Baseball: The World's Game

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The African Second League’s Southern Conference had five teams in the mix for the two playoff spots much of the season. Each ended up winning 92+ games, but Gqeberha and Comoros had the best second halves at 45-26 and 47-24, respectively. They ended up tied for the top spot at 102-60, while both Nampula and Blantyre finished 96-66 and Bloemfontein was 92-70.

The Chimps earned repeat playoff berths, while it was the first for the Elephants since getting relegated back in 2037. Tiebreaker games aren’t used for first place, which is critical as the top seed gives you home field advantage and a one-game bonus for the conference finals. Gqeberha narrowly won the regular season series 8-7, giving them the edge over Comoros.



In the Central Conference, Kisangani held onto the top spot at 98-64, their first-ever playoff berth since joining in the 2039 expansion. Brazzaville and Zanzibar ended up tied for the second place spot at 93-69 with both having the exact same first and second half records. Pointe-Noire was fourth (88-74) followed by Mogadishu (85-77).

While tiebreaker games aren’t used for first place, they do factor in for the wild card spot. The Blowfish hosted and prevailed 3-2 over the Beacons, denying Zanzibar its first-ever playoff trip. Brazzaville was in its fourth season down in A2L having won the Africa Series as recently as 2034 before falling apart.

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Gqeberha and Comoros were even at 102-60 in the regular season with the Elephants winning the regular season series 8-7, giving them home field and the one game bonus for the Southern Conference Championship. It ultimately didn’t help them as the Chimps went on a 4-0 tear to earn the promotion. Comoros won by 2-1, 5-4, 14-4, and 6-1 margins. For the Chimps, this was their third promotion into the African Association of Baseball’s First League, having previous top-level runs from 2028-29 and 2033-38.



Kisangani began with the bonus in the Central Conference Championship and opened with a 6-5 win. Brazzaville countered with 5-2 and 3-2 wins to even the series up. The Starlings went back ahead 7-5 in game four, but the Blowfish answered 3-1 the next night. In the finale, Kisangani’s Robert Kiplangat Obanda tossed a six-hit shutout in a 7-0 Starlings victory. Kisangani earned its first-ever promotion, becoming the fourth of the eight 2029 expansion teams to secure a boost up.



Comoros kept rolling in the Second League Championship with a 5-0 sweep, winning the games by 8-2, 4-3, 8-1, 6-5, and 4-2 scores. Game two notably went 13 innings while game four went 11. This joined 2021 as the only times the African Second League’s final was 5-0. The Chimps were essentially unbeaten, as the one conference final “loss” was the bonus given to Gqeberha as the first place team. Comoros also won the A2L title previously in 2032.



Other notes: A2L was still settling into not having the extreme offensive numbers that it had prior to 2041. Several pitching records were set as a result. Brazzaville’s Lubambo Kamwendo set the new ERA record of 2.39; Pointe-Noire’s Ruphin Raharisoa set the mark for games pitched (80); Gqeberha’s Britton Niasexe set the strikeouts high (253); Bahir Dar’s Sol Kalala had a new best K/9 (10.47), and the Elephants’ Isaias Mehari had the new lowest opponents’ batting average (.208). Gqeberha set the new team all-time pitching bests for ERA (3.30), hits allowed (1342), runs (584) and earned runs (535).

Despite that, Bukavu’s Abba Issa set a new single-season WAR record for all players, getting 9.6 WAR at third base. His teammate Lionel Kitenge set a new worst for strikeouts at 172. Brazzaville’s Shasir Kamatari had only A2L’s eighth no-hitter on June 15; the first since 2031. Jean Sony Mutoni became the third to 1500 runs scored. SP Sagesse Ganga won his 7^th Gold Glove.

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Munich (63-36) and Gothenburg (60-39) had a sizeable gap over the rest of the Western Conference field at the all-star break. They finished as the top two, although the Gales passed the Mavericks for the #1 spot at 99-63. Gothenburg was in its second-year back in the European Second League after a six-year stay in the European Baseball Federation’s Elite Tier. Munich at 97-65 earned their first E2L playoff trip in their third year at the middle level. Luxembourg was a clear third place at 95-67, giving the Lancers three consecutive postseason trips.

The fourth spot went to Newcastle at 89-73, fending off Geneva (85-77), Bordeaux (84-78), Glasgow (83-79), and Florence (83-79). It was historic for the Night Train, who had just gotten promoted up from European Tier Three. Newcastle (and Donetsk in the Eastern Conference) became the first of the original ET3 teams to earn a playoff berth in E2L. It was also notable that the Gold Tigers, Blue Angels, and Fireflies had winning records as historically ET3 teams struggled to adapt to E2L.

By far the worst teams in the conference were London (52-110) and Turin (57-105), relegating both back to ET3. The Tanks had escaped after one year in ET3, winning the 2041 title. The Monarchs spent 2038-39 in ET3 before getting back up to E2L. It was still stunning to see such a prominent city like London dropped into the bottom rung for the second time.



Athens took the top spot in the Eastern Conference at 95-67, their first playoff trip since coming back to E2L two years prior. Helsinki snagged second at 90-72 after having just gotten demoted back just this year after a middling decade in the top tier. Varna also had just gotten relegated after five years and finished third at 89-73. After a mediocre first half at 47-52, the Vigilantes went 42-21 after the all-star break; the best mark in all of E2L.

The final spot had a very crowded fight end ended up with a three-way tie at 85-77 between Donetsk, Dnipro, and Naples. Just behind them missing the cut was Riga (83-79), Odesa (83-79), Tirana (82-80), and Prague (81-81). Stellar pitching won the day for the Dozers in the tiebreaker games. Donetsk first won at Dnipro 5-0, then hosted and shutout Naples 5-0.



The Dozers joined Newcastle as the first-ever ET3 originals (debuting 2029) to earn an E2L playoff berth. Donetsk was only in its second E2L season. Dnipro had been a playoff team in three of the prior four years, but still can’t get over the hump. The Defenders have won 80+ games in 11 consecutive seasons, but have nothing to show for it.

Bratislava was firmly last in the EC at 59-103, dropping to the bottom tier for the first time. The Blue Falcons had spent the last decade in E2L with losing records, but had avoided the relegation. Montenegro was also dropped at 67-95, finishing just beneath Lviv at 70-92. The Mountain Goats were ET3’s runner-up in 2041 and ended up one-and-done in their second try at E2L.

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In the Western Conference’s Double Round Robin, the top two teams had top billing with Munich at 5-1 and Gothenburg at 4-2. Newcastle was 2-4 and Luxembourg 1-5. The Gales earned the promotion back to the European Baseball Federation’s Elite Tier after only two seasons in the European Second League, while it was three years for the Mavericks.

#3 seed Varna surprised many by leading in the Eastern Conference at 5-1, making their E2L stay a one-and-done. Both Helsinki and Donetsk finished 3-3 while top seed Athens went 1-5. The Honkers had a 3-1 win and 5-3 loss to the Dozers for an even differential. Donetsk was -4 against everyone else while Helsinki was even par, giving the tiebreaker to the Finnish capital. Like Varna, Helsinki escaped E2L with a one-and-done.



Munich took game one of the Western Conference Championship 5-2, followed by 2-1, 2-0, and 6-5 wins for Gothenburg; including a walkoff in game four. The Mavericks battled back with 1-0 and 4-3 wins; notably with a combined one-hitter in game five. The Gales prevailed 8-6 in the game seven clincher.

Meanwhile, Helsinki swept Varna in the Eastern Conference Championship with 1-0, 1-0, 2-1, and 9-2 scores. Game one’s lone run came in the ninth, while they had a walkoff in game three. Gothenburg won the opener of the Second League Championship 6-2. Helsinki took the next four with 4-2, 4-2, 2-1, and 4-1 scores to claim the title.

Other notes: Glasgow’s pitching staff set a Western Conference best for fewest hits allowed at 1025. Despite getting relegated, Turin set a conference best with 190 stolen bases.

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The seven-time defending Southern Conference champion Dar es Salaam dominated early in the season with a 64-30 record at the all-star break; the best in the entire African Association of Baseball. That gave them a nine-game cushion over second place Reunion. The Sabercats needed the cushion, as they surprisingly struggled to 33-35 to close the season. They still finished first at 97-65, extending their playoff streak to eight seasons. Dar es Salaam led the conference in run differential (+120) and runs scored (880).

The Revolution, who was second at the break, went .500 the rest of the way and ended up fifth at 89-73. Three other teams had strong finishes to compete for the second place spot; Lusaka, Johannesburg, and Gaborone. The Golden Bears were ultimately too far behind despite a strong September, finishing fourth at 90-72. The Lake Monsters hosted the Jackalopes in the final series of the season with the two tied at 92-67. Lusaka ended up with the sweep on 6-4, 6-5, and 13-3 wins; including a walkoff in game two.

