth inning to go ahead for a 10-7 win. CF Jonathan Gonzalez was 4-4 with 4 runs in the finale and was series MVP, going 9-16 with 1 homer, 3 RBI, and 7 runs. The 28-year old Venezuelan would suffer a torn UCL in the Baseball Grand Championship. Giants closer Marco Vera, the BLCS MVP, notably had a 6-0 record and three saves over his 10 appearances with a 1.00 ERA, 34 strikeouts, and 1.5 WAR in 27 innings. He set the BSA playoff record for wins.

Other notes: 2036 was the final season for five-time Pitcher of the Year Bartolo Flores, who had a 14-13 record, 4.07 ERA, 199 Ks, and 2.2 WAR with Belo Horizonte. He became the 6^th BSA ace to reach 300 career wins and the 4^th to 5500 strikeouts, finishing with a 312-161 record, 3.07 ERA, 4283.1 innings, 5601 Ks, and 110.1 WAR. On the all-time world leaderboard across all leagues, Flores ranks 31^st in wins and 15^th in strikeouts.

Santiago’s Otavio Furtado joined Flores in the 300 win club one month later, going 17-8 in his age 40 season with a 3.45 ERA, 209 Ks, and 5.0 WAR. Furtado is at 314-171 with 4837 Ks and 114.5 WAR and intends on returning. BSA’s wins mark is 347 by world strikeout king Mohamed Ramos and could be reachable if Furtado maintains a good pace. Through 2036, there are 46 aces in world history in the 300+ win club.

In hitting milestones, the 500 home run club grew to 72 members with the addition of Bryce Guerra, Juan Suarez, James Tavares, and Marc Melgar. Melgar, Saurez, and Matty de Sousa grew the 2500 hit club to 91. Melgar and de Sousa also both reached 1500 RBI, now met by 42 batters. 3B Dunier Dorame won his 7^th Gold Glove. C C.J. Rivera won his 7^th Silver Slugger.

FuzzyRussianHat · 10-11-2025, 07:24 PM

The two-time defending East Asian Baseball champ Hamamatsu had possibly the best regular season any team has ever had in baseball history. The Chickenhawks finished at 126-36, tying the world record for wins in any world league. SAB’s Ho Chi Minh City did it in 1993 and OBA’s Christchurch in 2016, although neither of those teams ended up winning it all in their leagues. The world record for wins by a champion was 124 by SAB’s Ahmedabad (1995) and Mandalay (2028).

The old EAB wins record was 122 by Hamhung in 1926, who was upset in the Korea League final. 1950 Sapporo had the Japan League record of 121 wins; they lost in the EAB Championship. Hamamatsu in 2036 had a +426 run differential, second in world history behind only 2009 Hanoi in SAB at +452. That Hounds team went 122-40 and had a stunning first round exit.

The Chickenhawks won their fourth straight Central Division and set JL single-season team records for triple slash (.297/.343/.485), runs (874), and hits (1661). They also had EAB’s fewest runs allowed with 448. Hamamatsu unsurprisingly overshadowed a very impressive 107-55 season by Capital Division champ Kawasaki. It was their fourth straight division title and 100+ win season, as well as their sixth consecutive playoff trip. The Killer Whales’ 3,033,298 season attendance was the second-best in JL history and third in EAB history.

The remaining playoff spots had a very complicated soup as five teams finished game #162 with a 94-68 record. Three of them were in the North Division with Sapporo, Niigata, and Sendai; along with the Central’s Kyoto and Capital’s Saitama.
To sort out the North, the Green Dragons first defeated the Samurai, but lost to the Swordfish. Sapporo earned back-to-back berths, but it was their first division title since 2027.

Next was a pair of one-game playoffs with the winners getting wild cards and the losers eliminated. Niigata and Kyoto got the wins while Sendai and Saitama took the Ls. The Green Dragons earned their eighth playoff trip in a decade while the Kamikaze ended a six-year drought. The Samurai saw a three-year division title streak snapped. Lastly, the West Division had a clear winner with 89-73 Fukuoka as the only team above .500, ending a nine-year playoff drought. Last year’s JLCS runner-up Kitakyushu fell to 76-86.

Leading Hamamatsu’s historic charge was unanimous Japan League MVP Mitsuru Ishida. In his fifth season and third as a full-time starter, Ishida led in runs (140), hits (224), home runs (58), RBI (148), total bases (444), OBP (.447), slugging (.746), OPS (1.193), wRC+ (227), and WAR (12.4). He had 40 doubles and a .376 average, one point short of a Triple Crown.

The 24-year old Ishida was only the fifth in EAB history with a 140+ run effort. His OPS was also EAB’s seventh-best qualifying season, his OBP was ninth, and his WAR was 11^th among position players. The Chickenhawks had taken him out of high school with the #3 pick in the 2030 draft. The 6’8’’ righty had been the finals MVP in their 2034 championship run.

Pitcher of the Year was intense as Kawasaki’s Mitsumasa Suzuki got 19 first place votes and 210 points, edging out Hamamatsu’s Naka Sakurai at 17 and 119. The Chickenhawks’ Masamichi Kasai also had four first place votes and 133 points. It was the third POTY for Suzuki, who won in 2033 for the Killer Whales and in 2031 with Suwon in the Korea League. He had signed with Kawasaki for 2032 on a six-year, $201,300,000 deal.

The 30-year old righty led in strikeouts (345), WHIP (0.86), and shutouts (7). Suzuki had a 17-8 record, 1.95 ERA, 244.2 innings, 185 ERA+, and 9.0 WAR. On August 13, he tossed his first no-hitter with 15 Ks and 1 walk against Tokyo. His top POTY competitor Sakurai had a 27-3 record, only the fifth EAB pitcher to win 27+ in a season. Kasai meanwhile had 25 wins and led in WAR at 10.0.

Sapporo swept Niigata 3-0 and Fukuoka rallied for a 3-2 win over Kyoto in the wild card round. The Frogs shocked top-seed Hamamatsu with a 3-2 game one win, but the Chickenhawks grabbed the next three to secure a fourth straight trip to the Japan League Championship Series.

On the other side, Sapporo started the series with back-to-back road shutouts over Kawasaki 3-0 and 2-0. The Killer Whales rallied with their own 4-2 and 4-1 road wins, then dominated 10-2 at home in game five to complete the rally. Kawasaki earned their third JLCS trip in four years. The Killer Whales had upset Hamamatsu as the #2 seed in 2033, but the Chickenhawks returned the favor the next year.

Kawasaki opened the JLCS with a lopsided 8-2 road win, followed by a Hamamatsu 10-2 battering in game two. The Killer Whales then earned 3-2 and 1-0 home wins; the lone run of game four coming on a walkoff solo homer by Toshinori Mizuho. Hamamatsu avoided the upset with a 7-4 road win in game five, sending the series back home.

The Chickenhawks claimed game six 3-1, setting up a dramatic game seven. Hamamatsu tied it at 3-3 after eight innings, then RF Takuboku Fukuoka had the walkoff RBI single in the ninth for a 4-3 victory. The Chickenhawks are the sixth team to three-peat as Japan League champs, joining Sapporo (1949-51), Chiba (1961-63), Hiroshima (1968-70), Kitakyushu (1992-94), and Kawasaki (1999-01).

Ulsan ended up as the Korea League’s top seed at 106-56 atop the Southeast Division. Although it was the Swallows’ fourth playoff berth in five years, it was their first division title since 2015 and first #1 seed since 2014. Defending KL champ Busan dropped off from their 111-win 2035 effort, but still got the first wild card at 96-66. The Blue Jays’ EAB record playoff streak extended to 17 seasons, although their division title streak was stopped at 12.

Both North Division champ Goyang and Southwest Division champ Gwangju finished 98-64. The Green Sox now had a decade-long playoff streak, while the Grays got their fourth in-a-row. Goyang was the KL’s top scoring squad at 797 runs. Incheon allowed the fewest at 585, helping them win a competitive Central Division at 94-68. The Inferno got their third playoff trip in four years.

Two back on the Central was 92-70 Seongnam, who got repeat wild card berths. Falling just short in the wild card race was 91-71 Jeonju, 88-74 Changwon, 88-74 Pyongyang, and 88-74 Suwon. The Snappers had been in the KLCS in five of the prior seven seasons.

Although the Crabs just missed the playoffs, they swept the Korea League’s top awards. In only his third season, CF Won-Bin Lee was unanimous MVP, leading in triples (30), total bases (414), slugging (.703), OPS (1.098), wRC+ (209), and WAR (10.3). Lee added 201 hits, 112 runs, 21 doubles, 44 home runs, 122 RBI, and a .341 average. He was already living up to being the #1 pick in the 2033 EAB Draft.

Wan Ahn was the #1 pick two years prior by Changwon and was also proving himself worthy, taking Pitcher of the Year at age 23. He posted the 21^st pitching Triple Crown in EAB and the first since 2027 with a 2.06 ERA, 23-6 record, and 359 strikeouts. Ahn also led in WHIP (0.82), complete games (17), shutouts (6), FIP- (40), and WAR (11.3) with a 193 ERA+ in 257.2 innings. On July 18, Ahn tossed his first no-hitter with 12 strikeouts against Busan.

Together, Changwon’s great drafting had gotten them from 100+ loss seasons from 2031-33 to a near playoff miss in 2036. However, the Crabs still had an eight-year playoff drought. Also worth a mention, Pyongyang’s Sin-Cheol Park won his third Reliever of the Year in four years. He was now up to 11^th on the EAB saves leaderboard at 377.

Incheon dethroned the defending KL champ Busan 3-1 in the first round while Seongnam survived 3-2 against Gwangju. The Spiders then upset Goyang 3-1 in the divisional round, earning their first Korea League Championship Series trip since their repeat titles in 2018-19.

The Inferno upset top seed Ulsan 4-3 in ten innings for game one, then snagged a 5-0 game two road win. The Swallows avoided the calamity, rallying with 6-4, 4-3, and 5-2 wins to salvage the series. The game four win notably was a ten inning affair. Ulsan’s last KLCS trip was 2027 and their last pennant was 2015, incidentally over Seongnam.

Ulsan opened with a 6-2 win, but Seongnam stole game two on the road 4-3. The Spiders got game three at home 6-5, but Ulsan evened it 6-3 in game four. Seongnam snagged game five 4-2, then clinched in game six with a 4-3 road upset. The Spiders became eight-time Korean champs (1982, 83, 90, 2003, 14, 18, 19, 36).

Hamamatsu was taken to the brink in the JLCS by Kawasaki, but had no such worries in the 116^th East Asian Championship. The Chickenhawks swept Seongnam with 2-0, 2-0, 4-2, and 7-4 wins. Game three was the closest battle, needing 11 innings. RF Yoshiaki Hara was finals MVP going 4-7 with 1 homer and 3 RBI.

The Chickenhawks’ dynasty also was only the third EAB championship three-peat ever, joining Kitakyushu’s 1992-94 run and Pyongyang’s 1965-68 four-peat. With that, Hamamatsu staked their claim for not only EAB’s best-ever team, but the best in world history as a league champ with their 126-36 record. If they posted a strong showing in the Baseball Grand Championship, they could cement that case. Manager Duk-Ku Su became the fifth EAB skipper with three championships.

Other notes: Seongnam’s In-Jun Sun set playoff records for opponent’s OPS (.251) and slugging (.100), minimum 15 innings required. Sun had 16 scoreless innings with 12 Ks, making him the 11^th EAB pitcher with 15+ playoff innings with a zero ERA.

EAB’s 48^th perfect game came on September 10 as Yokohama’s Kimio Suzuki struck out six facing Okayama. Koshi Miyata and Si-Won Joon were the 75^th and 76^th pitchers to 200 wins. Joon was also the 21^st ace to 4000 strikeouts. Jin-Yu Jun and Byung-Cheol Ban were the 51^st and 52^nd to 3500 Ks.

Gwangju’s Dendi Hidayat stole 129 bases, the 3^rd-best single-season in EAB history. Maebashi’s terrible pitching set Japan League single-season worsts for team ERA (4.96), hits (1676), earned runs (792), and H/9 (10.49). The Bunnies’ 867 runs and 1.449 WHIP were both 2^nd-worst.

The 600 home run club grew to 40 members with the additions of Masanori Fukuoka and Toichi Kimura. Fukuoka won his 10^th Silver Slugger in LF and Kimura his 7^th at 1B. The 500 homer club was 85 players strong with the additions of Seung-Heon Ryou, Kazutaka Hirano, and Geon-Ho Whang. Jae-Hyeon Shin and Yosai Ishizuka made it 107 batters with 2500 hits. SS Anh Vu Nguyen won his 10^th Silver Slugger.

SS Jae-Won Park made history with his 17^th consecutive Gold Glove. The only other player in baseball history with 17 was former all-time WARlord Jimmy Caliw, who split his between 2B/SS and between MLB/OBA. For his career, Park had a 1.130 EEF and 435.8 zone rating.

It was possibly his last season though, as he hit a putrid .476 OPS and 39 wRC+ in 2036 with Cheongju. He still managed to be worth 1.7 WAR in 126 even with such horrific batting metrics, but was a free agent for 2037. Park had a career 64.7 WAR despite a .606 OPS and 73 wRC+. His terrible bat may keep him from a Hall of Fame nod, but world WARlord Harvey Coyle might be the only guy you’d put above Park for pure defensive value in baseball history.

FuzzyRussianHat · 10-12-2025, 07:59 AM

It ended up being a three-team race down the stretch for the Mexican League’s top seed. Hermosillo took it at 103-59, edging out reigning Central American Baseball Association champ Torreon (100-62) in the North Division. While the Hyenas earned their third straight playoff berth, this was their first division title since 2010 and their first #1 seed since 2008. The Tomahawks’ playoff streak extended to six seasons as they led the ML with 779 runs.

Central Division champ Leon was right in the hunt for the top seed at 101-61, growing their postseason streak to 12 years. Guadalajara was in the mix until going 2-8 in their last ten games. Still, the Hellhounds got the second wild card at 95-67 for their first playoff berth or winning season since 2028. For the Lions, they outperformed their expected win/loss by 10.

Toluca at 88-74 earned their first-ever South Division crown, beating Tuxtla by four games and Ecatepec by six. It was the Tortugas’ third playoff trip since joining in the 2025 expansion. Puebla, who had won the division four years running, fell to 78-84 for their first losing campaign since 2027.

For the final wild card, Tijuana at 89-73 held off last year’s MLCS runner-up Culiacan (84-78) and Tuxtla (84-78). The Toros took their fourth consecutive wild card. 74-88 Queretaro allowed the fewest runs at 572, but they struggled to score only 532 all season.

Tijuana 1B Alton Reinoso repeated as Mexican League MVP, earning the honor unanimously in his sixth season starting. The 28-year old Nicaraguan lefty led in runs (128), home runs (64), RBI (159), total bases (456), slugging (.723), OPS (1.111), wRC+ (194), and WAR (9.4). Reinoso added 213 hits, 39 doubles, and a .338 average. It was his fourth time leading the league in homers. Reinoso is signed through 2040 on a $201,800,000 deal, but has an opt-out after 2038.

Hermosillo’s Kian Baromeo repeated as Pitcher of the Year and won for a third time, having also done it in 2032. The 28-year old Curacaoan lefty was unanimous and led in ERA (2.28), WHIP (0.76), K/BB (15.6), FIP- (48), and WAR (8.7). Baromeo had an 18-5 record and 328 strikeouts in 213 innings.

Torreon swept Guadalajara and Toluca edged Tijuana 2-1 in the first round. The Tortuga upset Leon 3-1 in the second round on the road, including 3-2 and 4-2 wins to end the series. On the other side, Hermosillo opened with a 4-3 walkoff win, but dropped game two to Torreon 6-1. The Hyenas got the advantage back 6-2 in game three, but the Tomahawks took game four 9-5. Torreon then claimed the series with a 6-3 win in game five, ousting the top-seeded Hermosillo.

The Tomahawks had a shot to repeat, while Toluca was making their first appearance in the Mexican League Championship Series. The Tortugas quickly shocked Torreon with 5-1, 5-3, and 2-1 road wins to open the series. The Tomahawks got game four 6-3, but Toluca won a 13-inning game five marathon 5-4 to end the series. In the 13^th, the Tortugas went ahead on a Leilton Moscarella solo homer. Toluca became the first of the six expansion teams from 2025 to win a pennant and the 29^th different franchise to compete in the CABA Championship.

East Division champ Suriname and Central winner Costa Rica both finished 99-63 with the Caribbean League’s #1 seed going to the Silverbacks on the tiebreaker. They certainly had an easier path with the next closest team 16 games back. Suriname allowed the fewest runs by a healthy margin at 542 to win their third division title in four years. For the Rays, they ended a 15-year playoff drought and got their first division crown since their 1986-87 CABA Championship repeat. Costa Rica stole 472 bases, a new CL record and the second-most in CABA history.

The Rays had to hold off all three wild card teams in the Central with Salvador (94-68), Guatemala (93-79), and Panama (90-72) close behind. The Stallions earned their fourth straight playoff trip, while the Ghosts ended a five-year drought and the Parrots stopped a 20-year skid. This also ended Honduras’ 13-year playoff streak, as they were the first team out at 88-74 despite leading with 912 runs scored. The Horsemen had gotten to the CLCS in seven of the last eight years with five pennants.

Havana won the West Division at 92-70 end their own sizeable playoff drought after a decade. Santiago at 88-74 was four back in the division and two behind Panama for the second wild card. The Sailfish own the longest active postseason drought in CABA at 41 years back to 1995. Last year’s CL champ Jamaica finished .500 to end a four-year streak. Also notable was Haiti’s drop to 77-85 and Santo Domingo’s collapse to 66-96. This was only the second losing season since 1994 for the Herons and ended a 16-year run of winning campaigns by the Dolphins.

Leading Costa Rica’s turnaround as unanimous MVP was CF Jeronimo Polanco. Nicknamed “Socks,” the 26-year old Guatemalan lefty led in runs (129), total bases (454), slugging (.769), OPS (1.184), wRC+ (210), and WAR (11.1). Polanco had 213 hits, 26 doubles, 22 triples, 57 home runs, 143 RBI, and .361 average. He also hit for the cycle on April 20 against Guadeloupe. Polanco was the 11^th pick in the 2032 CABA Draft and signed an eight-year, $199,300,000 extension with the Rays in October 2035.

In his second season as a full-time starter, Suriname’s Josiah Romero was the unanimous Pitcher of the Year. The 25-year old Salvadoran lefty led in wins (19-9), ERA (2.10), WHIP (0.93), quality starts (22), complete games (16), and shutouts (5). Romero had 257 innings, 228 strikeouts, 204 ERA+, 71 FIP-, and 6.0 WAR. He was a December 2027 scouting discovery who debuted in 2034 with two relief appearances.

In the first round, Salvador swept Guatemala and Havana swept Panama. The Stallions then got a 3-0 road sweep in the second round over Suriname with 4-0, 5-1, and 3-1 wins. Costa Rica swept Havana on the other side with 10-4, 7-1, and 9-8 wins. For Salvador, they last made the Caribbean League Championship Series in 2029 and last won in 2017. The Rays last got there in 202 and last won it in 1987.

Salvador started it hot with a 6-4 road win, but Costa Rica matched in game two. The Rays rolled the rest of the way with 20-4, 5-3, and 3-2 victories to take the series in five. Costa Rica became eight-time champs as they ended their 48-year drought (1932, 35, 36, 48, 77, 86, 87, 2036).

The 126^th CABA Championship was the first finals sweep since 2019 as Costa Rica rolled over Toluca as the sixth different champ in as many years. The Rays won 4-1, 14-12 (10 IN), 3-2, and 6-1; becoming five-time CABA kings (1935, 1948, 1986, 1987, 2036). Second-year SS Eduard Garcia was finals MVP, going 9-16 with 5 RBI and 5 runs. Costa Rica was 11-1 in the postseason, one of the more dominant runs in recent memory.

Other notes: Ten-time Pitcher of the Year Israel Montague made history in 2036 at age 39 as he finished 18-5 over 228 innings with 262 strikeouts, 3.55 ERA, and 4.1 WAR. It was his worst season since his rookie year, but he got to 318 career wins to become CABA’s all-time leader. Ulices Montero’s 314 had held as the top mark since 1929. Montero still has the world record of 398 when adding his MLB totals.

Montague also made history with CABA’s 43^rd perfect game on April 20 with 11 strikeouts facing Mexicali. It was his second no-hitter in CABA and his second perfect game as a pro, having done it in the 2032 World Baseball Championship for his native Panama. Montague was now at 5484 strikeouts, two good years from passing Montero’s record of 5849. Montague was also at 147.88 pitching WAR, behind only Montero (165.65) and Richard Wright (150.73). He intended on coming back for his 18^th season in 2037.

CABA’s 54^th perfect game was June 20 as Toluca’s Lobo Baez struck out 18 against Puebla. That broke the CABA record for Ks in a perfect game, beating Augustin Desir’s 17 Ks in 1976.

Puerto Rico’s Oliver Alonso had a 37-game hitting streak, tied for the 3^rd-longest in CABA history. The CABA record is the world record, 54 games in 2018 by Sandile Nyambi. Panama’s Humberto Mercado set a record for at-bats in a season at 695. Trinidad’s Bruno Padilla set a bad record with 65 home runs allowed. Mexico City’s pitching staff had a team 1.440 WHIP, the worst in Mexican League history.

Franklin Madrid became the 9^th member of the 700 home run club while Ortiz Rosales was the 28^th to 600 dingers. Benedetto Rodriguez became the 18^th member of the 3000 hit club. Rosales, Fernando Silva, and Rodriguez each reached 1500 RBI, now met by 45 batters. Madrid was the 29^th to 1500 runs scored. Silva and Castillo made 71 batters with 2500 hits. The 500 homer club grew to 74 with Jeremiah Bourdin, R.J. Zaragoza, and Leonardo Martinez reaching the mark.

