Baseball: The World's Game

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The 62^nd South Asia Baseball Championship had Da Nang looking to resume its dynasty. The Nailers won their first-ever title in 2038 at 114-48, then went 122-40 and lost the 2039 final to Visakhapatnam. It was the third-ever finals trip for Jaipur, who won in 2006 and lost in 2009. Da Nang was a huge favorite having won 21 more games than the Jokers, but the Nailers had to come back from down two games in both of their previous series.

Da Nang avoided the slow starts from earlier in the postseason, opening with 3-1 and 2-1 home wins. Jaipur took game three at home 7-6, but the Nailers snagged the next game 4-1 and 7-1 to clinch the series in five in India. 3B Chhoeun Hok was series MVP, going 10-19 with five homers and nine RBI. In the finale, the 26-year old Cambodian 3B went 3-5 with two homers, three RBI, and three runs.



It was a historic run for Hok, who set the SAB playoff record for total bases (66) and tied the record for runs scored (19). In 17 playoff starts, he had 30 hits, 7 doubles, 9 homers, 19 RBI, a .411/.419/.904 slash, 257 wRC+, and 1.7 WAR. Hok’s effort ranked as the second-most hits and sixth-most homers in a SAB playoff run. It was a big breakout in Hok’s first year as a full-time starter, getting 48 homers, 1.015 OPS, and 8.1 WAR in the regular season. He also had a 29-game hitting streak in the spring.

Other notes: Alexander Thongsuk was the 9^th to 3000 hits, playing the last of a 20-year run mostly with Mandalay. The Thai OF had 3022 hits, 1669 runs, 576 doubles, 720 home runs, 1850 RBI, .946 OPS 147 wRC+, and 88.9 WAR. Thongsuk retires 9^th in hits, 11^th in runs, 9^th in homers, 8^th in RBI, but 33^rd in WAR among position players.

SS Madfai Mirza won his 13^th Gold Glove, joining 3B Manju Abbas as the only 13+ GG winners in SAB history. Mirza is one of 31 in world history with 13+ Gold Gloves and the 5^th to do it exclusively playing shortstop. Felix Brown was the 22^nd member of the 600 home run club. Brown, Isa Yazdani, and Tokiya Oshima each reached 1500 RBI, a mark met by 32 sluggers in SAB. Hamidul Islam and Chanratana Try were the 28^th and 29^th to 1500 runs scored. Islam and Kap Mitanu grew the 2500 hit club to 52 members.

Surat’s Jav Kumar had a 20 strikeout game on March 24 against Ahmedabad, missing the SAB single-game record by one. In other pitching notables; Jirayu Chanthara was the 18^th to 200 wins, Brian Truong was the 58^th to 3000 strikeouts, and Phillip Da Silva was the 25^th to 300 saves.

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No one team was overwhelmingly dominant in the Western League. At the all-star break, Nouakchott had the best record at 60-37, six games ahead of Banjul in the North Division, while defending WL champ Bissau was nine back. In the South Division, Kumasi and Bouake were tied for first at 57-39, but both Accra and Monrovia were in striking distance.

The Night Riders’ strong start allowed them to fend off the Bucks in the North, although Banjul had the best post-break record in the WL at 40-25. Nouakchott took the top seed at 97-65, followed by the Bucks at 94-68. The Night Riders ended a five-year playoff drought and guaranteed their first Western League Championship Series trip since 2031.

Banjul grabbed its third playoff trip in four years. The Bullets were 83-79, ending their four year playoff streak. Also of note, Dakar collapsed to last place at 61-101, ending a 17-year run of winning seasons for the Dukes. Nouakchott had the WL’s best run differential at +161.

The Monkeys and Blood Hawks remained even in the South Division at 93-69, finishing just ahead of last year’s WLCS runner-up Accra (90-72), Monrovia (88-74), and Abidjan (83-79). Kumasi narrowly won the season series 9-7 over Bouake, giving them the division title as a tiebreaker.

