Baseball: The World's Game

[FuzzyRussianHat]

The 1984 Beisbol Sudamerica Hall of Fame class was an impressive one with three slam dunk first ballot selections. Pitcher Domingas Ribeiro got 98.4%, first baseman Javier Herrera had 98.4%, and pitcher Ivo Ferreira picked up 96.9%. Two others finished at 52.3% with closer Jaguare Maia on his tenth ballot and 1B Cy Cavazos in his debut.



This result dropped Maia from the ballot, who had an 18-year career between BSA and MLB. He pitched for eight teams and in BSA had 367 saves, a 1.90 ERA, 1003.2 innings, 1513 strikeouts, and 36.8 WAR. Maia was eighth in BSA saves at retirement, but never won Reliever of the Year or saw much playoff action, keeping him out despite numbers comparable to some other Hall of Fame relievers. His debut at 64.5% made people think he’d eventually get in, but that was Maia’s peak, although he never dropped below 45%.

Also dropped was another reliever in Nils Luis, who did won three Reliever of the Year awards and had three Copa Sudamerica rings between Cordoba and Lima. For his entire pro career he had 33.7 WAR and 323 saves with a MLB stint, but in BSA he had only 244 saves and 28.3 WAR, although an impressive 1.58 ERA and 932 strikeouts in 706.1 innings. Luis didn’t have the longevity to get traction with the voters, peaking at 41.2% on his debut and hovering in the teens for his final ballots.



Domingas Ribeiro – Starting Pitcher – Sao Paulo Padres – 98.4% First Ballot

Domingas Ribeiro was a 6’4’’, 195 pound right-handed pitcher from Unai, a municipality of around 85,000 people in southeastern Brazil located 164 kilometers from Brasilia. He was the son of Hall of Famer Amadeus “Hurricane” Ribeiro, who was a first baseman and three-time MVP with Sao Paulo and others in the 1940s and 1950s. Domingas had stellar control of his pitchers with terrific movement and very good stuff. His velocity peaked at 96-98 mph with an extreme groundball tendency and an arsenal of sinker, forkball, curveball, and changeup. Ribeiro was a very good defensive pitcher with solid durability and intelligence as well.

Under the tutelage of his father, Ribeiro quickly became one of the hottest prospects in Brazilian baseball. He was eligible for the 1963 Beisbol Sudamerica Draft and Sao Paulo had the first overall pick; the same squad that his father Amadeus had been a superstar with. The Padres made the obvious choice and the fans were delighted, hoping the younger Ribeiro could return them to prominence. Sao Paulo had been a dynasty in the 1950s and won rings in the early 1940s, but they had fallen off to start the 60s. Ribeiro was full-time starter immediately, although he had some growing pains in his rookie season.

Ribeiro figured it out quickly though and finished second in Pitcher of the Year voting in his third season, throwing a no-hitter with 11 strikeouts that year against Buenos Aires. That began a streak of six straight seasons as the Southern Cone League’s leader in ERA. He also led in WHIP eight straight years and with his incredible control, he was the best in K/BB nine times. Ribeiro had seven seasons worth 10+ WAR and was the league leader in WAR in eight different seasons. He also pitched for Brazil in the World Baseball Championship from 1966-77, although he was less dominant there. Still, he had a solid 3.35 ERA over 298 WBC innings with 356 strikeouts and 6.5 WAR.

Ribeiro started racking up the awards, although he was used in a somewhat unusual role. He made 49 starts in 1967, but was used as an opener and only threw 175.1 innings. In later seasons he’d throw more innings, but make fewer starts as Sao Paulo liked to bring him out of the bullpen. Either way, he was incredible effective, winning Pitcher of the Year four straight years from 1968-71, then again in 1976 and 1977. Ribeiro also was third in 1972, second in 1973, and third in 1975. As of 2037, Ribeiro is the only Southern Cone League pitcher with six Pitcher of the Year awards and one of only four to do it in all of Beisbol Sudamerica.

Despite his success, Sao Paulo still needed time to rebuild in the 1960s. In 1969, they snapped a seven-year playoff drought with a 112 win season and Copa Sudamerica appearance. The next six years, the Padres missed the playoffs, although they were consistently still a 90+ win team. In 1976, Sao Paulo finally returned to their perch atop South American baseball. That year, Ribeiro threw a perfect game with 13 strikeouts against Fortaleza. They made Copa Sudamerica again in 1977, although fell in the finale in a rematch with Valencia. In the playoffs, Ribeiro had a 2.61 ERA over 82.2 innings and 95 strikeouts.

Ribeiro had been used as a more traditional starter by this point after seeing a career low 109 innings in an opener role in 1974. He was still excellent in his mid 30s, but saw his production slip significantly for the first time in 1978. Despite being seemingly healthy, Ribeiro was now topping out in the low 90s and was no longer dominant. He crossed 4000 career strikeouts in his final season, then opted to retire after the 1978 campaign at age 36. His #23 uniform was retired immediately and placed right next to his father’s #20.

Ribeiro’s final stats: 245-118 record, 72 saves, 2.02 ERA, 3490.1 innings, 4085 strikeouts to only 374 walks, a 0.84 WHIP, 10.9 K/BB, 336/480 quality starts, FIP- of 58, and 120.5 WAR. As of 2037, he’s one of only two Hall of Fame pitchers to have 3000+ innings and fewer than 400 walks. At induction, Ribeiro was seventh all-time in pitching WAR, 19th in strikeouts, 11th in wins, and seventh in WHIP. Among HOF starters, he had the sixth lowest ERA. A no-doubt Hall of Famer and all-time great pitcher, Ribeiro received 98.4% and the first ballot nod.



Javier “Snapper” Herrera – First Base – Quito Thunderbolts – 98.4% First Ballot

Javier Herrera was a 6’4’’, 205 pound right-handed first baseman from Guayaquil, Ecuador. As a career first baseman with that frame, most would probably picture a big lumbering slugger, but Herrera was far from that with elite speed and great defense. He was an all-time great contact hitter who led the Bolivar League in batting average eight times, while boasting a solid eye and decent ability to avoid strikeouts. Herrera wasn’t a big home run hitter, but still had plenty of pop in his bat with great gap power. He would average around 30-40 doubles, 15-20 triples, and 15-25 home runs per season. On top of that, Herrera was a team captain and great leader, making him one of the most beloved players of the era.

“Snapper” was immediately noticed as a prospect in his native Ecuador and the capital’s team kept a close eye on him. In the 1956 Beisbol Sudamerica Draft, Quito picked Herrera 16th overall. He’d only play five games in 1957, but became a full-time starter at age 20 in 1958. He’d be a full-time starter whenever healthy for the next two decades and spent all but his final season with the Thunderbolts. Herrera had some issues with strikeouts in his first few seasons as he developed, although he still was third in Rookie of the Year voting. By age 24, he had emerged as one of the continent’s elite players.

Herrera would lead the Bolivar League in runs scored three times, hits five times, doubles thrice, walks thrice, stolen bases four times, batting average eight times, on base percentage nine times, slugging four times, OPS six times, wRC+ five times, and WAR three times. His penchant for extra base hits was especially impressive as he would lead in slugging despite only once hitting 30 home runs. Herrera won eight Silver Sluggers (62, 63, 64, 65, 68, 69, 70, 74), and six Gold Gloves (59, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71).

Herrera first got strong MVP consideration in 1962 with a second place finish. He’d then claim the award in 1963 and 1964. Herrera was third in 1965, then lost much of 1966 to injuries. He’d take second in 1968, then win the award in 1969 and 1970 to become a four-time winner. Herrera was a finalist again with a second in 1971 and third in 1974.

Quito had been a bottom-tier franchise to begin its existence with no playoff berths in the first 32 seasons. Herrera’s rise helped change that as they would win the 1963, 64, and 65 Bolivar League titles. In 1965, the Thunderbolts won their first-ever Copa Sudamerica ring. In that run, Herrera had 40 hits, 19 runs, 21 RBI, and 1.7 WAR over 37 playoff starts. Quito would be more middling for the rest of the 1960s and into the 1970s, but Herrera brought them their first sustained success. He was also beloved in Ecuador for being a stalwart on the national team, making 140 starts in the World Baseball Championship from 1959-78. He had 134 hits, 72 runs, 27 doubles, 29 home runs, 69 RBI, and 5.3 WAR.