10-02-2025, 08:45 PM	#2481
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,007	2036 SAB Hall of Fame Two players were first ballot additions for the South Asia Baseball Hall of Fame in 2036. OF Rahul Gonzales was the clear headliner at 93.1%, while IF Hamidul Rahman sneaked past the 66% requirement at 70.1%. SP Siddhant Shakya narrowly missed out on his ninth try at 62.5%. LF Ganga Wong was also close with a debut at 62.2%. Also above 50% was 1B Rochana Sanson at 53.1% on his fifth attempt. Dropped after ten ballots was SP Shafiq Khaimi, who peaked at 42.0% in 2028 and ended at 13.2%. In 16 seasons, he had a 161-147 record, 3.47 ERA, 2932.2 innings, 3593 strikeouts, 649 walks, 92 complete games, 14 shutouts, 112 ERA+, 89 FIP-, and 52.5 WAR. Khaimi got a championship ring in 2017 with Yangon, although he missed the playoff run to injury. He also led twice in strikeouts and ranks 19^th in Ks. Despite the strikeout totals, Khaimi was never a Pitcher of the Year finalist. His WAR was comparable to some of the lower-end starters that had gotten inducted, but his ERA was higher than almost all of them. The few exceptions had gotten to 200+ wins and 4000 Ks unlike Khaimi as well, limiting him to the Hall of Pretty Good. Rahul Gonzales – Right/Left Field – Hyderabad Hippos – 93.1% First Ballot Rahul Gonzales was a 6’4’’, 200 pound switch-hitting corner outfielder from Hajipur, India; a city of about 147,000 people in the state of Bihar. Gonzales was a very good contact hitter with an above average eye for walks and avoiding strikeouts. His best results came facing right-handed pitching (.942 OPS, 164 wRC+) but he wasn’t bad by any means against lefties (.770 OPS, 124 wRC+). Gonzales’ power was mostly towards the gaps with a 162 game average of 33 doubles, 8 triples, and 24 home runs. Few players were better at baserunning than Gonzales and he had good-to-great speed. He split his career between the corner outfield spots with about a 60/40 lean towards right field. Gonzales graded as a reliably solid glove man in RF with below average metrics in LF. His durability was generally strong, playing 150+ games in all but two of his 16 pro seasons. Gonzales was the fifth overall pick in the 2014 SAB Draft by Hyderabad, who made him a full-time starter right away. He took third in 2015’s Rookie of the Year voting, then won his only Silver Slugger in 2017 in RF. Gonzales was second in 2017’s MVP voting, leading the league with career highs for hits (228), doubles (47), average (.388), OBP (.449), OPS (1.077), and wRC+ (209). He also had his top WAR at 10.1, helping the usually mediocre Hippos become a contender. Hyderabad ended a seven-year playoff drought in 2016, but lost in the divisional round. They went 100-62 in 2017 and got to the Indian League Championship Series, but were thwarted by 101-win Kanpur. Gonzales struggled in the playoffs with .496 OPS and -0.2 WAR in eight games. Still, the Hippos felt they had a chance to contend with Gonzales at the helm, giving him an eight-year, $55,360,000 extension that fall. Gonzales was second in 2018’s MVP voting and hit for the cycle in September against Kanpur. He led again in hits that year and fared better in the playoffs with a .989 OPS and 0.5 WAR in eight games. Hyderabad got back to the ILCS at 99-63 and this time had the top seed, but they were thwarted in a rematch with the Poison. The Hippos hovered around .500 for the next few years, ceding the South Division’s thrown to Nagpur. After strong efforts in 2019-20, Gonzales disappointed Hyderabad fans by opting out of his contact and leaving for free agency at age 28. It was his longest and most successful tenure with 946 games in six years, 1168 hits, 595 runs, 200 doubles, 54 triples, 139 home runs, 548 RBI, 317 steals, .332/.393/.539 slash, 167 wRC+, and 41.1 WAR. Gonzales stayed very popular with fans, but some in Hippos management felt betrayed by his exit, thus his #18 uniform wasn’t retired. Gonzales signed a five-year, $44,500,000 deal with Da Nang and generally maintained the same production levels in 2021-22 with 313 games, 383 hits, 201 runs, 70 doubles, 43 homers, 200 RBI, 101 steals, .326/.382/.518 slash, 140 wRC+, and 11.0 WAR. He hit for the cycle for the second time in July 2022 against Mandalay. Da Nang got a division title in 2021 at 96-66 and made it to the Southeast Asia League Championship, but got upset by wild card Dhaka. This was Gonzales’ best playoff effort with 20 hits, 8 runs, 1.070 OPS, 182 wRC+, and 0.8 WAR. The Drillers had the same record in 2022, but fell two wins short of the playoffs. After only two seasons, Gonzales opted out of that deal and returned to free agency at age 30. He went back to India on a five-year, $60,700,000 deal with Delhi. The Drillers were the 2021 SAB champ and finished 102-60 in Gonzales’ 2023 debut, but lost in the divisional round. That year, Gonzales won his lone MVP, leading in hits (213), and OBP (.422) while adding 1.011 OPS, 187 wRC+, and 8.7 WAR. He was still good in 2024, but down to .842 OPS and 4.3 WAR. Delhi lost a tiebreaker game to Kolkata that year to miss the playoffs at 90-63. Gonzales yet again took advantage of his opt-out clause, leaving the Indian capital after only two seasons. For the Drillers, Gonzales had 315 games, 393 hits, 201 runs, 75 doubles, 46 home runs, 197 RBI, .330/.394/.533 slash, 167 wRC+, and 13.1 WAR. Now 32-years old, Gonzales signed a five-year, $70 million deal with Patna, who was debuting as an expansion team for 2025. Many assumed he’d opt out again eventually given his history, but Gonzales actually spent six seasons total with the Pointers. His first two years in Patna had some injuries, most notably hamstring woes in 2026. Gonzales was back to all-star levels the next two years and solid in 2029, although expansion Patna was awful in their first decade. Gonzales’ deal ran out for 2030 and he went back to free agency, but signed a new two-year, $12 million deal to stay with the Pointers. 2030 finally saw the sharp decline with age, posting .692 OPS, 85 wRC+, and 0.1 WAR over 158 games. Gonzales retired that winter at age 38 and finished his Patna tenure with 854 games, 906 hits, 453 runs, 148 doubles, 126 home runs, 445 RBI, 215 steals, .299/.362/.493 slash, 141 wRC+, and 23.3 WAR. Gonzales played 2428 games with 2850 hits, 1450 runs, 493 doubles, 113 triples, 354 home runs, 1390 RBI, 800 walks, 1619 strikeouts, 725 steals, .320/.381/.520 slash, 155 wRC+, and 88.5 WAR. Gonzales ranks 40^th in games, 30^th in runs, 14^th in hits, 34^th in total bases (4631), 45^th in doubles, 72^nd in triples, 46^th in RBI, 38^th in walks, and 33^rd in WAR for position players. His .901 OPS is 84^th among those with 3000+ plate appearances and he ranks 30^th in batting average and 25^th in OBP. You probably wouldn’t call Gonzales an inner-circle Hall of Famer since he didn’t have a ton of big accolades or jaw-dropping seasons. However, few bats were more reliably and consistently solid in the 2010s and 2020s for South Asia Baseball. Almost all voters felt Gonzales hit the totals needed to make the cut, earning a strong 93.1% to headline the two-man class for 2036. Hamidul “Turbo” Rahman – Second/First Base – Hai Phong Prowlers – 70.1% First Ballot Hamidul Rahman was a 6’0’’, 200 pound right-handed infielder from Dhaka, the capital and largest city of Bangladesh. The nickname “Turbo” came from Rahman’s energy and work ethic, although he was never a fan of the attention. He was incredibly humble and quiet, but also fiercely loyal, selfless, and intelligent. Rahman was a good to occasionally great contact and power hitter against both sides. His 162 game average got you 34 home runs, 34 doubles, and 3 triples. Rahman was above average at drawing walks, but was middling at avoiding strikeouts. He was an incredibly crafty base stealer with an impressive success rate considering his speed was subpar at best. Roughly half of his career starts came at second base with the rest split between first and designated hitter. Rahman was a lousy defensive 2B, but a perfectly average 1B. His durability was largely good with 134+ starts each year from 2016-28. After an excellent amateur career, Rahman was the #1 overall pick in the 2014 SAB Draft by Hai Phong. The Prowlers were an expansion team from 2008 and still hadn’t posted a winning season to that point. After playing only 98 games and starting 33 in 2015, Rahman got the full-time gig from 2016-onward. He led the Southeast Asia League with 50 doubles in 2016, a career best. Rahman won his first Silver Slugger at 2B in 2017 with a career high 7.8 WAR season. Rahman won another Slugger and was second in 2018’s MVP voting with a 7.7 WAR, .944 campaign, prompting Hai Phong to extend him that winter for eight years at $60,420,000. He won another Slugger in 2019 and the Prowlers finished 84-78, their first-ever winning season. The next three years would see their first division titles with 97, 101, and 102 wins; earning the top seed in 2021 and 2022. Rahman led in OBP in 2020 at .393 and was second in 2022’s MVP voting. On August 31, 2020; Rahman also notably hit four homers against Mandalay, one of only 11 such games in SAB history. Hai Phong was unable to claim the pennant though in their brief run. They lost the SEAL Championship in both 2020 and 2022 to Yangon, while suffering a divisional series defeat in 2021 to Dhaka. Rahman missed the 2022 playoffs because of an elbow sprain. In his 12 playoff games for the Prowlers, he had a .734 OPS, 98 wRC+, and 0.3 WAR. Rahman did also have some big game experience as a regular in the World Baseball Championship with Bangladesh. From 2017-29, he played 97 games with 84 starts and posted 70 hits, 38 runs, 17 doubles, 18 home runs, 51 RBI, .232/.312/.480 slash, 129 wRC+, and 2.4 WAR. In 2023-24, Rahman dropped off noticeably with only 4.3 WAR between the two seasons, although he bounced back to 6.3 and 4.9 WAR the next two years. His lone Silver Slugger at 1B came in 2025 with a career-best 45 home runs. Hai Phong hovered in the mid-tier for the rest of his run with Rahman’s contract expiring after the 2026 season, becoming a free agent for the first time at age 35. For Hai Phong, Rahman played 1810 games with 1943 hits, 1073 runs, 396 doubles, 35 triples, 406 home runs, 1236 RBI, 536 walks, 186 steals, .294/.346/.548 slash, 145 wRC+, and 62.2 WAR. He would be the franchise’s first Hall of Famer and his #28 uniform was the first to be retired by the club. Rahman signed a four-year, $43,100,000 deal next with regular contender Yangon. Rahman was a decent starter in 2027-28 and had strong playoff numbers for the Green Dragons with a 1.078 OPS and 0.9 WAR in 14 starts. Yangon had a division title in 2027, but suffered a divisional round defeat. They won a weak division in 2028 at 85-77, falling to 124-win Mandalay in the SEAL Championship. Rahman started to struggle and had a reduced role with only 65 games in 2029 and 41 in 2030. Yangon missed the 2029 playoffs, but won the SEAL title in 2030 with an SAB Championship loss to Ahmedabad. Rahman was cooked by that point and wasn’t on the postseason roster, retiring that winter at age 38. With the Green Dragons, he had 399 games, 354 hits, 182 runs, 70 doubles, 56 home runs, 206 RBI, 103 walks, .277/.330/.468 slash, 116 wRC+, and 4.8 WAR. Rahman played 2209 games with 2297 hits, 1255 runs, 466 doubles, 38 triples, 462 homers, 1442 RBI, 639 walks, 1768 strikeouts, 213 steals, .291/.344/.535 slash, 140 wRC+, and 67.0 WAR. Rahman ranks 72^nd in games, 51^st in runs, 62^nd in hits, 57^th in total bases (4225), 55^th in doubles, 55^th in homers, 38^th in RBI, 80^th in walks, and 91^st in WAR among position players. His totals were definitely borderline compared to other South Asia Baseball Hall of Famers and Rahman very rarely was a league leader. Still, he got a lot of praise for being Hai Phong’s first star player, helping the young franchise to contention for the first time. Rahman debuted on the 2036 ballot at 70.1%, narrowly crossing the 66% induction threshold for a first ballot selection. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)

10-03-2025, 07:06 AM	#2482
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,007	2036 ABF Hall of Fame The Asian Baseball Federation added two pitchers as slam dunk inductees for the 2036 Hall of Fame ballot with Hafez Farzani at 97.4% and Temuri Omarov at 96.5%. 3B Quraishi Lalak was the best returner at 59.2% on his third ballot. Two others were above 50% with CL Raghid Yazdani at 57.9% for his sixth ballot and LF Ramin Abilov at 56.3% on his fourth try. No players were dropped after ten failed ballots in 2036. Hafez Farzani – Starting Pitcher- Tabriz Tiger Sharks – 97.4% First Ballot Hafez Farzani was a 5’9’’, 175 pound right-handed pitcher from Andimeshk, Iran; a city with roughly 135,000 people in the country’s west. Farzani had incredible stuff in his prime that many scouts called a 10/10. He also had very good control and respectable movement. Farzani’s 99-101 mph fastball was world class and he had a strong slider and changeup along with a decent curveball. It was shocking for many to see such a powerful fastball come from a guy of his smaller stature. Farzani had solid stamina, but he’d be cursed with injury issues over a 15-year career, only having six seasons with 200+ innings. He was decent at holding runners, but subpar defensively. Farzani was a sparkplug type who had a remarkable work ethic, allowing him to still thrive even when his smaller frame was beginning to break down. In the 2015 ABF Draft, Farzani was picked 13^th overall by Tabriz and he spent his entire career with the Tiger Sharks. He was a full-time starter right away and an immediate success, winning 2016’s Rookie of the Year with 305 strikeouts, 2.52 ERA, and 5.4 WAR. The injury trouble started in his second season though, missing most of the regular season to a torn back muscle. His first two seasons started what would be a nine-year playoff streak for Tabriz, although they were a one-and-done wild card in 2016-17. From 2018-22, the Tiger Sharks were the West League’s top seed and won 103+ games each year. Farzani’s emergence as an elite ace played a huge part in this, leading the league in WHIP from 2018-21. He would three-peat as Pitcher of the Year from 2019-21 and won the Triple Crown each season. There have only been six total pitching Triple Crown wins in ABF history. Farzani joined EAB’s Do-Kyun Lee as the only pitchers in all of pro baseball history to earn three successive Triple Crowns. 2019 had Farzani’z career bests for ERA (1.72) and strikeouts (412), ranking as the tenth-best single-season by Ks in ABF history. 2020 was his best WAR at 10.9 and his 23-1 record gave him a league-record .958 winning percentage. Farzani’s highest win total was the next year at 24-6. After the 2019 campaign, the Tiger Sharks locked Farzani up to a seven-year, $46,180,000 extension. Tabriz had mixed results in the playoffs, falling in the WLCS in 2018, 2020, and 2022. Their best records were 109-53 in both 2020 and 2021, the latter having a disappointing first round exit. The Tiger Sharks did break through in 2019 at 107-55, winning the West League pennant over Izmir. Tabriz then bested Dushanbe for their first-ever ABF Championship. Farzani had an all-timer playoff run in 2019, winning all five of his starts with a 1.10 ERA over 41 innings, 59 strikeouts, 2 walks, 305 ERA+, and 1.7 WAR. That tied the ABF playoff record for both wins and Ks in the playoffs to that point. He kept rolling in the Baseball Grand Championship with a 3-1 record, 2.27 ERA, 31.2 innings, 51 Ks, 166 ERA+, and 1.4 WAR. The Tiger Sharks finished 15-4 and became the first ABF team to earn the Grand Championship. His overall playoff stats were good, although Farzani never quite had a run like that again. Over 140.1 career innings, he had a 2.82 ERA, 8-2 record, 193 strikeouts, 31 walks, 130 ERA+, 67 FIP-, and 4.4 WAR. Farzani was also a regular from 2017-30 in the World Baseball Championship for Iran, although his numbers there weren’t remarkable with a 3.94 ERA in 160 innings, 9-5 record, 266 strikeouts, and 3.1 WAR. He was important for the Iranians’ second place finish in 2018 and third in 2023. Farzani had his worst injury in July 2022, a torn rotator cuff that knocked him out more than a calendar year. He was back by the 2023 playoffs, which saw a 92-win wild card Tabriz with a surprise playoff run. The Tiger Sharks upset Baku in the WLCS, then upset defending champ Bishkek in the ABF Championship. Farzani had a middling 3.96 ERA in 25 playoff innings, then surprisingly was terrible in the 2023 BGC with a 7.14 ERA over 29 innings. Tabriz finished 8-11 for the event. Tabriz had one more division title in 2024 at 94-68, but suffered a first round playoff defeat to Baku. The Tiger Sharks missed the playoffs on a tiebreaker in 2025, then spent the next four seasons at or below .500. Farzani had smaller injuries from 2024-26 and was no longer as dominant as his peak, but he was still good for 4+ WAR those three years. The Tiger Sharks gave him a five-year, $84 million extension in March 2026. Although his innings were limited in 2027, Farzani won his fourth ERA title at 2.13. He had a good pace in 2028, but missed two months to a strained abdominal muscle. Another strained ab and elbow inflammation kept him out most of 2029. His stuff and control were both starting to decline as Farzani tried to work through the injuries. Various injuries kept Farzani to only 110.2 innings in 2030 with middling production. Tabriz ended their playoff drought and got to the WLCS as a wild card, although they fell to Baku’s dynasty. Farzani struggled in 13 playoff innings to a 7.62 ERA and suffered a torn flexor tendon during the run. His contract was also up and between the injury and his decline, Farzani retired that winter at age 37. Tabriz quickly retired his #40 uniform for his excellent 15 years of service. Farzani finished with a 179-88 record, 2.65 ERA, 2467.1 innings, 3680 strikeouts, 464 walks, 213/328 quality starts, 83 complete games, 21 shutouts, 142 ERA+, 71 FIP-, and 69.8 WAR. Farzani ranks 33^rd in wins, 56^th in innings, 52^nd in complete games, 42^nd in shutouts, 27^th in strikeouts, and 18^th in WAR among pitchers. Among those with 1000+ innings, his ERA is 54^th and his 0.90 WHIP is 9^th. Farzani is also 19^th in H/9 (6.42), 2^nd in K/9 (13.42), and 51^st in opponent’s OPS (.590) with .199 average ranking 18^th and .242 OBP 15^th. At his peak, Farzani was among the most dominant pitchers ever in the Asian Baseball Federation. The injuries limited his innings and success in his later years, preventing what could’ve been a top five ace level career. Still, Farzani’s brief prime and role in Tabriz’s 2019 title and Grand Championship win made him a Hall of Fame lock at 97.4%, co-headlining ABF’s 2036 class. Temuri Omarov – Starting Pitcher – Istanbul Ironmen – 96.5% First Ballot Temuri Omarov was a 6’6’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Tbilisi, the capital and largest city in Georgia. Omarov was the first Georgian added into ABF’s HOF, although there had been two who made it in Eurasian Professional Baseball. Omarov had tremendous stuff with good-to-great movement and control. He had a three-pitch arsenal with a 97-99 mph fastball, excellent changeup, and a good curveball. Omarov’s ability to change speeds brought him his greatest successes. His stamina was respectable relative to other ABF aces and he lasted 17 seasons, although he did run into a few big injuries along the way. Omarov was average at holding runners and weak defensively. He didn’t have a big personality, but his big size certainly drew plenty of attention from scouts. The Tbilisi Trains franchise and Georgia generally was in the European Baseball Federation sphere as Omarov was a teenager, but ABF and EPB teams still kept an eye on the capital. He ended up leaving in December 2010 for Turkey on a developmental deal with Istanbul. Omarov spent his entire career with the Ironmen, debuting in 2014 as a part-time starter at age 22. Omarov had mixed results in his first three years, but emerged as a true ace by 2017 as the West League leader in WAR (9.2) and wins (21-7); taking second in Pitcher of the Year voting. In May 2018, he signed a six-year, $42,900,000 extension to stay with Istanbul. Omarov was second in POTY voting for both 2019 and 2020. The Ironmen got a wild card in 2019, but lost in the first round. It was a down period for Istanbul, as this would be their only playoff trip from 2010-28. Omarov’s lone playoff start was quality, allowing two runs in 7.2 innings. They weren’t usually atrocious but were often aggressively mid, averaging 80.1 wins during that stretch. Still, Omarov kept his head down and continued pitching at a high level. 2021 was Omarov’s first major injury with a partially torn labrum in mid-August. He bounced back impressively and won his lone Pitcher of the Year award in 2022 with an ERA title (2.16) and league bests for WHIP (0.87), FIP- (59), and WAR (7.4). Omarov was the WARlord again the next two years and led with career bests in 2023 of 10.2 WAR and 365 Ks. He also won another ERA title at 2.42, but finished second to Elnur Hasanov in POTY voting. In July 2024, Omarov signed a new five-year, $98,800,000 extension with Istanbul. He would miss all of the 2026 season from a torn flexor tendon in spring training. Omarov made it back in 2027 and was still quite effective in limited innings with a 1.84 ERA, the best of his career. When healthy in the next few years, Omarov proved to still be effective. Unfortunately, he was never really healthy again. Back trouble and a hamstring strain cost him part of 2028, although Istanbul gave him a three-year, $44,100,000 extension regardless. Forearm inflammation and a ruptured finger tendon kept him out much of 2029, missing out on only the second playoff berth of his Ironmen run. Omarov suffered a torn rotator cuff in April 2030, although he did make it back for the very end of the season. He made it back right at the end of the year and still had a 1.98 ERA that season in his 36.1 innings. However, the physical toll was exhausting and Istanbul wasn’t interested in a new extension. Omarov retired that winter at age 38 and immediately had his #4 retired by the Ironmen for his efforts. In total, Omarov had a 190-137 record, 2.85 ERA, 2941 innings, 3941 strikeouts, 560 walks, 251/391 quality starts, 102 complete games, 28 shutouts, 129 ERA+, 68 FIP-, and 86.8 WAR. Omarov ranks 24^th in wins, 34^th in innings, 31^st in complete games, 20^th in shutouts, 18^th in strikeouts, and 8^th in pitching WAR. Among those with 1000+ innings, Omarov’s 12.06 K/9 ranks 27^th and his .612 opponent’s OPS is 90^th. Omarov was consistently one of the top pitchers in the Asian Baseball Federation, although he almost was underappreciated since Istanbul was so forgettable in that era. Like his Hall of Fame classmate Hafez Farzani, Omarov might have also had a shot at top five spots in the leaderboards if not for injuries. Still, his career was still plenty good for a no-doubt election at 96.5% to co-headline the 2036 class for ABF. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)