At 95-67, the Lake Monsters ended a 13-year playoff drought, while Johannesburg finished 92-70. Lusaka outperformed their expected win/loss by nine games. The Jackalopes allowed the fewest runs in the conference at 687. Harare, who was first in the final standings last year, notably fell to 76-86.

It was a tight battle to avoid relegation between Durban and Pretoria. The Deer tried to rally, going 7-3 in their last ten and taking two of three over the Purple Rage in their penultimate series. However, Durban ended up last at 60-102 while Pretoria escaped demotion at 61-101. This was the first-ever relegation to the African Second League for the Deer. Only four franchises have avoided relegation since A2L formed in 2018; Cape Town, Harare, Lusaka, and Addis Ababa.



Southern Conference MVP went to Dar es Salaam LF Sebastian Malema, who 16 out of 24 first place votes. In his eighth season starting, the 31-year old South African lefty led in OBP (.422), OPS (1.051), wRC+ (166), and WAR (6.9). The stats were actually down slightly from his prior few years, but the competition was less fierce in 2042. Malema had 164 hits, 112 runs, 33 doubles, 42 home runs, 133 RBI, and a .308 average. Last March, he signed a six-year, $237 million extension to remain with the Sabercats.

In a record-breaking season, Johannesburg’s Lawal Defallah won his fifth Pitcher of the Year award. He joined Abdullahi Ali (8) as the only 5+ POTY winners in AAB history. Defallah earned 15 first place votes while the runner-up Godwin Mkandawire of Windhoek had eight. Mkandawire notably was the leader in WAR at 7.6 and was second in ERA at 2.67. Defallah meanwhile won the ERA title at 2.29; his fifth. He added a 15-6 record, 189 innings, 222 strikeouts, 200 ERA+, 70 FIP-, and 5.6 WAR.

The 35-year old Chadian lefty was in his second year with the Jackalopes, having spent the prior two years with Djibouti. Defallah’s famous run was from 2027-38 with Kinshasa, winning Pitcher of the Year four consecutive years from 2031-34. With his 2042 effort, Deffallah became AAB’s career leader for wins (245) and strikeouts (4153). The previous records were 239 wins for Ermias Tadele and 4093 Ks by Paul Lambote. Defallah is now at 107.5 WAR, behind Tadele’s old record of 112.7; although Ali passed both in 2042 to take the top spot at 114.6.



Although only two wins separated them, Dar es Salaam was a big favorite over Lusaka in the Southern Conference Championship. They had the recent dynasty run and the built-in one-game advantage for finishing first. The Sabercats had also gone 9-6 against the Lake Monsters in the regular season. Despite that, Lusaka surprised them with a 4-3, 10 inning road win in the series opener. Dar countered with a 2-1 win the next night as it shifted to Zambia.

Dar es Salaam took game three 7-4, but the Lake Monsters made the series go the distance with 6-4 and 11-3 wins. In game six, Sabercats pitcher Mariano Pera tossed eight shutout innings with three hits allowed and 12 strikeouts en route to a 9-0 win. It was a historic eighth consecutive pennant for Dar es Saalam, which joined Addis Ababa’s 2006-13 as the only eight-peats in AAB history.



Conference MVP Sebastian Malema was also series MVP, going 8-21 with three homers, seven RBI, and six runs. The Sabercats are now 11-time conference champs (1997, 2004, 27, 35-42) which tied for the most among all AAB teams with Kinshasa.

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At the all-star break, Djibouti led the Central Conference standings at 62-32, two games ahead of the four-time defending Africa Series champ Kampala. Both Asmara and Kinshasa were in the mix initially, but they both fades down the stretch. The Peacocks finished the season on an eight-game winning streak and went 45-23 after the break, the best record in the African Association of Baseball. Kampala made the pass to take first at 105-57, while the Berserkers took second again at 103-59.

Kampala’s playoff streak grew to six seasons with their fourth first place finish, while Djibouti earned a third berth in four years. The Berserkers led AAB in both runs scored (923) and narrowly in differential (+259). The Peacocks were a close second in differential (+241) and had the fewest runs allowed at 623. Asmara ended up third at 96-66, followed by Kinshasa at 92-70 and Mombasa at 88-74.

Four teams finished below 70 wins, but a 22-46 post-break run and 1-9 finish pushed N’Djamena to last place at 60-102. Escaping relegation was Mbuji-Mayi (66-96), Lubumbashi (67-95), and Addis Ababa (68-94). The Magic previously was demoted to the African Second League from 2032-37. N’Djamena never got above .500 in their five years back in the First League.



In a very competitive Central Conference MVP race, Mombasa 3B Ismail Taher narrowly took it with 11 first place votes and 265 points. A close second was Djibouti 1B Martin Kulatilaka with nine first place votes and 248 points. Kulatilaka notably led in home runs (69), RBI (159), slugging (.729), and OPS (1.116). The 34-year old Seychellois righty has led the conference eight times in homers and has 768 dingers and 1789 RBI through 13 seasons. Asmara’s Rajah Bhawan had 200 points and one first place vote, leading with 8.7 WAR.

For the somewhat surprising winner Taher, it was his third season with the Bisons. The 30-year old Ethiopian didn’t lead in any stat, but posted 202 hits, 116 runs, 22 doubles, 53 home runs, 124 RBI, 65 stolen bases, .349/.400/.683 slash, 168 wRC+, and 6.9 WAR. Taher joined Mombasa on a huge eight-year, $241,200,000 free agent deal for 2040. Prior to that, he had been with Bahir Dar mostly stuck in A2L.

Kampala’s Abdullahi Ali was unanimous Pitcher of the Year yet again and got three first place votes for MVP. He won for the eighth straight year with only his Southern Conference counterpart Lawal Defallah having won the award five times in AAB. Ali has been in the top-tier for nine seasons and by his absurd standard, this was an “above average” season. That still meant he picked up an historic fifth Triple Crown, a feat only previously achieved in all of baseball history by CABA legend Junior Vergara in the 1970s and 80s.

Ali had a 25-4 record, 2.56 ERA, and 425 strikeouts; as well as conference bests for innings (253.1), WHIP (0.88), quality starts (25), shutouts (3), FIP- (41), and WAR (12.7). The 30-year old Somali is the only AAB pitcher with a 400+ strikeout season, which he’s now done six times. In all nine of his AAB seasons, Ali has led in strikeouts and WAR. Of AAB’s top 11 pitching seasons by WAR, nine are by Ali with his 2042 effort ranking fifth.

He’s now up to 114.63 career WAR, passing Ermias Tadele (112.72) and Deffallah (107.47) for the AAB record among pitchers. Ali has a 198-43 record, 2199 innings, and 3727 strikeouts. He’s eighth in wins and fourth in Ks, becoming the seventh in AAB to reach 3500+. The new Ks leader Deffallah is active at 4153 and Ali may still conceivably catch him even before Deffallah retires. Ali is signed through 2047 with the Peacocks on a $252,500,000 deal, although he has an opt-out available after the 2045 season.



In the regular season, Kampala was only two games better than Djibouti and the season series was 8-7. Still, the Peacocks were big Central Conference Championship favorites thanks to the one-game bonus. Plus, no one had dented their dynasty run yet through four straight AAB titles. The Berserkers looked to play spoiler and avenge the prior year’s defeat. Djibouti shocked Kampala with 10-3 and 4-1 road wins to open the series.

Kampala won game three on the road 7-3 to even the series up. However, the Berserkers earned 7-3 and 5-3 home wins to unseat the Peacocks’ historic dynasty. This was Djibouti’s second-ever pennant, having won the Africa Series back in 2031. RF Geoffrey Ssenyonjo was series MVP, going 9-20 with two home runs, six RBI, and four runs. A lower-end starter generally, the 32-year old Ugandan came to the Berserkers in a 2040 trade from Banjul, delivering key blows against his hometown Kampala.

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The 48^th Africa Series was the eighth straight trip for Dar es Salaam and 11^th overall with a 3-7 record historically. The Sabercats won it all in 2035 and 2037 at the start of their dynasty, but Kampala had been their nemesis with four straight losses to the Peacocks from 2038-41. It was Djibouti who dethroned Kampala in 2042 to earn their second finals berth, having won it all in 2031. The Berserkers had home field advantage, but Dar es Salaam came out firing. Even with five runs in the ninth, the Berserkers couldn’t erase a huge hole and lost game one 11-9.

Djibouti countered with a 3-2 home win in game two, but the Sabercats secured game three by a 6-3 margin. This gave Dar es Salaam the 2-1 series lead before getting four straight at home in the best-of-nine battle. The Berserkers evened it on a 5-1 road win in game four. The Sabercats reclaimed the advantage on 6-2 and 3-0 wins. In game seven, Dar es Salaam scored three in the seventh inning and two in the eighth, rallying for a 7-6 win to clinch the series 5-2. The Sabercats became four-time African Association of Baseball champs (2004, 35, 37, 42).