Although it was their second playoff trip in three years, this was the first division crown since 2002 for the Monkeys. The Blood Hawks earned repeat wild cards. Daloa, the WL champ in 2038-39, fell off to 71-91. It was Monrovia with the WL’s most runs (891) and Bissau with the fewest allowed (693).



Boauke’s LF Mohamed Hamden and DH Adama Aidara split the first place votes for Western League MVP, but Hamden had more points (342-333) to take the honor. Aidara was notably West African Baseball’s home run leader with 61 and had the best slugging (.776) and OPS (1.136), but lost some value as a DH.

Hamdan meanwhile led in hits (225), total bases (414), average (.361), and WAR (7.3). The 27-year old lefty from Chad added 115 runs, 56 doubles, 41 homers, 119 RBI, 1.063 OPS, and 174 wRC+. Hamdan has one year left under team control for the Blood Hawks.

Pitcher of the Year was also tight between two Nouakchott arms. The Reliever of the Year winner Louis Quee had the most first place votes with 15, but just lost out on points (143-136) to starter Gjord Andersen. Andersen had 12 first place votes, while Accra’s Youssef Awada (2) and Banjul’s Rachid Habibou (1) both got first place nods. Andersen was a 35-year old Norwegian, who came to WAB in 2035 after an eight-year run in Europe. After stints with Lagos and Abuja, he joined the Night Riders in 2039 on a four-year deal.

The 6’6’’ righty was the leader in WAR (7.3), quality starts (20), and complete games (12). Andersen had a 3.42 ERA, 252.2 innings, 15-11 record, 246 strikeouts, 132 ERA+, and 72 FIP-. His teammate Quee notably had 90.1 innings in relief with 38 saves, a 1.59 ERA, 150 Ks, 282 ERA+, 39 FIP-, and 4.9 WAR.



Round one opened with Banjul besting Bouake 6-3 and 10-9. The Bucks kept rolling with 2-0 and 3-2 road wins over Kumasi in the second round. Game two went ten innings with Banjul getting solo runs in the ninth and tenth innings, the latter on a solo homer by Hakeem Baba. The Bucks earned their second Western League Championship Series trip in three years, with both of their previous pennants in the mid 2010s.

Nouakchott stopped Banjul’s momentum with a pair of 5-3 home wins. The Bucks responded with 4-3 and 10-3 wins back in Gambia. Back in Mauritania for game five, the Night Riders prevailed 6-3 to end a 43-year pennant drought and earn the franchise’s third pennant (1984, 1997, 2041). Banjul CF Pierre Hassan was WLCS MVP in a losing effort, going 11-20 with one homer, five RBI, and five runs.

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It was Abuja with the Eastern League’s best record at the all-star break at 61-35, although Benin City was right behind them in the Interior Division at 59-36. Lagos led the Coastal Division at 58-38, but Lome and the two-time defending West African Baseball champ Libreville were right in the mix. The Blue Devils had the best finish at 44-23, while the Aliens were middling at 34-32. That allowed Benin City to take the top seed and the Interior Division at 103-59, guaranteeing repeat ELCS trips.

Abuja’s earlier success allowed them to finish 95-67, fending off Kano (93-69), Jos (91-71), and Niamey (88-74) for second. This was the second playoff trip in five years for the 2030 expansion Aliens. The Jaspers were the top-scoring team in WAB at 919 runs. Ibadan’s five-year playoff streak ended with a hard thud, as the Iguanas fell hard to 64-98.

Both Lome and Libreville had strong second halves, allowing them to pass Lagos in the Coastal Division. The Lasers grabbed first at 99-63 and allowed the fewest runs (660), ending a 12-year playoff drought. Lome hadn’t been a division champ since 2015. The Lakers took second at 97-65 to keep the three-peat bid intact. Libreville’s playoff streak grew to eight, although this was their first sub-100 win season in the run. The Lizards ended up missing the cut at 95-67, ending third for back-to-back seasons. Libreville and Abuja tied for the best differential at +164.



Eastern League MVP went to Abuja DH Milton Sempa with 25 first place votes. Libreville 3B Kossi Wilson had one, but was second in points, while five-time MVP Ram Lengani with Douala had four first place votes. Lengani notably was the leader in home runs with 58. Wilson was second in WAR at 8.9. The winner Sempa was the WARlord (9.2) even with the penalty of being DH.