10-03-2025, 08:32 PM	#2483
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,007	2036 ALB Hall of Fame Arab League Baseball’s first Hall of Fame inductee came in 2005. No one made it in 2006, but since then there had been someone making it each year. 2036 would buck that trend with the best debut only getting 37.1%. Three returners came very close to the 66% threshold led by 1B Faqi Al-Thakur at 64.2% on his eighth ballot. Next was 1B Lance Vogel at 63.6% also for his eighth try. SP Muhammad Fadel had 61.6% with his third go. 1B Mohamed Ali Mansour got 57.2% for his second ballot and SS Ayoub El Taib received 50% even with his third ballot. Dropped after ten failed ballots was RF Rauf Salah, who had a 20-year career mostly with Doha. He peaked in his debut at 40.3% and finished at a low of 10.3%. Salah won one Silver Slugger and played 2516 games with 2485 hits, 1503 runs, 356 doubles, 92 triples, 550 home runs, 1301 RBI, 1215 walks, 2703 strikeouts, 816 steals, .273/.364/.517 slash, 137 wRC+, and 56.0 WAR. Salah only ever led in walks and ranks 6^th for his career, while also ranking 24^th in runs, 41^st in hits, 30^th in homers, and 59^th in RBI. However, Salah was only 70^th in WAR despite being 22^nd in games played, leading many to dismiss him as a compiler. Plus, Doha never made the playoffs in his 15-year prime run there, ultimately banishing Salah to the Hall of Pretty Good. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)

10-04-2025, 07:17 AM	#2484
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,007	2036 AAB Hall of Fame 3B/1B Warren Biloa stood alone for induction in 2036 for the African Association of Baseball at a near unanimous 98.6%. 1B Lifa Moyo fell painfully short of the 66% threshold with 64.5% on his tenth and final try. Also above 50% was CL Labama Nkurunziza at 57.4% on his second ballot, SP Teo Tokala with 55.1% for his fourth go, and 1B Herve Otepa with 52.0% on his seventh attempt. For Moyo, he was above 60% four times and had a low of 49.7%. In a 15-year career with four teams, he won one Silver Slugger with 2027 games, 2228 hits, 1082 runs, 543 doubles, 448 home runs, 1301 RBI, 577 walks, .293/.344/.552 slash, 143 wRC+, and 47.3 WAR. Moyo had three batting titles and ranked 13^th in doubles and 35^th in homers. However, he was stuck mostly on bad teams and had an abrupt decline, out of the game at age 34. Moyo still came painfully close to induction, but needed either a few more years of accumulations or more dominance and accolades to make the cut. SP Anton Berger also made it ten ballots, peaking at 50.0% in 2034 with a bottom of 15.1% in 2035 and finish of 44.9%. Berger had an unusual path to AAB, as the Dutchman pitched his first five seasons in the European Second League. He was in AAB from 2011-21 between Maputo and Dar es Salaam and led in WAR thrice, although he never claimed Pitcher of the Year. In AAB, Berger had an ERA title, 141-77 record, 2.71 ERA, 2006.1 innings, 1820 strikeouts, 386 walks, 149 ERA+, 61 FIP-, and 68.7 WAR. His short tenure got him to 6^th in the WAR leaderboard for pitchers, but he lacked the tenure needed for the traditional counting stats. Berger needed either a few more seasons in Africa or more accolades to cross the line. Also dropped after ten ballots was P Augustine Ugwu, who peaked at 25.6% in 2028 and ended at only 3.4%. He won two Reliever of the Year awards and led in saves thrice in his first three years with Antananarivo. Ugwu was a good starter after that, but multiple torn rotator cuffs quickly derailed his career. Ugwu had a 79-94 record, 187 saves, 3.23 ERA, 1239.2 innings, 1294 strikeouts, 357 walks, 125 ERA+, 73 FIP-, and 34.0 WAR. He was quite good in his brief prime, but it was far too brief to have a real HOF shot. Warren “Meter Man” Biloa – Third/First Base – Bujumbura Bighorns – 98.6% First Ballot Warren Biloa was a 6’1’’, 200 pound right-handed corner infielder from Bangui, the capital and largest city of the Central African Republic. Nicknamed “Meter Man,” Biloa was a great contact and power hitter in his prime with equal potency against both right-handed and left-handed pitching. His 162 game average got you 47 home runs, 34 doubles, and 5 triples. Biloa had six different seasons with 50+ home runs. Relative to other AAB batters, he was average to below average at drawing walks and avoiding strikeouts. On the basepaths, Biloa’s skill and speed were above average in his prime. His career starts were split roughly 2/1 between third and first base. Biloa graded as a poor defensive third baseman, but was delightfully average at first. His durability was mostly good over a 19-year career. Biloa was a true fan favorite known for his loyalty, work ethic, and team-first attitude. He emerged as the first real superstar player to come from the Central African Republic and was the nation’s first Hall of Famer. As he grew up, the CAR didn’t have a pro team and its baseball infrastructure was limited. Biloa’s home city Bangui would earn a major franchise with the 2018 debut of the African Second League. Still, news of Biloa’s potential made its way to Burundi as a scout for Bujumbura signed him to a developmental deal in August 2009. He spent around five years in their academy, debuting with eight at-bats in 2014 at age 22. The Bighorns named Biloa as a full-time starter from 2015 onward, although he ran into injury issues in his first few seasons. A sprained ankle and sprained MCL kept him out almost half of 2015, but Biloa still earned Rookie of the Year honors. He had similar production in 2016 and lost another chunk to a sprained ankle. A strained MCL cost Biloa six weeks in 2017, but that year was the jump from a good starter to a bonafide stud. Even in only 120 games, Biloa was second in 2017’s MVP voting and won his first Silver Slugger at 3B, leading the Central Conference in batting average (.332), slugging (.702), OPS (1.095), and wRC+ (203). Bujumbura finished 99-63 to end a nine-year playoff drought, but they fell 4-1 to Mogadishu in the conference final. Biloa was 9-19 in the series with 3 homers, 2 doubles, 4 runs, and 7 RBI. After running into the initial injury woes, Biloa would be good for 140+ starts each year from 2018-29. 2018 was his first MVP win and his second Slugger, securing a Triple Crown with 56 homers, 134 RBI, and .309 average. Biloa also led in total bases, slugging, OOS, wRC+, and WAR. He would have five consecutive seasons with the best slugging. Biloa’s Triple Crown win is one of only five in AAB history by a batter. Despite that, Bujumbura had a middling 84-78 record. Biloa repeated as MVP and a Slugger winner with his finest season, posting career and conference bests for runs (126), homers (56), RBI (146), total bases (406), slugging (.710), OPS (1.132), and WAR (10.4). His .348 average and .422 OBP were both career bests as well, but Kigali’s Matheus Mabanza denied him a repeat Triple Crown by five points. Bujumbura tied their franchise record at 104-58, but were second in the standings to 107-win Brazzaville and lost 4-2 to the Blowfish in the conference finals. Biloa was 4-18 in the series with -0.1 WAR. Bujumbura fell into perpetual mid-ness for the next six seasons. Apart from a poor 69-93 mark in 2022, the Bighorns won between 81-84 games each year from 2020-25. Biloa continued to roll with MVPs and Sluggers in 2020-21, becoming the first in AAB history to win four consecutive MVPs. He led in RBI and slugging in 2020, then led in runs, homers, RBI, total bases, slugging, wRC+, and WAR in 2021. In May 2021, Bujumbura signed Biloa to a seven-year, $61,300,000 extension. Biloa wouldn’t be a conference leader after the 2021 season. He remained a solid power hitter, but he hovered in the 4-5 WAR range from 2022-26. The Bighorns became a contender again at 101-61 in 2026, second by one game to Nairobi. They upset the Night Hawks 4-2 to win their first-ever conference pennant, then defeated Cape Town 5-3 in the Africa Series. In the playoffs, Biloa had 15 hits, 7 runs, 4 doubles, 4 homers, 9 RBI, 1.014 OPS, 147 wRC+, and 0.4 WAR. The Bighorns finished 8-11 in the Baseball Grand Championship with Biloa posting 15 hits, 9 runs, 2 doubles, 5 homers, 10 RBI, .740 OPS, 117 wRC+, and 0.6 WAR. At age 35 in 2027, Biloa looked like his old self with a 1.061 OPS, 7.0 WAR, 54 home runs, and 135 RBI. He won his sixth Silver Slugger (his only one at 1B) and was second in MVP voting. Bujumbura led the conference standings at 93-69, but lost the Central Conference Championship in a seven-game war with Mogadishu. Biloa was below average for the series at .769 OPS and 0.1 WAR. For his playoff career in 28 starts, he had 35 hits, 17 runs, 8 doubles, 9 homers, 23 RBI, .312/.358/.625 slash, 150 wRC+, and 0.9 WAR. Biloa regressed back to what he had generally done in his 30s in 2028 at 4.2 WAR and the Bighorns extended their longtime superstar for a two-year, $48,400,000 deal. He then had career lows in 2029 with 1.2 WAR, 25 homers, and 98 wRC+. Bujumbura had fallen below .500 in 2028, but just missed the playoffs in 2029 at 90-72. The Bighorns would be a losing team for the next four years and eventually got relegated. In 2030, Biloa had a decent pace and reached the 2500 hit and 1500 run milestones. However, a fractured foot kept him out most of the summer. He did notably hit for the cycle on August 30 against Mombasa. Bujumbura didn’t re-sign their longtime icon, sending him to free agency for the first time at age 39. He remained beloved though and Biloa’s #27 uniform would soon be retired. Biloa wanted to still play, but most AAB teams didn’t want to pay a high figure for an aged star. He ended up in the Arab League on a two-year, $9,360,000 deal with Jeddah. Biloa was a part-time starter with the Jackals in 2031 with decent results, getting 20 homers, .863 OPS, 121 wRC+, and 1.9 WAR in 108 games. He was set to play in 2032, but suffered a ruptured MCL in spring training that effectively ended his career. Biloa missed all of 2032 and retired that winter at age 41. In AAB with Bujumbura, Biloa had 2294 games, 2554 hits, 1525 runs, 481 doubles, 68 triples, 674 home runs, 1738 RBI, 733 walks, 1723 strikeouts, 517 steals, .301/.365/.613 slash, .978 OPS, 154 wRC+, and 83.5 WAR. Biloa ranks 21^st in games, 15^th in runs, 14^th in hits, 9^th in total bases (5193), 30^th in doubles, 11^th in homers, 10^th in RBI, 59^th in walks, 38^th in strikeouts, and 12^th in WAR among position players. Among those with 3000+ plate appearances, Biloa is 25^th in OPS and his triple slash ranks 43^rd/65^th/20^th. Biloa easily is viewed as a top 20 batter for the African Association of Baseball’s relatively brief history and his biggest fans might even place him in the top 10. He was universally beloved and helped grow the game both in Burundi with the Bighorns and back home in the Central African Republic. Biloa stood alone for induction at 98.6% for AAB’s 2036 Hall of Fame class. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)

10-04-2025, 06:33 PM	#2485
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,007	2036 World Baseball Championship The 2036 World Baseball Championship was the 90^th edition of the event and was hosted in Tainan, Taiwan. The top team in the divisional round was South Africa, dominating Division 1 at 13-0. They were only the third team to go unbeaten since the divisions expanded to 14 teams in 2031. The South Africans got their third straight division title, fourth playoff berth in five years, and fifth overall. Behind them were Algeria and Guatemala tied at 9-4, followed by the Czech Republic, England, and Iran at 8-5. The tiebreaker sent the Guatemalans forward for the seventh time overall and second time in three years. The two-time defending world champ United States clobbered the Division 2 field at 12-1. The Americans advanced for the seventh consecutive season and the 67^th time overall. It was a four-way tie for second at 8-5 between last year’s runner-up Poland, Belgium, Denmark and France. The tiebreaker formula favored the Poles for a third straight postseason trip. Poland has advanced 14 times overall. China claimed Division 3 at 10-3, advancing along with 9-4 Germany. Cuba, Nicaragua, and Panama were the first teams out at 8-5. The Chinese picked up a fourth playoff trip in six years and 31^st overall. The Germans have 17 playoff trips and three so far in the 2030s. Somalia won Division 4 at 10-3 with all three of their playoff trips coming in the last four seasons. Tied for second at 9-4 were Haiti, Japan, and Pakistan. The Japanese ended up advancing on the tiebreaker for their fifth playoff try in six years and 27^th overall. India led Division 5 at 10-3 for a third straight playoff trip and their sixth of the 2030s. The Indians have 16 postseason appearances overall, more than half coming since 2024. Egypt and Venezuela tied at 9-4 followed by Thailand and Zimbabwe at 8-5. The Egyptians had the head-to-head win over the Venezuelans, giving Egypt four playoff spots in five years as well as nine overall. Advancing from Division 6 was South Korea at 11-2 and Bulgaria at 10-3. Last year’s third place finisher Russia missed at 9-4 with Malawi at 8-5. The Koreans picked up back-to-back berths and their 22^nd overall. It was only the second-time the Bulgarians had moved forward, joining their shocking 2027 world championship run. Coming from Division 7 was 11-2 Nigeria and 10-3 Ethiopia. Four squads finished 8-5; Mexico, Peru, Romania, and Spain. This ended a drought back to their 2022 world title for the Nigerians, advancing for the tenth time. Ethiopia got its seventh playoff spot and third in five years. Lastly from Division 8 it was Iraq (11-2) and Indonesia (10-3) prevailing. 2035 fourth place finisher Brazil and the Democratic Republic of Congo were next at 8-5. The Iraqis had never advanced before, becoming the 91^st unique nation to get a playoff berth at least once. The Indonesians secured a 31^st trip and sixth since 2028. To the Double Round Robin, Somalia (5-1) and South Africa (4-2) advanced from Group A with Indonesia (2-4) and Poland (1-5) ousted. India (5-1) and China (4-2) won from Group B over Ethiopia (2-4) and Bulgaria (1-5). Both Egypt and Nigeria prevailed at 4-2 in Group C while South Korea and Germany were both 2-4. And in Group D, the United States and Japan succeeded at 4-2 with both Iraq and Guatemala eliminated at 2-4. The quarterfinal group was notable for a few reasons. This was the first time that half of the elite eight were African nations and also the first time since 2010 without a single European country in the quarterfinals. Three of the quarterfinals were 2-0 sweeps with Somalia over China, India over South Africa, and Nigeria over Japan. The one needed all three games was the USA surviving a fierce challenge from Egypt. The Americans made it to the semifinal for the 59^th time and the sixth time in seven years. It was the ninth time in the final four by India, who finished third overall three straight years from 2030-32. The Nigerians had made it six times to the semis, most recently with their 2022 title. The Somalis had never gotten this far, becoming the 55^th unique nation with a final four run. It was also the first time that two African nations had gotten to the semifinal. Somalia stunned India 3-2 to become the 34^th country to earn a championship berth. They were the third African squad to do it along with Nigeria and Algeria. The United States outlasted the Nigerians 3-2 to keep the three-peat bid alive. The Indians were officially third place for the fourth time in the 2030s and Nigeria was fourth. Somalia couldn’t keep up their stunning run against the American juggernaut, as the United States won the 90^th World Championship 4-1. It was the fifth title in six years for the US, moving to 46-9 in their finals trips. The Americans had 218 runs scored over the event, a new WBC record. Their 103 team home runs were the second-most and the pitching staff’s 434 strikeouts was third-best. Tournament MVP was 1B Alair White, who had won four consecutive American Association MVPs for Vancouver. The 26-year old from Clarksdale, Mississippi led all players with 39 hits, 32 runs, 22 homers, 43 RBI, 107 total bases, and 3.05 WAR. White had a 1.228 OPS and 245 wRC+. His WAR was the 5th-best by a position player in WBC history and the 9th-best among everyone. White’s homers were second in WBC history behind only Thomas Rich’s 26 from 2031. His RBI fell three short of the event record and his total bases ranked 3rd-best. White was also only the 9^th to score 30+ runs. Also notable for the Americans was CF Brandon McElveen with 2.4 WAR, 27 hits, 29 runs, 18 homers, and 26 RBI. Leading the pitching both with 2.3 WAR efforts were Noah Skeen and Lendon McIntosh. Somalia’s top star was SP Abdullahi Ali, who somehow wasn’t Best Pitcher winner. The 24-year old lefty with AAB’s Kampala struck out 107 over 53 innings with 2.8 WAR, a 2.21 ERA, and 4-1 record. Only once prior had a pitcher fanned 100+ in the WBC; Nick Hedrick’s record 109 from 1957. Ali’s WAR mark was also the 5^th-best by a pitcher in event history. Leading the Somali offensive effort was Omar Adan with 28 hits, 24 runs, 15 homers, 32 RBI, and 2.0 WAR. Best Pitcher was given to India’s Rahul Katti, the 2034 Indian League Pitcher of the Year with Lucknow. He had a 0.77 ERA over 23.1 innings with an 0.77 ERA, 43 Ks, and 1.0 WAR. There were two no-hitters in 2036, the first coming from Somalia’s Ismail Cabdi with 12 Ks and 4 BB on January 15 against Moldova. The next day, Zambia’s Ian Kanyanta did it with 10 Ks and 1 BB facing Uruguay. Other notes: Bulgaria’s Angel Gospodinov became the 16^th in WBC history with a four home run game, doing it January 24 against Ethiopia. Below are the updated all-time team stats: __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder) Last edited by FuzzyRussianHat; 10-04-2025 at 06:39 PM.

10-05-2025, 07:18 AM	#2486
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,007	2036 in A2L Antananarivo finished first in the Southern Conference at 95-67, trying to escape the African Second League in their sixth season there. The Eagles had one prior playoff berth in 2033. Mauritius at 88-74 narrowly got the second playoff spot, fending off Pretoria (87-75), Nampula (86-76), Bulawayo (85-77), and Maseru (83-79). This was the first playoff trip for the Monsoon since getting sent back to A2L for 2032. Juba (99-63) and Asmara (97-65) dominated the Central Conference field with only Mwanza really coming close at 90-72. The Jungle Cats had never been a playoff team in their 19-year history despite averaging 83.4 wins per season. Juba was the only remaining original A2L team that had never gotten to the playoffs. The Anteaters earned back-to-back second place finishes and were hoping for their second promotion. In the Southern Conference Championship, Antananarivo defeated Mauritius 4-2 to earn a promotion back to the African Association of Baseball’s First League after six years in A2L. Asmara upset Juba 4-1 in the Central Conference final for their second promotion. The Anteaters had moved up in 2033, but only stayed two years. In the Second League Championship, Asmara cruised to a 5-1 win over Antananarivo. Other notes: Juba’s Timothy Tefera joined Simon Walusimbi as the only four-time MVPs in A2L history. 1B Dhabita Bubhutsu won his 8^th Gold Glove, the second in A2L to win 8+ GGs. 3B Husain Ferdous became the first with 10 Silver Sluggers. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)

10-05-2025, 07:40 PM	#2487
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,007	2036 in E2L & ET3 Six teams were within six games of the top spot in the European Second League’s Western Conference. The #1 spot was Valencia at 95-67 for their third straight playoff berth. The Vandals had been back in E2L since 2028. The other three playoff spots had a three-way tie at 93-69 between Belfast, Lisbon, and Rome. The first teams out were Brussels (91-71), Paris (89-73), and Manchester (87-75). For the Brewers, it was their first playoff berth since 2030 as they tried to end a 17-year stay in E2L. Both the Red Wolves and Clippers had their first playoff berth since entering their current E2L stints. That started in 2033 for Rome and 2028 for Lisbon. Suffering relegation to European Tier Three was Ruhr at 55-107, eight games worse than the nearest foe Bordeaux. The Railhawks were the 2035 ET3 runner-up, only lasting one season in E2L. In the Double-Round Robin, top seed Valencia fared best at 4-2 to secure a promotion, returning to the European Baseball Federation’s Elite Tier for the first time since 2027. Belfast and Lisbon tied at 3-3 with Rome at 2-4. The Brewers and Clippers had split their meetings, but Belfast had the tiebreaker to make it back to EBF for the first time since 2019. Since 2016, Belfast had been in E2L all but in 2018-19. The Brewers then rolled to 4-0 sweep of Valencia in the Western Conference Championship. Leipzig dominated the Eastern Conference field at 102-60 for their third straight playoff berth. The Lumberjacks had been back in E2L since 2032. Second was Copenhagen at 95-67, their first playoff berth since returning to E2L two years prior. The remaining playoff spots were Varna at 90-72 and Naples at 88-74 with Sofia (85-77) as the first team out. The Vigilantes got only their second playoff trip of their current 16-year E2L stint. The Nobles had only just gotten relegated the prior season. Firmly in last place was Lviv at 58-104, a rough bottoming out for the Lunkers. They had been a regular E2L playoff team in the last decade and had gotten promoted to the Elite Tier for 2035. Lviv had gotten immediately relegated back to E2L, then fell even further down to European Tier Three. #4 seed Naples was the top team in the Double Round Robin at 5-1, getting promoted back up for the second time in four years. Copenhagen and Varna were both 3-3 and top seed Leipzig struggled to 1-5. The Vigilantes had the tiebreaker over the Corsairs for Varna’s second-ever promotion. Their only prior EBF stint was from 2016-20. The Nobles outlasted the Vigilantes 4-3 in the Eastern Conference Championship. Naples then bested Belfast 4-1 to secure the Second League Championship. Other notes: Skopje’s Apostolos Anazimenes became the third in E2L history to win Pitcher of the Year thrice. The Hague dominated European Tier Three at 109-53 for their first-ever promotion up. Nottingham at 97-65 got the #2 spot, holding off Newcastle (93-69). The North Stars escaped after only one year in ET3, having gotten demoted after a ten-year run in E2L. The Hackers flattened Nottingham with a 4-0 sweep for the Third League Championship. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)