SS Anesti Hasanaj earned Africa Series MVP, going 8-22 with three homers and nine RBI. He was a 34-year old journeyman from Albania with previous stints in EBF, E2L, SAB, and MLB before joining Dar es Salaam in 2042. Hasanaj was known for great defense and a terrible bat at shortstop, but he was strong on both fronts in the series and an unlikely hero.

Other notes: Asa Ngoie became AAB’s career runs scored leader and the first to 2000, passing Mwarami Tale’s 1982. He’s one of 52 in world history to break 2000 runs scored. Ngoie also became the 5^th to 2000 RBI in AAB and is one of 85 to reach the mark in pro baseball history. He moved to the #2 RBI spot in AAB at 2096, behind only Tale’s 2252.

At age 41 for Johannesburg, Ngoie was still good for 39 homers, 114 RBI, and 5.0 WAR. He’s #4 with 896 homers and could move into the #2 spot next year, although he needs two more good seasons to catch Tale’s 968. Ngoie is also close to the 3000 hit mark (2943) and has 121.7 WAR, which ranks 4^th. He’s set to return to the Jackalopes next season.



AAB’s sixth perfect game and the first since 2036 came on June 16. Kinshasa’s Gabriel Masresha was perfect against Addis Ababa, striking out nine over 105 pitches. Mbuji-Mayi’s Bernard Kenei had 11 triples to get to 175, passing Djibrilla Ousseini’s 171 to become the AAB career leader. Djibouti had 65 team triples, one short of the conference record they set in 2039. Reunion’s Pitso October posted 46 saves, tying the AAB single-season record which has been reached eight times.

Martin Kulatilaka was the 11^th to 700 career home runs and he won his 9^th consecutive Silver Slugger at 1B. The 500 homer club grew to 33 members with the 2042 additions of Yaya Kyomukama, Ketema Gudeta, and Mthiwekhaya Mudau. Bernard Kenei became the 21^st to 2500 hits. Noel Malama and Lebogang Ntuka were the 23^rd and 24^th to 1500 RBI. 1B Abel Teklemariam won his 7^th Silver Slugger.

Jonathan Kabwe was the 11^th closer to 300 saves. Ydnekatchew Dinkesa was the 7^th pitcher to 200 wins and the 33^rd to 2500 strikeouts. Despite leading the conference with 18 wins in 2042 and posting 4.1 WAR, Dinkesa retired in the winter at age 36.

Dar es Salaam’s Hector Valencia won Manager of the Year for the seventh time, one of only 16 in world history to earn the honor 7+ times. The AAB record is nine by Alimayu Kiros from the 1995-08 Kinshasa dynasty. Valencia is only 46-years old, having only had a brief forgettable five-year pro career as a reliever across four leagues. Since the Argentinian took over the Sabercats in 2034, he has a 924-535 record (.633) with eight conference titles and three Africa Series wins. Valencia’s winning percentage is the best in AAB history.

Promotion/Relegation: Suffering demotions to the African Second League were Durban and N’Djamena. Comoros moved up to take the Deer’s spot in the Southern Conference while Kisangani snagged the Magic’s old spot in the Central Conference.

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For the third consecutive season, Arab League Baseball’s Western Conference had the same five playoff teams. Most of them had streaks even longer than that. The standout in 2042 was Beirut at 113-49, which tied the second-best record in conference history. The Bluebirds’ playoff streak grew to a decade with their ninth Levant Division title of the run. Beirut led ALB in fewest runs allowed (531) and differential (+247). The Bluebirds were tied for the best record in the conference after the all-star break at 50-20.

Defending ALB champ Algiers was actually a game better than Beirut at the all-star break, but couldn’t keep up for the top seed. The Arsenal still cruised to the Mediterranean Division crown at 106-56 for their fourth 100+ win season in five years. They led the conference with 835 runs. Algiers’ playoff streak grew to eight seasons and they’ve only missed once in the last two decades.

The one competitive division race was the Nile. Alexandria had a six-game lead at the break and went an impressive 45-25 after, which allowed them to just hold onto first at 97-65. Cairo matched Beirut’s 50-20 tear at the end, but finished one short at 96-66. The Astronauts earned their fourth straight playoff trip and fifth in six years, having last won the division in 2037. The Pharaohs as the first wild card earned a fifth straight playoff trip and their eighth in nine years.

There was a notable drop in record down to a tight fight for the second wild card. Tripoli overcame a .500 first half to take it narrowly at 87-75 ahead of Tunis (86-76), Khartoum (84-78), and Giza (83-79). The Privateers won their final two games against Algiers to hang onto the spot for a third consecutive playoff berth. For the Thunder Cats, it was notably their first winning season since 2026.



Tripoli RF Walid Mostafa won Western Conference MVP with 29/36 first place votes. The 29-year old Egyptian lefty was in his eighth season for the Privateers, although he had been injury prone. In 2042, Mostafa led in RBI (145), slugging (.782), OPS (1.187), wRC+ (199), and WAR (8.2). He added 50 home runs, 50 doubles, 171 hits, 101 runs, and a .351 average. Mostafa has two more years under contract for Tripoli.

Cairo’s Mohammed Al-Saudi became only the fourth in ALB history to win 4+ Pitcher of the Year awards. Only Muhammad Nour had also won four consecutively. It was competitive in 2042 as Al-Saudi had 22 first place votes and 209 points, while Beirut’s Abdul Muhaimin Akbar had 14 first place votes and 186 points. Akbar notably led in WAR (9.1) and strikeouts (345) while posting a 19-6 record and 2.32 ERA.

For Al-Saudi, he won his second ERA title with a career-best 2.25. The 30-year old righty had a 16-9 record, 248.1 innings, 286 strikeouts, 191 ERA+, 61 FIP-, and 8.8 WAR. Al-Saudi is signed through 2048 for the Pharaohs with a seven-year, $260 million extension signed in January 2041. In nine seasons, he has a 146-73 record, 3.32 ERA, 1997.1 innings, 2396 Ks, 132 ERA+, 62 FIP-, and 70.2 WAR.



Cairo had the one-game bonus in the wild card round, then got a 3-2 over Tripoli to advance. The Pharaohs then shocked the top-seed Beirut in the second round with 6-4 and 3-2 road wins, the latter in ten innings. It is the fourth straight year the Bluebirds failed to win the pennant, but was especially disappointing considering the 113-win season. Cairo earned its third straight trip to the Western Conference Final.

Alexandria opened up their second round series on a 6-4 upset at Algiers. The defending champs countered with 4-3 and 6-1 wins to keep the repeat bid intact. In the last 20 years, Algiers has made 11 conference finals trips. Last year, they were the lower seed and upset top-seed Cairo. The Arsenal had home field this time in the #2 versus #4 matchup, although they had split their six regular season meetings.

Algiers held on with a 3-2 opening win, but Cairo snagged a 7-5 road win the next night. In Egypt, the Arsenal got a go-ahead ninth inning solo homer by Riyadh Al-Salim to win 4-3. Algiers then took game four on the road 5-1 to secure the series 3-1. With the repeat, the Arsenal are seven-time Western Conference champs (2026, 28, 31, 33, 35, 41, 42). 38-year old 1B Samih Iddaoudi was series MVP, going 8-15 with one homer and three RBI. He was last year’s finals MVP in his Algiers debut.

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Last year, Kuwait won the Eastern Conference title as a wild card. In 2042, they set a franchise-best for the top seed at 106-56. The Whales led Arab League Baseball with 913 runs and had the conference’s best differential at +224. Kuwait’s 51-19 tear after the all-star break was the best in ALB for their third playoff trip in four years. Despite that, it was their first Mesopotamia Division title since 2009.

Defending division champ Basra was tied for the EC’s best record at the break at 60-32, but finished 96-66 with a middling back-end. They ended the regular season on a seven-game winning streak and still got a wild card, earning their ninth playoff trip in a decade. The Bulldogs allowed the conference’s fewest runs at 594. Basra’s pitching also set conference bests for walks allowed (249) and BB/9 (1.54).

It was a dead-even fight for the Gulf Division between Abu Dhabi and Doha. The Dash lost their final four games, while allowed the Destroyers to take first at 97-65 while Doha ended 96-66. Abu Dhabi ended a 13-year playoff drought and hadn’t even been above .500 since that 2028 berth. The Dash are on a 13-year playoff streak, one short of Jeddah’s record from 2011-24. Bahrain was a competitive third in the division at 90-72, but six behind Doha and Basra for the wild cards.

The Arabia Division saw an intense three-team battle. Riyadh was tied for the top seed at the break at 60-32, but struggled to 32-39 after that. Jeddah went 8-2 in their last ten while Mecca was 3-7. The Jackals also hosted and swept the Rats in the final three game series of the season. Aden, who shocked the field with a wild card last year as a debuting expansion team, fell off a cliff in 2042 at 58-104.