Sempa also was the leader in runs (148), triples (30), and total bases (454). The 26-year old lefty from South Sudan had 227 hits, 35 doubles, 44 homers, 131 RBI, .367/.429/.735 slash, 1.164 OPS, and 191 wRC+. Sempa also hit for the cycle in September against Ouagadougou and had a 25-game hit streak. The Aliens extended him in the offseason at $133,300,000 over eight years.

Lome’s Christopher Daniel had a breakout year as Pitcher of the Year, leading in ERA (1.96), strikeouts (305), WHIP (0.87), quality starts (23), FIP- (52), and WAR (8.0). The 23-year old Nigerian righty missed the Triple Crown by two wins at 19-7 and pitched 197 innings with a 226 ERA+. This was Daniel’s first full season, having missed much of 2039-40 to a damaged elbow ligament. He’s the first qualified starter since 2012 in the high-scoring WAB to have an ERA below two, one of only 34 to achieve the feat.

Also of note, Lagos’ Thad Diggs won his third Reliever of the Year award, becoming the seventh to win the honor thrice. The 33-year old Liberian lefty previously won in 2034 with Jos and 2038 with Port Harcourt. For the Lizards in 2041, Diggs had a 1.01 ERA over 71.1 innings, 34 saves, 127 strikeouts, and 4.2 WAR.



Libreville edged Abuja in a pair of 6-5 wins in the first round. In game one, the Lakers had a four-run ninth inning rally. Game two went ten innings with the Aliens scoring one in the top half, but Libreville got two. Lome opened the second round on a 5-2 win, but the Lakers earned 6-1 and 7-2 run wins to keep going. Libreville earned its fifth straight Eastern League Championship Series trip and the seventh in eight years.

Benin City took the opener 2-1, but the Lakers rolled 6-1 the next night. The Blue Devils countered with their own 4-2 road win in game three, but Libreville held off a rally to take game four by a 7-5 margin. In game five, the Lakers’ Momodou Manka gave up only a solo homer and a walk over 8.2 innings with eight Ks, pushing Libreville to a 5-1 win.



Libreville is the third Eastern League team to three-peat in the last two decades, joining Douala (2036-38) and Cotonou (2026-30). The Lakers became six-time EL champs (2016, 34, 35, 39, 40, 41). SS Oumar Sibibe was named ELCS MVP going 7-22 with a homer and five RBI. The 31-year old from Mali had been the ELCS and WAB finals MVP in 2039.

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The 67^th West African Championship had Libreville looking for the three-peat, which had only been done in WAB by Kano in 1997-99 and again in 2001-03 with that epic dynasty. Several other teams had gotten three in four or five years. Libreville was shooting for a fourth crown, having also won in 2035. Nouakchott’s only WAB title was way back in 1984.

Unlike their recent titles, Libreville wasn’t the top seed in 2041. The Night Riders were, but both teams had a 97-65 record. The Lakers had swept Nouakchott in the regular season, thus Libreville had home field advantage. They used it to open with 10-5 and 7-3 wins. The Night Riders couldn’t get any momentum even at home, as the Lakers won the next two by 11-2 and 7-0 margins for the first finals sweep since 2028.



SS Oumar Sibide was finals MVP for the second time in three years, going 8-18 with a homer and six RBI. He hit for the cycle in game four, which was the second-ever cycle in the WAB finals. The 31-year old Malian was in his tenth year as a Laker to earn his fourth ring. In 14 playoff starts, Sidibe had 21 hits, 8 runs, 5 doubles, 4 homers, 16 RBI, 1.040 OPS, 170 wRC+, and 0.6 WAR.

Libreville manager Henrik Lessert retired at age 65, becoming the second WAB manager with 4+ rings. Ahead of him was Geandris Frias, who won seven with Kano’s 1997-2005 dynasty run. The easygoing American Lessert played only 274 pro games as a journeyman outfielder. He became Abidjan’s bench coach from 2018-28, helping them to the 2022 WAB title.