10-06-2025, 08:16 AM	#2488
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,007	2036 in AAB Defending Africa Series champ Dar es Salaam repeated as the Southern Conference’s top team at 105-57, finishing the season on an eight-game winning streak. That allowed them to pass Cape Town for first in the final week, as they were even with three games to go. The Cowboys still firmly took second at 102-60 for their second playoff berth in three years. Durban (95-67), Johannesburg (94-68), and Windhoek (94-68) were in the mix, but ultimately came up short. The Sabercats were the top scoring team for the entire African Association of Baseball at 951 runs, followed by Cape Town at 924. The Cowboys allowed 695 runs, the fewest in the conference. Dar es Salaam smacked 326 home runs for a new conference record with a .516 slugging percentage; the third-best in conference history. The Sabercats also had a 2,065,851 season attendance, the second-best in conference history. The fall was quick for Port Elizabeth, who had won pennants in 2031 and 2033. The Elephants fell to 55-107 and suffered relegation, ending their tenure in the AAB First League after a decade. Comoros was the only team in range of PE, but survived at 61-101. Much of Dar es Salaam’s historic power came from Southern Conference MVP Ferdinand Rajerison in his fourth year starting at first base. It was his third straight year as the homers leader, this time with a blistering 80 home runs. It is one of only 10 seasons in all of world history in any league of 80+ homers (with another coming in the adjacent conference). It was still ten away from Dagne Mersha’s 90 from 2028, which is second in world history. Rajerison also had 178 RBI, which ranks as the sixth-best in AAB history and 15^th best in any world league. He was actually second in the conference to Sabercats teammate Ketema Gudeta’s 186. Gudeta’s mark was tied for the fifth-best in world history and just short of Mersha’s 189 RBI from the before-mentioned 2028 campaign. As for Rajerison, the 26-year old Malagasy lefty led in total bases (486), slugging (.805), OPS (1.176), wRC+ (185), and WAR (8.2). His total bases were second in AAB history to Mersha’s 510 in 2028 and ranked 16^th in world history. Rajerison also had 201 hits, 41 doubles, 125 runs, and a .333 average. His slugging was seventh-best in AAB history and one of only 41 qualifying seasons in world history above .800. Dar es Salaam had picked him ninth in the 2031 AAB Draft and he helped them to a 2033 promotion back to the big league. Harare was a non-factor at 74-88, but they had the Pitcher of the Year in Ghebrezgiabhier Alemayehu. It was his second time with the top honor, having also won in 2028. The 32-year old Ethiopian righty led in ERA (3.02), innings (265.2), WHIP (0.97), K/BB (6.4), quality starts (24), complete games (17), shutouts (5), FIP- (58), and WAR (10.3). Alemayehu had a 21-10 record and 305 strikeouts. The Hustlers’ long-time ace still had two years left on a $129,800,000 deal signed back in 2031. Four teams finished within five wins of the top spot in the Central Conference. Mombasa went 9-1 in their final ten games to surge ahead for first place at 96-66. Prior to this, the Bisons had never even had a winning season in the top league, having been back up since 2030. For the #2 spot, Lubumbashi and Kampala finished tied at 93-69 while Kinshasa was 91-71. In a one-game tiebreaker, the Loggerheads defeated the Peacocks for their first playoff trip since 2025. Lubumbashi had only gotten promoted back up the prior year. It was a brutal collapse late for Kampala, who lost their last seven games. Last year’s conference champ Nairobi fell to fifth at 85-77. The Loggerheads allowed the fewest runs in the CC at 640. Kigali scored the most at 933, but allowed 926 and limped to 72-90. Bahir Dar ended up relegated at 64-98, finishing seven games from both Bangui and Brazzaville for the bottom spot. The Baboons were the 2035 African Second League champ, lasting only one season in the top tier. Bahir Dar set conference worsts for team ERA (5.75) and earned runs (919). Their 963 runs allowed were the 2^nd worst in CC history. AAB’s other huge power season came from Kinshasa’s Martin Kulatilaka, who repeated as Central Conference MVP. The 28-year old 1B from Seychelles led in HRs, RBI, and total bases for the third straight year with 81, 172, and 484. Kulatilaka’s homers were the ninth-best single season in all of world history, the RBI ranked 24^th, and total bases were 18^th. Nicknamed “Big Train,” Kulatilaka also led in runs (139), hits (205), slugging (.792), OPS (1.192), wRC+ (189), and WAR (8.5). He added 36 doubles and was second in batting average at .336, although he was still far from a Triple Crown due to Kigali’s Rivomanatsoa Vombola at .355. Kulatilaka had only been starting for five-and-a-half years with the Sun Cats and already had 347 home runs and 798 RBI. There was also historic pitching as Kampala’s Abdullahi Ali repeated as Pitcher of the Year. His 13.0 WAR the prior year had set the league record for pitchers and was arguably the best pitching season in AAB to that point. At only age 24, the Somali lefty managed to best that in 2036 with back-to-back Triple Crowns and his third straight 400+ strikeout season. Before Ali, the AAB Ks record was 388. Ali tied the wins record at 27-3 and had 437 strikeouts, breaking his record 430 from the prior year. He also led in ERA (1.63), innings (259), WHIP (0.78), K/BB (10.2), quality starts (25), complete games (12), shutouts (3), FIP- (28), ERA+ (293), and WAR (15.3). Ali’s WAR was the AAB record for all players and one of only 48 seasons by any player in world history of 15+ WAR. His ERA was the second-best qualifying season (162+ innings required) in AAB history, behind only Yves Munyaneza’s 1.59 from 1996. Ali’s WHIP was also second only to Michael Wakachu’s 0.76 in 2010. 27+ wins has only happened 54 total times in world history. Ali’s 15.19 K/9 and .503 opponent’s OPS both were AAB’s third-best season and his .222 OBP ranked second. He also finished second in MVP voting, joining Lawal Deffallah (2032-33) as the only AAB players with multiple and/or repeat Triple Crowns. The Southern Conference Championship went the distance with Dar es Saalam taking the series 4-3 after winning the finale 6-2. The Sabercats secured repeat pennants and their fifth overall (1997, 2004, 2027, 2035, 2036). Mombasa meanwhile rolled 4-1 over Lubumbashi for their first-ever Central Conference Championship win. In the 42^nd Africa Series, Mombasa dethroned the defending champ Dar es Salaam 5-2, capping off their first-ever winning season in the top league with the title. The Bisons joined Djibouti (2031) as the only teams created in 2018 with the A2L to win the AAB’s top prize. The series had drama right away in game one, with the Sabercats scoring two in the bottom of the ninth to force extras at 3-3. Mombasa scored four in the 12^th, allowing them to hold on ultimately 7-5. RF Yaya Kyomukama was finals MVP, going 9-26 in the series with 4 homers and 5 RBI. The 27-year old Ugandan closed the series with a walkoff solo homer to give Mombasa a 2-1 win in game seven. Other notes: AAB’s 5^th perfect game and first since 2021 came on August 22 by Gaborone’s Mert Seyoum, who struck out nine facing Luanda. Gaborone’s Brandon Tsolope scored 145 runs, tied for the 7^th-best single season in AAB history. Bahir Dar’s Tshepo Masino on July 31 had AAB’s 19^th four home run game against Addis Ababa. Lilongwe at 66-96 avoided relegation despite having historically bad pitching. The Lightning’s 5.96 team ERA and 957 earned runs allowed were both the worst in AAB history. Their 998 runs allowed were the 2^nd worst. Port Elizabeth, who did get relegated from the Southern Conference, had a 5.87 ERA for the 3^rd worst mark and their 10.32 H/9 was the 4^th worst. Dagne Mersha became AAB’s 7^th member of the 800 home run club. Asa Ngoie was the 14^th to 600 homers and Panya Hailemariam the 23^rd to 500 dingers. Ngoie also won his 9^th Silver Slugger in LF. Zenzele Mnisi, Noah Njuguna, and Tariku Desta grew AAB’s 2000 hit club to 39 batters. Ghebrezgiabhier Alemayehu and Lawal Deffalah were the 25^th and 26^th AAB pitchers to 2500 strikeouts. Longtime American star Jason Perazzo made his AAB debut in 2036 at age 41 for Nairobi with 36 homers and 113 RBI. He had been in the ABF the prior three years, but had gotten famous with San Diego’s dynasty in MLB. In 2036, Perazzo got to 2506 combined RBI for his career, becoming only the 6^th player in world history at 2500+ RBI. Perazzo was also up to 13^th on the world homer list at 946 and 22^nd in runs with 2110. He also breached 3500 pro hits in 2036 with 3516 and was just outside of the top 50. Perazzo also crossed 600+ total doubles and was close to cracking that top 50 as well. The Los Angeles native had signed a three-year, $33,300,000 deal with the Night Hawks. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)

10-06-2025, 08:21 PM	#2489
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,007	2036 in ALB Beirut set a franchise best at 106-56 and had the top record in all of Arab League Baseball. The Bluebirds earned a fourth consecutive playoff berth and their third Levant Division title of that streak. They had the fewest runs allowed in ALB at 632. It was an 11-game drop to the next best record in the Western Conference, which was last year’s WC runner-up Cairo at 95-67. The Pharaohs repeated as Nile Division champ with their third straight playoff berth. Damascus at 94-68 was second in the Levant to Beirut, but got the first wild card. The Dusters have eight playoff berths in nine years. Defending WC champ Algiers and Oran tied at 92-70 atop the Mediterranean Division and both made the playoffs. The Rattlesnakes won the tiebreaker game to claim the division, leaving the Arsenal as the second wild card. Oran finished 9-1 in their final ten games and had been the only of the 2016 expansion teams without a playoff berth to that point. Algiers has missed the playoffs only once since 2023. The Rattlesnakes led the conference with 843 runs scored. The next closest teams in the wild card race were Khartoum (86-76), Alexandria (85-77), Giza (85-77), and Tripoli (85-77). Western Conference MVP went to Algiers RF Zakaria Badwan, who led in hits (224), triples (16), stolen bases (145), average (.384), OBP (.448), and WAR (7.5). The 25-year old Palestinian added 116 runs, 47 doubles, 11 homers, and 82 RBI. The 145 steals ranked as the 4^th-best single season in ALB and was the 9^th-best in world history. In April, the Arsenal gave Badwan a four-year, $119,800,000 extension. Beirut’s Abdul Muhaimin Akbar repeated as Pitcher of the Year and posted only the 10^th pitching Triple Crown in ALB history. Akbar was also second in MVP voting and had the most first place votes at 15, although Badwan had 10 and more total points (300-256) with many reluctant to vote for any pitcher. Akbar had a 22-2 record, 2.24 ERA, and 317 strikeouts. The 26-year old Iraqi lefty also led in WHIP (0.86), K/BB (13.8), quality starts (25), FIP- (55), and WAR (8.9). Akbar had 224.2 innings and a 198 ERA+. Damascus dethroned Algiers 2-1 in the wild card round, then pulled off the huge 2-1 upset in the second round over top seed Beirut. The Dusters earned their fourth trip to the Western Conference Final of the decade. Cairo held on 2-1 over Oran on the other side to earn repeat WCF trips. Despite both team’s recent successes, the Pharaohs and Dusters hadn’t met before in the conference final. Cairo started the series with back-to-back walkoff wins, 7-6 in 11 innings for game one and 5-4 in game two. Damascus evened it up with 6-3 and 8-5 home wins, then took the decisive game five 9-6 on the road. The Dusters won their fifth Western Conference pennant (2014, 2016, 2029, 2032, 2036). The Eastern Conference was incredibly competitive at the top as the five playoff teams were separated by six wins. Every other team sans 84-win Riyadh was .500 or worse, so it was obvious who the playoff teams would be by early fall. Notably, these were the same five teams that made up the 2035 and 2034 playoff fields; but the positioning did shift somewhat. Muscat at 100-62 got the top seed and a third straight Gulf Division title. The Threshers grew their playoff streak to a decade and had a .306 team batting average, .357 on-base percentage, and 1736 hits; each the second-best in conference history. Muscat was the top scoring team at 939 and had to fend off 97-65 Doha in the division. The Dash earned the first wild card and grew their playoff streak to seven seasons. Reigning ALB champ Basra won a fourth consecutive Mesopotamia Division at 97-65 and the best run differential at +204. Medina (95-67) edged out Mecca (94-68) for the Arabia Division title. The Mastodons got their fourth straight division title and ninth since 2026. The Marksmen allowed the EC’s fewest runs at 644. Although Baghdad struggled to 76-86, they had the Eastern Conference’s MVP Abdullah Al-Hafith. It was his third MVP, having won in his 2034 Brown Bears debut and with Tunis in 2031. The 32-year old hometown favorite led in runs (134), homers (72), RBI (170), total bases (474), slugging (.786), wRC+ (199), and WAR (9.4). Al-Hafith’s RBI ranked as the 4th-best single season in ALB history and was one of only 33 seasons in world history of 170+ RBI. His effort was also the 18^th time an ALB slugger smacked 70+ dingers. Al-Hafith also had 213 hits, 41 doubles, .353 average, and 1.175 OPS. He became the 46^th member of the 500 home run club in May and also reached 2000 hits. In his second season with Basra, Hamid Hovakimian won Pitcher of the Year. He came to the Bulldogs in a November 2034 trade after six seasons for Giza. The 29-year old Lebanese lefty led in wins at 22-3. Hovakimian had a 3.05 ERA in 195 innings, 208 strikeouts, 147 ERA+, and 4.9 WAR. He was only the second in ALB to win POTY while finishing below 5 WAR. Doha beat Mecca in the wild card round and gave Muscat a challenge in the second round, but the Threshers survived 2-1 with a pair of 3-2 wins. For Muscat, they advanced to the Eastern Conference Final for the sixth time in a decade. Medina ousted defending champ Basra 2-1 on the other side in a rematch of the prior year’s ECF. The Mastodons were making their third straight conference final trip and also their sixth in a decade. Muscat and Medina had turned into a fierce playoff rivalry. The Threshers won the conference final over the Mastodons in 2030 and 2031 to cap off their EC four-peat. The most recent meeting in 2034 was a Medina win. The 2036 battle ultimately lacked drama with a 3-0 Muscat sweep for their fifth pennant (2028-31, 36). The 47^th Arab League Championship was a rematch of the 2029 finals, which saw a 92-win Damascus upset a 114-win Muscat. The Threshers took the first two games at home and got a road win in game four, while the Dusters won games three and five. In game six, Muscat won 6-3 to clinch the series in six for their third ALB crown (2030, 2031, 2036). 1B Abdul Jalil Dahir was series MVP, going 14-22 with 3 homers and 8 RBI. It was the second finals MVP for the 37-year old from Lebanon, having also done it in the 2031 triumph. Damascus saw playoff records for at-bats (65) set by Ric Cabrera and both innings (35) and hits allowed (40) by Mahmoud Sedik. Muscat Manager Shigeichi Emoto also joined Bertel Pitkamaki and Dong-Yeon Kim as the only ALB skippers with three championship rings. The former relief pitcher from Japan took over the Threshers in 2029 and had eight straight playoff trips since arriving. Other notes: Muscat’s Ahmed Yasser Basha had a .405 batting average, the 5^th-best qualifying season in ALB history. Basha joined world hit king Fares Belaid of WAB and BSA’s Marc Melgar as the only players in world history to post three or more seasons above a .400 average. Basha was now at 3232 hits, ranking 4^th in ALB history but within striking distance of Nordine Soule’s record 3339. Elsewhere, Kamal Qasim became the 8^th ALB batter with 3000 career hits and won his 9^th Silver Slugger in CF, a position record. Basha also became a nine-time Slugger winner in RF. Khali Allawi was the 22^nd to 600 home runs and the 23^rd to 1500 runs scored. Walid Zaoui was the 24^th to 1500 runs and the 37^th to 2500 hits. Dahir was the 45^th to the 500 homer club and he and Wandy Martadinata became the 32^nd and 33^rd to 1500 RBI. Martadinata and Mokhtar Bouziane both also breached 2500 hits, now met by 39 ALB batters. Hassan Shanshol became ALB’s new leader in stolen bases with 1806, passing Amar Rasmi’s old record of 1730. The 34-year old Iraqi actually had his worst full season total in 2036 for Aleppo, but still swiped 100 bags. Shanshol moved into the #2 spot in all of world history behind only EBF legend Carsten Dal’s 1995. Medina’s offense had 113 triples, a new ALB single-season team record. Mohammed Jamil led that effort with 27, one short of the ALB player record. 2036 was the final year for five-time Pitcher of the Year Muhammad Nour in a one-off with Basra with 1.9 WAR and 3.38 ERA in 117.1 innings. Almost all of his career came with Algiers, finishing with a 268-126 record, 3.09 ERA, 3515 innings, 4326 strikeouts, 142 ERA+, and 114.6 WAR. Nour retires 4^th in wins, 3^rd in strikeouts, and 4^th in pitching WAR. It was also the final year for LF Walid Bennani, who finished with 945 home runs, 1938 RBI, 2460 hits, 1887 runs, 1119 steals, 2812 strikeouts, 1.004 OPS, 148 wRC+, and 90.3 WAR. He retires #2 in homers, #4 in RBI, #4 in runs, #7 in steals, and #4 in strikeouts in ALB history. On the world leaderboard for all leagues ever, Bennani is 14^th in dingers. ALB’s 10^th perfect game came on July 5 as Kuwait’s Muse Abdi struck out 10 against Cairo. Alexandria’s Mohammed Ibn Sultan had a 34-game hitting streak, tied for the 5^th-longest in ALB history. It was only three games short of the league record set by Abdul Jalil Dahir with 37 in 2028. RF Nathan Nasreddine won his 14^th consecutive Gold Glove and LF Karrar Mazloum became a ten-time Gold Glove winner. Nasreddine leads all ALB defenders and is only one of 19 in all of baseball history with 14+ Gold Gloves at any position and one of two in right field along with ABF’s Hana Zuhair (15). Mazloum was only the 4^th ALB player to win 10+ Gold Gloves. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)

10-07-2025, 05:07 AM	#2490
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,007	2036 in ABF Hyderabad extended its Asian Baseball Federation record playoff streak to 13 seasons, earning the East League’s top seed at 104-58. They repeated as Pakistan Division champs and led the EL in runs scored (738) and run differential (+243). Rawalpindi was second in the division at 98-64 for the first wild card and their sixth consecutive playoff berth. The Red Wings finished the season on a 15-game winning streak. Tashkent repeated as North Division champs at 97-65 for their fifth playoff trip in six years. The Tomcats and Horned Frogs both allowed 495 runs, the fewest in the ABF. Defending EL champ Osh was six games back at 91-71 and ended up just short in the wild card race. Lahore (93-69) edged out Gujranwala (92-70) and the Oxen for the final spot. Although the Longhorns have had 12 straight winning seasons, this ended a five-year playoff drought. Osh 1B Dzhurakhon Asadullayev won his third East League MVP in four years and earned his second Triple Crown. The 28-year old Kazakh lefty led in runs (137), hits (211), home runs (64), RBI (138), walks (108), total bases (454), triple slash (.364/.459/.784), OPS (1.243), wRC+ (243), and WAR (12.5). Asadullayev also had 45 doubles. He now has the #1, #3, and #4 qualifying seasons by OPS in ABF history. Asadullayev’s 2036 also ranked as the 7^th-best OBP, 5^th-best slugging, 5^th-most runs, 4^th-most total bases, and 4^th-most walks in ABF history. There have only been 12 100+ walk seasons in ABF and Asadullayev has five of them. The #2 pick by the Oxen in the 2030 ABF Draft, Asadullayeev has led in OBP in all six of his seasons and has five times led in walks, OPS, and wRC+. He already has 62.4 career WAR, making his first six years among the best-ever starts to a career. In two seasons with Tashkent, Shahrokh Morteza has back-to-back Pitcher of the Year wins. The 33-year old Iranian righty had signed a five-year, $87 million deal for 2035 after previously pitching with Peshawar and Bishkek. Morteza won POTY unanimously in 2036, leading in wins (23-7), ERA (1.93), innings (280), and quality starts (28). He added 360 strikeouts, 190 ERA, and 7.5 WAR. Morteza was 41 Ks from the Triple Crown with Osh’s Balazs Volgyi first with 401. That was only the 22^nd time an ABF ace fanned 400+ in a season. Lahore upset top seed Hyderabad 2-0 in the first round and Tashkent edged Rawalpindi 2-1, taking game three with a 3-2 walkoff win. The Tomcats then swept the Longhorns 2-0 to earn a third straight trip to the East League Championship Series. In the loser’s bracket, the Horned Frogs ousted the Red Wings 2-0, then got 2-0 revenge over Lahore to bounce back in the double-elimination bracket. Hyderabad earned its eighth ELCS trip of their playoff streak, having gone 6-1 during the run. Tashkent started the series with a 7-4 road win, followed by a Hyderabad 5-1 win. The Tomcats posted back-to-back shutouts at home, but the Horned Frogs won game five 3-1 to force a return to Pakistan. Tashkent took game six on the road 3-2 for the 4-2 series win to end a 33-year pennant drought. The Tomcats’ only ABF pennants came right after they arrived in the league in 2000 and 2002. Tashkent also had pennants in 1969, 1998, and 1999 when they were still in Eurasian Professional Baseball. The West League was incredibly top-heavy as all four playoff teams won 100+ games. Baku was West Division champ for the eighth straight year and got the top seed at 115-47. The Blackbirds now have won at least 110+ games in seven successive seasons. They were the top scoring team with 856 runs and had the best run differential at+250. Tabriz took a third straight Central Division crown at 109-53 and allowed the fewest runs in the WL at 539. The Tiger Sharks won a lot of close games with 63 saves, a WL team record and the second-best in ABF history. Both second place teams finished 101-61; Isfahan in the Central and Bursa in the West. The Imperials ended a five-year playoff drought and Blue Wings got back-to-back wild cards. Bursa set a new ABF team record with 393 doubles. Defending ABF champ Gaziantep was the only other team above .500, but was still 13 games away in the wild card race at 88-74. Also notable was Mashhad at 79-83, their first losing season since 2020. Adana (77-85) also was below .500 for the first time since 2025. For the ninth year in-a-row, the West League MVP went to a Baku player. 1B Ular Esenov got it for the second time, having also won in 2033. The 29-year old Uzbek righty led in hits (224), average (.356), wRC+ (205), and WAR (9.4). Esenov added 53 homers, 125 RBI, 108 runs, and 1.056 OPS. He had 21 of the first place votes while Bursa’s Khattak Baweja had 11. Bursa lefty Refik Sagir was 2035 Rookie of the Year and followed it up as 2036 Pitcher of the Year. The 24-year old Turk led in wins (23-8), complete games (21), shutouts (3), and WAR (6.3) while also earning a Gold Glove. Sagir had a 2.73 ERA in 254 innings, 150 ERA+, 69 FIP-, and 286 strikeouts. The Blue Claws had taken him third in the 2034 ABF Draft. Sagir had 25 first place votes, while Reliever of the Year winner Reza Sabir had seven. Sabir became the third in ABF history to win ROTY four times and made it three straight for Tabriz. He set the ABF saves record with 54, which is tied for the 8^th-best single-season in world history. Sabir had a 1.28 ERA in 80 games with 91.2 innings, 172 strikeouts, and 5.3 WAR. Shortly after his 30^th birthday, the Iranian righty left for free agency and signed a one-year deal with MLB’s Brooklyn Dodgers. The first round had Bursa upset Baku 2-1 while Tabriz swept Isfahan 2-0. The Blue Claws kept rolling in round two 2-0 over the Tiger Sharks, earning their first West League Championship Series trip since 2024. In the loser’s bracket, the top-seed Blackbirds outlasted the Imperials and then Tabriz, both by 2-1 margins. Baku was back in the ELCS after missing the last two years despite 124 and 110 win seasons. After trading wins in the first four games, Bursa bested Baku 3-2 in game five and 5-0 in game six to win the series 4-2. It was the fifth pennant for the Blue Claws (1999, 2001, 2004, 2020, 2036). Despite remaining dominant in the regular season, the Blackbirds have failed the capture the pennant in three straight years, unable to follow up on the 2029-33 five-peat. The 52^nd ABF Championship needed all seven games. Tashkent opened ahead with 5-4 and 9-3 road wins, but Bursa matched with 9-3 and 7-2 road wins. The Tomcats took game five 8-2 at home to hold the advantage headed back to Turkey. The Blue Claws won game six 3-2 at home with the go-ahead run in the bottom of the eighth inning. In the decisive game seven, Bursa bested Tashkent at home 6-3 to earn only their second ABF title (2004, 2036). The Blue Claws were the first Turkish team to win the ABF crown since Ankara in 2018. RF Bekzat Lunin was finals MVP, going 10-29 with three home runs and six RBI in the series. The Uzbek RF had missed the first half of 2036 due to a torn PCL from the prior August. Bursa also had a historic playoff run from LF Khattak Baweja, who was MVP in the WLCS and the first two rounds. He set ABF playoff records for homers (12) and total bases (66). The 24-year old Pakistani in 17 games had 26 hits, 16 runs, 4 doubles, 18 RBI, 1.646 OPS, 353 wRC+, and 2.2 WAR. Baweja was one run and three RBI short of those ABF playoff records. Refik Sagir also tied the ABF playoff record for wins with five, but also set the record for most hits allowed at 46. He was 5-1 in 46.2 innings with a 3.09 ERA, 47 Ks, and 1.1 WAR. Other notes: Between them, Hasan Yousefi and Agshin Jumayev had won ten Pitcher of the Year awards from 2025-35. Both finished their careers in 2036. Yousefi went 14-12 with a 3.89 ERA, 172 Ks, and 2.6 WAR in his 16^th and final season with Ankara. Jumayev in his 14^th season for Baku had a 10-4 record and 3.73 ERA in 144.2 innings with 137 Ks and 0.0 WAR. Both men breached 250 career wins, a mark previously only hit by Sijad Khaleel. Yousefi got to 258 wins, passing Khaleel for the all-time wins lead in ABF. Jumayev got to 256 to tie Khaleel for second. Yousefi also passed Hasan Afshin’s 5151 strikeouts to become ABF’s all-time leader with 5246 while also sitting 27^th in the world strikeout leaderboard. Jumayev ended with 4706 Ks, ranking 5^th best in ABF and just outside of the world top 50. Yousefi at 105.1 WAR ranked 3^rd and Jumayev’s 93.6 was 6^th among ABF aces. Maksat Gurbanov also retired in 2036, finishing 4^th in wins (246), and 5^th in WAR (94.9), but 28^th in Ks (3671). Gurbanov allowed the most hits in ABF at 3697. ABF’s 25^th perfect game occurred on July 9 as Bursa’s Korcan Akbaba struck out 11 facing Isfahan. He needed to be perfect as it was a 1-0 victory with the lone run in the first inning. In other pitching notables, Ibrahim Tolibov became the 30^th to 3500 career strikeouts and Mansoor Kayam was the 21^st to 200 wins. Artyom Masharipov became the 24^th to 500 home runs while Mustafa Sarir, Mehrdad Azghadi, and Ammar Sanjrani grew the 400 home run club to 50 members. Sultan Han was the 20^th to 2500 hits. Youssouf Raza was the 11^th to 1500 RBI. OF Khalaf bin Abdullah became the 6^th ABF player with 10+ Silver Sluggers. He had 12 for his career having also won twice during his 2028-31 MLB stint. Bin Abdullah had 10 Sluggers in center field and two in right. LF Cihat Cetinkaya won his 9^th consecutive Gold Glove and 2B Mahmut Gurbuzerol won his 8^th Gold Glove. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)