The Rats earlier cushion allowed them to tie for first at 91-71 with the Jackals, while the Marksmen were one behind at 90-72. Riyadh hosted the one-game tiebreaker and pulled off a tight 3-2 victory to avoid the full collapse, earning a third consecutive division title.





Jeddah DH Saleh Msheleh won the Western Conference MVP with 21 first place votes and 420 points. Kuwait DH Tarak Kraouche was a close second with 14 first place votes and 370 points. Kraouche led in both home runs (78) and RBI (162) with both stats ranking as the sixth-best single-season in ALB history.

The winner Msheleh was the leader in WAR (8.6) and total bases (436). The 35-year old Qatari righty had 216 hits, 121 runs, 52 doubles, 54 homers, 130 RBI, .355/.403/.717 slash, and 192 wRC+. The veteran won his sixth Silver Slugger in his Jackals debuting, having signed a three-year, $70,200,000 free agent deal. Msheleh had previous runs with Kuwait, Mecca, and Muscat.

Basra’s Hamid Hovakimian took Pitcher of the Year with 23 first place votes and 209 points, while his teammate Yaseen Al-Wajihuddin had 12 first place votes and 170 points. Al-Wajihuddin was the leader in WAR (8.9) and strikeouts (317), but had a 3.24 ERA. Hovakimian won the ERA title firmly at 2.38. In his eighth season with Basra, the 35-year old Lebanese lefty had a 19-4 record, 234.2 innings, 195 strikeouts, 178 ERA+, 80 FIP-, and 5.7 WAR. Hovakimian has two more years left under contract for the Bulldogs.



Doha and Basra tied for the wild cards and split their six regular season meetings, but the Bulldogs had the higher seed via differential (+143 to +122). This critically meant they hosted the wild card round and needed one win to advance, while the Dash had to win twice. Doha dominated the first game 8-1, but Basra survived 3-2 in 11 innings the next night. Despite their 13-year playoff streak, the Dash have gone nine consecutive years without a pennant.

Basra had no luck against their divisional rival and top seed Kuwait with 4-0 and 9-3 Whales wins in the second round. Game one notably had a two-hitter from Sergio Zuniga. On the other side, Riyadh used Janusz Garbacik’s two-run homer in the top of the ninth to take their opener 3-2 at Abu Dhabi. The Destroyers countered 10-6 in game two, but the Rats took game three on the road 8-5 to advance.

This set up a rematch in the Eastern Conference Final, as Kuwait bested Riyadh the prior year. The Rats were making their third straight trip with a 2040 pennant against Doha. Riyadh got a road 2-1 win to open, but Kuwait countered 8-2 the next night. The Whales took game three on the road 5-2. Game four ended up a marathon session, lasting 18 innings and nearly seven hours on a hot 91 degree afternoon in Saudi Arabia.



After no scoring for all of extras, Kuwait finally broke through with a Edouard Correia RBI double in the 18^th to take the game 3-2 and the series 3-1. With the repeat, the Whales are five-time conference champs (2000, 09, 24, 41, 42). SS Andras Kertesz was series MVP, going 7-21 with two homers and five RBI.

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2042 was notable as being the first time that both conference finals were rematches of the prior year. It also set up a rematch in the 53^rd Arab League Championship between Algiers and Kuwait. The only previous finals rematch saw three straight between Casablanca and Medina in 1993-95. The Arsenal won 4-3 in 2041 for their fourth title (2026, 28, 33, 41). The Whales’ only previous ring in four tries came back in 2000 as a stunning 83-79 underdog.

Neither was an underdog in 2042 with Algiers getting home field at 106-56 by one game over the 105-57 Whales. The Arsenal opened on a narrow 6-5 win, but Kuwait countered 9-4. The Whales then dominated game three at home 10-3. The next two were close, but Kuwait took both by 3-1 and 7-3 margins, clinching in five in front of the Whales faithful for their second-ever title.



C Aleksandar Stojanovski was finals MVP, going 8-16 with two homers and four RBI. The 28-year old Macedonian was an unlikely hero, signing in a part-time role with Kuwait in 2042 after previously playing in Europe’s lower levels with Leeds.

Other notes: RF Ahmed Yasser Basha spent his 2042 with a struggling Aden squad, but the 41-year old Egyptian was still good for .903 OPS, 138 wRC+, and 4.8 WAR. He finished the season with 2204 runs, passing Nordine Soule’s 2162 to become ALB’s all-time leader. Basha was already ALB’s hit king and got 195 in 2042, becoming the 10^th in all of world history in the 4000 hit club. He finished the season at 4184, jumping to #4 all-time behind WAB legend Fared Belaid (5083), CABA/MLB legend Prometheo Garcia (4917), and EBF great Jiri Lebr (4651). Basha is #16 on the world list for runs.

Basha is up to #3 in ALB for RBI at 2167, although he’s still a few good years from Soule’s 2518. He’s also at 140.98 WAR, behind only Soule’s 153.53 among ALB greats. Basha has moved to #78 in WAR among all players in baseball history. With 1607 stolen bases, he ranks 14^th in world history and 3^rd in ALB. He entered the year battling with Kamal Qasim for ALB’s doubles record, but Qasim missed much of the year to a torn meniscus.

Basha posted 42 doubles to get to 829, while Qasim made it to 803. They are among five in world history with 800+ doubles with only Belaid (939) and AAB’s Djibrilla Ousseini (879) ahead of Basha. His deal with Aden was a one-off so Basha will be a free agent for 2043, but he plans to play somewhere. Qasim remains under contract with Amman and turns 43 next year with hopes of continuing.

Qasim is #2 in hits for ALB at 3699, followed by Mokhtar Bouziane at 3648. Bouziane joined the elusive 3500 hit club as one of 83 in world history. He also joined the more elusive 2000 run club, one of 52 in world history. Bouziane also sits at 1521 stolen bases, one of 24 in world history above 1500+, and is 5^th in ALB. Fekri Al-Baada also joined Bouziane in two of those clubs, getting to 2006 runs and 1536 steals. Al-Baada is also up to 304 triples, behind only Amar Rasmi’s 312 for the ALB record. Both Al-Baada (39) and Bouziane (38) plan to return in 2043.

In other hitting milestones, Alaa Khalil and Abdullah Nazeruddeen were the 40^th and 41^st to 1500 RBI. The 500 home run club was up to 60 members with the addition of Saleh Msheleh and Tarak Kraouche. Musa Isse was the 50^th to 2500 hits.

In pitching notables, Amer Tawfik was the 21^st to 200 wins and was the 17^th to 3500 strikeouts. Abdul Muhaimin Akbar reached 3500 Ks a few weeks earlier. Yaseen Al-Wajihuddin and Samir Shaban grew the 3000 K club to 38 members. Zion Naftali was the 11^th to 300 saves. ALB’s 11^th perfect game came July 14 by Aleppo’s Hussam Alzuhur with 13 strikeouts over108 pitches. While impressive against anyone, it was especially impressive that he did it against Beirut, who won 113 games.



2042 was the last year for1B Abdullah Al-Hafith, who finished with 3196 hits, 1771 runs, 685 doubles, 840 homers, 2159 RBI,1.029 OPS, and 100.7 WAR. He retires ranked 6^th in homers and 4^th in RBI in ALB history. Also retiring was RF Nathan Nasreddine, who notably holds the world record for Gold Gloves with 18. He got 3170 hits over 2859 games, but his .828 OPS, 113 wRC+, and 48.0 WAR may keep him from the Hall of Fame despite his defense.

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It was Almaty (64-36) and Lahore (64-37) leading the East League’s field at the Asian Baseball Federation’s all-star break. Both Karachi and Faisalabad were 60-41 with a decent drop to the next closest team. Those four squads each made the playoffs, although positioning shifted, most notably with Lahore struggling to 27-34 after the break.

Frustrated by recent early playoff exits, Almaty made a big January trade with Osh, acquiring four-time MVP Dzhurakhon Asadullayev for three prospects. The outspoken 34-year old lefty would be a one-year rental with free agency aspirations. The Assassins narrowly held onto the top seed at 101-61, finishing 15 games ahead of 86-76 Bishkek in the North Division.

It was the third straight division title and 100+ win season for Almaty, as well as their fifth consecutive playoff trip. They were tied for the ABF’s best run differential (+209) while leading the EL in runs (723) and were only one shy of Faisalabad’s 513 for the fewest allowed in ABF. The Black Sox were the first team out in the wild card race, while three others in the division went 82-80. Notably, reigning ABF champ Tashkent struggled to 74-88, ending their nine-year playoff streak. The Tomcats hadn’t been below .500 since 2030.

Karachi had ABF’s best second-half record at 40-21 and nearly got the top seed, taking their third Pakistan Division title in-a-row firmly at 100-62. Faisalabad was second at 93-69 to extend their playoff streak to six seasons as the first wild card. Despite their struggles late, the Longhorns still got the second wild card at 91-71, finishing five games better than their nearest foes Peshawar and Bishkek. Lahore has won 80+ games each year since 2025, but this was only their second playoff trip since 2031.