Lessert took over the Lakers in 2031, who were in a dire place with back-to-back 100+ loss seasons before his arrive. He started their dynasty with a 1069-713 record, .600 win percentage, eight playoff trips, five EL pennants, and four WAB crowns. Lessert has the second-best win percentage among WAB’s managers with 1000+ career victories.

Other notes: Five-time MVP Junior Jose struggled to -0.7 WAR and 82 wRC+ in his 19^th and final season with Dakar. However, he finished with 2006 runs, the 7^th in WAB and one of 47 in world history to crack 2000. The Mozambican 3B ended with 3230 hits, 588 doubles, 928 home runs, 2330 RBI, .308/.372/.636 slash, 1.008 OPS, 150 wRC+, and 121.2 WAR.

On the WAB leaderboard, Jose retires 11^th in hits, 3^rd in homers, 4^th in RBI, and 3^rd in WAR among position players. On the world leaderboard, Jose ends 25^th in homers and 20^th in RBI. Among world Hall of Famers and retired locks, Jose is tied for 38^th in slugging percentage and is 46^th in OPS. He’s one of only 60 guys in that group ending with an OPS above one, cementing his place as one of WAB’s all-time legends.

Lome’s Alexis Konate had a 38-game hitting streak in the summer, which is tied for the 5^th-longest in WAB history. It is one of only 30 streaks in world history of 38+ games. In other milestones, Emmanuel Marshall became the 11^th to 700 home runs. The 500 homer club grew to 39 members with Ekoe Noumonvi, Ram Lengani, and Leonard de Sousa joining.

36 guys now have 1500+ RBI with Marshall, Lengani, and de Sousa all reaching it. Additionally, de Sousa was the 53^rd to 2500 hits. Lengani got his 10^th straight Silver Slugger at 2B, one of only five to have 10+ Sluggers in WAB. He’s tied with Bright Abubakar among second basemen. Marshall won his 9^th Silver Slugger in RF and Oumar Sidibe got his 7^th at SS.

Fuwad Mohammed was the 32^nd pitcher to 3000 strikeouts and Sylvain Zinsou was the 3^rd to 300 saves. C Chuck Koffie won his 10^th Gold Glove. He’s one of six at any position with 10+ GGs in WAB and has the most among catchers. CF Samba Boucher won his 7^th consecutive Gold Glove.

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Chinese League Baseball had seen two expansions previously, adding six teams in 2008 and two in 2030. CLB had originally used a format without divisions, but switched to four divisions of four apiece per league in 2030 with 32 total teams. The divisional format had proven unpopular, especially as only division champs advanced. Many officials wanted to scrap that as they wanted to do another big expansion to try to compete on the global stage.

Certainly with more than a billion citizens, China had plenty of cities with the population and infrastructure to support a big-league team. After investigating sites and taking bids in the 2030s, CLB came up with a plan to add four teams to each league; the eight new squads bringing them up to 40 teams total.

Joining the Northern League would be the Baotou Bull Moose, Hefei Hawkeyes, Suzhou Salamanders, and Taiyuan Tarantulas. Entering the Southern League was the Fuzhou Fighting Fish, Guiyang Governors, Tibet Terrapins, and Zhongshan Skunks.



Between the lack of support for the divisional format and no clean way to expand and keep the same groupings, CLB opted to revert to the single-division format. Each team would play eight games (two four-game series) against their league opponents, with the remaining ten games as two-game interleague series. The playoff format remained unchanged; the top four teams advanced into the Triple Round Robin. The top two from that go to the best-of-seven semifinal, then the best-of-seven China Series.

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Urumqi had Chinese League Baseball’s best record at the all-star break by a healthy margin at 76-29. Qingdao was the only team remotely close in the Northern League at 68-37. They easily took the top spot spots with the Unicorns at 110-52 and Devils 104-58; franchise records for both. It was the third playoff trip in four years for Urumqi and the second in five years for Qingdao. The Unicorns led all of CLB in runs scored (737) and differential (+207), while the Devils had the fewest allowed (456).