As he entered his 30s, various injuries would keep Herrera out a couple weeks each season. Still, he was putting up excellent seasons through his age 38 season. In 1976, he got his 3254th hit, passing Angel Gabriel Cornjeo as the all-time hit king in BSA, a distinction he held until the 2010s. Later that year, Herrera suffered a torn calf muscle and missed four months.

His power was noticeably down in 1977, his final season with Quito. The Thunderbolts traded him that offseason to Medellin, although he’d hold no ill will and remain a beloved franchise icon with his #26 uniform retired one year later. Herrera was subpar in his one season with the Mutiny, but did become the first BSA batter to 3500 career hits while there. Herrera retired that winter at age 41.

Herrera’s final stats: 3597 hits, 1639 runs, 618 doubles, 300 triples, 348 home runs, 1546 RBI, 950 walks, 1230 stolen bases, a .335/.388/.545 slash, 164 wRC+, and 117.9 WAR. He retired as the all-time Beisbol Sudamerica hit king and is still sitting fourth-best as of 2037. At induction, Herrera was also the doubles leader and runs scored leader, plus was fourth in triples, eighth in RBI, second in stolen bases, and eighth in hitting WAR. As of 2037, he’s second in doubles still, sixth in steals, and 14th in WAR. Herrera certainly had an inner-circle Hall of Fame level career, getting a first ballot nod at 98.4%.



Ivo Ferreira – Pitcher – Medellin Mutiny – 96.9% First Ballot

Ivo Ferreira was a 6’0’’, 205 pound left-handed pitcher from Araxa, a city of around 100,000 people in the southeastern Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. Ferreira had great stuff with above average control and movement. His fastball had 98-100 mph peak velocity and he also had an excellent splitter, plus an occasionally used changeup. The drop of the splitter and its ability to look like the fastball got Ferreira a lot of strikeouts and weak groundballs. He also had great stamina for much of his career and was known as a hard worker, making him a popular player. Ferreira also was excellent at holding runners, although he was considered a lousy defender otherwise.

Ferreira was spotted by a scout from Medellin as a teenager and signed a developmental deal in 1958, sending him to Colombia. He made his pro debut in a closer role in 1964 and was split the next year between the rotation and bullpen. By 1966, Ferreira had emerged as a legitimate ace and took third in Pitcher of the Year voting. He’d take second in 1968 and third in 1969. In 1970, Ferreira led the Bolivar League in wins, strikeouts, WAR, and innings to earn his first Pitcher of the Year. He led again in wins, Ks, and WAR to win the 1971 Pitcher of the Year. Ferreira’s lone time leading in ERA was 1972, finishing second that year in voting.

Led by Ferreira’s arm, Medellin won seven straight division titles from 1965-71. Five times in that stretch, the Mutiny were Bolivar League champs and in 1969, they claimed Copa Sudamerica. Ferreira was a strong playoff pitcher with a 2.54 ERA over 156 innings with 159 strikeouts, only 26 walks, and 4.4 WAR. He also returned home to Brazil for the World Baseball Championship from 1967-78 with a 3.80 ERA over 144.1 innings, 194 strikeouts, and 2.3 WAR.

Medellin faded into mediocrity and began a decade-plus playoff drought starting in 1972. A bone spur in his elbow cost him part of 1973 and he was never quite as dominant of a strikeout pitcher, although Ferreira was still strong the next few years. The turning point for Ferreira was a torn rotator cuff in late June 1976, knocking him out for 12 months. He rehabbed back, but didn’t have the strength to return to the rotation. Ferreira was a decent reliever for a season and a half, but he still wanted to start. He wouldn’t get that chance as he was let go after the 1978 season and unsigned in 1979. Ferreira retried that winter at age 37 and Medellin soon after would retire his #32 uniform,

Ferreira’s final line had a 201-147 record, 2.49 ERA, 3091 innings, 3475 strikeouts to 515 walks, 260/348 quality starts, 163 complete games, FIP- of 73, and 83.1 WAR. He didn’t have the longevity to be atop the leaderboards, but Ferreira was clearly one of the finest pitchers in Beisbol Sudamerica in the 1960s and 70s, plus a critical piece in a dominant run for Medellin. The voters didn’t hesitate to make Ferreira the third member of the impressive 1984 Hall of Fame class with 96.9% of the vote.

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The European Baseball Federation added two players into its Hall of Fame from the 1984 voting. LF Sauncho Fiero was a first ballot selection with 94.5%, while RF Paul Schlacher got the boost up to 78.0% on his seventh ballot. The only other player above 50% was SP Munib Jovicic, short of the 66% requirement with 57.0% on his eighth attempt.



Dropped after ten ballots was SP Rayan Boulay, who had a 14-year career with Paris. He had a 161-101 record, 2.75 ERA, 2728 strikeouts over 2342.2 innings with 55.5 WAR. Pretty firmly a Hall of Very Good guy who peaked at 22.8% on his second ballot. Also dropped was Levin Feuersanger, a two-way player who played 16 seasons between Zurich and Berlin. On the mound, he had a 184-145 record, 3.07 ERA, 2579 strikeouts over 3057.1 innings, and 57.9 WAR. In the outfield, he had 22.2 WAR with a .275/.341/.525 slash, 621 hits, 360 runs, 147 home runs, and 374 RBI. The combined numbers didn’t win over the voters as he wasn’t a dominant player with Feuersander peaking at 35.1% on his debut. Both he and Boulay were in the single-digits by the end.



Sauncho “Headhunter” Fiero – Left Field – Athens Anchors – 94.5% First Ballot

Sauncho Fiero was a 6’2’’, 200 pound left-handed left fielder from Fuenlabrada, a Spanish city of around 200,000 people within the Community of Madrid. Fiero was a fantastic contact hitter that was also solid at drawing walks and avoiding strikeouts. He had excellent gap power with very good speed, averaging around 30 doubles and 20 triples per season. Although he had strong gap power, Fiero didn’t hit many home runs with a career high of 13. He was considered an ironman as he made 140+ starts in 16 straight seasons. Fiero was a career left fielder, although he was a lousy defender. He was endearing though as a quiet, humble, hard-working player who you could always count on.

As a teenager amateur in Spain, Fiero was spotted by a scout from Athens. At age 16, he was signed and brought to Greece on a developmental deal. Fiero debuted with a few appearances in 1960 at age 19, then became a full-time starter for the Anchors for the next 16 seasons. In his first full season, Fiero won a batting title with a .345 average and led the Southern Conference with 211 hits, earning him the 1961 Rookie of the Year. He would win five batting titles and lead in hits six times. Fiero also was the conference leader in doubles thrice and OBP once.

Without the big slugging numbers, Fiero was never in the top three in MVP voting and often was just short of the Silver Slugger. Still, he won the Slugger four times (1965, 67, 68, 69). Fiero also was a regular for Spain in the World Baseball Championship with 109 starts from 1962-77. He had 122 hits, 53 runs, 29 doubles, 3.2 WAR, and a .298/.389/.425 slash in the WBC. Athens made the playoffs four times in his tenure, although they never got beyond the conference final and Fiero had an iffy .197 average in 17 games.

He kept chugging along though and climbed his way up the all-time hits leaderboard, eventually becoming the European Baseball Federation’s hit leader and first player to 3000 career hits. His gap power started to fade in his later years and he was demoted to a part-time role by the end with Athens. Fiero would be let go after the 1977 season, but kept a good relationship with the Anchors and would see his #35 uniform retired. He hoped to carry on and signed a three-year deal at age 37 with Seville, but he was middling in a part-time role with the Stingrays. After only one season back in Spain, Fiero opted to retire.

Fiero’s final stats: 3321 hits, 1428 runs, 541 doubles, 305 triples, 131 home runs, 1166 RBI, 937 walks, 896 stolen bases, a .329/.387/.481 slash, 153 wRC+, and 80.0 WAR. He would hold onto the hit-king crown until the mid 1990s and sits tenth as of 2037. At induction, he was also the doubles leader and remains sixth as of 2037. Fiero fell down the leaderboards in the later years, but the hits leader certainly isn’t going to be left out and he earned the first ballot nod at 94.5%.



Paul Schlacher – Right Field – Naples Nobles – 78.0% Seventh Ballot

Paul Schlacher was a 6’3’’, 200 pound left-handed right fielder from Leonding, a city of around 27,000 people in upper Austria. Schlacher was best known for having an excellent eye, getting on base quite often despite being an average contact hitter and only average at avoiding strikeouts. Schlacher had respectable home run power, regularly hitting 20+ and a couple times topping 35. He also averaged 30 doubles per season, although he didn’t stretch many out to triples with his below average speed. Schlacher was a career right fielder and typically viewed as being above average defensively. He was also pretty durable and regularly was a full-time starter for almost his entire career.