East League MVP went to Peshawar 1B Yaman Kamil with 24 first place votes, earning his second award in three years. Faisalabad LF Rasiwala Batool was second with six first place votes and led in batting average (.330), and WAR (8.6). Kamil meanwhile was the top power hitter, leading in home runs (62), RBI (145), total bases (411), and slugging. The 27-year old Pakistani righty added 188 hits, 115 runs, 33 doubles, .307 average, 1.029 OPS, 183 wRC+, and 7.8 WAR. Kamil has two years remaining on his deal with the Predators.

Pitcher of the Year was incredibly tight with Lahore’s Anwar Gunal (179 points, 17 first place votes) edging out Almaty’s Munawar Suhaib (173 points, 15 first place votes). Suhaib won the prior year and in 2042 was the leader in ERA (1.75), WAR (6.8), and strikeouts. He was 19-2, finishing one win short of a Triple Crown. Despite that, Suhaib was the runner-up to Gunal.

Gunal had a fine season in his fourth year for the Longhorns, finishing second in ERA at 1.84. The 24-year old Turkish lefty led in complete games (14) and shutouts (6). Gunal had a 15-8 record, 235.1 innings, 306 strikeouts, 203 ERA+, and 79 FIP-.



The double-elimination postseason began with Lahore upsetting top seed Almaty 3-2 and 6-1 in the first round while Karachi swept Faisalabad on 4-3 and 8-0 scores. Game one for the Carp notably had a two-RBI walkoff double by Azer Entin. Karachi kept rolling with 4-1 and 12-5 wins over the Longhorns in round two, earning repeat trips to the East League Championship Series.

Faisalabad eliminated Almaty with 5-1 and 9-7 wins. The top-seeded Assassins went 0-4 for the playoffs, marking three straight years with the top seed and not even an ELCS trip to show for it. Almaty has been to the playoffs 18 times since 2020 but have only won the pennant once. The Fire would fall to Lahore as the Longhorns won a pair of 3-2 games. Both had walkoff wins for Lahore with a bases loaded walk in the tenth inning of game one, then a wild pitch to seal it in game two. This was Lahore’s first ELCS trip since their 2030 pennant.

Karachi was a big favorite having won the regular season series 10-4 over Lahore and with the round two sweep. The Carp claimed the ELCS opener 7-1, but lost game two 4-3 in 10 innings. In game three, Darwish Shirzad tossed a three-hitter with 12 Ks on the road in a 5-0 Karachi win. They scored 7-2 and 2-0 road wins after that to claim the series in five to end a 16-year pennant drought.



The Carp became seven-time East League champs (1985, 95, 96, 2008, 09, 25, 42). Catcher Gholam Forouhar took ELCS MVP honors, going 15-30 with two homers, eight RBI, and 10 runs across both series against Lahore. The 33-year old Iranian had won three Silver Sluggers in 13 seasons with Rawalpindi and signed with Karachi for 2042 on a five-year, $111 million deal. Sadly for Forouhar, he would suffer a torn ACL in the ABF Championship and is likely out for all of 2043.

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Izmir absolutely dominated the Asian Baseball Federation’s West League early on with a 72-29 record at the all-star break. Only Mashhad at 67-34 was somewhat close. Both kept similar second half paces en route to division titles. The Ice Caps won the West at 110-52 with a franchise-best season. That ended a 20-year playoff drought going back to their 2021 pennant. Izmir notably outperformed their expected win/loss by 11 games, as they were 32-11 in one-run games and 14-6 in extra innings.

Mashhad repeated as Central Division champ at 106-56 and was tied for ABF’s best run differential at +209. Two-time defending WL champ Tabriz was their top foe and got the first wild card at 98-64. In the last 13 years, the Tiger Sharks have won 89+ games each season and only missed the playoffs twice. Tabriz and Mashhad both allowed 586 runs, the fewest in the WL.

For the remaining wild card, both Baku and Ahvaz finished even at 92-70 and Istanbul was 88-74. ABF doesn’t use tiebreaker games, but the Blackbirds advanced as they went 5-3 in the season series with the Athletics. Baku has missed the playoffs thrice over the last 21 years. Despite their miss, Ahvaz led the WL with 809 runs. Also notable was Isfahan at 72-90, ending a four-year playoff streak. The Imperials had won 80+ games in each of the last nine years.



Shiraz LF Hamid Rahnema repeated as West League MVP and earned 27/32 first place votes. In his fourth season, the 23-year old Iranian switch hitter led in runs (127), home runs (63), total bases (436), average (.332), slugging (.750), OPS (1.149), wRC+ (219), and WAR (11.0). Rahnema added 193 hits, 40 doubles, and 121 RBI.

Jarir Rashid won his third Pitcher of the Year in four years, although it was his first with Izmir. He won unanimously with the sixth pitching Triple Crown in ABF history and the first since 2030. Rashid’s prior dominance came with Antalya, but they traded him to the Ice Caps at the 2041 deadline for prospects. The struggling expansion Armada had little reason to expect they could match the big deal due with possible free agency ahead for Rashid.

He only made two starts in 2041 for Izmir because of a sore shoulder, but they still gave the 27-year old Iranian righty a seven-year, $266,500,000 extension in hopes that he’d become their long-term ace. The deal was off to a stellar start with his 2042, leading in wins (24-2), ERA (2.09), strikeouts (362), WHIP (0.83), FIP- (43), and WAR (9.2). Rashid pitched 219.2 innings with 199 ERA+.



In the first round of the playoffs, Izmir swept Baku on 7-1 and 2-1 wins. Tabriz opened on a 8-6 win against Mashhad, but the Mercury countered 3-2, getting a walkoff two-run homer from Umit Baydar. The Tiger Sharks still pulled off the road upset with a 3-1 win in game three, scoring all of their runs in the eighth inning on a Demir Potuk homer.

Tabriz promptly upset the other division champ Izmir with 2-1 and 5-4 wins in round two. Game two notably was a 10-inning fair. It was the third straight year that the Tiger Sharks made it to the West League Championship Series as a 98-64 wild card, having won the pennant in both 2040 and 2041. In the loser’s bracket, Baku eliminated Mashhad with 7-4 and 7-3 upset wins. The top-seeded Ice Caps avoided elimination though with 10-8 and 3-2 victories over the Blackbirds. Game two saw a tenth inning walkoff RBI single. Despite eight playoff trips in the last nine years, Baku’s pennant drought continues since their epic 2029-33 dynasty.

Izmir hadn’t gotten this far since their 2021 pennant. They opened on a 5-0 win, but Tabriz countered 11-4 the next night. The Ice Caps snagged game three on the road 9-4, but the Tiger Sharks grabbed the next one 3-0. Hurting Izmir’s cause was POTY winner Jarir Rashid suffering a herniated disc in game three to end his postseason. Tabriz secured another shutout 5-0 in game five to take the 3-1 series lead back to Turkey.

Game six was a marathon that was tied 1-1 from the seventh inning until the 13^th. With two outs in the top of the frame, Tabriz got back-to-back singles to put runners at the corners. A wild pitch scored the go-ahead run, followed by an intentional walk and RBI single. The Tiger Sharks held on to clinch the series on the road in six with the 3-1 win. With the three-peat, Tabriz has six West League titles (2019, 23, 34, 40, 41, 42).



WLCS MVP went to LF Demir Potuk, who was 13-34 with two homers, six runs and four RBI across their two matchups with Izmir. The 31-year old Turk has been a playoff stud, having previously won WLCS MVP in 2040, 2035, and 2034. In 97 career playoff games, Potuk has 1.124 OPS, 208 wRC+, and 7.0 WAR with 33 homers and 80 RBI.

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The 58^th Asian Baseball Federation Championship was the seventh trip for Karachi and the sixth for Tabriz. The Tiger Sharks were making their third straight trip, having lost to Faisalabad in 2040 and to Tashkent in 2041. They had won thrice before (2019, 23, 34). The Carp’s last trip was 2025 and their only prior tittle was back in 2009.

Karachi had home-field advantage, but Tabriz opened victorious in a 3-0 pitcher’s duel thanks a two-hitter with 12 strikeouts from Rinat Qasimov. In game two, five Carp pitchers combined for a five-hit shutout in their own 3-0 victory. Game three in Iran saw a 6-2 Tiger Sharks victory. Karachi clobbered them 10-0 the next night.

In game five, both teams scored solo runs in the third and ninth innings. Karachi pinch hitter Lammin Boamah, who had one homer all regular season, led the top of the tenth inning with a 426 foot solo bomb. That proved decisive in a 3-2 win, giving the Carp the 3-2 series lead heading back to Pakistan.