10-07-2025, 11:27 PM	#2491
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,007	2036 in SAB The Indian League’s five playoff teams were separated by only five wins with the top three squads battling in the South Division. Madurai was 7-3 in their last ten games to finish on top at 99-63 ahead of 97-65 efforts by both Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam. This was the first-ever playoff berth or winning season for the Rams, who were one of the 2025 expansion teams. Madurai allowed the fewest runs in South Asia Baseball at 583. The Hippos and Volts got the wild cards with Hyderabad earning the tiebreaker for home field having dominated the season series 12-6. That made it six straight playoff berths for the Hippos and the 12^th since 2023 for Visakhapatnam. The Volts led the IL in scoring with 788 runs scored and had the best run differential at +175. Pune won the West Division at 96-66, nine games ahead of defending IL champ Mumbai (87-75). The Purple Knights got repeat playoff trips, but it was their first division title since 2025. Kolkata claimed the Central at 94-68 for their third berth in four years. Patna was the closest foe at 89-73 for their first-ever winning season. Delhi, last year’s division champ and 2034 SAB champ, dropped to 80-82. Ahmedabad was also 80-82, their first repeat losing season since the 2010s. The Pointers notably set an IL team record with 1699 hits with LF R.C. Gutta leading the way as the unanimous Indian League MVP. The hometown hero also posted only the fifth-ever hitting Triple Crown in SAB and the first since Majed Darwish in 2009-10. Gutta did it in 139 games, tragically suffering a ruptured Achilles tendon in late August. A recovery setback in December sadly may sideline until the late fall in 2037. In his sixth season for Patna, Gutta led in runs (116), home runs (62), RBI (148), total bases (424), triple slash (.389/.459/.817), OPS (1.276), wRC+ (235), and WAR (10.8). He added 202 hits and 30 doubles. Gutta’s OPS was the 7^th-best qualifying season in SAB history with the triple slash ranking 10^th/9^th/5^th. He also had the 19^th-best slugging in world history and 17^th-best OPS. Gutta’s hometown Pointers picked him #1 overall back in the 2030 SAB Draft. Abjit Shirvastava had a breakout season for Pitcher of the Year in 2036 with Visakhapatnam. He had been middling in his previous efforts with Vientiane and Jaipur, signing a two-year, $7,320,000 deal for 2036 with the Volts. The 27-year old lefty had a 19-5 record, 2.55 ERA, 229 innings, 292 strikeouts, 160 ERA+, and 4.8 WAR. In a relatively weak field, Shrivastava got 32/36 first place votes. Although Hyderabad won the season series easily, Visakhapatnam beat them 2-0 in the wild card round, including a 4-3 game two win in 12 innings. The Volts were promptly swept by Madurai in the divisional series, becoming the first of the 2025 expansion teams with an Indian League Championship Series berth. Pune downed Kolkata 3-1 on the other side for their first ILCS trip since their 2027 title. Madurai won game one 6-5, but Pune evened the series on a 12-6 road win. The Purple Knights won game three 2-0, but the Rams got their own 2-0 win the next night. Pune picked up game five 6-2 for the advantage heading back to Madurai. The Purple Knights then won game six 4-1 on the road to wrap the series on a eight-inning, two-hit, one run performance by Brian Truong. Pune became six-time Indian League champs (1981, 1983, 1984, 2019, 2027, 2036). Da Nang surprised the Southeast Asia League with the top seed at 101-61, ending an 11-year playoff drought. The Nailers had the best run differential at +167 and won the South Division over Bangkok (92-70) and Ho Chi Minh City (90-72). Those squads snagged both wild cards, giving the Bobcats their fifth wild card in six years and giving the Hedgehogs an eighth consecutive playoff berth. Last year’s division champ Colombo fell to 78-84. Bangkok was SEAL’s top scoring team at 898 runs. Reigning SAB champ Mandalay won the West Division at 96-66 and allowed the fewest runs at 641. The Mammoths have only missed the playoffs once since 2026. Last year’s SEAL runner-up Dhaka was second at 89-73 and fell one short in the wild card race behind HCMC. This was only the second playoff miss since 2021 for the Dobermans. Hanoi won the Central Division at 89-73, ending a six-year division title reign by Yangon. The Hounds earned their second berth in three years, but hadn’t been a division champ since 2017. The Green Dragons were 86-76, missing the playoffs for only the third time in 42 years. Vientiane was third at 81-81, their first winning season since 2028. The Vampires had a huge turnaround after winning 65 or fewer games in each of the last six seasons. Leading the way was Indian League MVP Fanmuong Try, the #1 draft pick from 2033. In his third season, the 24-year old Cambodian 1B led in homers (52) and total bases (418). Try had 202 hits, 119 runs, 34 doubles, 128 RBI, .325/.378/.672 slash, 177 wRC+, and 7.3 WAR. He had 25 of the first place votes while Da Nang’s Totam Akila had the remaining 11. Mandalay’s Munfik Madushanka was the unanimous Pitcher of the Year and posted the tenth pitching Triple Crown in SAB history. It was his second POTY, having also won in 2032. The 31-year old Sri Lankan lefty led in wins (20-11), ERA (2.95), innings (265), strikeouts (327), quality starts (24), and WAR (5.7). Madushanka had a 152 ERA+ and 76 FIP-. The upcoming season would be a contract year for him. Bangkok edged Ho Chi Minh City 2-1 in the wild card, winning game three 7-6 with a three-run rally in the bottom of the ninth. Da Nang downed the Bobcats 3-1 in the divisional series, sending the Nailers to their fourth Southeast Asia League Championship (2004, 2021, 23, 36) in search of their first-ever pennant. Hanoi upset Mandalay 3-1 on the other side for their first LCS since making eight straight trips in the 2010s. The series was even after four games, then Hanoi took the advantage with a 6-4 home win in game five. A back-and-forth game six saw Hanoi tie it at 5-5 with a run in the top of the ninth. The Hounds then got one in the tenth to for the 6-5 road win and 4-2 series win. Hanoi ended a 19-year pennant drought and became seven-time Southeast Asian champs (1985, 2007, 08, 10, 13, 16, 36). The 57^th SAB Championship started with a 1-0 pitchers’ duel home win for Pune. Hanoi evened the series on a 6-5 road win in 10 innings, then got 1-0 and 4-3 wins back in Vietnam. The Purple Knights took game five 5-1 to force the series back to India. In game six at Pune, Hanoi scored two in the top of the eighth to go up 4-3, which held as the final score. The 4-2 series win give the Hounds their fifth SAB title (2007, 08, 13, 16, 36). It was also the first time a Vietnamese team took the SAB crown since Hanoi’s 2016 win. Finals MVP was RF Dilipan Samataweera in his third year with the Nounds and 12^th season as a starter, going 9-25 with the two RBI in game six. Other notes: SAB’s 16^th perfect game came on July 28 by Kathmandu’s Vu Nhat Mai with 7 strikeouts against Khulna. He would leave and sign a three-year, $12,960,000 deal with Kolkata for 2037. Colombo’s James Pham had SAB’s 11^th four home run game on April 19 against Bangkok. Madurai’s Ivo Sykora hit for the cycle on May 4 then again on May 23. He is surprisingly not the first SAB batter to get the cycle twice in a month, as Loc Bui did it on 4/2/17 and then again on 4/10/17. The record for shortest gap between cycles was MLB’s Dylan Fabian, who did it on 7/15/2028 and then again two days later on 7/17/28. Topu Ahsan and Jim Ngo were the 39^th and 40^th members of the 500 home run club. Tan Tai Nguyene and Randall Batin were the 22^nd and 23^rd to 1500 runs scored. Mongkol Sangpon and Anant Chamroon were the 22^nd and 23^rd to 300 career saves. 3B Vatish Bharat won his 9^th Gold Gove and SS Madfai Mirza got his 8^th. Two-way player Deep Rajagopol won his 8^th Silver Slugger as a pitcher. Nagpur’s pitching staff allowed 1691 hits and Kanpur’s had a 1.506 team WHIP, both of which were new Indian League worsts. The Patriots 10.47 H/9 was 2^nd-worst, while the Poison’s 1185 strikeouts and 7.41 K/9 were both 2^nd-worst. Kanpur allowed 869 runs, the 3^rd-worst in IL history. It was the final season for OF Gunavati Candrajita, who retired with 3485 hits, 1860 runs, 632 doubles, 288 triples, 154 homers, 1042 RBI, 1781 steals, .871 OPS, 141 wRC+, and 85.5 WAR. He retires as the SAB stolen bases king and 3^rd in all of world history. Candrajita is also 5^th in hits , 6^th in doubles, and 6^th in runs for SAB. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)

10-08-2025, 10:03 AM	#2492
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,007	2036 in WAB Dakar again was the Western League’s top seed and had the best overall record in West African Baseball at 105-57. The Dukes’ playoff streak grew to 13 seasons, one short of the WAB record by Kumasi from 1978-91. Dakar also guaranteed their ninth WLCS appearance of the streak and led the league with 951 runs and a +206 run differential. The Dukes’ pitching staff also set a new record with only 241 walks surrendered while their 1.50 BB/9 was second-best in WL history. It was a steep 20+ game drop to the #2 spot in the North Division, but five teams were right in the mix. Bamako and Conakry ended up tied at 83-79 while both Touba and Cape Verde were 81-81 and Nouakchott was 80-82. The Bullfrogs bested the Coyotes in the tiebreaker game to earn their third playoff trip in four years. None of the six 2030 expansion teams had posted a winning season in their first six campaigns. Daloa bucked that trend in 2036 with an impressive 97-65 finish atop the South Division. Accra was the only other team above .500 at 90-62 for back-to-back wild cards. The Alligators had the WL’s fewest runs allowed at 684. The defending WL champ Monrovia fell to 80-82, ending a four-year playoff streak. In a competitive race for the Western League’s MVP, Touba 1B Kapi Keita emerged on top. He had 13 first place votes and 301 points, beating out Accra’s Emmanuel Marshall (10, 278) and Dakar’s Prince Kofi (4, 247). Accra’s Jossy Montgomery also got two first place votes and Dakar’s Junior Jose got one. It was Keita’s third season and his first with a full slate of games since getting picked third by Touba in the 2033 WAB Draft. The 25-year old Guinean lefty led in total bases (430), triple slash (.378/.420/.683), OPS (1.103), wRC+ (180), and WAR (7.3). Keita had 238 hits, 113 runs, 56 doubles, 44 home runs, and 132 RBI. Accra’s Mohammed Otu won Pitcher of the Year with 27/30 first place votes. The 25-year old Nigerian lefty led in ERA (2.67), WHIP (0.95), and FIP- (68). Otu had a 14-9 record, 188.2 innings, 267 strikeouts, 171 ERA+, and 5.8 WAR. He had been a scouting discovery in 2027 by the Alligators and a full-time starter since 2033. Also notable was Dakar’s Irad Lawali winning his third straight Reliever of the Year with a 1.32 ERA and 43 saves. Bamako upset Accra 2-1 in the first round, including a 1-0 victory in game three. Daloa outlasted the Bullfrogs in a high scoring second round with 10-9, 10-9, and 14-13 final scores. In game three, the Danes scored seven runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to pull off the stunning comeback. Daloa was the first of the 2030 expansion teams to earn a trip to the Western League Championship Series. The Danes got a 9-4 road upset to start the series with Dakar, followed by a 12-3 Dukes win in game two. Daloa won 4-1 at home in game three, but Dakar earned a 5-4 win in game four to four a return to Senegal. The decisive fifth game was 1-1 after the third inning and didn’t see another run scored until the 15^th inning. The Dukes scored in the bottom half to win 2-1 and escape with their tenth pennant (1988, 2012, 13, 16, 25, 27, 29, 30, 32, 36). It was an intense race for both the Eastern League’s top seed and the Coastal Division crown. Douala (104-58) narrowly outraced defending WAB champ Libreville (103-59) for first place. The Dingos got their fourth playoff trip in five years and the Lakers made it three straight. Douala had the best run differential (+217) while Libreville allowed the fewest runs at 658. The Dingos also guaranteed their third Eastern League Championship Series trip in five years. Benin City was the top scoring team at 966 runs, winning the Interior Division by 16 games with a 99-63 finish. The Blue Devils extended their playoff streak to five seasons and got their seventh berth in eight years. It was a big drop to second place Ibadan at 83-79 for their second trip in three years. The Iguanas were two ahead of last year’s division winner Ouagadougou (81-81). Benin City 3B Joao Sebastiao da Silva was the unanimous Eastern League MVP, earning the award for the fourth time having also three-peated in 2030-32. He became the fifth in WAB history to win 4+ MVPs and also grabbed his seventh Silver Slugger. The 33-year old Angolan was in his 12^th season for the Blue Devils. Da Silva was the leader in runs (146), homers (67), slugging (.718), OPS (1.114), and wRC+ (179). He added 205 hits, 136 RBI, a .336 average, and 9.0 WAR. The run tally was tied for the 9^th-best in WAB history. Da Silva is on pace to reach 600 home runs, 1500 runs, and 1500 RBI all next year. Ibadan’s Yakubu Babawo was Pitcher of the Year for the third straight year and fourth time in his seven year career. He had 22 first place votes, while Libreville’s Ibeh Ferguson had eight, becoming the seventh WAB ace with 4+ POTY wins. Babawo led in strikeouts (316), walks (74), quality starts (20), FIP- (66), and WAR (6.7). The 28-year old Nigerian lefty had a 2.70 ERA in 210 innings, 171 ERA+, and 13-8 record. Ibadan upset Libreville 2-1 to start the first round, but the Lakers survived with 6-2 and 6-0 wins. Benin City then swept Libreville in round two, ending the Lakers’ three-peat bid. The Blue Devils were in the Eastern League Championship Series for the fifth time in seven years. It was their third battle of that run against Douala with Benin City winning in 2032 and the Dingos taking the 2033 rematch. Both times, the top seed prevailed. 2036 had the same story as Douala swept Benin City with 7-2, 7-0, and 5-1 wins. The Dingos starting pitchers allowed only two runs across 20.1 innings, helping them to their second pennant. The 62^nd West African Championship was a seven game classic. Dakar was shooting for their fifth title (2016, 2025, 2029, 2032) while Douala was trying for their first. They traded wins across the first six games with the Dukes taking the odd-numbered encounters and the Dingos winning the even games. Game seven was highly anticipated, but ended up being a dominant 10-0 Dakar win for their fifth ring. 3B Junior Jose was finals MVP going 9-19 with 4 homers and 7 RBI. In 14 seasons, Jose had now delivered four WAB rings and six pennants for the Dukes. The 36-year old Mozambican won his 11^th Silver Slugger, joining the legendary SS Darwin Morris as the only 11+ winners in WAB history. Jose took over the career WAB playoff records for homers (33), RBI (78), and doubles (24). He also became the 8^th to 750 career home runs and the 45^th to 2500 hits. Other notes: In his 20^th season with Abidjan, DH Abdel Aziz Ashraf continued to make both good and bad history. The 41-year old Egyptian was limited to 103 games because of shoulder inflammation, but still had 33 home runs, 83 RBI, 122 wRC+, and 2.2 WAR. WAB’s home run king now had 1056 dingers, moving to 4^th all-time on the world leaderboard behind only Majed Darwish (1271), Harvey Coyle (1092), and Nordine Soule (1073). Ashraf was now #9 on the world RBI list at 2469 and in striking distance of being the 7^th to reach 2500. He was also at 2089 runs and 3169 hits, the former ranking 24^th in world history and 6^th in WAB. On the bad side, Ashraf was also the all-time world leader in whiffs. He struck out 162 times in 2036 to get to 4166 strikeouts, passing Konrad Mazur’s former record of 4051. Despite the gaudy power totals, his Ks and being a career DH meant he had only 70.8 WAR to this point. Youssoupha Diop continued to chase Ashraf for the RBI title, now sitting at 2416 after a 26 home run, 71 RBI, 1.0 WAR season for Dakar. He had spent his age 39 season with the Dukes after a 19-year run with Freetown. Diop became the 5^th WAB batter in the 3500 hit club, moving to #4 on the leaderboard at 3606. He was also #4 in runs (2195), #2 in homers (884), and tied for #4 in doubles (704). Following 2036, Diop’s rankings on the world leaderboards had him 30^th in homers, 11^th in RBI, 16^th in doubles, 13^th in runs, and 37^th in hits. He also had 2953 strikeouts, the 36^th-most whiffs in world history. Both Diop and Ashraf planned to return for 2037. In other hitting milestones, Haji Mussa and Batch Kargbo were the 28^th and 29^th to 1500 RBI. Edward Mumini was the 44^th to 2500 hits. SS Prince Kofi won his 9^th consecutive Silver Slugger. Guillaume Mbimbiangoye had 32 saves in a one-off in 2036 for Monrovia, although he had a lackluster 4.16 ERA. Still, this got him to 393 career saves, passing Christopher James’ 377 for the WAB career saves record. Youssuf Salou became the 28^th WAB pitcher to 3000 strikeouts. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)