Schlacher was a late bloomer though, not debuting until he was 24 years old. He was spotted by a scout from Naples in 1954 and signed as a teenager amateur. He spent many seasons in the developmental system, but the Nobles’ patience ultimately paid off. He only started half of the games in his rookie year, but was impressive enough to take second in the 1961 Rookie of the Year voting. Schlacher would be a full-time starter for the rest of his Naples run with 130+ starts each year for the next decade in Italy.

He would win Silver Sluggers in 1966 and 67. In 1966, Schlacher had a sudden power burst, smacking a Southern Conference best 51 home runs and 121 RBI. He also led in WAR (11.3), OPS (1.118), and wRC+ (224) to earn his lone MVP award. He took third in voting the next year, still leading in OPS and wRC+ while posting a 10.1 WAR season. Schlacher never again had the same type of power, but he’d post ten seasons worth 5+ WAR in his career. He also was a regular for Austria in the World Baseball Championship with 120 starts from 1962-77. In that stretch he had 93 hits, 60 runs, 35 home runs, 72 RBI, and 4.4 WAR.

Naples was a middling team during Schlacher’s best seasons. They would finally get to the playoffs with three straight division titles from 1969-71, but they were one-and-done each season in the playoffs. Still, he was a very popular player for his decade in Naples and would have his #17 uniform retired at the end of his pro career. Schlacher’s Nobles run and run in Europe ended after the 1972 season as the 36 year old became a free agent, drawing international suitors. He decided to sign a three-year, $1,016,000 deal with Brooklyn.

Schlacher had a strong MLB debut with a 6.0 WAR season. He had three solid years with the Dodgers worth 14.1 WAR in total. After that contract ran out, he played two more seasons with Boston. Schlacher was a solid starter in his first year with the Red Sox, but saw his role lessened as age continued to chase him. He opted to retire after the 1977 season at age 41. For his five MLB seasons, Schlacher had 18.4 WAR, 621 hits, 383 runs, 114 home runs, and 359 RBI.

For his full pro career, Schlacher had 98.9 WAR, 2377 hits, 1414 runs, 436 home runs, 1433 RBI, a .277/.376/.497 slash, and 152 wRC+. However, his EBF Hall of Fame criteria was mainly focused on his Naples run with a .290/.391/.524 slash, 80.5 WAR, 161 wRC+, 1756 hits, 1031 runs, 322 home runs, and 1074 RBI. Schlacher didn’t have the tenure or dominance to be up the leaderboards, although his OBP and WAR marks gave him some traction. He debuted at 43.7% and fell to 33.6% on his second attempt, making many figure Schlacher’s candidacy was doomed. He pinballed around and got to 64.3% on his fifth ballot, barely missing the 66% threshood. He dropped back to 52.1% on his sixth ballot, but enough voters changed their mind for a seventh ballot induction with 78.0%.

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Eurasian Professional Baseball inducted two players into the Hall of Fame with the 1984 ballot, both on the first ballot. Two-way player Havlik Hloznik was the headliner with 98.2% of the vote and was joined by pitcher Nikita Titov at 81.5%. Closer Elgiz Gulyamov was close on his second try at 62.8%, Also above 50% was 2B Ali Alasgarov at 56.9% for his second ballot and SP Eryk Wozniak at 56.0% on his sixth attempt. No players were dumped from the EPB ballot after ten tries in 1984.



Havlik Hloznik – Pitcher/Outfielder – Bratislava Blue Falcons – 98.2% First Ballot

Havlik Hloznik was a 5’10’’, 200 pound two-way player from Kremnica, a town of around 5,000 people in central Slovakia. Hloznik was a right-handed pitcher, but was a left-handed hitter. Pitching was his main forte with very good stuff and movement along with above average control. Hloznik’s fastball topped out in the 97-99 mph range and was mixed with a curveball, changeup, and sinker. He was also great at holding runners and was incredibly durable, starting 30+ games in the mound with 250+ innings in all but his final two seasons.

Hloznik did this while also averaging around another 50 starts or so each year in the outfield. He wasn’t an amazing batter, but good enough to provide positive value in the lineup. Hloznik had a solid eye with respectable speed and contact ability, plus decent pop in his bat. He made about 2/3 of his non-pitching starts in right field with most of the rest in left and was a below average defender, but not awful. Hloznik was also a hard worker and very adaptable, which made him one of the most popular players of his era.

Hloznik’s potential was noticed at home in Czechoslovakia during his college days, and the Slovakian capital Bratislava picked him seventh overall in the 1963 EPB Draft. He was a full-timer immediately in the rotation and also provided 300+ plate appearances each year as a Blue Falcon. Hloznik easily claimed the 1964 Rookie of the Year, winning Rookie of the Month four times in his debut season. On the mound, he had 12 total seasons worth 6+ WAR and 12 seasons with 300+ strikeouts. In 1966, Hloznik tossed a no-hitter with nine strikeouts and two walks against Riga. He would take third in that year’s MVP voting.

1967 would be Hloznik’s finest season on the mound, winning both Pitcher of the Year and league MVP. He had career bests in ERA (1.70), innings (306.2), strikeouts (413), and WAR (12.7). Hloznik had a European League-best 10.3 WAR with a 1.81 ERA in 1970, but was second in Pitcher of the Year voting. He’d take the MVP that year though with his finest season at the plate, adding 4.0 WAR, 160 wRC+, and a .308 average. Hloznik took third in both PotY and MVP voting in 1971, ultimately his final season with Bratislava.

Despite his efforts, the Blue Falcons were consistently a bottom-rung franchise and wouldn’t make their first playoff appearance until 2003. Hloznik is still remembered fondly though, especially as a Slovakian great, and had his #4 uniform retired. With Bratislava on the mound, he had a 131-110 record, 2.27 ERA, 2812 strikeouts over 2326.2 innings, and 69.6 WAR. At the plate, he had 15.9 WAR with 672 hits, 307 runs, 77 home runs, 258 RBI, and a .258/.321/.417 slash. Hloznik became a free agent after the 1971 season and the 31-year old got a lot of attention. Moscow would win out with a six-year, $1,412,000 deal.

After a solid first season with the Mules, Hloznik won his second Pitcher of the Year in 1973 and took second in MVP voting, leading the European League in ERA (1.83) and WAR (9.0). Moscow had been a contender, but had dealt with issues getting over the hump in the playoffs. Hloznik helped change that as the Mules were the 1974 and 1975 Soviet Series winners. He won ELCS and finals MVP in 1974, then won ELCS MVP again in 1975. In 11 playoff starts, Hloznik had a 1.39 ERA, 8-2 record, 84.1 innings, 94 strikeouts, and 2.3 WAR. He also in 22 games at the plate had 22 hits, 6 runs, 3 home runs, a .306/.383/.514 slash and 0.9 WAR.

1976 had his second no-hitter, an eight strikeout effort against Minsk. However, Hloznik’s efforts were average at best on the whole. The next year, Moscow tried him in an opener role, but he was subpar. The Mules released him after the season and he signed back with Bratislava for 1978. Hloznik was cooked though at this point and saw limited use, retiring after the season at age 37.

Hloznik’s final stats on the mound saw a 218-180 record, 2.33 ERA, 3775.2 innings, 4493 strikeouts to 814 walks, 343/498 quality starts, 194 complete games, FIP- of 71, and 106.8 WAR. At induction, he was one of only five EPB pitchers with 100+ career WAR and more than deserving just on his pitching merits. At the plate, Hloznik added 1043 hits, 491 runs, 164 doubles, 131 home runs, 422 RBI, 358 stolen bases, a .257/.316/.427 slash, 128 wRC+, and 25.9 WAR. Along with his role in Moscow’s mid 1970s titles, Hloznik easily goes down as one of the best of the 1960s and 1970s in Eurasian Professional Baseball, well deserving of the first ballot nod at 98.2%.



Nikita Titov - Starting Pitcher – Omsk Otters – 81.5% First Ballot

Nikita Titov was a 5’10’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Kazan, the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan in western Russia. Titov’s biggest strength was excellent pinpoint control, but he also had above average stuff and movement in his prime. His velocity peaked at 96-98 mph with a fastball, slider, curveball, and changeup. Titov had solid stamina and durability and was considered a sparkplug personality with a great work ethic and attitude.