In another pitcher’s duel, Karachi edged Tabriz 2-1 in game six to secure their second ABF title. RF Samuel Gonzalez was series MVP, going 6-13 with a homer, two RBI, and two runs as a part-time starter. The 31-year old Dominican had signed the year prior after an underwhelming six seasons in Haiti previously.



Other notes: ABF’s career runs, homers, and RBI leader Sultan Han continued to be timeless in his 22^nd season at age 42. In his tenth year for Hyderabad, he was still good for 49 homers, 101 RBI, .952 OPS, 162 wRC+, and 7.3 WAR. Han won his ninth Gold Glove at first base and continued his climb up the all-time leaderboards.
He was already ABF’s career leader for runs, total bases, homers, and RBI and upped his tallies for those to 2160, 7491, 1067, and 2408; respectively.

On the world leaderboards through 2042, Han now ranks 24^th in runs, 5^th in homers, and 13^th in RBI. He’s up to 153.5 career WAR, 45^th best among all players in baseball history. Only Nizami Aghazade has him beat with 183.1 in ABF and 202.0 across his combined career. Han is also now at 3482 hits, likely needing two seasons to pass Mehmet Fatih Canaydin’s ABF record of 3696. His 718 doubles are ten back on Petri Viskari’s ABF record and rank 19^th on the world chart. Han plans to return in 2043 and has one year left on his deal with the Horned Frogs.

Artyom Masharipov became the 3^rd in ABF with 2000 career RBI and is one of 85 in world history to reach the mark. Dzhurakhon Asadullayev became the 13^th to 600 home runs in ABF. The 500 homer club grew to 31 members with Mujtaba Khatri and Ular Esenov joining. Khatri also became the 15^th to 1500 RBI. Mehrdad Azghadi (in his final season) and Ibrahim Rabee became the 30^th and 31^st to 2500 hits.

After two decades with MLB’s Tampa Thunderbirds, Will Desbiens played 2042 with Tehran and hit 34 home runs with .804 OPS, 122, and 3.0 WAR. This allowed him to cross 3500 hits (3584) and 850 home runs (852) for his combined pro career. Desbiens is 25 runs from the exclusive 2000 club and is signed for 2043 in the Iranian capital.

At age 33, Jan Khaleel became ABF’s career saves leader (396) and leader in games pitched (837). Sabri Erdelhun previously had the records for both at 374 and 770. Khaleel had a 3.33 ERA, 39 saves, and 2.3 WAR in his second year with Dushanbe and will be free agent in the winter.



ABF’s 31^st perfect game came on April 28 from Adana’s Veli Ozyazici in a 14-0 blowout against Isfahan. The 25-year old Turk struck out eight over 95 pitches. In other pitching milestones, Almas Armenov was the 8^th to 300 saves and Afa Ajaz was the 50^th to 3000 strikeouts.

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Visakhapatnam and Mumbai battled for the Indian League’s top seed throughout the summer and fall. The Volts ended up 44-19 after the all-star break, the best of any South Asia Baseball team. This enabled Visakhapatnam to take the top spot at 106-56 for their third consecutive South Division title. The Volts’ playoff streak grew to eight years with only two misses since 2023. They allowed the fewest runs in SAB at 549 and had the IL’s best run differential at +234. The only other team to allow fewer than 600 runs was their divisional rival Bengaluru at 594. The Blazers finished 93-69 to earn repeat wild cards.

Mumbai rolled to a sixth West Division crown in-a-row at 100-62, posting their fifth straight 100+ win campaign. The Meteors were the IL’s top scoring squad at 832 runs. Behind them in the West were Pune (85-77), Vadodara (85-77), and Surat (84-78); who each came up short fighting for the second wild card. It was only the second playoff miss in eight years for the Purple Knights. The Silver Sox notably ended a 13-year run of losing seasons, although their SAB-record playoff drought grew to 52 seasons.

The fight for the Central Division and the second wild card was tight with four teams in the mix. Delhi at 90-72 ended up on top for their third division crown in four years. The Drillers swept Kanpur on the road in their final series with two of the games going extra innings. Simultaneously, Lucknow took two of three hosting Patna, pushing the Larks to the wild card at 88-74 while the Poison ended 86-76. Jaipur, the reigning IL champ, had a losing record after the break and missed the cut at 82-80. The Larks ended an eight-year playoff drought.



Visakhapatnam 3B Iqbal Bhaktaraja won Indian League MVP unanimously. He had previously won back in 2037 for the Volts. The 28-year old Malaysian righty led in RBI (138), total bases (402), slugging (.681), OPS (1.059), wRC+ (175), and WAR (9.0). Bhaktaraja won a Gold Glove and added 202 hits, 111 runs, 46 doubles, 48 home runs, and a .342 average. He signed an eight-year, $281,400,000 extension back in April 2039 to remain a key cog for the long haul with Visakhapatnam.

The Volts also picked up Pitcher of the Year with Thong Nguyen, who earned 23 first place votes and 209 points. Pune’s Rahul Katti had nine first place votes and three others managed a first place nod. The runner-up Katti notably was the WARlord at 9.2. The winner Nguyen in his third season didn’t lead in any stat, but had a 21-4 record, 2.72 ERA, 221.2 innings, 240 strikeouts, 158 ERA+, 74 FIP-, and 6.1 WAR. The 23-year old Vietnamese righty signed a five-year, $51,680,000 extension for Visakhapatnam in August.



In the wild card round, Lucknow upset Bengaluru with 6-1 and 10-8 road wins. In the latter, the Larks had a two-run ninth inning rally to tie, then won in 11 innings. Lucknow opened the divisional series on a 5-1 road win over Visakhapatnam. The Volts countered 4-2 the next night, but the Larks pulled off the upset on the top seed with 2-0 and 4-3 wins to follow. Lucknow, a 2004 expansion team, had only once before gotten to the Indian League Championship Series back in 2019.

Mumbai flattened Delhi 11-0 to open their series, although the Drillers rebounded 10-6 in game two. The Meteors reasserted control with 6-0 and 5-3 wins, although they needed a three-run ninth inning rally on two homers in the clincher. Mumbai earned its seventh ILCS trip in nine years, having won the pennant in 2040, 38, and 35. Last season, the Meteors were upset by Jaipur.

At home, Mumbai opened the series with 4-1 and 4-3 wins. Lucknow’s first win was at home in game three 6-1. The Meteors were on the cusp after taking the fourth game 7-2, but the Larks stayed alive 8-6 in game five. In game six, Lucknow’s game-winning run came in the top of the ninth via the Homer Simpson RBI (hit by pitch with bases loaded), giving them the 4-3 win to force game seven.

In the finale, Lucknow scored twice in the seventh to tie it at 3-3. On the first pitch of the bottom of the ninth, Mumbai pinch hitter Nobin Ullah hit a solo homer just barely over the left field fence at 337 feet for a 4-3 walkoff win and 4-3 series win. The Meteors became nine-time Indian League champs (2005, 08, 15, 16, 22, 35, 38, 40, 42). Veteran LF Sin Cho was ILCS MVP going 8-21 with three homers, six RBI, and seven runs. The 31-year old Burmese lefty signed with Mumbai in 2040 after starting his career for Da Nang.

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Reigning Baseball Grand Champion and South Asia Baseball champ Da Nang had the top record in SAB at the all-star break at 66-33. The Nailers went onto claim the Southeast Asia League’s top seed at 103-59, earning their seventh straight South Division title and 100+ win season. Da Nang had SAB’s best run differential (+253) and allowed the fewest runs in SEAL (657). Across their playoff streak, the Nailers have averaged 109.7 wins per season.

The other division champs ended up tied for the #2 seed at 96-66 and they split their regular season series 3-3. Kathmandu was +7 in run differential over Yangon in those games, giving the nod and home field in the divisional series to the Chaparrals. Kathmandu scored 1015 runs, the most in a SAB single season ever. They earned their second West Division title in four years. The Green Dragons repeated in the Central with their third straight playoff berth.

Each division’s second place team fought closely for the two wild card spots. Colombo narrowly was the best of the group at 92-70 to earn repeat wild cards. The Catfish notably set the SAB team record for on-base percentage at .355 and their .304 batting average was second-best. Hanoi was 7-3 in their last ten games while Dhaka struggled to 2-8, putting both teams at 91-71 tied for the second wild card.



The Hounds hosted the tiebreaker game and needed a three-run homer by Javed Hossain in the ninth to force extras at 8-8. The winning run in the tenth scored on a balk-off to give Hanoi the 9-8 victory and their sixth playoff trip in nine years. The next closest in the wild card hunt was 85-77 Khulna. Mandalay notably struggled to 76-86, ending a 17-year run of winning seasons by the Mammoths. It was only their third playoff miss since 2026.



The unanimous Southeast Asia League MVP was Colombo RF Bhagavan Banerjee, who previously won the award in 2038. The 26-year old Indian has earned five Silver Sluggers in seven seasons for the Catfish. In 2042, he led in triple slash (.386/.457/.747), OPS (1.204), wRC+ (216), and WAR (11.6). Banerjee added 226 hits, 134 runs, 46 doubles, 52 home runs, and 137 RBI.