It was a far more crowded fight for the remaining two playoff spots. Hangzhou was 38-19 after the break and ended on a six-game winning streak, taking third at 92-70. The Hens earned their fourth consecutive playoff trip. Dalian’s good start allowed them to overcome a weak finish for fourth at 88-74. The Gold Dragons earned their sixth playoff trip in eight years.

They fended off defending China Series winner Zhengzhou (86-76) despite a six-game winning streak to close for the Zips. They had struggled to 47-58 before the break, too big of a hole despite having the NL’s best post-break record. Also in the mix for the final spot were Nanjing (85-77), Shenyang (84-78), Shijiazhuang (83-79), and Harbin (81-81).



Leading Urumqi to CLB’s top record was LF Na Yuan, the Northern League MVP with 34/40 first place votes. The other six first place votes went to Huaze Liu, who was the unanimous Pitcher of the Year winner for Qingdao. It was Yuan’s second season, as he was the 2040 Rookie of the Year on a 43 homer, 6.1 WAR campaign.

In his sophomore effort, the 25-year old lefty led in runs (108), hits (202), home runs (47), RBI (127), total bases (381), slugging (.644), OPS (1.037), and WRC+ (207). Yuan added a .341 average, .394 OBP, and 9.5 WAR. Yuan missed out on the Triple Crown narrowly, behind only Changchun’s Ning Mi at .350.

Liu meanwhile succeeded in earning the Triple Crown, only the sixth CLB pitcher to do so and the first since Ta Choi in 2019. The #1 draft pick by Qingdao in 2034, Liu posted a 21-5 record, 12 saves, 1.43 ERA, and 320 strikeouts over 233.2 innings. He also led in WHIP (0.63), K/BB (18.8), complete games (19), shutouts (7), ERA+ (228), FIP- (40), and WAR (10.6). It was a remarkable bounce back, as Liu suffered a ruptured MCL the prior summer. He has one more year under team control for the Devils at age 30.



The bottom two seeds stunned the top two in the Triple Round Robin, as Hangzhou (6-3) and Dalian (5-4) advanced while Qingdao (4-5) and Urumqi (3-6) were eliminated. The Hens earned their third straight semifinal trip and the Gold Dragons got their third in six years. Hangzhou’s last pennant came over Dalian in 2036. The Gold Dragons had a drought back to their epic 1989-94 dynasty run.

Dalian took the opener 12-4 on the road, but the Hens countered 4-1 the next night. Hangzhou then rattled off 2-0, 3-2, and 4-3 road wins to clinch the series in five games. Game four and game five both had go-ahead ninth inning runs by the Hens. Hangzhou earned its sixth trip to the China Series (1979, 90, 2013, 33, 36, 41). 3B Ying Xiang was series MVP, going 12-30 across the playoffs against Dalian with two homers, six RBI, and six runs.

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The top two at the all-star break in the Southern League was Hong Kong (67-38), and Shantou (66-39). Both were merely decent after the break at 30-27, allowing other teams to make up ground. Only three wins separated first from fourth, but the Champions (97-65) and Scorpions (96-66) managed to hold onto the top two spots. It was HK’s second playoff berth in five years, while Shantou ended a 14-year drought. The Scorpions led in scoring (733), while the Champions had the fewest runs allowed (510) and best differential (+120).

Nanchang ended on a seven-game winning streak, vaulting the Crickets to a close third at 95-67 to extend their playoff streak to four seasons. Shenzhen grabbed fourth at 94-68, ending a seven-year playoff drought and seven-year run of losing seasons. The first teams out were Guangzhou (90-72), Wuhan (89-73), Kunming (88-74), Foshan (87-75), and Wenzhou (87-75). Although they missed out, the Gamecocks still have a run of 13 straight winning seasons. Last year’s SL champ Macau were a mediocre 14^th place at 77-85.



In only his second season as a full-time starter, Shantou CF Wenyang Huang was the unanimous Southern League MVP. The #1 pick in the 2038 draft, Huang led in home runs (57), hits (188), total bases (408), slugging (.683), OPS (1.065), wRC+ (221), and WAR (11.5). He added 117 runs, 114 RBI, and a .315 average.