Titov was noticed as a high schooler and was picked 30^th overall by Krasnoyarsk in the 1955 Eurasian Professional Baseball Draft. However, he didn’t sign with the Cossacks and began a college career. Titov was still highly touted when he next became eligible in 1959, getting picked eighth overall by Omsk. He signed with the Otters and was an instant full-time member of their rotation.

Titov spent 13 and a half seasons with Omsk and put up regular solid production with ten seasons worth 5+ WAR. He wasn’t a league leader though and only once was a Pitcher of the Year finalist, taking third in the 1966 voting. That year, he posted an impressive 10.1 WAR and league best 28 quality starts. On July 14, 1968; Titov threw EPB’s tenth perfect game with seven strikeouts against Baku.

Omsk was a consistent contender during Titov’s prime with seven playoff appearances from 1963-71. The Otters had trouble in the postseason, but had a historic 1966 season where they finished 120-42 and won the Asian League title; falling in the Soviet Series to Minsk. Titov’s playoff numbers looked similar to his regular season production with a 2.92 ERA over 64.2 innings with 77 strikeouts and 2.3 WAR. In total with Omsk, Titov had a 200-162 record, 2.95 ERA, 3404.1 innings, 3641 strikeouts to 488 walks, 290/437 quality starts, and 87.5 WAR. The Otters would honor him by retiring his #20 uniform at the end of his career.

Omsk started to struggle and rebuild into the mid 1970s and decided to trade the now 36-year old Titov in the summer of 1973. He was moved along with SS Yevhen Zhokh to Kyiv in exchange for eventual Hall of Fame pitcher Yevhen Selin and pitcher Szilard Duna. The Kings ended a postseason drought that season and opted to sign Titov to a contract extension. When healthy, he was very solid with a 47-16 record, 2.06 ERA, 669.2 innings, 643 strikeouts, and 16.3 WAR over three and a half seasons with Kyiv.

Shoulder inflammation would cost Titov much of 1975. He bounced back in 1976, but suffered a torn UCL in July 1976, putting him on the shelf for 16 months. Titov was determined to make a comeback despite the odds and his age. He signed back with Omsk in September 1977, but didn’t make an appearance and was let go in the offseason. Titov would sign before the 1978 season with Irkutsk, but struggled in 26 innings of relief. He retired after the season at age 41.

Titov’s final stats: 249-181 record, 2.82 ERA, 4100 innings, 4303 strikeouts, 543 walks, 356/527 quality starts, FIP- of 76, and 103.2 WAR. His ERA was one of the higher ones among EPB Hall of Famers, but he was one of six pitchers at induction with 100+ career WAR and was the eighth pitcher to reach 4000 career strikeouts. At induction, he was also fourth all-time in wins. Titov’s longevity got him the first ballot nod with 81.5% of the vote.

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No players were inducted into the Oceania Baseball Association with the 1984 voting. RF Danny Carrott was the only player above 50%, getting 57.0% on his fourth go, a new high mark for the two-time MVP. Three pitchers were in the 40-50% range with Honore Waheo at 49.2%, Ryan Cudiaboo at 48.9%, and Matthew Mamba at 45.2%. All three were on their third ballot.

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Pitcher Ametung Tirta was inducted into the Austronesia Professional Baseball Hall of Fame as the lone member of the 1984 class. On his first ballot, Tirta received 79.0% of the vote. Closer Hao-Ming Lu was close to the 66% mark in his debut, but was five percent short with 61.0%. Also above 50% were 3B Stanley Susilowati at 59.7% for his second attempt and pitcher Vitorio Pinga at 59.0% on his fifth try.



Dropped after ten tries was closer Hartriono Siagian, who stayed in the 30% range his whole time on the ballot. He never won the top award and only was in APB for five seasons, but he did lead in saves four times. Between three leagues and seven teams over eight years, Siagian had 198 saves, a 1.30 ERA, 559.1 innings, 720 strikeouts, and 25.0 WAR. Another closer, I Putu Widodo was dropped with a peak of 28.7% on the ballot. His APB run was only six years, but he won two Reliever of the Year awards. With six teams and two leagues over seven years, he had 188 saves, a 1.35 ERA, 894 strikeouts over 466.1 innings and 30.8 WAR.



Ametung Tirta – Pitcher – Surabaya Sunbirds – 79.0% First Ballot

Ametung Tirta was a 5’10’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Ambon, a city of around 350,000 people and the capital of the eastern Indonesian province of Maluku. Tirta was considered average to above average with his stuff, movement, and control. His velocity peaked at 95-97 mph velocity with an arsenal of fastball, slider, forkball, and changeup. Tirta had good stamina and durability in his 20s.

Tirta left Indonesia to play college baseball at the University of Kang Ning in Taipei. His collegiate excellence earned him the fifth overall pick by Surabaya in the 1967 APB Draft. Tirta’s full career in Austronesia Professional Baseball was with the Sunbirds, beginning with some starts and relief. He took second in Rookie of the Year voting. From year two to nine with Surabaya, he pitched 249+ innings in each season.

On two occasions, Tirta led the Sundaland Association in ERA. He finished third in Pitcher of the Year in 1971 voting, then won the award in 1972 with career and league bests in ERA (1.55), and WHIP (0.79). He’d also take third in 1973 voting. The Sunbirds earned their first playoff appearances during this three year stretch and in 1971 won their Austronesian Championship for the first time. In 58.2 playoff innings, Tirta had a 2.76 ERA with 65 strikeouts and 1.2 WAR.

By WAR, Tirta’s best season was 1975 with 8.3. He had six straight 5+ WAR seasons to that point, but saw his productivity drop with only 2.8 WAR in 1976. This was the final APB season for Tirta with the 31-year old entering free agency and getting international suitors. His stint with Surabaya was strong enough that the franchise would later retire his #6 uniform. Even with a down 1976, MLB’s San Francisco was convinced he could return to form, signing Tirta to a six-year, $3,166,000 contract.

Tirta struggled with the Gold Rush with a lousy 5.22 ERA over 172.1 innings with negative 1.0 WAR. He was reduced to the bullpen for his second year and cut before the 1979 season. Tirta had four more MLB seasons and bounced around between Denver, Oakland, Indianapolis, and the new expansion Virginia Beach squad. He got back into the rotation in his last two years, but he’d retire after the 1982 season at age 37. For his MLB career, Tirta had a 37-45 record, 4.70 ERA, 824 innings, 414 strikeouts, FIP- of 128 and -1.7 WAR.

However, his APB Hall of Fame candidacy is based on his Surabaya tenure. With the Sunbirds, he had a 156-80 record, 2.02 ERA, 2316.2 innings, 2231 strikeouts, 512 walks, FIP- of 81, and 48.8 WAR. It was a solid run over nine years and he helped them win a ring, but his totals are certainly on the low end. With a still young Hall of Fame and a lack of standouts on the 1984 ballot, enough voters decided to give Tirta a first ballot spot at 79.0%.

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Chinese League Baseball’s Hall of Fame saw its first inductee from the 1984 voting as pitcher Chun Lin received 90.1% on his debut. The top five on the ballot all were in their debut, but only two were above 1/3 with pitchers Feixien Zhang at 39.3% and Xi Zhong at 35.0%.



Chun Lin – Pitcher – Chengdu Clowns – 90.1% First Ballot

Chun Lin was a 5’9’’, 185 pound right-handed pitcher from Jinzhou, a prefecture-level city of more than 2,700,000 in China’s northeastern Liaoning province. Lin had very good stuff, movement, and control with 97-99 mph peak velocity. His arsenal was fastball, slider, forkball, and changeup. He was very durable, although he wasn’t one to throw many complete games. Lin had been a star of the semi-pro ranks in his early 20s throughout China. He was 27-years old when CLB was officially formed for the 1970 season and signed his first CLB deal with Chengdu; a four-year, $616,000 deal.

In his debut season, Lin was third in Pitcher of the Year voting and won a Silver Slugger. He then won Pitcher of the Year in both 1972 and 1973, taking third in MVP voting in 1972. Lin had two no-hitters with the Clowns, both with 11 strikeouts and one walk. The first came in May 1970 against Hong Kong with the second in March 1971 against Kunming. Lin led in strikeouts, WIHP, and WAR twice in his four year run with Chengdu. He als pitched with China’s World Baseball Championship team from 1971-75 with a 2.87 ERA over 75.1 innings.