Among qualified SAB seasons, his triple slash ranked 16^th/13^th/25^th and his OPS was 14^th. Banerjee also had a 35-game hitting streak in the fall, which tied for the third-longest streak in SAB history. The record remains Chanratana Try’s 38, also with the Catfish, back in 2031. Colombo gave Banerjee an eight-year, $267,600,000 extension after the 2040 season to stay in Sri Lanka.

Yangon’s Pai Lin was unanimous as Pitcher of the Year in his second year on the team. He signed a seven-year, $150,400,000 free agent deal in 2041 after starting with Rajshahi. The 28-year old Burmese righty led in wins (22-7) and quality starts (24). Lin had a 2.77 ERA over 240 innings, 273 strikeouts, 172 ERA+, 72 FIP-, and 5.9 WAR.



In the wild card round, Colombo held on with 7-6 and 7-2 wins over Hanoi. In game one, the Catfish won it on a walkoff. They carried momentum into the divisional series with a 4-3 upset in ten innings over Da Nang in the opener. The Nailers won 7-3 and 6-5 in the next two, but Colombo’s 6-5 home win in game four extended the series

In the finale, the Catfish scored one in the bottom of the ninth but left the bases loaded, allowing Da Nang to escape with a 5-4 win and the series. The defending champ earned their sixth trip to the Southeast Asia League in seven years as they shot for their fourth pennant in five years. On the other side of the bracket, Kathmandu and Yangon traded wins. The Chaparrals took the odd numbered games (7-1, 5-4) while the Green Dragons won the even games (9-5, 2-0) to send that series the distance. Kathmandu survived for their own 5-4 victory in game five.

For the Nepali capital, they had been historically mediocre. Their only previous trip to the SEAL final was their lone pennant win back in 1986. Even with their record-breaking offense, they were an underdog against the reigning Grand Champion, who had SEAL’s best pitching staff. The Nailers came out firing with 8-1, 7-2, and 5-2 wins. Kathmandu didn’t go down without a fight, bouncing back for 9-5 and 7-4 home wins to force the series back to Vietnam.

Back at home, Da Nang won game six 5-3 to keep the dynasty alive with their fourth title in five years. The last SEAL team to pull that off was Mandalay, who four-peated in 2026-29. Ho Chi Minh City also did it when they won six over seven years from 1994-2000. 1B Gunasraja Ramgopal was series MVP, going 11-22 with four homers, eight RBI, and seven runs. The 23-year old had debuted with sporadic appearances as a teen, but was in his second year as a full-time starter.

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The 63^rd South Asia Championship was a rematch from 2038, which saw Da Nang claim its first-ever title 4-2 over Mumbai. Every final since has had one of the two teams. The Nailers fell 4-3 to Visakhapatnam in 2039, then beat Jaipur 4-1 in 2041 en route to an eventual Baseball Grand Champion title. The Meteors meanwhile got a sweep over Mandalay in 2040.

The 2042 matchup was highly anticipated, but ended up shockingly as a sweep. Mumbai dethroned the reigning champ Da Nang with 7-5 and 13-7 road wins, followed by 4-3 and 5-4 home wins. Despite the lopsided final, game two actually went 12 innings, but the Meteors uncorked with a seven-run 12^th. That game had 41 hits between the teams. The series ended with a two-run walkoff Chanh Siharath homer in game four.



Mumbai lost their first seven finals trips, but have now won two in three years and both via sweeps. 3B Thar Sone Mon was series MVP, going 11-19 with a homer, two RBI, and seven runs. Mon had playoff game records for runs (4) and hits (5) in game two. He was also the 2040 finals MVP and was in the last season of a seven-year deal with the Meteors. The 33-year old Burmese righty bounced back after missing most of 2041 to a torn meniscus.

Other notes: On May 8, Bangkok 2B Gunter Artner had a historic seven-hit game in a 13-9, 16-inning win over Khulna. The only previous seven-hit game in SAB was by Alam Kala in 2028. There have been 24 games in world history of 7+ hits, but Artner’s was the only of these to simultaneously achieve the cycle. He was a 35-year old Austrian journeyman who came to Thailand in 2040 after a decade in the European system.



SAB’s 18^th perfect game came on June 28 from Phnom Penh’s Pham Ngo against Da Nang in a 3-0 win with five strikeouts and 89 pitches. Doing it against the reigning Grand Champion was shocking enough, but Ngo was also a struggling rookie who finished his debut season with a 5.83 ERA. He suffered a partially torn UCL in July, but if nothing else, he’ll always have this spot in the record books.



In hitting milestones, Hamidul Islam was the 23^rd to 600 home runs (in his final season) while Tokiya Oshima was the 46^th to 500 dingers. Oshima also became the 10^th to 3000 hits, while the 2500 hit club grew to 54 with Davinder Abhik and Felix Brown joining. Topu Ahsan was the 33^rd to 1500 RBI. In pitching notables, Chinnawat Kongchan and Advaith Basava were the 24^th and 25^th to 3500 strikeouts. 61 now had 3000 Ks with Tuan Thai, Rahul Katti, and Jirayu Chanthara reaching the mark. Thai and Kongchan grew the 200 win club to 20 members.

Indore’s pitching staff set all-time Indian League worsts for ERA (5.27), hits allowed (1720), H/9 (10.80) and earned runs (840). Their 875 runs allowed was 2^nd-worst behind Nagpur’s 912 from 2037. In the Southeast Asia League, Korat had the 2^nd-worst for runs allowed (958) and earned runs (895). Ho Chi Minh City set the SAB all-time worsts for WHIP (1.555) and fewest strikeouts (1129) while their 7.12 K/9 was 3^rd-worst in SEAL. Mandalay’s Chinnawat Kongchan set a bad pitching single-season record with 53 home runs allowed.

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Bissau and Touba were nearly even at the all-star break both for first place overall in the Western League and in the North Division. The Twins went on a 46-21 tear after the break to finish at 105-57, the best record in all of West African Baseball. Touba had WAB’s best differential (+269) and fewest runs allowed (641). The Twins, one of the 2030 expansion teams, hadn’t posted a winning season prior to their 2042 run.

The Bullets, another expansion team, held onto second place at 94-68 after going .500 after the break. Bissau grabbed their fifth playoff trip in six years. Reigning WL champ Nouakchott finished four back in third at 90-72. Last year’s WLCS runner-up Banjul dropped to 79-83.

The South Division had no real standouts with four teams in the fight for the two spots. Accra had gone 41-55 before the break and finished on a 43-23 tear, but they couldn’t overcome the bad start and took fourth at 84-78. Kumasi ended up in the top spot at 90-72 to repeat as division champ. Abidjan and Bouake ended up even for second at 88-74.

The Blood Hawks notably went 2-8 in their last ten games to lose first place and open up the door for the tiebreaker game. The Athletes went ahead in the top of the ninth to take it on the road 7-5, ending a decade-long playoff drought for Abidjan. Bouake missed the cut despite leading WAB with 967 runs and setting a WL single-season team record with 1833 hits. Their .307 team average was third-best in WL history, but they had a losing record in one-run and extra-inning games. Abidjan by comparison finished 12-3 in extras to the Blood Hawks’ 4-8.





Leading Touba’s franchise-best season was the Western League MVP Casper Ayodele, who got all but two first place votes. It was the first year as a full-time starter for the 23-year old Nigerian third baseman, who led in hits (234) and total bases (426). Ayodele had 113 runs, 51 doubles, 45 home runs, 143 RBI, .376/.397/.685 slash, 178 wRC+, and 7.3 WAR. He had debuted with Kumasi, but the Monkeys traded him in January 2041 with a reliever to get veteran 2B Daouda Lambo.

Kumasi’s Affissou Ekoue snagged Pitcher of the Year with 27/30 first place votes. He had pitched his first eight seasons with Tobua with middling results, then signed a one-year, $3,800,000 deal with the Monkeys for 2042. The 32-year old Beninois lefty had a breakout season and won the ERA title at 3.04. Ekoue posted an 18-5 record, 222 innings, 239 strikeouts, 152 ERA+, 86 FIP-, and 4.3 WAR.



The stepladder postseason began with Abidjan rolling Bissau 7-1, followed by a 10-1 Bullets blowout. The Athletes exploded again in game three to pull off the upset 12-4. In the second round, Kumasi ousted Abidjan with 10-4 and 8-7 wins. This earned the Monkeys their first Western League Championship Series trip since 2017. They hadn’t won the pennant since their lone WAB title back in 2004. Kumasi was going up against a first-time playoff team in Touba and they had split their six regular season games.

The Twins narrowly held on for 6-5 and 2-0 wins to open the series. Touba then pulled off a 5-2 road win to complete the sweep for their first-ever pennant. DH Julien Dansou was series MVP despite only playing in game one, but he critically hit two homers with four RBI in the win.