Changsha’s Zhenying Chen narrowly won Pitcher of the Year with 21 first place votes and 218 points. Hong Kong’s Shucheng Yang was a close second with 201 points and 15 first place votes. Kunming’s Yoksing Hu and Hong Kong’s Oktai Dolgorsuren both earned first place votes. The runner-up Yang notably won the ERA title at 1.63.

Chen meanwhile had a 1.77 ERA and was the leader in strikeouts (309), and FIP- (40). The 30-year old righty posted a 13-9 record and 11 saves, 203 innings, 180 ERA+, and 8.7 WAR in his ninth year with the Cannons. He previously won POTY back in 2035 and has led the league four times in strikeouts. Chen signed a seven-year, $106,600,000 extension with Changsha after the 2037 season, locking him up through 2044. Scouts rate his screwball and changeup both as 10/10 offerings.



In the Triple Round Robin, Nanchang fared the best at 6-3 to earn a third consecutive semifinal trip. Hong Kong and Shantou both finished 5-4 and Shenzhen was 2-5. The Champions got 9-4 and 4-2 wins over the Scorpions with a 3-2 loss, giving HK the tiebreaker to advance. This was Hong Kong’s first semifinal since winning the pennant in 2031.

Nanchang had home field advantage from their first place in the Round Robin, but Hong Kong opened with 5-2 and 5-3 road wins. The Crickets countered with three straight road wins; 4-2, 9-2, and 5-3. However, the Champions took game six back on the road by a 4-1 margin. Game seven had the lone home victory of the season, a 6-4 score in favor of the Crickets.



In the finale, 1B Ling Yang was 3-4 with two doubles, a homer, three RBI, and three runs. The 33-year old was the series MVP, hitting .359 across their playoff games with HK with three homers, six RBI, and eight runs. Yang had been there since Nanchang’s second-ever season in 2031. Remarkably, the Crickets already had two China Series trips in only 12 years of existence (2035, 41).

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The 72^nd China Series was the third trip in a decade for Hangzhou, although their only previous titles came way back in 1979 and 1990. Nanchang, a 2030 expansion team, won their previous appearance in 2035 over Urumqi. Both finished third in their respective leagues in 2041 and the Crickets had home field advantage. The Hens had home field advantage and used it for 3-2 and 8-2 wins to open the series.

Nanchang battled back 8-2 in game three, but Hangzhou took the next two by 8-3 and 3-2 margins to clinch in five games. In game five, Chen-Hua Lee hit the go-ahead RBI double in the ninth, ultimately sealing the Hens’ third title. 1B Weihui Yao was series MVP, going 9-19 with two homers and seven RBI.



Other notes: Nanchang’s Tzuyu Liu had 57 strikeouts over 42 playoff innings, giving him 253 career playoff strikeouts. This passes Sihua Fan’s 246 for the CLB career lead. Wendell Chavez had a no-hitter in back-to-back seasons. Tarzin Dohadailo and Hao Tian became the 7^th and 8^th members of the 500 home run club. Yan Bashi was the 26^th to 2000 hits and the 27^th to 1000 runs scored. Liang Xu also got to 1000 runs and Xiaotian Xu was the 25^th to 1000 RBI.

Syamsul Azzahari became the 1^st in CLB to 3000 career hits in his 18^th and final season with Jinan. The Malaysian 1B retires as CLB’s career leader in runs (1571), hits (3032), total bases (5539), home runs (728), RBI (1675), and walks (1110). Azzahari is 3^rd in WAR (138.76) among position players and ranks 95^th in WAR among all players in baseball history.

His 184 wRC+ is tied for 50^th among world Hall of Famers and retired locks. Azzahari’s .963 OPS is also 8^th among CLB batters with 3000+ plate appearances. He’s certainly in the conversation as the best batter in CLB history and you’d be hard-pressed not to put him in the top five. Azzahari is also generally viewed as the best player ever to come out of Malaysia.