With Chengdu in only four seasons, Lin had a 74-27 record, 1.43 ERA, 928.1 innings, 1194 strikeouts, 32 FIP-, and 44.6 WAR. The Clowns were solid, but didn’t make the playoff in Lin’s run. Now age 31, he left for the 1974 season and signed a six-year, $1,608,000 deal with Wuhan. The Wolverines would make the playoffs three times with Lin, although they couldn’t get beyond the semifinal. Lin took second in Pitcher of the Year voting in 1974 and third in 1976. He posted a career-best 0.60 WAR in his first season with Wuhan. Lin saw his production drop significantly in his fourth and fifth seasons with the Wolverines and opted to retire after the 1978 season at age 35. With Wuhan, Lin had a 72-45 record, 2.30 ERA, 1098.2 innings, 1015 strikeouts, and 26.8 WAR.

Lin’s full career had a 146-72 record, 1.90 ERA, 2027 innings, 2209 strikeouts to 271 walks, 219/276 quality starts, a 0.81 WHIP, 56 FIP-, and 71.4 WAR. His rate stats are very impressive for what was officially a nine year career, although the totals are lower on the later leaderboards. Had Lin’s early 20s been included, he probably would’ve figured more prominently on the all-time lists for Chinese pitchers. His run was impressive enough though to make him the first CLB Hall of Famer and a first ballot pick at 90.1%.

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The 1984 World Baseball Championship was the 38th edition of the event and the first to be hosted in Indonesia with Jakarta as the primary host city. For the 34th time, the United States advanced into the elite eight as the Americans took Division 1 at 8-1. Colombia, France, Haiti, and Paraguay were each 6-3. China claimed Division 2 at 7-2, edging 6-3 efforts by Argentina and Venezuela. It is the 13th division title for the Chinese, who had missed the field in the prior two years. Defending world champion Germany tied with Japan atop Division 3 at 7-2 with Taiwan at 6-3. The tiebreaker went to the Japanese to end a five year division title drought. It is Japan’s 13th time advancing to the elite eight.

Division 4 saw a first-time division winner in an incredibly loaded field with Bangladesh at 6-3. Five nations were 5-4 and three were 4-5. D5 had Spain first at 7-2, beating both Mexico and Peru by one game. This is the fourth division title for the Spanish and first since 1976. In Division 6, Honduras prevailed at 7-2, one ahead of both Belgium and India. The only other time the Hondurans got out of the opening round was the inaugural 1947 WBC. Last year’s runner-up Ukraine and Canada both went 8-1 in D7. The tiebreaker moved the Ukrainians forward for the fourth time. And in Division 8, Brazil at 8-1 edged out 7-2 Cuba to advance. The Brazilians have advanced 20 times as well as three straight years.

The United States went 5-1 for first in Round Robin Group A, while both Japan and Honduras were 3-3 and Bangladesh was 1-5. The tiebreaker sent Japan forward to the semifinal for the fifth time, but first since 1964. It is the 31st final four for the Americans. Group B had China and Brazil advance with 4-2 finishes for both, while Spain was 3-3 and Ukraine was 1-5. It was the ninth time in the semifinal round for both the Chinese and Brazilians.

In the best-of-five semifinals, the United States swept China to earn a 27th finals appearance. Brazil bested Japan 3-1 to earn their fourth finals berth and first since 1976. Japan officially was third; their best finish since 1962, while China was fourth.



The 38th World Championship was the third time that the United States and Brazil had met in the finale, with the Americans winning in their 1966 and 1976 encounters. The result was the same as the US took it 4-2 for its 24th world title. Brazil is now 0-4 in their finals appearances.



Connor Neumeyer won a historic fourth tournament MVP as the 34-year old American left fielder had 25 runs, 35 hits, 7 doubles, 11 home runs, 29 RBI, and 2.0 WAR in 24 starts. Neumeyer joined the Philippines’ Jimmy Caliw as the only players with 100+ home runs in their WBC careers. Canada’s James Chretien was given the Best Pitcher. A three-time Reliever of the Year winner with Calgary, he tossed 11.2 scoreless innings with three hits allowed and 23 strikeouts.

Other notes: Belarus’s Pavel Bely threw only the second WBC perfect game, striking out 16 against Honduras. The only other perfect game was back in 1960. Uruguay’s Bruno Navarro also had a no-hitter, striking out 14 and walking five against Thailand. Norway’s Lasse Kallevik became only the third player to hit for the cycle in the WBC, doing it against Russia.

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In its fifth season, the Indian League saw Bengaluru, Jaipur, and Pune each in the playoffs again. Those teams have made the postseason field in all five seasons. The Blazers, winners of 115 games last year, were one better at 116-46 atop the South Division. Defending South Asian champ Pune fell off from their record setting 119-win 1983, but still comfortably won the West Division at 99-63. In the Central Division, Jaipur was first at 87-75, five games ahead of Delhi. The wild card spot went to the South Division’s Visakhapatnam at 87-75 for the Volts’ first-ever playoff berth.

Delhi’s V.J Williams won the Indian League MVP. The fourth-year Indian 2B was the leader in runs (138), hits (207), total bases (415), triple slash (.354/.435/.709), OPS (1.144), wRC+ (232), and WAR (13.0). Williams also smacked 51 home runs with 109 RBI. His 138 runs scored would be the single-season SAB record until 2007. Pune’s Sankar Sundaram won his fourth Pitcher of the Year with the 31-year old leading in WAR (9.1) and strikeouts (369). He had a 2.57 ERA and 21-7 record over 244.2 and also won a Gold Glove. Also of note, Pedro Heredia won his fourth Reliever of the Year. The 34-year old Argentinian split the season between Ahmedabad and Jaipur. Between SAB and Beisbol Sudamerica, Heredia has won Reliever of the Year an unprecedented ten times.

Despite their stellar record, Bengaluru once again suffered a first round exit. Division foe Visakhapatnam upset them in 3-2 to advance to face defending South Asian champ Pune. The Purple Knights bested Jaipur 3-1. In their fourth straight Indian League Championship Series appearance, Pune won their third IL title, surviving a seven game thriller against the Volts.



Dhaka earned a fourth straight playoff appearance and posted the top record in the Southeast Asia League at 105-57. This won them the North Division by 13 games over two time defending SEAL champ Yangon. The Green Dragons at 92-70 easily took a wild card and are the only SEAL team to make the playoffs in each of the first five seasons. Kathmandu at 89-73 took the second wild card for their second berth in three years. The only team with a winning record in the South Division was Ho Chi Minh City. The Hedgehogs finished 89-73, winning back-to-back division crowns.

Dhaka 1B Yamin Thaw won his third Southeast Asia League MVP in four years. The “Enforcer” did it with the 35-year old Burmese lefty leading in runs (102), walks (97), OBP (.398), OPS (.976), and wRC+ (175), while adding 38 home runs and 7.1 WAR. Yangon’s Navjot Indumukhi won both Pitcher of the Year and Reliever of the Year. The 31-year old Indian had 37 saves, a 0.76 ERA, and 154 strikeouts over 95 innings with only seven walks and 6.2 WAR.

In the first round of the playoffs, Ho Chi Minh City upset defending champ Yangon in five games, while Dhaka swept Kathmandu. The Southeast Asia League Championship Series was a seven-game classic with the Dobermans defeating the Hedgehogs. For Dhaka, it is their second SEAL title, setting up a rematch of the 1981 South Asian Championship against Pune.



The Purple Knights became the first franchise in SAB history to win the South Asian Championship in back-to-back seasons. Pune outlasted Dhaka in an intense battle 4-3. LF Ghazzi Usama was the finals MVP with the 31-year old Pakistani posting 18 hits, 6 runs, 5 doubles, 4 home runs, and 11 RBI in 18 playoff starts. Pitcher of the Year Sankar Sundaram was huge as well, setting a still-standing postseason record with 58 strikeouts. He had a 1.21 ERA and 4-0 record over 37.1 playoff innings. On the other side, Dhaka’s Yamin Thaw had 10 doubles in the postseason, a SAB record that still stands in 2037.



Other notes: Ahmedabad’s Ynilo Naranjo set a single game SAB record with 21 strikeouts in a complete game against Surat. This mark would only get matched again in 2007. For the first time, SAB didn’t see a single no-hitter all season. Bengaluru’s Augustin Markovic was the first player in SAB history to hit four home runs in a game. SS Al-Amin Kundu is the only SAB player to win Silver Sluggers in each of the first five seasons. LF Aidy Majeed did it with the Gold Glove.