10-08-2025, 09:20 PM	#2493
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,007	2036 in CLB The Northern League had an odd distribution of wins as three of the four division champs had only 84 or 85 wins. Southeast Division champ Hangzhou was the exception at 96-66, their second division title in four years. Qingdao at 91-71 had the NL’s second-best record, but missed the playoffs with only division champs advancing. Last year’s division champ Shanghai was 85-77. The Hens were the NL’s top scoring team with 667 runs. The other divisions were decided by one win margins. Shijiazhuang won their sixth consecutive East Central Division at 85-77 ahead of 84-78 Beijing and 80-82 Jinan. The Serpents’ 551 runs allowed was the NL best. Xi’an at 84-78 edged 83-79 Lanzhou for their second West Division title in three years. Defending NL champ Urumqi dropped to 72-90. In the Northeast, Dalian and Shenyang were even at 83-79 after 162 games. The Gold Dragons won the tiebreaker game to advance for their second division title in three years. Last year’s winner Changchun dropped to 72-90. Dalian RF Bo Zhou won Northern League MVP unanimously in his fourth season as a starter. The 26-year old lefty led in runs (107), home runs (55), slugging (.640), OPS (1.022), and wRC+ (201). Zhou added 202 hits, 25 doubles, 120 RBI, .328 average, and 9.5 WAR. The Gold Dragons had drafted him 13^th in the 2029 CLB Draft. Shijiazhuang’s Sihua Fan took Pitcher of the Year with 25 first place votes, while Xi’an’s Bangxao Huang had seven. Fan was in his seventh season and led in ERA (2.12) and WAR (7.3). The 27-year old lefty had 253 strikeouts in 250.1 innings, an 11-10 record, and 154 ERA+. The 11 wins were the fewest in CLB history by a starter that won POTY. The Triple Round Robin was hypercompetitive with Hangzhou and Dalian advancing at 5-4 while Shijiazhuang and Xi’an were 4-5. The Gold Dragons earned their first semifinal trip since 2023, while the Hens had a shot at their second NL pennant in four years. Dalian started the series with a 3-1 road win in 12 innings, but Hangzhou bounced back with three straight wins. The Hens had a three-run rally in game three to win 4-3 and won a 1-0 pitcher’s duel in game four. The Gold Dragons won their own pitcher’s duel 2-0 in game five, but Hangzhou took game six 4-2 to clinch the series 4-2. The Hens earned their fifth trip to the China Series (1979, 1989, 2013, 2033, 2036). Guangzhou repeated as Southwest Division champ at 100-62 and had the top record in the Southern League and all of Chinese League Baseball. It didn’t come easy though with 96-66 Kunming giving chase. The Gamecocks have won six of the last seven division titles and allowed the fewest runs at 477. Macau at 96-66 rolled to a third Southeast Division crown in-a-row. Defending CLB champ Nanchang repeated in the East Division at 89-73 and led in scoring with 702 runs. The Crickets were eight games ahead of Wenzhou in the East. Lastly in the Central, Wuhan and Chongqing tied at 83-79 while Chengdu was 82-80. The Wolverines beat the Cavaliers in the tiebreaker game to end an eight-year playoff drought. Changsha, who had won four straight division crowns, fell to 75-87. Chongqing 1B Subahan Rozali won a competitive Southern League MVP race, getting 17 first place votes compared to nine for Hong Kong 2B Faxien Rao and six for Macau CF Haoxuan Li. Rozali was in his eighth year for the Cavaliers and led with 59 home runs, 140 RBI, 410 total bases, .660 slugging, and wRC+ (199). The 28-year old Malaysian lefty added 191 hits, 103 runs, 36 doubles, .308 average, and 9.3 WAR. Pitcher of the Year was an intense battle with Macau’s Vihaan Gita getting with 16 first place votes and 168 points compared to Changsha’s Zhenying Chen at 13 first place votes and 147 points. Gita was in his third year starting and led with 389 strikeouts, which was the seventh-best single-season in CLB history. The 23-year old Indian had a 2.05 ERA, 18-8 record, 255 innings, 160 ERA+, and 8.2 WAR. Chen meanwhile was the leader in ERA (1.86), WHIP (0.75), K/BB (13.7), FIP- (30), and WAR (11.0). He had a 14-4 record and 370 strikeouts over 213.1 innings. Chen had a 15.61 K/9, breaking the CLB record by a qualifying pitcher (162+ innings) previously held by Min-Yen Fu with 15.32 in 2015. The top two records advanced out of the Triple Round Robin with Guangzhou at 6-3 and Macau at 5-4, while Nanchang was 4-5 and Wuhan 3-6. The Gamecocks made it to the Southern League Championship Series for the fifth time in seven years, while the Magicians earned back-to-back trips. Guangzhou started the series with three straight wins in one-run games. Game two was a 3-2 win in 11 innings with game three seeing 12 innings and a 4-3 final. Macau avoided the sweep winning game four 8-2, but the Gamecocks took game five 4-0 for the 4-1 series win. Guangzhou earned a ninth finals trip (1971, 74, 87, 99, 2000, 12, 23, 32, 36); which is tied for the most along with Beijing and Hong Kong. In the 67^th China Series, Guangzhou rolled in game one 11-1, followed by a 1-0 walkoff win in game two. Hangzhou got a 3-2 win in game three, but the Gamecocks matched in game 3-2 after 11 innings. Guangzhou then won game five 6-4 on the road to clinch the series in five, becoming three-time Chinese champs (1971, 2000, 2036). Finals MVP was seventh-year RF Yan Bashi, who went 8-20 with 3 RBI. For the postseason, Bashi had 22 hits, 10 runs, 7 extra base hits, and 10 RBI in 19 games. Gamecocks pitcher Bucky Hein tied the playoff record for wins with five, going 5-1 in 37.2 innings with a 1.43 ERA. Hangzhou’s Chuan Lin set a bad playoff record with five losses, going 0-5 in six starts with a 3.56 ERA in 30.1 innings. Other notes: CLB’s 57^th perfect game came on August 24 by Shangahi’s Shibo Huang with 5 strikeouts against Hangzhou. Two players broke the previous CLB single-season record for doubles of 47 by Weihao Lu in 2012. Macau’s Yongxin Li set the new high mark of 52 while Hangzhou’s Di Zhou had 48. Hong Kong’s Faxien Rao had 230 hits, the 3^rd-best in CLB history begind Aniwa Xirzat’s 235 in 2035 and Li’s 231 from 2035. Syamsul Azzahari and Simon Chang became the 5^th and 6^th members of the 500 home run club. Azzahari got to 542, 3^rd behind Tao Cai (595) and Cheng Kang (552). Zhongting Zhang was the 23^rd to 2000 hits, the 24^th to 1000 runs, and the 20^th to 400 homers. SS Weiman Hiang won his 10^th Gold Glove and 1B Boren Zhong won his 8^th consecutive. Hiang was only the 5^th CLB player with 10+ Gold Gloves at any position. In team stats, Xiamen’s 215 homers and Nanchang’s 112 triples both were the 3^rd-best in Southern League history. Shenzhen’s 4.02 team ERA and 722 runs were the 2^nd-worst in SL history while their 651 earned runs were 3^rd-worst. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)

10-09-2025, 09:46 AM	#2494
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,007	2036 in APB Zamboanga and Cebu had an intense battle for the Philippine League title, the top seed in the Taiwan-Philippine Association, and the best record in all of Austronesia Professional Baseball. The Zebras won their final two games while the Crows lost theirs, allowing Zamboanga to finish first at 107-55 with Cebu at 106-56. Zamboanga repeated as PL champ and allowed the TPA’s fewest runs at 453. The Zebras also set a new APB single-season attendance record with 2,388,142 tickets solid. For the Crows, they earned their tenth playoff berth in 12 years. They scored 723 runs, the second-highest in APB history behind Hsinchu’s 725 from 2033. Cebu also had a team .446 slugging percentage, a new APB best. Batangas had back-to-back 91-71 seasons, but had the misfortune of being in the stacked PL. Quezon fell to 81-81, ending their four-year playoff streak. Three-time defending TPA champ Tainan earned a sixth straight playoff berth and their fifth Taiwan League title of that run with a 90-72 finish. Taipei narrowly repeated as the second place team at 83-79, fending off Kaohsiung (82-80) and Taichung (81-81). The Toucans ended on a six-game winning streak, but couldn’t make up enough ground. Cebu’s Jackson Costa won Taiwan-Philippine Association MVP with 23 first place votes, while Tainan SS Douglas Diwa had five. Costa had spent five years with Depok before getting traded to the Crows for 2035. The 29-year old Indonesian 1B led in runs (108), RBI (124), total bases (352), slugging (.601), OPS (.961), and wRC+ (195). Costa had 177 hits, 29 doubles, 48 homers, .302 average, and 8.3 WAR. Tainan’s Yu-Lin Hsu won his third consecutive Pitcher of the Year, although it was an incredibly close race. He had 11 first place votes and 138 points, edging out Manila’s Dan Aponte (10, 130) and his Titans teammate Kuan-Yang Kang (4, 80). The Manatees’ Stanley Hwang and Zamboanga’s Apichart Arjvirai also got first place votes. Hsu led in shutouts (6) and had an 18-12 record, 2.32 ERA, 252 innings, 313 strikeouts, 143 ERA+, and 5.8 WAR. The 32-year old Taiwanese lefty notably tossed his first no-hitter on September 2 with 14 Ks and 1 walk facing Taichung. Unfortunately for Hsu, his season ended two weeks later with a ruptured finger tendon in his pitching hand. The divisional round saw a stunning 3-2 upset by Taipei over Zamboanga, rallying from the one-game handicap and losing game one. Cebu had to go on the road to outlast Tainan 3-2, taking the finale 2-1. The Crows earned their seventh trip to the Taiwan-Philippine Association Championship since 2025, while the Tigercats got their third trip in seven years. Cebu took the first two games 3-2 and 7-0. Taipei got home wins 6-5 in game three and 4-0 in game five, but the Crows got game four 4-2. Cebu grabbed game six 5-1 to clinch the series for their sixth pennant in 12 years. The Crows now have 11 pennants (1980, 90, 91, 92, 2012, 25, 26, 27, 28, 31, 36). This leads TPA teams and is second among all APB teams behind Jakarta’s 12. For the fourth straight year, Semarang and Bandung battled for the Java Sea League crown. The Sliders finally ended the Blackhawks’ four-year hold on first place at 95-67, one game ahead of 94-68 Bandung. Semarang finished the season on a seven-game winning streak and earned the top seed in the Sundaland Association. Palembang was a respectable third at 86-76. The Blackhawks led the SA with 573 runs scored. Six of the seven Malacca League teams had a shot at first place, finishing separated by only seven wins. Reigning APB champ and two-time defending SA champ Kuala Lumpur got first at 87-75 for their fifth playoff trip in six years. The Leopards allowed TPA’s fewest runs at 416 and set single-season records for fewest walks allowed (188) and best BB/9 (1.13). Johor Bahru (85-77) ended up taking the #2 spot ahead of Batam (83-79), Singapore (83-79), Medan (81-81), and Pekanbaru (80-82). The Blue Wings ended a seven-year playoff drought, while the Marlins missed for only the second time in that same stretch. The Blue Raiders as a team had 102 triples, the second-best in SA history. In his third season for Johor Bahru, 2B Yusuf Tarif earned Sundaland Association MVP. Six players earned a first place vote, but Tarif had more than half with 16. The 24-year old Indonesian righty led in hits (201), doubles (36), and WAR (7.5). Tarif had 89 runs, 16 triples, 9 homers, 55 RBI, 33 steals, .327/.348/.481 slash, and 157 wRC+. The Blue Wings had drafted Tarif #8 overall in 2033. Semarang’s Yuchi Jiang won Pitcher of the Year with 17 first place votes, beating out KL’s Thipanraj Shahdan (6) and Medan’s Pao-Huang Lin (4). In his tenth season starting for the Sliders, Jiang had a 17-9 record, 1.67 ERA, 175 ERA+, 252.2 innings, 286 strikeouts, 5 shutouts, and 6.1 WAR. Back in January 2034, Semarang gave the 31-year old Chinese lefty a mammoth seven-year, $322 million deal. Jiang is currently APB’s highest-paid player with the fourth-largest annual salary in the world. Kuala Lumpur rolled to a 3-0 sweep of Bandung in the divisional round, while Johor Bahru upset top-seed Semarang 3-1. The Blue Wings took game one 4-3 and game two 3-2 after 14 innings. JB earned their first trip to the Sundaland Association Championship since their 2028 pennant, while KL was shooting for a three-peat. It was the first time that the finale featured two Malaysian teams. The Leopards started with 4-2 and 4-0 home wins, then the Blue Wings got the next two by 2-1 and 3-2 margins. Kuala Lumpur won game five 7-2 on the road to reclaim the advantage, but Johor Bahru forced game seven with a dramatic 14-inning, 3-2 win in game six. Game seven also had plenty of drama and was tied 4-4 after regulation. Erick Tabuni’s leadoff double led to a Blue Wings run in the top of the tenth en route to a 5-4 upset victory, denying the Leopards’ three-peat hopes. Johor Bahru won their fifth Sundaland Association title (2017, 18, 26, 28, 36). The 72^nd Austronesia Championship renewed a recent finals rivalry, as Cebu had beaten Johor Bahru in both 2026 and 2028. The Blue Wings started with a 6-5 road win, followed by a 6-3 Crows win in game two. JB won 5-1 and 3-1 on their home field, but Cebu claimed game five 8-2 to force the series back to the Philippines. That didn’t save them as Johor Bahru won game six 8-4 to secure the big upset and avenge the losses from the prior decade. This was the Blue Wings’ second title, joining the 2017 triumph. Association MVP Yusuf Tarif was also series MVP, going 11-25 with 4 runs and 4 RBI. He set APB playoff records for at-bats (70), hits (27), and singles (23). Cebu veteran Roland Arias also had a historic run, setting APB playoff records for homers (8) and total bases (43). A few bad playoff records were also set. Cebu’s Philip Guevara had the new worst for strikeouts with 34. His teammate Chia-Jen Han had the new high mark for hits allowed (40). Johor Bahru’s Faiz Arif had a new worst with nine home runs allowed. Other notes: For the first time since his first full season in 2019, “The King” Binh Tang wasn’t an MVP finalist. The 36-year old Vietnamese infielder had a down year by his standards, although he still had an excellent 8.3 WAR with 29 homers, .836 OPS, and 153 wRC+. Tang won his 16^th Silver Slugger and 5^th consecutive at second base. He also has three as a DH and eight at 1B. Tang is only the 5^th player in all of world history with 16+ Silver Sluggers, joining OBA/MLB legend Jimmy Caliw (the lone with 17), CABA/MLB legend Prometheo Garcia, CABA’s Emmanuel Zavala, and BSA’s Cicero Lugo. He became the outright APB leader for career doubles with 550, adding to his records for runs (1820), total bases (6193), RBI (1836), and WAR (182.7). Tang climbed to #9 in WAR among all players ever in baseball history, becoming the 11^th to have 180+ in his career. Tang is now at 735 home runs, within striking distance of Wil Tabaldo’s 766 dingers for the APB record. Tang is also second in hits at 3324, but would likely need two good years still to pass Junior Sanchez’s 3564. In 2036, his Sweathogs had 278 team doubles, setting a single-season APB record. Hsinchu struggled to 74-88 though with an all-time awful pitching staff. The Sweathogs allowed 722 runs and 665 earned runs, both all-time worsts for the extremely low scoring APB. Their 4.05 team ERA was second-worst behind their own 4.06 the prior year. APB’s 2036 made world history with four perfect games in one season, bringing the total to 65 in league history. Kuala Lumpur’s John Gonzalez was first on April 11 with 14 Ks facing Singapore. On August 28, Pekanbaru’s Markandan Sofian did it with 13 Ks against eventual champ Johor Bahru. Three days later, it was Medan’s Pao-Huang Lin, also striking out 13 facing the Sharks. It was Lin’s second-career no-hitter. The fourth perfect game came on October 1 by Kuala Lumpur’s Thipanraj Shahdan in the 1-0 divisional series clincher over Bandung. The only previous playoff perfect games in any world league were in MLB by Ned Giles in 1938 and Jesse Riley in 2015, plus ALB’s Ahmed bin Nu’aim in 2033. Each example was in an earlier round; there still hasn’t been a perfect game in an LCS or championship. It was Shahdan’s second no-hitter, having also done it in 2033. In other pitching notables, Shih-Hao Chuang was the 24^th to reach 4000 career strikeouts and Kuan-Yang Kang was the 31^st to 200 wins. SP Zulfadhmi Suhaimi won his 10^th Gold Glove, becoming only the 4^th pitcher in world history with 10+ GGs. Only Kang and MLB’s Theron Summers and Wayne Mitz had done it previously. Suhaimi was also only the 7^th APB player at any position to win 10+ GGs. RF Jeremiah Lang won his 9^th consecutive Gold Glove. In batting milestones, James Yuwono became the 5^th member of the 600 home run club and Wei-Yin Wang became the 4^th to 3000 hits. Chia-Jung Su and Chin-Tsai Lan were the 14^th and 15^th to 500 homers. Lan and Kai Yu were the 37^th and 38^th to score 100 runs. Shen Chang was the 48^th to 1000 RBI. LF Roland Arias won his 9^th Silver Slugger and C Isaac De Leon won his 7^th. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)

10-09-2025, 10:20 PM	#2495
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,007	2036 in OBA Defending Oceania Baseball Association champ Hobart made it three straight Australasia League titles, setting a new franchise best at 100-62. The Tasmaniacs had a five game lead at the start of July and never surrendered the top spot, but Gold Coast (97-65) and Melbourne (96-66) both chased them closely. Christchurch was fourth at 91-71, their fourth straight 90+ win season without a pennant. Hobart led the AL with 741 runs while the Kangaroos allowed the fewest at 545. The Tasmaniacs swept the top awards, led by 2B Chaz Callihan as the unanimous Australasia League MVP. He had won the honor in 2033, but had missed big chunks of the next two years between shoulder inflammation in 2034 and a torn PCL in 2035. Still, Hobart signed Callihan in January 2036 to an eight-year, $168,600,000 extension. The 27-year old Australian lefty was healthy for 2036 and led in runs (107), home runs (50), RBI (134), total bases (384), slugging (.663), OPS (1.030), wRC+ (195), and WAR (9.0). Callihan added 186 hits, 24 doubles, 12 triples, and a .321 average. He also hit for the cycle on July 11 against Gold Coast. Hobart had taken Callihan third overall in the 2027 OBA Draft. Nigel Pitt won Pitcher of the Year with 17/20 first place votes. The 26-year old Cook Islander was in his fourth season with Hobart and second as a full-time starter. Pitt led in wins (21-13) and had a 2.98 ERA, 313.2 innings, 262 strikeouts, 119 ERA+, and 6.4 WAR. The Pacific League came down to the wire with five teams within three games of first place entering September. Entering the final week, Guadalcanal, Fiji, and Vanuatu were each tied for first at 91-65. The Green Jackets narrowly had the best finish at 95-67, outlasting the Wizards (94-68), Freedom (94-69), and Tahiti (93-69). Defending PL champ Samoa was tied for first, but a weak finish dropped them to fifth at 89-73. Guadalcanal earned their third pennant in six years and their 11^th overall (1961, 64, 66, 68, 77, 2010, 12, 13, 31, 32, 36). They had the best run differential in the PL at +115 and scored the most at 726 runs. The Tropics allowed the fewest runs with 523. Tahiti swept the Pacific League’s top awards, including a fourth MVP and third straight for LF Jun Lopez-Torres. He became the tenth in OBA history to win 4+ MVPs and had the first hitting Triple Crown since Roe Kaupa in 2014. It was only the tenth hitting Triple Crown in OBA, but Lopez-Torres still wasn’t an MVP lock. He got 13 first place votes and 245 points while Guadalcanal’s Servando Perez had 7 and 215. In his second year with the Tropics, Lopez-Torres led in homers (50), RBI (122), total bases (397), average (.338), slugging (.684), OPS (1.070), wRC+ (195), and WAR (9.5). The 31-year old Australian also had 196 hits, 95 runs, 23 doubles, 14 triples, and 55 stolen bases. Lopez-Torres and Kaupa are the only players to win MVP with three different teams. He now has two with Tahiti, plus 2034 for Guam and 2030 with Melbourne. Dirk Murray was the unanimous Pitcher of the Year, giving him three in four years. The 33-year old Canadian was in his first season for Tahiti, signing in 2032 after spending his first seven seasons with MLB’s Sacramento. Murray led in wins (23-8), ERA (2.03), innings (340.2), quality starts (33), complete games (18), shutouts (6), FIP- (77), and WAR (8.6). His 368 strikeouts ranked third, his first time not leading since joining the Tropics. Hobart opened the 77^th Oceania Championship with a 6-3 home win over Guadalcanal. It was all Green Jackets after that with 5-3, 12-4, 6-3, and 8-1 finals; taking the series in five. Guadalcanal became six-time OBA champs (1961, 1966, 1968, 2012, 2032, 2036). 3B Peter Gosden was series MVP in his second year with the squad, going 10-20 with 7 runs, 2 doubles, 2 homers, and 8 RBI. The 37-year old Australian had spent his first 12 seasons with Adelaide. Other notes: Hobart’s Jody Riley had OBA’s 9^th four-home run game on July 3 against Perth. The Penguins’ Gael Bradley had a 34-game hitting streak that carried over from the prior season. This fell one short of the OBA record set by Jordy Vincent in 2029. In milestones, Darren Soo and Alec Teika were the 36^th and 37^th pitchers to 200 wins. Soo also was the 52^nd to 3000 strikeouts. Henry Lui was the 56^th to 400 homers. 1B David Odom won his 13^th Gold Glove, becoming the 4^th with 13+ GGs in OBA. He is one of 30 players across baseball history with 13+ Gold Gloves and one of seven first basemen. SS Mathew Bellamy won his 9^th Silver Slugger. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder) Last edited by FuzzyRussianHat; 10-11-2025 at 07:25 PM.