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Around six different teams were in the Taiwan-Philippine Association playoff mix around the all-star break. The top team after the break going 44-25 was Manila, who claimed the top seed and their fourth consecutive Philippine League title at 102-60. The Manatees led all of Austronesia Professional Baseball in run differential (+181) and runs scored (690).

Zamboanga also had a good post-break run at 40-28, while Davao was around .500 and Quezon had a losing record. The Zebras took the #2 spot at 96-66, extending their playoff streak to seven seasons. The Devil Rays finished 88-74, which did end an 11-year stretch of losing seasons. Davao still has APB’s longest playoff drought at 25 years. Quezon ended up fourth at 85-77. Zamboanga’s 445 runs allowed were the fewest in the TPA.

In the Taiwan League, Taipei was 8-2 in the final ten games while defending TPA champ Taichung was 3-7. This pushed the Tigercats to first at 95-67, while the Toucans took second at 91-71. Kaohsiung missed the playoffs at 89-73 despite a strong second half, unable to erase their 49-45 start. Taipei ended a four-year playoff drought with their first TL crown since 2032. Taichung earned its third straight playoff trip.



Chiayi was lackluster at 77-85, but their 1B Maysaroh Putro was the unanimous Taiwan-Philippine Association MVP. He set new single-season TPA records for slugging percentage (.712) and total bases (422) while tying Po-Yu Shao’s home run record of 62 set back in 1969. The previous slugging best was Binh Tang’s .702 in 2024, while the former total bases mark was 399 by Chin-Tsai Lan in 2033. Putro is the fourth in APB history to breach 60 home runs in a season.

The 30-year old Indonesian lefty also led in runs (121), RBI (119), OPS (1.077), wRC+ (229), and WAR (11.4). The runs and OPS were both fourth-best in APB history and the RBI third-best. Nicknamed “Bluto,” Putro also had 188 hits, 30 doubles, and a .317 average. Putro signed an eight-year, $124 million extension with the City Hawks back in October 2038.

Manila’s Xuan Lam Phan was Pitcher of the Year with all but one first place vote. The 32-year old Vietnamese righty pitched with Penang mostly as a mid-level starter before getting traded to the Manatees in June 2040. He broke through in 2041, leading in wins (20-10), shutouts (6), FIP- (58), and WAR (8.7). Phan had a 2.24 ERA, 273.2 innings, 284 strikeouts, and 149 ERA+. Two weeks after he was traded, Manila gave him a five-year, $87,800,000 extension.



Taichung upset Manila 5-0 in the opener of the divisional series on an eight-hit shutout by Ralph Montoia. The Manatees had the one-game bonus though, then got 6-1 and 6-5 wins to advance to their fourth consecutive Taiwan-Philippine Association Championship. In the clincher, Manila had a walkoff solo homer by Budiman Ngateman with two outs.

Zamboanga won their own pitcher’s duel 1-0 to open versus Taipei on a four-hitter by Syamsir Wahyudi. The Tigercats had the bonus, followed by 4-2 and 3-0 wins to advance. Three pitchers combined for a two-hit shutout in the finale. Taipei earned its first TPA finals trip since 2032. Their last pennant had come in 2030 against Manila, while the Manatees last won in 2038.

Manila opened with a 7-5 home win. In game two, Taipei had three runs in the top of the ninth inning to go-ahead, but Manila got one back on a Ngateman solo homer to force extras at 4-4. The Tigercats scored twice in the tenth en route to the 6-4 road win. Taipei then snagged the series lead on a 5-3 home win, although Manila countered with a 2-1 road win.

In game five, the Tigercats had four singles in the bottom of the ninth for a 2-1 walkoff rally. Back in the Philippines for game six, Taipei clinched the series on a 6-1 win as Muhamad Zuhair gave up three hits in a complete game effort. The Tigercats became nine-time Taiwan-Philippine Association champs (1968, 88, 89, 93, 2016, 19, 20, 30, 41). Manila was runner-up for the third year in a row. Series MVP was LF Andik Rizal, who was 9-21 with a homer and six RBI. He was a journeyman 34-year old LF whom Taipei acquired from Makassar in a July trade.