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The Western League had the same three playoff teams in 1984 as it had in 1983. Nouakchott went from the second wild card the prior season up to first place at 100-62. Defending WL champ Bamako was only one game back at 99-63. Kumasi at 90-72 finished third for the second wild card spot and a seventh consecutive playoff berth. Accra was four back at 86-76 with Conakry at 85-77. Although second, the Bullfrogs allowed only 450 runs, a single-season Western League record that still stands as of 2037.

Nouakchott’s Epule Fongang won back-to-back MVPs. The 24-year old Cameroonian 3B led in runs (102), hits (216), RBI (121), total bases (365), triple slash (.349/.378/.590), OPS (.968), wRC+ (188), and WAR (10.9). Bamako’s Addise Assefa won back-to-back Pitcher of the Year. The 27-year old Ethiopian lefty set a new single-season strikeout record with 427; a mark that still stands as of 2037. Assefa also led the Western League in wins (24-5), innings (292), WHIP (0.76), K/BB (10.4), quality starts (31), complete games (13), shutouts (5), and WAR (11.0). He also had a 22 strikeout game against Accra on July 16, a single-game WAB record that held until 2022.

Bamako edged Kumasi 2-1 in the wild card round to set up a rematch with Nouakchott in the Western League Championship Series. The Night Riders would get revenge taking the series 3-1 for their first league title.



Atop the Eastern League was Kano at 96-66, earning a seventh playoff appearance in the first ten years of West African Baseball. After just missing the playoff field last year, Port Harcourt took second at 91-71 for their sixth playoff appearance. Niamey became a first-time playoff team as the Atomics finished third at 89-73. Ibadan was two games behind for the second wild card with Ouagadougou four back and defending WAB champion Lagos at five back.

Osprey CF Robbie Oakes won back-to-back Eastern League MVPs. It would be the final WAB season for the 26-year old South African, who would leave for MLB’s Jacksonville the next year. Oakes led the EL in runs (113), walks (126), stolen bases (87), OBP (.434), OPS (.930), wRC+ (174), and WAR (9.7). His 126 walks set a single-season WAB record that still stands as of 2037. Taking back-to-back Pitcher of the Year was Moussa Sidi, who signed a big seven-year, $2,940,000 deal with Kano after winning the award with Lagos last year. The 29-year old Mauritanian led in wins (19-8), ERA (1.71), quality starts (28), FIP- (55), and WAR (9.1). He added 304 strikeouts in 247 innings.

Niamey upset Port Harcourt 2-1 in the wild card round to advance to the Eastern League Championship Series. First place Kano would claim the crown though, defeating the Atomics 3-1. It is the third EL pennant for the Condors, who won the WAB championship in the first two seasons.



The 10^th West African Championship was a seven game classic. Nouakchott won its first ring by edging Kano 4-3 with league MVP Epule Fongang leading the way. He won both finals MVP and WLCS MVP with 18 hits, 9 runs, 4 home runs, 12 RBI, and 8 stolen bases in 11 playoff games.



Other notes: Power Bonou became the first WAB pitcher to 3000 career strikeouts. George Nandjou became the first to 1000 career RBI. Abdoulaye Cisse won his seventh Gold Glove as a pitcher.

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Defending Chinese League Baseball champion Tianjin improved to a franchise-record 111-51 to dominate the Northern League. The Jackrabbits led all of China in both runs scored (581) and fewest allowed (372). Taking the second place spot was Beijing at 90-72, the first playoff berth for the capital since 1970. Qingdao finished four games behind the Bears for the second place spot with Shanghai five back and both Nanjing and Harbin at seven back.

Jinan’s Charlie Zhang won his second Northern League MVP in three years. The 29-year old second baseman led in WAR (12.1), total bases (332), slugging (.576), OPS (.916), wRC+ (12.1), and triples (21). Zhang added a .278 average and 38 home runs. Tianjin’s Sarunyoo Pongpanich won Pitcher of the Year. The 27-year old from Thailand led in wins with a 21-10 record, posting a 1.46 ERA over 259 innings with 270 strikeouts and 7.8 WAR.



Defending Southern League champ Chongqing took first again, this time at 98-64. 1982 champ Hong Kong finished second narrowly at 94-68, edging out Guangzhou by one game and Chengdu by two. Last year’s second place team Macau fell off noticeably, taking tenth at 62-100.

Guangzhou LF Chaoqing Yang won his second Southern League MVP, leading in WAR (12.3), runs (104), total bases (351), slugging (.634), and OPS (.987). Yang added 44 home runs and 93 RBI. He took MVP over Chongqing’s Shichao Zhang, who became the first Triple Crown hitter in CLB history. Zhang had 47 home runs, 101 RBI, and a .301 average with 9.5 WAR and 223 wRC+, but his poor defense compared to Yang hurt him with some voters. Shenzhen’s Xinyu Dai won his third straight Pitcher of the Year, leading with 9.4 WAR, 53 FIP-, 9 shutouts, and a 11.3 K/BB. Dai had a 13-14 record over 263.1 innings with 293 strikeouts and 1.88 WAR. Also of note, Yongjie Xie won his seventh Reliever of the Year award in his lone season with Chongqing. Xie left for Eurasian Professional Baseball and later Major League Baseball to finish his career.

Both Northern League teams prevailed in the semifinal series. First place Tianjin survived a seven-game classic with Hong Kong, while Beijing upset Chongqing 4-1. This sent the Bears to the China Series for the second time, as they were the inaugural champs, while the Jackrabbits had a shot at repeat titles and earned a fourth finals berth.



Beijing bested Tianjin 4-3 in a classic to become two time Chinese League champions. RF Hejing Chen led the way for the Bears, winning MVP honors in the final and in the semifinal. In 12 playoff starts, Chen had 22 hits, 6 runs, 2 doubles, 3 triples, 6 RBI, and 7 stolen bases.



Other notes: CLB’s 14^th and 15^th Perfect Games were thrown in the 1984 season. On April 29, Beijing’s Bin Zhan had nine strikeouts against Shanghai. Then on August 6, Kunming’s Jiahao Zhang fanned 15 against Shenzhen. Qingdao’s Shenchao An became the first CLB hitter to 2500 hits. He’d play one more season and retire with 2704 hits. Although he’d get passed only a few years later for the top spot, his mark remains second all-time in the low offense CLB. Yongjie Xie became the second reliever to 400 career saves. Xinze Yan became the third to 400 career home runs. Zhijian Dong became the first to 4000 career strikeouts, retiring with 4054 Ks. Hao Lan and Wenjie Zhang became the third and fourth to 1000 career RBI. Yadong Chen was the fourth to 1000 runs scored.

3B Chanta Thepsenavong and SS Junjie Hsiung won their ninth Gold Glove. Catcher Yuanyi Sun won his eighth. LF Hao Lan won his ninth Silver Slugger while 3B Liang Yehya won his eighth. This was the final CLB season for Xinze Yan, who retired the CLB career leader in runs (1147) and RBI (1157). He’d hold those career marks until the early 2020s.

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After taking second in the prior two seasons, Taichung found itself back at the top of the Taiwan League in 1984. The Toucans were 92-70, beating Tainan by four games and Taipei by seven. Taoyuan’s dynasty officially ended as the two-time defending Austronesian Champions were fourth at 83-79. The Tsunami would have to wait until the 1990s to be a champion again, but they did set a still standing Taiwan-Philippine Association record with 484 stolen bases as a team. Quezon won the Philippine League at 97-65 for their second title in three years, besting Zamboanga by five games. Last year’s PL winner Manila dropped to 77-83.

The TPA would see Triple Crown seasons from both the MVP and Pitcher of the Year. Quezon 1B Indra Gunalan won his second MVP with the 28-year old Indonesian posting a .291 average, 45 home runs, and 107 RBI. He also led the association in runs (177), total bases (355), slugging (.584), OPS (.902), and wRC+ (175). Zamboanga’s Vhon Lasam won his fourth Pitcher of the Year with a 20-7 record, 1.72 ERA, and 377 strikeouts. The 29-year old Filipino lefty tossed 288 innings and also led in WHIP (0.81), FIP- (52), and WAR (11.0).



Defending Sundaland Association champ Medan won the Malacca League for the fourth time in five years. The Marlins had the top record in the SA at 104-58, 17 games ahead of Pekanbaru. Semarang had a great turnaround to win the Java League, going from 67 wins in 1983 to 91-71 in 1984. Last year’s first palce team Jakarta was second at 86-76.