10-10-2025, 08:28 AM	#2496
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,007	2036 in EPB The European League’s division champs both finished 102-60 with Krasnodar in the South and St. Petersburg in the North. The Steamers got the #1 seed by tiebreaker as they ended their four-year playoff drought. The Polar Bears got back-to-back berths, but this was their first division title since 2027. St. Petersburg led all of Eurasian Professional Baseball with 749 runs, while Krasnodar allowed the fewest in the EL at 559. The South wasn’t a guarantee for the Steamers, as they had to fend off 97-65 Voronezh. The Zephyrs grew their playoff streak to five seasons. It was a huge gap down to the second wild card, which went to reigning EPB champ and two-time defending EL champ Moscow. Their 84-78 was a far cry from the 110 wins in 2035, but they snuck in ahead of Volgograd (83-79), Minsk (81-81) and Kazan (80-82). The Mules grew their playoff streak to eight seasons. Krasnodar swept the top awards with Anar Arzhanov taking European League MVP unanimously. It was the second MVP for Arzhanov, who also won back in 2029. The 32-year old Uzbek scored 127 runs, setting a new EPB single-season record. This was one better than Jov Sakharov’s 126 which had held as the record since 2006. Arzhanov also led in RBI (124), total bases (393), slugging (.672), OPS (1.059), wRC+ (195), and WAR (9.4). He added 185 hits, 57 homers, 23 doubles, 52 stolen bases, and .316 average. Arzhanov was the #1 overall pick in the 2026 EPB Draft for Krasnodar and since then has four Silver Sluggers, 359 homers, and 53.4 WAR. Maksim Astratenko had joined the Steamers for 2036 in an offseason trade from Nur-Sultan. He made an impressive Krasnodar debut as Pitcher of the Year with the 16^th pitching Triple Crown in EPB history. It was the first Triple Crown since Ivan Nikolin in 2024. The 27-year old Belarusian righty had a 22-6 record, 2.04 ERA, and 335 strikeouts and also led in quality starts (27), and WAR (9.1). Astratenko tossed 260.1 innings with a 174 ERA+. Despite the wins difference, defending champ Moscow put up a fierce fight in the first round. They won games three and four to force a decisive game five, but Krasnodar survived 4-3 to dethrone the Mules. The Steamers got their fourth trip in franchise history to the European League Championship Series, having lost in 2031 and won in 2017-18. The other side of the bracket had Voronezh upset St. Petersburg 3-1, giving the Zephyrs their fourth ELCS berth in five years. The Steamers had home field and were the favorite, but Voronezh had beaten them 12-6 in the regular season series. Krasnodar opened with a 3-2 home win, but Voronezh snagged a 7-5 road win, then won 4-2 as the series shifted. The Steamers evened it 6-1 in game four, but the Zephyrs reclaimed the edge 3-2 in game five. Krasnodar rallied with 8-2 and 5-2 home wins to take the series in seven games for their third pennant (2017, 18, 36). In game seven, the Steamers had two home runs in a four-run bottom of the eighth inning to go ahead. Defending Asian League champ Novosibirsk went 7-3 in their last ten games, allowing them to pass Irkutsk (3-7 in their last 10) and Yekaterinburg (2-8) for the top seed. The Nitros won the East Division at 99-63 to grow their playoff streak to eight seasons. The Ice Cats were second in the East at 97-65 for their fourth straight playoff trip. The Yaks easily won back-to-back West Division crowns at 96-66. For the second wild card, Ulaanbaatar (89-73) earned a fourth playoff berth in-a-row by holding off Nur-Sultan (87-75) and Chelyabinsk (85-77). For the Cadets, it was notably their first winning season since 2026. Novosibirsk led the AL with 713 runs, while Irkutsk allowed the fewest in EPB at 500. The Ice Cats also had the best run differential in EPB at +169. Repeating as Asian League MVP was Yekaterinburg 1B Andrey Golovin. The 27-year old Kazakh lefty won unanimously and led in runs (109), hits (210), total bases (369), average (.361), OBP (.429), OPS (1.064), wRC+ (206), and WAR (10.4). Golovin added 30 doubles, 41 home runs, and 101 RBI. He was the #1 draft pick in 2031 and had already won four Silver Sluggers in five seasons. A competitive Pitcher of the Year race went to Irkutsk’s Vardan Aslan with 15 first place votes and 141 points, beating the Yaks’ Javaid Kamran with 8 and 113. Aslan repeated in his third year with the Ice Cats and became a four-time winner, having won in 2028 and 2030 with Nur-Sultan. He’s the eighth in EPB history to win 4+ POTYs. Aslan led in wins (21-10), innings (272.1), and complete games (22). The 32-yeaer old Uzbek righty had a 2.48 ERA, 245 strikeouts, 144 ERA+, and 5.2 WAR. Meanwhile Kamran in his third season for Yekaterinburg was the ERA champ at 2.33 and had a 20-7 record, 277 Ks, and 7.0 WAR. He was only one win and six strikeouts from a Triple Crown, but Aslan’s notoriety and reputation won the day. Both first round series needed all five games. Ulaanbaatar won game one 7-6 in 10 innings at top seed Novosibirsk. The Nitros responded with 3-2 and 4-1 wins, but the Boars took game four 3-1 and completed the upset in a 1-0 game five pitching duel. Ulaanbaatar earned a third consecutive trip to the Asian League Championship Series as they looked to end an 18-year pennant drought. Yekaterinburg and Irkutsk traded games with both earning wins in 11-inning affairs; 1-0 for the Ice Cats in game two and 8-7 for the Yaks in game three. The decisive fifth game saw a 2-1 Yekaterinburg win, earning their first ALCS appearance since 2027. The Yaks’ last pennant had been the prior year in 2026. After the thrilling first round battles, the Asian League Championship Series was mostly unremarkable with Yekaterinburg sweeping Ulaanbaatar with 3-1, 4-3, 6-0, and 3-1 wins. The Boars nearly took game two, but the Yaks escaped in a 13-inning war. Yekaterinburg leads all AL teams with 14 pennants (1955, 68, 70, 89, 2000, 03, 04, 06, 07, 08, 12, 24, 26, 36). The 82^nd EPB Championship had an exciting extra-innings start. Yekaterinburg scored in the top of the tenth to go up 2-1, but a two-out two RBI walkoff double by Vadim Volkov won it for Krasnodar. In game two, the Steamers scored in the ninth to force extras at 6-6, then won it in the tenth on a solo walkoff homer by Yacub Hristov; his third homer of the game. Krasnodar narrowly prevented a walkoff in game three with a 3-2 road win. They couldn’t avoid it in game four as the Yaks’ Anh Trong had a two-run walkoff bomb, giving Yekaterinburg a 4-2 win. The Yaks forced the series back to Krasnodar with a 2-1 win in game five. The Steamers locked it up 5-2 in game six to claim their second EPB title (2017, 2036). The 29-year old Hristov was finals MVP with a five homer series, going 8-23 with 7 RBI. League MVP Anar Arzhanov was ELCS MVP and had an all-time playoff run, setting EPB postseason records for homers (14), RBI (26), total bases (67), and runs (18). He had 23 hits, 1.234 OPS, and 1.6 WAR, but also 27 strikeouts. The 14 homers tied the world record in any league’s postseason; only CLB’s Binhui Wen had done it previously in 2031. Other notes: In addition to his big finals effort, Yacub Hristov had a four home run game on May 31 against Voronezh. It was the 13^th such game in EPB and Hristov became the first to do it twice, having also done it back in 2031. Hristov is one of six in all of baseball history with multiple four homer games. Krasnodar’s Aleksey Andreev set a single season record with 173 singles. His 232 hits ranked as the 4^th-best in EPB history. For the first time since 2000-01, no players hit for the cycle all season. 3B Olzhas Vorsul won his 7^th consecutive Gold Glove. Dmitri Khodakovsky became the 12^th member of the 600 home run club, the 13^th to 1500 RBI, and the 37^th to 2500 hits. Khodakovsky also won his 9^th Silver Slugger and 2^nd as a DH. Three others reached 2500 hits later in the year; Vladislav Illarianov, Termirlan Jalilov, and Seriozhenka Gusarov. Timofei Kolarov was the 29^th to 500 homers and Yuri Demyan the 84^th to 400 homers. Kolarov won his 7^th Silver Slugger with five at 2B and his first two at SS. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)

10-10-2025, 09:04 PM	#2497
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,007	2036 in EBF The race for the Northern Conference’s top seed was generally also the race for the West Division title. Three teams finished within three wins of first place and two others were within eight games. East Division champ Warsaw also was right in the mix, but fell one short of the #1 seed at 100-62. The Wildcats still won the division by 12 games for their third straight division crown and fourth consecutive division title. Defending conference champ Dublin narrowly repeated as West champ at 101-61, earning their fourth straight playoff berth and third division title. Antwerp was two back at 99-63 and Hamburg was three back at 98-64, ending the season with a nine-game winning streak. Both the Airedales and Hammers earned repeat wild cards. Cardiff (95-67) and Edinburgh (93-69) were next to take the remaining wild cards. The Enforcers got their third berth in four years and the Crew grabbed their third straight and fourth in five years. Cardiff actually had the NC’s best run differential of +158. The next closest in the wild card hunt was the East Division runner-up Helsinki at 88-74, who led the conference with 758 runs. Warsaw had the fewest allowed in the entire European Baseball Federation at 526. The worst record was Brno at 59-103 at the bottom of the East, finishing seven behind Wroclaw. The Bandits had gotten relegated to the European Second League for 2035, but was promoted right back up to the EBF Elite Tier for 2036. Unfortunately, the roller-coaster continued with another drop. Meanwhile, London was last in the West at 65-97 with their closest foe 70-92 Reykjavik. The Monarchs had been back in the top tier since 2022, but never made the playoffs in their return. After the season, Krakow would be switched from the Southern Conference to the Northern Conference for geographic balance. For whatever reason, officials decided to include the Canines for the NC’s awards voting despite them playing 2036 in the SC. That allowed Krakow CF Leonid Spasskyi to earn MVP honors with 22 first place votes and 548 points. Antwerp 1B Bohuslav Vlasko had 17 first place votes and 467 points while Amsterdam’s Mihaly Geza had 5 and 426. Spasskyi was in his seventh season with Krakow and posted 214 hits, 116 runs, 39 home runs, 104 RBI, 19 doubles, 13 triples, .368/.412/.647 slash, 200 wRC+, and 9.8 WAR. The 29-year old Ukrainian lefty was picked fifth in the 2028 EBF Draft by the Canines. After the 2033 season, Spasskyi signed an eight-year, $190,300,000 extension with Krakow. Pitcher of the Year was Berlin’s Luis Garza with 30 first place votes. Hamburg’s Bastian Auerswald had nine, Wroclaw’s Marc Boulay had seven, and Warsaw’s Marco Roman had six. Garza started his career in MLB with little luck, then came to Europe in 2030 with Cologne. He was traded that winter to Berlin and has emerged as an ace for the Barons since. The 34-year old Cuban lefty really broke through in 2036 with the ERA title at 2.13, as well as the conference best for WHIP (0.87), FIP- (62), and WAR (7.9). Garza had a 14-5 record, 232.1 innings, 226 strikeouts, and 176 ERA+. Berlin signed him to a five-year, $111 million extension after the 2034 season. In the first round of the playoffs, Hamburg edged Cardiff 2-1 and Antwerp swept Edinburgh 2-0. The Hammers got back-to-back shutouts to defeat the Crew, then opened round two with a 3-0 shutout of Dublin. The Dinos took the next three to take the series 3-1, winning game four 4-3 in 11 innings. Dublin earned its third trip in four years to the Northern Conference Championship. Warsaw made it three straight berths as they swept Antwerp 3-0 on the other side. It was the first conference finals rematch since Dublin’s early 2020s dynasty which had repeats facing both Hamburg and Rotterdam. Just like the prior year, the series needed all seven games. Dublin opened with a 4-3 walkoff win in game one on a Serhiy Mamsurov RBI double. Warsaw earned a 7-3 road win to even it up, but the Dinos matched with a 2-0 game three win in Poland. Game four was a 14 inning showdown concluding with a 6-5 walkoff win for Warsaw. They had scored two in the bottom of the ninth to keep that game alive. The Wildcats then claimed game five 7-4 for the 3-2 advantage as it shifted back to Ireland. Tied 2-2 in the ninth, Dublin’s Sal Kirwan smacked a two-run walkoff homer to force a decisive game seven. The Dinos got 11 hits in the finale, but were unable to score all game. Warsaw managed an RBI single from OF Yuriy Sapay in the fourth, which was enough for a 1-0 road victory. The Wildcats avenged the prior year’s defeat and earned their second pennant in three years. It was their third in EBF and seventh pennant overall counting their Eurasian Professional Baseball days (1960, 93, 94, 95 in EPB: 2003, 34, 36 in EBF). Madrid had an impressive turnaround from only 76 wins the prior year. The Conquistadors ended a 16-year playoff drought at 105-57, taking the West Division and the top seed in the Southern Conference. Madrid allowed the conference’s fewest runs at 565, while Budapest scored the most in all of EBF at 823. The 101-61 Bombers earned a fourth straight playoff berth by winning the East Division, their first division title since 2014. Budapest smacked 279 homers as a team, the second-highest in conference history. All four wild cards came from the West with Zurich the strongest at 97-65. It was a third straight wild card for the Mountaineers, whose pitching staff set conference bests for walks allowed (228) and BB/9 (1.37). The next six best teams were separated by only four wins. Malta (92-70), Zaragoza (91-71) and Seville (90-72) advanced while defending EBF champ Krakow (89-73), Tirana (89-73), and Belgrade (88-74) missed. It was a huge triumph for the Marvels, who had just gotten promoted as E2L champ in 2035. Malta had been the only charter EBF franchise from 1950 that had never once made it into the playoffs until now; an 87-year wait for the small island nation. The Gold Hawks got back-to-back wild cards, while the Stingrays ended a decade-long drought. Lyon was relegated from the West at 66-96, eight games from their nearest foe. It was an abrupt collapse for the Lords, who had been European Champion as recently as 2033. They were a playoff team in 2034 and just missed at 87 wins in 2035. Bucharest at 67-95 was demoted in a crowded East, only two behind Tbilisi, three behind Odesa, and four behind Zagreb and Athens. The Broncos were relegated back to E2L after only a three year stint. Things had seemingly been looking up for Bucharest after a 90-72 mark in 2035, but alas. Leading Malta to their first-ever playoff berth was Southern Conference MVP Balazs Balog, who had 44 first place votes. The Marvels had gotten him in a prospect swap in November 2030 from Cluj-Napoca. In his second-year as a full-time starter, the 23-year old Hungarian 2B led in WAR at 9.9. Balog had 203 hits, 113 runs, 35 doubles, 15 triples, 44 home runs, 118 RBI, 1.026 OPS, and 189 wRC+. Budapest’s Daan Rossum got seven first place votes, but was fifth in MVP voting despite becoming EBF’s new single-season home run king. The 31-year old Dutch LF smacked 78 dingers, passing Peter Brinkmann’s record 76 that had held since 1999. Rossum’s season ranked as the 12^th-best in all of world history. He also led the conference in runs (123), RBI (153), and total bases (418); which was one of only 20 seasons of 150+ RBI. Hurting Rossum was a conference-worst 235 strikeouts with a 37.5% strikeout rate and .273 average. This was the 8^th-most Ks in a season by an EBF batter. Exactly 50% of his plate appearances ended in a homer or strikeout and he had only 32 walks. Vienna was mid-grade at 82-80, but they had the Pitcher of the Year Achim Vetter with 33 first place votes. Five others got a first place vote with Madrid’s Alexander Schafer at 7 and Zurich’s Danila Filinov at 6. Vetter was in his seventh year for the Vultures and led in WAR (8.4) and FIP- (56). The 29-year old German righty had a 2.43 ERA, 17-6 record, 237 innings, 287 Ks, and 155 ERA+. Vetter also had his first EBF no-hitter on May 24 with 13 strikeouts against Chisinau, only missing a perfect game because of two errors. Zaragoza edged Malta 2-1 in the first round, posting a three-run ninth inning rally to take game three 5-4. Seville swept Zurich on the other side, then shocked top seed Madrid in round two. The Conquistadors won the first two games, but the Stingrays had an improbable rally. Seville survived game three 5-4 in 12 innings and game four 5-3 in ten innings, followed by a 3-1 win in the finale. The Stingrays had only twice made it to the Southern Conference Championship, most recently with their lone pennant way back in 1977. Budapest bested Zaragoza 3-1 on the other side for their second conference finals in three years. The Bombers had never won a pennant in EBF or in their prior EPB stint. Budapest opened the series with a 6-5 walkoff win, rallying from down 5-4. They had a 4-run eighth inning to claim game two 6-3. Seville won game three back in Spain 5-4, but the Bombers earned a 7-3 road win for game four. The Stingrays weren’t prepared to surrender, taking a 1-0 pitcher’s duel in game five and a road win in Hungary 7-4 in game six. The Bombers lived up to their name, as three solo homers helped them secure their first pennant with a 4-1 victory in game seven. Budapest became the 43^rd different franchise to appear in the European Championship over its 87-year history. The 2036 final was the second time that two former EPB teams played for the EBF title, joining the 2008 Kyiv-Bucharest battle. Budapest opened with a 3-2 home win, followed by a 7-6 Warsaw victory in game two. The Wildcats then won three straight in Poland by 7-2, 6-3, and 9-7 to earn their second EBF title in three years. Warsaw had three overall titles, having also claimed the EPB title in 1994. The game five clincher saw a five-run bottom of the eighth for Warsaw, forcing extras at 7-7. In the tenth inning, Marvin Schalkhauser ended the series on a two-run walkoff homer. Schalkhauser was series MVP, going 7-21 with two homers and 7 RBI. The 31-year old German had 19 hits, 14 runs, 6 doubles, 5 homers, and 12 RBI in the playoffs. It was the third straight year that the European Champion was Polish with Warsaw’s two wins and Krakow’s in 2035. The only other times the same country had the champ three successive years were Rotterdam’s 2025-27 three-peat and the German wins between Hamburg and Munich from 2019-21. Other notes: Amsterdam’s Arkadiy Medvedyev had a four home run game on April 22 against London; the 23^rd such game in EBF. For back-to-back years, Gleb Artsimovich hit for the cycle. Zurich’s Walter Meier also had his second cycle, having also done it in 2034. Kharkiv’s Michael Beier had a 36-game hitting streak that carried over from the prior fall, tied for the 8^th-longest streak in EBF history. Attila Sebek and Kamil Bufka were the 51^st and 52^nd members of the 500 home run club. Eduard Yurkov was the 28^th to 1500 runs scored. Lukasz Heneski was the 65^th pitcher to 3000 strikeouts and Kai James was the 45^th to 200 wins. Dominic Voicu had 39 saves in 2036 for Dublin and became EBF’s new career saves leader. The 35-year old Romanian was the first to 400+, as his 407 passed Wilfried Bergmann’s old EBF record of 387. 1B Waldemar Riemers won his 9^th consecutive Gold Glove. Promotion/Relegation: See below for the teams moving up-and-down in the European baseball pyramid after 2036’s results. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)

10-11-2025, 08:37 AM	#2498
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,007	2036 in BSA The Bolivar League’s top two squads battled it out in the Venezuela Division. Ciudad Guayana surprised many by taking the top seed at 108-54 ahead of 103-59 Valencia. The Giants hadn’t posted a winning season since 2027, hadn’t been in the playoffs since 2023, and hadn’t won a division title since 1993. Ciudad Guayana set new Beisbol Sudamerica team records for batting average (.312) and hits (1788) and their .353 OBP was the second-best in BSA history. The Giants were also BSA’s top-scoring team with 901 runs. The Velocity allowed the BL’s fewest runs at 600 for their third playoff trip and 100+ win season in four years. Defending Venezuelan champ Caracas collapsed to 64-98, their worst seasons since 1991. In the Colombia-Ecuador Division, Bucaramanga dominated at 98-64 for the first playoff berth by one of the six 2029 expansion teams. Quito, who had been the division champ the prior three years, fell off a cliff at 66-96. They hadn’t had a season that bad since 1986. Four teams fought over the Peru-Bolivia Division and the second wild card slot. Trujillo went 8-0 in their last ten games to take first at 90-72, ending a 14-year postseason drought. Lima and defending Copa Sudamerica winner Arequipa tied for second at 89-73, while La Paz was at 85-77. In a rematch of last year’s BLCS, the Lobos defeated the Arrows in a tiebreaker game. Lima’s playoff streak grew to a decade and Arequipa’s ended at seven seasons. Barquisimeto was a lousy 75-87, but they had the Bolivar League MVP in 3B Yoendry Quispe with 24 first place votes. Lima 2B Joseph Ramirez had 11 and Guayaquil’s Hugo Rosado had six. In his fifth season on roster and second as a full-time starter, Quispe led in home runs (63) and WAR (8.8). The 28-year old Venezuelan had 171 hits, 115 runs, 32 doubles, 134 RBI, 1.070 OPS, and 177 wRC+. Quispe had been a surprise breakout for the Black Cats, having been a third round draft pick in 2027. For only the third time in BSA’s 100+ year history, Pitcher of the Year was also Reliever of the Year. Valencia’s Wilkin Casillas took the honor with 31 first place votes, while teammate Geraldo Ahumada was the top starter with 10 first place votes. Casillas had also been the Reliever of the Year two years prior, although his 2036 was something special. The 27-year old Venezuelan lefty had a 0.74 ERA over 70 games and 85 innings with 37 saves, a 16-3 record, 53 shutdowns, 169 strikeouts, 579 ERA+, and 6.6 WAR. Lima took the first round matchup in a 2-1 road upset over divisional rival Trujillo, but promptly got swept by top seed Ciudad Guayana 3-0 in the divisional series. The Giants earned their first trip to the Bolivar League Championship Series since 2021. Valencia and Bucaramanga traded wins on the other side of the bracket. In game five, the Velocity rallied from down 3-1 in the ninth to win 4-3, capped off by a two RBI walkoff double by Norbertino Caban. Valencia had a shot at their second pennant in four years. The last time two Venezuelan teams had battled in the BLCS, it was the Velocity defeating the Giants. Game one was a 17-inning marathon, eventually won 4-3 on the road by Valencia with a go-ahead solo homer by Michael Delgado. Ciudad Guayana evened it up 4-2 in game two. The Velocity won their first home game 7-4, but the Giants secured a 4-3 win in ten innings to even the series at 2-2. Game five also went extras as Ciudad Guayana took it 5-2 in 11, roaring ahead on a three-run Dario Casarez bomb. Game six was the fourth to need extra innings, ending in a 4-3 result to seal the series at home for the Giants. DH Rolando Salinas capped it off with a walkoff RBI single, giving Ciudad Guayana its fifth pennant (1984, 1989, 1992, 2017, 2036). Salta set a franchise best as the Southern Cone’s top team at 108-54. It was their third straight playoff trip, but the first-ever South Central Division title for the Silver Hawks. It ended a seven-year division title streak for Santiago, but the 97-65 Saints still got a wild card and grew their BSA-record playoff streak to 17 seasons. Santiago has had 28 straight winning seasons and have only missed the playoffs once since 2015. Rio de Janeiro ended a 12-year playoff drought, claiming the Southeast Division at 95-67. Sao Paulo, the LCS runner-up the last two years, finished 91-71 for the second wild card. The Padres also have a streak of winning seasons back to 2021 and have only missed the playoffs twice since 2024. Sao Paulo was the league’s top-scorer in 2036 with 775 runs. Last year’s division champ Porto Alegre dropped to 78-84. Defending Southern Cone champ Brasilia repeated in the North Division at 93-69, finishing six games ahead of Belem. The expansion Blue Crabs had their best season to date and allowed the fewest runs at 561. Leading the charge for Salta was Southern Cone League MVP Sol Rubio. The 27-year old Argentine third baseman had 33 first place votes, while Sao Paulo RF Manual Dias had eight. Rubio led in runs (123), RBI (126) and WAR (9.3). He added 45 homers, 215 hits, 31 doubles, 13 triples, 48 steals, .345/.373/.652 slash, and a 177 wRC+. He was in his fourth season with the Silver Hawks, having been drafted 28^th in 2029. Belem’s Onofre Cruz won Pitcher of the Year with 28 first place votes, while Salta’s Denilson Lugo had 14. In his fourth season, Cruz led in ERA (2.28), strikeouts (330), quality starts (26), and WAR (9.6). Run support cost him a Triple Crown with a 14-9 record over 257 innings. The 26-year old Brazilian righty had been the Blue Crabs’ selection with the #3 pick in the 2032 draft and already had 26.5 WAR and 1148 strikeouts over four seasons. Defending champ Brasilia swept Sao Paulo in the first round and gave Salta a war in the divisional series. After trading wins, the Silver Hawks took game five 3-0 to earn their second trip to the Southern Cone Championship in three years. The other side also needed all five games with Santiago taking the finale 5-0 over Rio de Janeiro. The Saints have been in the LCS more than any other team with 32 trips, eight of which have happened during their current playoff streak. Salta opened the series with 7-3 and 15-4 home wins. The series shifted to Chile and Santiago won all three of their home games with 7-1, 4-3, and 7-4 margins. Back in Argentina, the Silver Hawks took game six by a 7-6 score. Game seven was lopsided for hits (15-2), but not for final score. Despite their big hits advantage, the Saints only earned the road upset 4-3. Santiago became 11-time Southern Cone kings (1933, 34, 36, 61, 64, 66, 68, 71, 2020, 33, 36). The 106^th Copa Sudamerica was the first finals sweep since 2007 as Ciudad Guayana clobbered Santiago, earning their third cup (1984, 2017, 2036). The series did have lots of drama anyway, starting with a 12-inning, 9-7 game one ending in a two-run walkoff homer by Brian Romero. The next day, Romero again was the hero with a RBI walkoff single in a 3-2 win. Game three went 11 innings for a 4-3 Giants road win. There have now been ten different Cup winners in as many years. In game four, CG scored four in the top of the ninth inning to go ahead for a 10-7 win. CF Jonathan Gonzalez was 4-4 with 4 runs in the finale and was series MVP, going 9-16 with 1 homer, 3 RBI, and 7 runs. The 28-year old Venezuelan would suffer a torn UCL in the Baseball Grand Championship. Giants closer Marco Vera, the BLCS MVP, notably had a 6-0 record and three saves over his 10 appearances with a 1.00 ERA, 34 strikeouts, and 1.5 WAR in 27 innings. He set the BSA playoff record for wins. Other notes: 2036 was the final season for five-time Pitcher of the Year Bartolo Flores, who had a 14-13 record, 4.07 ERA, 199 Ks, and 2.2 WAR with Belo Horizonte. He became the 6^th BSA ace to reach 300 career wins and the 4^th to 5500 strikeouts, finishing with a 312-161 record, 3.07 ERA, 4283.1 innings, 5601 Ks, and 110.1 WAR. On the all-time world leaderboard across all leagues, Flores ranks 31^st in wins and 15^th in strikeouts. Santiago’s Otavio Furtado joined Flores in the 300 win club one month later, going 17-8 in his age 40 season with a 3.45 ERA, 209 Ks, and 5.0 WAR. Furtado is at 314-171 with 4837 Ks and 114.5 WAR and intends on returning. BSA’s wins mark is 347 by world strikeout king Mohamed Ramos and could be reachable if Furtado maintains a good pace. Through 2036, there are 46 aces in world history in the 300+ win club. In hitting milestones, the 500 home run club grew to 72 members with the addition of Bryce Guerra, Juan Suarez, James Tavares, and Marc Melgar. Melgar, Saurez, and Matty de Sousa grew the 2500 hit club to 91. Melgar and de Sousa also both reached 1500 RBI, now met by 42 batters. 3B Dunier Dorame won his 7^th Gold Glove. C C.J. Rivera won his 7^th Silver Slugger. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)