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The Eastern League’s strength for 2042 was centered again in the Coastal Division. At the all-star break, Lome led the way at 61-36, four wins ahead of Douala and five up on three-time defending West African Baseball champ Libreville. The Dingos faded down the stretch while the Lakers went on a 46-21 tear, vaulting into first place and the top spot at 102-60.

Libreville earned their seventh division title of their nine year playoff streak and guaranteed a sixth straight trip to the Eastern League Championship Series. The Lakers have only missed the ELCS once in their playoff streak and have won 100+ games in all but one season. They allowed the EL’s fewest runs at 664, although it was the Lasers with the best differential (+192).

Lome didn’t have a bad finish despite losing the top spot, taking the wild card at 97-65. Douala (91-71) and Port Harcourt (89-73) were the first teams out in the Coastal Division. The Lasers earned back-to-back playoff trips for the first time since the mid 2010s. Lagos led the EL with 911 runs scored, but were a non-factor at 79-83.

In the Interior Division, Niamey had a six-game advantage on their closest foe at the break. However, the Atomics fell off a cliff with a 25-41 post-break record and finished fifth at 81-81. Abuja emerged as the top team with a remarkable 14-game winning streak to end with an 89-73 record. It was back-to-back berths for the Aliens, whom were a 2030 expansion team.

Benin City ended with their own solid six-game winning streak by getting home sweeps of both Yaounde and Jos. The Blue Devils took second at 86-76 while both the Yellow Birds and Jaspers ended 84-78. Yaounde notably collapsed with an eight-game losing streak to close the year. Benin City’s playoff streak extended to four seasons; they were the ELCS runner-up and division champ in the last two years.



Eastern League MVP went to Lagos RF Armand Seka with 18 first place votes and 359 points, while Douala 2B Ram Lengani had 11 first place votes and 325 points. Lengani notably was the WARlord at 9.4, but Seka was the power leader and led in home runs (69), RBI (163), total bases (472), slugging (.761), OPS (1.168), and wRC+ (189). The 28-year old Ivorian lefty had 227 hits, 133 runs, a .366 average, and 8.9 WAR.

Douala’s Belarmino Trujillo won Pitcher of the Year with 26/30 first place votes. The 29-year old Panamanian lefty ended up in Cameroon in 2036 after failing to catch on as a CABA prospect. Trujillo won the ERA title at 2.21 and posted a 14-6 record, 290 strikeouts, 220 innings, 212 ERA+, 58 FIP-, and 8.0 WAR. He also tossed a no-hitter on June 9 against Ouagadougou with 15 strikeouts and one walk.

With the breakout season, the Dingos signed Trujillo to a four-year, $56,400,000 extension in the winter. The #3 finisher in POTY voting was Lome’s Christopher Daniel, who notably set a new WAB single-season K/9 record at 15.15. The 24-year old Nigerian righty was last year’s POTY and finished in 2042 with 322 Ks over 191.1 innings, 2.73 ERA, 16-5 record, and 7.6 WAR. In June, the Lasers gave Daniel a seven-year, $122,500,000 extension.



Lome ousted Benin City with 6-3 and 4-3 home wins in the first round. The Lasers promptly got swept in round two on 11-4 and 7-6 wins for Abuja. This was the first-ever playoff series win for the Aliens, who now needed to dethrone the three-time defending WAB champ Libreville to claim their first pennant. Their 16-game winning streak ended with a 6-1 Lakers win to open the series.

However, Abuja surprised Libreville on a 7-5 road win in game two. The Aliens then held on for 4-1 and 4-3 home wins to take the series in four and dethrone the Lakers dynasty. In defeat, Libreville 3B Kossi Wilson was ELCS MVP going 7-16 with three homers and six RBI.

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The 68^th West African Championship had two newcomers to the finals in Touba and Abuja, both among the six expansion teams from 2030. Of that group, Daloa made the finals in 2038-39 with a title in 2038, while Bissau was the 2040 runner-up. They took different paths as the Twins posted WAB’s top record in 2042 at 105-57. Abuja meanwhile ended hot and were 19-1 in their last 20 games entering the series.

The Aliens’ hot streak continued with 5-4 and 10-3 wins on the road to open the series, followed by a 4-2 home win. Touba got a 10-0 rout in game four, but Abuja rolled 14-3 in game five to secure their first title. Despite the country having seven teams, this was the first title for a Nigerian squad since Port Harcourt in 2024. It was an all-time finish for the Aliens with a 23-2 record in their final 25 games and a 9-2 run in the playoffs.



Finals MVP was DH Vivien Camera, who went 10-19 with two homers, five runs, and nine RBI. Incidentally, Camera had played for the Twins from 2035-41. In January 2042, Touba traded him to Abuja for three prospects. While it is yet unknown if those prospects will pan out, the deal certainly burned the Twins as Camara delivered key blows in their finals defeat. The Aliens gave the 30-year old Guinean a five-year, $180 million extension in June.

Other notes: Kumasi’s Augstine Pele set playoff records for batting average (.611) and OBP (.666), minimum 20 plate appearances. In milestones, the 600 home run club grew to 21 members with the additions of Adekunle Ojo and Marc Kuchambi. Diongolo Ganame was the 40^th to 500 homers. Kuchambi was also the 37^th to 1500 RBI. Emmanuel Marshall and Ram Lengani were the 28^th and 29^th to 1500 runs scored. Lengani was also the 54^th to 2500 hits.

Lengani grabbed his 11^th consecutive Silver Slugger at 2B and Marshall won his 10^th Silver Slugger in RF. Only six WAB players total have won 10+ Sluggers with both Lengani and Marshall holding position records. C Chuck Koffie won his 11^th Gold Glove and CF Samba Boucher won his 8^th. Koffie is one of four WAB players at any position to win 11+ GGs and the position leader for catchers. Harris Zwane was the 69^th pitcher to 2500 strikeouts.

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Urumqi ran away with first place in China’s Northern League for back-to-back seasons with a 109-53 finish in 2042. It was the fourth playoff trip in five years for the Unicorns, who had the NL’s best run differential (+167) and went 40-19 in one-run games. It was a 12 win drop to second place with five teams fighting for the remaining three playoff spots.

Zhengzhou had an impressive 40-22 record after the break to jump into second at 97-65. The Zips got their second playoff berth in three years and allowed the NL’s fewest runs at 496. In the final stretch, Qingdao and defending China Series winner Hangzhou (both 95-67) just held on over Dalian (94-68) and Harbin (93-69). The Hens extended their playoff streak to five seasons while the Devils earned a repeat. Although the Hellcats missed the cut, they had the NL’s most runs at 681. They underperformed their expected win/loss by seven as Harbin was 19-33 in one-run games.



Urumqi LF Na Yuan repeated as Northern League MVP in a very competitive race. He had 16 first place votes and 438 points. Zhengzhou C Te Liu got 14 first place votes and Shijiazhuang 3B Xiaotian Xu had 10. Liu notably was the WARlord at 9.6 while Xu was the home run leader with 52. The winner Yuan led in total bases (365), slugging (.624), and OPS (1.013). The third-year starter for the Unicorns added 196 hits, 108 runs, 47 home runs, 109 RBI, .335 average, 199 wRC+, and 9.1 WAR.

Pitcher of the Year also went to Urumqi with Arthur Portocarreiro, although this was less competitive with 36/40 first place votes. He came to China via Brazil after failing to catch on as a South American prospect. Portocarreiro debuted for the Unicorns in 2039, but 2042 was his first year as a full-time starter. The 24-year old lefty led in wins (21-6), strikeouts (293), and quality starts (28). Portocarreiro posted a 2.18 ERA over 259.2 innings, 148 ERA+, 69 FIP-, and 7.4 WAR.



In the Triple Round Robin, top seed Urumqi and Zhengzhou both went 6-3 to advance while both defending champ Hangzhou and Qingdao finished 3-6. Both had recent NL titles with the Zips taking it in 2040 and the Unicorns in 2038 and 2039. Urumqi dominated the regular season series 6-2, but Zhengzhou earned home field for the semifinal having won two of three in the round robin.

Game one was a marathon that was tied 3-3 after regulation. It stayed there until the 15^th inning where Urumqi exploded for six runs. Zhengzhou got two back but the Unicorns secured a 9-5 road win. The Zips got them back 5-3 the next night then rolled to a 9-1 road win in game three. Urumqi reclaimed the series lead with 3-2 and 3-1 wins out west.

Back at home, Zhengzhou won the final contests 8-3 and 5-2 to take the series in seven. With the wins, the Zips picked up their fifth China Series trip (1995, 2009, 2027, 2040, 2042). 1B Changhong Yao won series MVP as across their ten playoff meetings he went 15-38 with six home runs, 12 RBI, and 11 runs. The 26-year old Yao had won semifinal MVP honors in Zhengzhou’s 2040 triumph as well.