Winning Sundaland Association MVP was Semarang’s Eric Iglesia. The 26-year old Filipino left fielder led the SA in hits (198), average (.331), RBI (102), total bases (365), slugging (.610), OPS (.969), and wRC+ (253). He added 8.1 WAR and 35 home runs. Medan’s Ryco Bujang won his third Pitcher of the Year in the fifth year of his career. The 27-year old Indonesian led in WAR (10.8), WHIP (0.74), K/BB (10.6), quality starts (32), and wins (19-6). He added a 1.51 ERA over 274.1 innings with 330 strikeouts.

The Taiwan-Philippine Association Championship was a seven game thriller with Quezon outlasting Taichung. This was the first title for the Zombies and the first for a Filipino team since 1980. The Sundaland Association was a dud with Medan sweeping Semarang. This gave the Marlins their third title in four years and fourth SA pennant overall.



Medan would again be denied in the Austronesia Championship, moving to 0-3 in their 1980s run. Quezon took the series in six games for their first overall championship. Pitcher Samuel Dau was finals MVP with a stellar postseason, going 3-0 in three starts and 25.1 innings with a 0.36 ERA, 25 strikeouts, and only one walk.



Other notes: APB’s 10^th and 11^th Perfect Games came in 1984. On May 28, Bandung’s Azman Attah struck out nine against Surabaya. On June 12, Palembang’s Gherry Sulaiman fanned 10 against Semarang. Pitcher of the Year Vhon Lasam set a single-game record with 23 strikeouts over 10.1 innings against Cebu. This mark wouldn’t get met again in APB until 2035. Davao’s Jacko Halili had APB’s fourth six-hit game. It would be the last one until 1994.

Angelo Mula became the second batter to 2500 hits, the ninth to 1000 RBI, and the fifth to 1000 runs scored. Francis Pung became the sixth to 1000 runs. It would be the final season for both with Pung finishing with 2741 hits and Mula at 2517. They would remain the top two in APB hits until 2001. Kent Wang won his 15^th and final Gold Glove at first base, which would remain the APB record for any position.

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The Australasia League had a tie for the top spot at the season’s end with both Auckland and Adelaide at 94-68. The Avengers defeated the Aardvarks in a one-game playoff to give Auckland its third AL title in four years. Last year’s winner Christchurch fell off to a fourth place 79-83.

Despite their struggles, Chinooks 2B Mahuru Tion won the Australasia League MVP. The 30-year old Tahitian was the WARlord (9.0) and led in stolen bases (79), adding a .846 OPS and 153 wRC+. Adelaide’s Tarzan Rao won his fourth Pitcher of the Year and again made history. The 31-year old righty from Vanuatu earned back-to-back Triple Crowns and set the OBA record with 16.6 WAR. This not only remains the OBA record as of 2037, but was at this point only the sixth pitching season in any league worth 16+ WAR. Rao also led in wins (28-7), ERA (1.87), inning (328), strikeouts (462), WHIP (0.76), K/BB (14.0), quality starts (32), complete games (24), and FIP- (36).



Two-time defending Oceania Champion Honolulu earned a fourth straight Pacific League title. The Honu finished 102-60, 12 games ahead of Guam and 17 games better than Port Moresby.

Pacific League MVP went to Tahiti 2B Evan Boyett. The 27-year old from Hawaii was the WARlord (9.8) and leader in average (.312), OBP (.365), total bases (311), hits (187), runs (94), and doubles (45). Pitcher of the Year was Honolulu’s Jas Kuresa. The 26-year old Samoan righty was the ERA leader at 1.82 with the best FIP- at 68. Kuresa also had a 21-7 record with 268 strikeouts over 256.2 innings and 7.4 WAR.

In the 25^th Oceania Championship, it was a rematch of the 1982 final. Honolulu prevailed again over Auckland, this time 4-2, becoming the first franchise to three-peat as OBA champs. Pitcher of the Year Jas Kuresa was finals MVP as he got two complete game wins, allowing two runs and nine hits over 18 innings with 16 strikeouts and one walk. As of 2037, this run is one of only three OBA three-peats with the Honu doing it again from 1988-90 and Melbourne taking four straight from 2004-07.





Other notes: Perth’s Mitch Bird became the fourth OBA batter to record a six hit game. Neville Ryan had a 26-game hit streak to tie the OBA all-time record. Matthew Johnson and Trent Atkins became the fifth and sixth to 400 career home runs. Dede Hayati became the fourth to 2500 career hits. Hayati played two more years and retired as OBA’s hit king with 2885, passing Sione Hala’s 2872. That was the top mark until 2000.

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After missing the playoffs last year, Bucharest finished atop the South Division at 102-60 for the best record in Eurasian Professional Baseball. It is the third division title in four years for the Broncos. Minsk won the North Division for the fourth straight year at 99-63. St. Petersburg was two back at 97-65 and again took a wild card spot. Kharkiv was also 97-65 to take second in the South Division and earn a third straight wild card. Two-time defending European League champ Kyiv had a solid 93-69 record, but the Kings had their playoff streak snapped at six seasons.

St. Petersburg 1B Darian Tasos won his third European League MVP. The 33-year old Albanian set the EPB single-season record for batting WAR with 13.46; a mark that would only get topped once over the next 50 years. Tasos led the EL in runs (107), hits (200), home runs (58), RBI (125), total bases (419), OBP (.385), slugging (.713), OPS (1.098), and wRC+ (262). Minsk’s Elfar Freyr Finsen won his second Pitcher of the Year. The 34-year old Icelandic lefty had 10.3 WAR over 279.2 innings with 294 strikeouts, a 21-9 record, and 1.61 ERA.

Bucharest survived in a five game duel against St. Petersburg for the first round of the playoffs, while Kharkiv stunned Minsk in a road sweep. This was the third European League Championship Series appearance in five years for the Killer Bees, while it was the first since 1960 for the Broncos. For the fourth straight season, the ELCS went all seven games. Bucharest prevailed over Kharkiv to win their second-ever EL pennant, joining their 1957 EPB title season.



Ulaanbaatar had the top mark in the Asian League at 98-64 atop the North Division for their second playoff berth in three years. Both wild cards came out of the North Division with Ufa at 92-70 and Krasnoyarsk at 91-71. For the Fiends, it snapped a 14-year playoff drought. The 1982 Soviet Series champ Cossacks are back in the field after only 83 wins the prior year. In the South Division, defending AL champ Bishkek was first at 92-70, earning a fourth playoff berth in five years. Baku was second at 90-72 and Dushanbe was third at 88-74, both just short in the wild card race as well. Novosibirsk (90-72) and Omsk (86-76) were also in the mix, but ultimately missed the playoff field.

Dushanbe RF Yusik Akkoyun was the Asian League MVP. The 26-year old Uzbek lefty led in WAR (9.1), slugging (.621), OPS (.990), and wRC+ (206), adding a .315 average and 32 home runs. Ulaanbaatar’s Azer Sattarli won his third consecutive Pitcher of the Year. The 30-year old Russian led in strikeouts (390), and WAR (11.0), adding a 1.64 ERA and 21-7 record over 290 innings.

The division champs won the first round playoff series 3-1 with Ulaanbaatar over Krasnoyarsk and Bishkek over Ufa. The Black Sox earned a fourth Asian League Championship Series appearance in five years, while the Boars got only their second-ever appearance (1976). Bishkek bested Ulaanbaatar 4-2 to earn back-to-back AL pennants; their third in five years; and their sixth in franchise history. Their six titles is the most of any Asian League team.



The 30^th Soviet Series was a seven game thriller. For the third time in the decade, Bishkek found themselves the bridesmaid as Bucharest prevailed 4-3, bringing the title to Romania for only the second time (1957). 3B Konrad Mazur was the finals MVP, posting 7 home runs, 20 RBI, 14 hits, and 8 runs in 19 playoff starts. Mazur tied the EPB postseason record for RBI and also set the record for most strikeouts (31).