10-11-2025, 07:24 PM	#2499
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,007	2036 in EAB The two-time defending East Asian Baseball champ Hamamatsu had possibly the best regular season any team has ever had in baseball history. The Chickenhawks finished at 126-36, tying the world record for wins in any world league. SAB’s Ho Chi Minh City did it in 1993 and OBA’s Christchurch in 2016, although neither of those teams ended up winning it all in their leagues. The world record for wins by a champion was 124 by SAB’s Ahmedabad (1995) and Mandalay (2028). The old EAB wins record was 122 by Hamhung in 1926, who was upset in the Korea League final. 1950 Sapporo had the Japan League record of 121 wins; they lost in the EAB Championship. Hamamatsu in 2036 had a +426 run differential, second in world history behind only 2009 Hanoi in SAB at +452. That Hounds team went 122-40 and had a stunning first round exit. The Chickenhawks won their fourth straight Central Division and set JL single-season team records for triple slash (.297/.343/.485), runs (874), and hits (1661). They also had EAB’s fewest runs allowed with 448. Hamamatsu unsurprisingly overshadowed a very impressive 107-55 season by Capital Division champ Kawasaki. It was their fourth straight division title and 100+ win season, as well as their sixth consecutive playoff trip. The Killer Whales’ 3,033,298 season attendance was the second-best in JL history and third in EAB history. The remaining playoff spots had a very complicated soup as five teams finished game #162 with a 94-68 record. Three of them were in the North Division with Sapporo, Niigata, and Sendai; along with the Central’s Kyoto and Capital’s Saitama. To sort out the North, the Green Dragons first defeated the Samurai, but lost to the Swordfish. Sapporo earned back-to-back berths, but it was their first division title since 2027. Next was a pair of one-game playoffs with the winners getting wild cards and the losers eliminated. Niigata and Kyoto got the wins while Sendai and Saitama took the Ls. The Green Dragons earned their eighth playoff trip in a decade while the Kamikaze ended a six-year drought. The Samurai saw a three-year division title streak snapped. Lastly, the West Division had a clear winner with 89-73 Fukuoka as the only team above .500, ending a nine-year playoff drought. Last year’s JLCS runner-up Kitakyushu fell to 76-86. Leading Hamamatsu’s historic charge was unanimous Japan League MVP Mitsuru Ishida. In his fifth season and third as a full-time starter, Ishida led in runs (140), hits (224), home runs (58), RBI (148), total bases (444), OBP (.447), slugging (.746), OPS (1.193), wRC+ (227), and WAR (12.4). He had 40 doubles and a .376 average, one point short of a Triple Crown. The 24-year old Ishida was only the fifth in EAB history with a 140+ run effort. His OPS was also EAB’s seventh-best qualifying season, his OBP was ninth, and his WAR was 11^th among position players. The Chickenhawks had taken him out of high school with the #3 pick in the 2030 draft. The 6’8’’ righty had been the finals MVP in their 2034 championship run. Pitcher of the Year was intense as Kawasaki’s Mitsumasa Suzuki got 19 first place votes and 210 points, edging out Hamamatsu’s Naka Sakurai at 17 and 119. The Chickenhawks’ Masamichi Kasai also had four first place votes and 133 points. It was the third POTY for Suzuki, who won in 2033 for the Killer Whales and in 2031 with Suwon in the Korea League. He had signed with Kawasaki for 2032 on a six-year, $201,300,000 deal. The 30-year old righty led in strikeouts (345), WHIP (0.86), and shutouts (7). Suzuki had a 17-8 record, 1.95 ERA, 244.2 innings, 185 ERA+, and 9.0 WAR. On August 13, he tossed his first no-hitter with 15 Ks and 1 walk against Tokyo. His top POTY competitor Sakurai had a 27-3 record, only the fifth EAB pitcher to win 27+ in a season. Kasai meanwhile had 25 wins and led in WAR at 10.0. Sapporo swept Niigata 3-0 and Fukuoka rallied for a 3-2 win over Kyoto in the wild card round. The Frogs shocked top-seed Hamamatsu with a 3-2 game one win, but the Chickenhawks grabbed the next three to secure a fourth straight trip to the Japan League Championship Series. On the other side, Sapporo started the series with back-to-back road shutouts over Kawasaki 3-0 and 2-0. The Killer Whales rallied with their own 4-2 and 4-1 road wins, then dominated 10-2 at home in game five to complete the rally. Kawasaki earned their third JLCS trip in four years. The Killer Whales had upset Hamamatsu as the #2 seed in 2033, but the Chickenhawks returned the favor the next year. Kawasaki opened the JLCS with a lopsided 8-2 road win, followed by a Hamamatsu 10-2 battering in game two. The Killer Whales then earned 3-2 and 1-0 home wins; the lone run of game four coming on a walkoff solo homer by Toshinori Mizuho. Hamamatsu avoided the upset with a 7-4 road win in game five, sending the series back home. The Chickenhawks claimed game six 3-1, setting up a dramatic game seven. Hamamatsu tied it at 3-3 after eight innings, then RF Takuboku Fukuoka had the walkoff RBI single in the ninth for a 4-3 victory. The Chickenhawks are the sixth team to three-peat as Japan League champs, joining Sapporo (1949-51), Chiba (1961-63), Hiroshima (1968-70), Kitakyushu (1992-94), and Kawasaki (1999-01). Ulsan ended up as the Korea League’s top seed at 106-56 atop the Southeast Division. Although it was the Swallows’ fourth playoff berth in five years, it was their first division title since 2015 and first #1 seed since 2014. Defending KL champ Busan dropped off from their 111-win 2035 effort, but still got the first wild card at 96-66. The Blue Jays’ EAB record playoff streak extended to 17 seasons, although their division title streak was stopped at 12. Both North Division champ Goyang and Southwest Division champ Gwangju finished 98-64. The Green Sox now had a decade-long playoff streak, while the Grays got their fourth in-a-row. Goyang was the KL’s top scoring squad at 797 runs. Incheon allowed the fewest at 585, helping them win a competitive Central Division at 94-68. The Inferno got their third playoff trip in four years. Two back on the Central was 92-70 Seongnam, who got repeat wild card berths. Falling just short in the wild card race was 91-71 Jeonju, 88-74 Changwon, 88-74 Pyongyang, and 88-74 Suwon. The Snappers had been in the KLCS in five of the prior seven seasons. Although the Crabs just missed the playoffs, they swept the Korea League’s top awards. In only his third season, CF Won-Bin Lee was unanimous MVP, leading in triples (30), total bases (414), slugging (.703), OPS (1.098), wRC+ (209), and WAR (10.3). Lee added 201 hits, 112 runs, 21 doubles, 44 home runs, 122 RBI, and a .341 average. He was already living up to being the #1 pick in the 2033 EAB Draft. Wan Ahn was the #1 pick two years prior by Changwon and was also proving himself worthy, taking Pitcher of the Year at age 23. He posted the 21^st pitching Triple Crown in EAB and the first since 2027 with a 2.06 ERA, 23-6 record, and 359 strikeouts. Ahn also led in WHIP (0.82), complete games (17), shutouts (6), FIP- (40), and WAR (11.3) with a 193 ERA+ in 257.2 innings. On July 18, Ahn tossed his first no-hitter with 12 strikeouts against Busan. Together, Changwon’s great drafting had gotten them from 100+ loss seasons from 2031-33 to a near playoff miss in 2036. However, the Crabs still had an eight-year playoff drought. Also worth a mention, Pyongyang’s Sin-Cheol Park won his third Reliever of the Year in four years. He was now up to 11^th on the EAB saves leaderboard at 377. Incheon dethroned the defending KL champ Busan 3-1 in the first round while Seongnam survived 3-2 against Gwangju. The Spiders then upset Goyang 3-1 in the divisional round, earning their first Korea League Championship Series trip since their repeat titles in 2018-19. The Inferno upset top seed Ulsan 4-3 in ten innings for game one, then snagged a 5-0 game two road win. The Swallows avoided the calamity, rallying with 6-4, 4-3, and 5-2 wins to salvage the series. The game four win notably was a ten inning affair. Ulsan’s last KLCS trip was 2027 and their last pennant was 2015, incidentally over Seongnam. Ulsan opened with a 6-2 win, but Seongnam stole game two on the road 4-3. The Spiders got game three at home 6-5, but Ulsan evened it 6-3 in game four. Seongnam snagged game five 4-2, then clinched in game six with a 4-3 road upset. The Spiders became eight-time Korean champs (1982, 83, 90, 2003, 14, 18, 19, 36). Hamamatsu was taken to the brink in the JLCS by Kawasaki, but had no such worries in the 116^th East Asian Championship. The Chickenhawks swept Seongnam with 2-0, 2-0, 4-2, and 7-4 wins. Game three was the closest battle, needing 11 innings. RF Yoshiaki Hara was finals MVP going 4-7 with 1 homer and 3 RBI. The Chickenhawks’ dynasty also was only the third EAB championship three-peat ever, joining Kitakyushu’s 1992-94 run and Pyongyang’s 1965-68 four-peat. With that, Hamamatsu staked their claim for not only EAB’s best-ever team, but the best in world history as a league champ with their 126-36 record. If they posted a strong showing in the Baseball Grand Championship, they could cement that case. Manager Duk-Ku Su became the fifth EAB skipper with three championships. Other notes: Seongnam’s In-Jun Sun set playoff records for opponent’s OPS (.251) and slugging (.100), minimum 15 innings required. Sun had 16 scoreless innings with 12 Ks, making him the 11^th EAB pitcher with 15+ playoff innings with a zero ERA. EAB’s 48^th perfect game came on September 10 as Yokohama’s Kimio Suzuki struck out six facing Okayama. Koshi Miyata and Si-Won Joon were the 75^th and 76^th pitchers to 200 wins. Joon was also the 21^st ace to 4000 strikeouts. Jin-Yu Jun and Byung-Cheol Ban were the 51^st and 52^nd to 3500 Ks. Gwangju’s Dendi Hidayat stole 129 bases, the 3^rd-best single-season in EAB history. Maebashi’s terrible pitching set Japan League single-season worsts for team ERA (4.96), hits (1676), earned runs (792), and H/9 (10.49). The Bunnies’ 867 runs and 1.449 WHIP were both 2^nd-worst. The 600 home run club grew to 40 members with the additions of Masanori Fukuoka and Toichi Kimura. Fukuoka won his 10^th Silver Slugger in LF and Kimura his 7^th at 1B. The 500 homer club was 85 players strong with the additions of Seung-Heon Ryou, Kazutaka Hirano, and Geon-Ho Whang. Jae-Hyeon Shin and Yosai Ishizuka made it 107 batters with 2500 hits. SS Anh Vu Nguyen won his 10^th Silver Slugger. SS Jae-Won Park made history with his 17^th consecutive Gold Glove. The only other player in baseball history with 17 was former all-time WARlord Jimmy Caliw, who split his between 2B/SS and between MLB/OBA. For his career, Park had a 1.130 EEF and 435.8 zone rating. It was possibly his last season though, as he hit a putrid .476 OPS and 39 wRC+ in 2036 with Cheongju. He still managed to be worth 1.7 WAR in 126 even with such horrific batting metrics, but was a free agent for 2037. Park had a career 64.7 WAR despite a .606 OPS and 73 wRC+. His terrible bat may keep him from a Hall of Fame nod, but world WARlord Harvey Coyle might be the only guy you’d put above Park for pure defensive value in baseball history. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)

10-12-2025, 07:59 AM	#2500
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,007	2036 in CABA It ended up being a three-team race down the stretch for the Mexican League’s top seed. Hermosillo took it at 103-59, edging out reigning Central American Baseball Association champ Torreon (100-62) in the North Division. While the Hyenas earned their third straight playoff berth, this was their first division title since 2010 and their first #1 seed since 2008. The Tomahawks’ playoff streak extended to six seasons as they led the ML with 779 runs. Central Division champ Leon was right in the hunt for the top seed at 101-61, growing their postseason streak to 12 years. Guadalajara was in the mix until going 2-8 in their last ten games. Still, the Hellhounds got the second wild card at 95-67 for their first playoff berth or winning season since 2028. For the Lions, they outperformed their expected win/loss by 10. Toluca at 88-74 earned their first-ever South Division crown, beating Tuxtla by four games and Ecatepec by six. It was the Tortugas’ third playoff trip since joining in the 2025 expansion. Puebla, who had won the division four years running, fell to 78-84 for their first losing campaign since 2027. For the final wild card, Tijuana at 89-73 held off last year’s MLCS runner-up Culiacan (84-78) and Tuxtla (84-78). The Toros took their fourth consecutive wild card. 74-88 Queretaro allowed the fewest runs at 572, but they struggled to score only 532 all season. Tijuana 1B Alton Reinoso repeated as Mexican League MVP, earning the honor unanimously in his sixth season starting. The 28-year old Nicaraguan lefty led in runs (128), home runs (64), RBI (159), total bases (456), slugging (.723), OPS (1.111), wRC+ (194), and WAR (9.4). Reinoso added 213 hits, 39 doubles, and a .338 average. It was his fourth time leading the league in homers. Reinoso is signed through 2040 on a $201,800,000 deal, but has an opt-out after 2038. Hermosillo’s Kian Baromeo repeated as Pitcher of the Year and won for a third time, having also done it in 2032. The 28-year old Curacaoan lefty was unanimous and led in ERA (2.28), WHIP (0.76), K/BB (15.6), FIP- (48), and WAR (8.7). Baromeo had an 18-5 record and 328 strikeouts in 213 innings. Torreon swept Guadalajara and Toluca edged Tijuana 2-1 in the first round. The Tortuga upset Leon 3-1 in the second round on the road, including 3-2 and 4-2 wins to end the series. On the other side, Hermosillo opened with a 4-3 walkoff win, but dropped game two to Torreon 6-1. The Hyenas got the advantage back 6-2 in game three, but the Tomahawks took game four 9-5. Torreon then claimed the series with a 6-3 win in game five, ousting the top-seeded Hermosillo. The Tomahawks had a shot to repeat, while Toluca was making their first appearance in the Mexican League Championship Series. The Tortugas quickly shocked Torreon with 5-1, 5-3, and 2-1 road wins to open the series. The Tomahawks got game four 6-3, but Toluca won a 13-inning game five marathon 5-4 to end the series. In the 13^th, the Tortugas went ahead on a Leilton Moscarella solo homer. Toluca became the first of the six expansion teams from 2025 to win a pennant and the 29^th different franchise to compete in the CABA Championship. East Division champ Suriname and Central winner Costa Rica both finished 99-63 with the Caribbean League’s #1 seed going to the Silverbacks on the tiebreaker. They certainly had an easier path with the next closest team 16 games back. Suriname allowed the fewest runs by a healthy margin at 542 to win their third division title in four years. For the Rays, they ended a 15-year playoff drought and got their first division crown since their 1986-87 CABA Championship repeat. Costa Rica stole 472 bases, a new CL record and the second-most in CABA history. The Rays had to hold off all three wild card teams in the Central with Salvador (94-68), Guatemala (93-79), and Panama (90-72) close behind. The Stallions earned their fourth straight playoff trip, while the Ghosts ended a five-year drought and the Parrots stopped a 20-year skid. This also ended Honduras’ 13-year playoff streak, as they were the first team out at 88-74 despite leading with 912 runs scored. The Horsemen had gotten to the CLCS in seven of the last eight years with five pennants. Havana won the West Division at 92-70 end their own sizeable playoff drought after a decade. Santiago at 88-74 was four back in the division and two behind Panama for the second wild card. The Sailfish own the longest active postseason drought in CABA at 41 years back to 1995. Last year’s CL champ Jamaica finished .500 to end a four-year streak. Also notable was Haiti’s drop to 77-85 and Santo Domingo’s collapse to 66-96. This was only the second losing season since 1994 for the Herons and ended a 16-year run of winning campaigns by the Dolphins. Leading Costa Rica’s turnaround as unanimous MVP was CF Jeronimo Polanco. Nicknamed “Socks,” the 26-year old Guatemalan lefty led in runs (129), total bases (454), slugging (.769), OPS (1.184), wRC+ (210), and WAR (11.1). Polanco had 213 hits, 26 doubles, 22 triples, 57 home runs, 143 RBI, and .361 average. He also hit for the cycle on April 20 against Guadeloupe. Polanco was the 11^th pick in the 2032 CABA Draft and signed an eight-year, $199,300,000 extension with the Rays in October 2035. In his second season as a full-time starter, Suriname’s Josiah Romero was the unanimous Pitcher of the Year. The 25-year old Salvadoran lefty led in wins (19-9), ERA (2.10), WHIP (0.93), quality starts (22), complete games (16), and shutouts (5). Romero had 257 innings, 228 strikeouts, 204 ERA+, 71 FIP-, and 6.0 WAR. He was a December 2027 scouting discovery who debuted in 2034 with two relief appearances. In the first round, Salvador swept Guatemala and Havana swept Panama. The Stallions then got a 3-0 road sweep in the second round over Suriname with 4-0, 5-1, and 3-1 wins. Costa Rica swept Havana on the other side with 10-4, 7-1, and 9-8 wins. For Salvador, they last made the Caribbean League Championship Series in 2029 and last won in 2017. The Rays last got there in 202 and last won it in 1987. Salvador started it hot with a 6-4 road win, but Costa Rica matched in game two. The Rays rolled the rest of the way with 20-4, 5-3, and 3-2 victories to take the series in five. Costa Rica became eight-time champs as they ended their 48-year drought (1932, 35, 36, 48, 77, 86, 87, 2036). The 126^th CABA Championship was the first finals sweep since 2019 as Costa Rica rolled over Toluca as the sixth different champ in as many years. The Rays won 4-1, 14-12 (10 IN), 3-2, and 6-1; becoming five-time CABA kings (1935, 1948, 1986, 1987, 2036). Second-year SS Eduard Garcia was finals MVP, going 9-16 with 5 RBI and 5 runs. Costa Rica was 11-1 in the postseason, one of the more dominant runs in recent memory. Other notes: Ten-time Pitcher of the Year Israel Montague made history in 2036 at age 39 as he finished 18-5 over 228 innings with 262 strikeouts, 3.55 ERA, and 4.1 WAR. It was his worst season since his rookie year, but he got to 318 career wins to become CABA’s all-time leader. Ulices Montero’s 314 had held as the top mark since 1929. Montero still has the world record of 398 when adding his MLB totals. Montague also made history with CABA’s 43^rd perfect game on April 20 with 11 strikeouts facing Mexicali. It was his second no-hitter in CABA and his second perfect game as a pro, having done it in the 2032 World Baseball Championship for his native Panama. Montague was now at 5484 strikeouts, two good years from passing Montero’s record of 5849. Montague was also at 147.88 pitching WAR, behind only Montero (165.65) and Richard Wright (150.73). He intended on coming back for his 18^th season in 2037. CABA’s 54^th perfect game was June 20 as Toluca’s Lobo Baez struck out 18 against Puebla. That broke the CABA record for Ks in a perfect game, beating Augustin Desir’s 17 Ks in 1976. Puerto Rico’s Oliver Alonso had a 37-game hitting streak, tied for the 3^rd-longest in CABA history. The CABA record is the world record, 54 games in 2018 by Sandile Nyambi. Panama’s Humberto Mercado set a record for at-bats in a season at 695. Trinidad’s Bruno Padilla set a bad record with 65 home runs allowed. Mexico City’s pitching staff had a team 1.440 WHIP, the worst in Mexican League history. Franklin Madrid became the 9^th member of the 700 home run club while Ortiz Rosales was the 28^th to 600 dingers. Benedetto Rodriguez became the 18^th member of the 3000 hit club. Rosales, Fernando Silva, and Rodriguez each reached 1500 RBI, now met by 45 batters. Madrid was the 29^th to 1500 runs scored. Silva and Castillo made 71 batters with 2500 hits. The 500 homer club grew to 74 with Jeremiah Bourdin, R.J. Zaragoza, and Leonardo Martinez reaching the mark. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)