Other notes: There were three perfect games thrown in the 1984 EPB season, making it 23 in EPB’s history. Novosibirsk’s Rolands Karlovskis had the first with six strikeouts on April 19 against Almaty. Karlovskis became the first (and as of 2037, the only) EPB pitcher to throw two perfect games in his career, as he did it previously in 1979. On May 24, Kharkiv’s Merab Anjaparidze fanned nine against Sofia. Then on June 28, Bishkek’s Giorgi Mikadze struck out seven against Yerevan. Also notably, St. Petersburg’s Carymyrat Kurbanow had two no-hitters, one in August versus Riga and one in September against Sofia. That gave Kurbanow four no-nos in his career, as he had one in 1976 and a perfect game in 1977. He joined Artur Golub as the only EPB pitchers to this point with four or more no-hitters.

Vladimir Nadiryan became the fourth pitcher to 4500 career strikeouts. Emin Ismayilov became the sixth hitter to 600 career home runs. Aleksei Winchi and Artem Bezubyak were the 12^th and 13^th to reach 2500 career hits. Ivan Valev became the fourth to reach 1500 RBI. He’d retire after the 1985 season as the leader all-time with 1699, although Konrad Mazur would pass him two years later with 1702. Valev also won his 10^th Silver Slugger, LF Artyom Kahn won his 12^th Gold Glove.

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Prior to the 1984 season, the European Baseball Federation instituted rule changes to increase offensive output. The EBF ERA in 1983 was around 3.40 with a batting average around .244, both marks considered below average historically. The changes worked with the ERA for 1984 sitting around 3.92 and the batting average around .264; both marks considered above average historically. For the 1980s, this made EBF’s offense the highest of any non-DH league for the rest of the decade. The output would stay around the same mark for the EBF for the next few decades.



Defending European Champion Amsterdam improved their mark to 104-58 and took the Northwest Division for the third straight season. The Anacondas set a EBF record with a team batting average of .301 and 485 stolen bases. The next two best records in the Northern Conference were in the same division. Paris took the wild card spot at 95-67, edging Rotterdam by two games. The Poodles snapped a seven-season playoff drought, while the Ravens had a great turnaround after bottoming out at 62 wins the prior year. In the North Central Division, Berlin was first at96-66 for back-to-back playoff spots and their first division title since 1971. Last year’s conference runner-up Copenhagen was second at 88-74. Birmingham won back-to-back British Isles Division crowns with a 92-70 mark.

The offensive rule changes helped Northern Conference MVP Sean Houston to a record breaking season for Birmingham. The 25-year old Scottish right fielder set the single-season mark for home runs (72), RBI (167), runs scored (144), hits (234), and total bases (522). The total bases record is still the all-time mark as of 2037, although Houston would later be passed in the other spots. Still, this season as of 2037 remains second all-time in RBI and runs and fourth in homers. Houston was also two points short of a Triple Crown with a .361 average, adding 11.1 WAR and a NC best .806 slugging, 1.187 OPS, and 228 wRC+. Pitcher of the Year meanwhile was Stockholm veteran Johannes Soderberg. The 31-year old Swede led in ERA (2.24) with 6.8 WAR over 212.2 innings, 225 strikeouts, and a 12-8 record.

Amsterdam swept Birmingham and Berlin swept Paris in the first round of the playoffs. This was the first Northern Conference Championship berth for the Barons since 1969. Berlin would fall though to the defending champion Anacondas 4-2, making Amsterdam the fourth franchise to repeat as Northern Conference champs. The Anacondas are now four time NC champs, having also won in 1951 and 1954.



Madrid narrowly had the top seed in the Southern Conference at 96-66, getting back-to-back playoff berths. They had to fend off a loaded Southwest Division field with Lisbon and Seville tying at 92-70 and Marseille at 88-74. The Clippers won the tiebreaker game over the Stingrays to secure the wild card and snap a three-year playoff drought. The Musketeers saw their four-year division title streak snapped as they missed the field. Defending conference champ Zurich extended its record division title streak to 12 years, winning the South Central at 93-69. The Southeast Division went to 95-67 Munich, giving the Mavericks back-to-back berths.

An intense MVP battle saw Zagreb’s Richard Rautenstrauch take the title. The 32-year old German second baseman won the award for the fourth time in his final EBF season, as he’d leave for MLB’s Houston the next season. Rautenstrauch led in WAR (11.7), RBI 149), total bases (458), slugging (.757), OPS (1.145), and wRC+ (204). His 61 home runs was second to Zurich’s Jack Kennedy’s 65. Meanwhile, Lisbon’s Franco Gilbert became the first in EBF history to have a batting average above .400. His .408 remains EBF’s best-ever as of 2037. Madrid’s Jacky Muro won Pitcher of the Year with the 29-year old Spaniard leading in ERA (2.36), and WHIP (0.93). he had 5.7 WAR over 244 innings with a 20-6 record.

Lisbon upset division foe Madrid 3-2 in the first round of the playoffs, while Zurich topped Munich 301. For the Clippers, it was their first Southern Conference Championship berth since 1977. Lisbon came close, but the Mountaineers defeated them in a seven game classic. Zurich became the second franchise to three-peat as SC champs, joining 1953-55 Madrid. The Mountaineers also became the second to win four conference titles in five years, joining 1969-73 Vienna.



The 35^th European Championship was a rematch from the prior year. Amsterdam won the series 4-2 and became the first team in EBF history to win back-to-back European Championships. EBF had been the only of the major leagues, even including the newer ones, that hadn’t yet seen a team repeat as overall champ. LF Teun Ouwerkerk was the finals MVP, getting 20 hits, 7 runs, and 6 stolen bases over 15 playoff starts. Zurich yet again falls just short, going 0-5 in their finals appearances over the last decade with a 1-6 mark all-time.



Other notes; Copenhagen’s Lasse Kallevik had a 38-game hit streak, the fourth longest streak in EBF history. Monte Montanez became the third to 600 career home runs. Richard Rautenstrauch won his ninth Silver Slugger. He would leave EBF with 125.2 career WAR, fourth best among all hitters.

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Ciudad Guayana won back-to-back Bolivar League North Division titles with a 94-68 mark in 1984. The Giants led the league in runs scored (712) and fewest allowed (550), although they were only two games ahead of Caracas for the division crown. In the South Division, Lima was first with an impressive turnaround from their 66 win mark the prior year. The Lobos won the title at 92-70 to end an 11-year playoff drought. Cali was second at 86-76, while defending BL champ Quito dropped to fourth at 76-86.

Bolivar League MVP went to Cali catcher Sancho Sanchez. The 25-year old Colombian led in WAR (9.3) and batting average (.363), adding a 1.010 OPS, 29 home runs, and 80 RBI. Valencia’s Lazaro Rodriguez won a historic ninth Pitcher of the Year and became the second Beisbol Sudamerica pitcher to win two Triple Crowns. Rodriguez had a 20-8 record, 1.71 ERA, and 361 strikeouts; leading in Ks for the 11^th straight season. He also led in WHIP (0.76), K/BB (10.9), FIP- (41), and WAR (11.8). This would be the last great season for Rodriguez with a torn flexor tendon coming four starts into 1985. Still, he remains the only BSA pitcher to win the top award nine times and one of very few in any league to do so.



The top two records in the Southern Cone League were Recife and Belo Horizonte in the Brazil Division. The Retrievers (99-63) finished one game better than the Hogs (98-64), giving Recife its second division crown. Defending Copa Sudamerica champ Sao Paulo was third at 89-73. The South Division was incredible competitive as well. Concepcion secured its first-ever division title at 89-73, beating Cordoba by one, Rosario by three, and Montevideo by four.

League MVP went to Buenos Aires second baseman Kip Flores. Nicknamed “T-Bone,” the 25-year old Paraguayan led in WAR (9.9), hits (216), total bases (361), average (.372), OBP (.402), OPS (1.024), and wRC+ (199). Belo Horizonte’s Benjamim Alegre won his fourth Pitcher of the Year in five years. He led in WAR (10.8), FIP- (36), WHIP (0.85), and K/BB (14.6), adding a 2.29 ERA over 228.1 innings, 365 strikeouts, a 14-11 record, and 14 saves.


The 1984 postseason was unique as three of the four finalists were teams from the 1974 league expansion. Ciudad Guayana downed Lima 4-1 in the Bolivar League Championship Series, while Recife edged Conception 4-3 in the Southern Cone Championship. Thus, the 54^th Copa Sudamerica would have two expansion teams earning their first shot at the overall crown.



In the finale, the Giants topped the Retrievers 4-2 and brought the cup to Venezuela. 3B Slim Villar was finals MVP with 15 hits, 5 runs, 2 home runs, 7 RBI, and 8 stolen bases in 11 playoff starts.



Other notes: Cali’s Matias Punete had the 37^th Perfect Game in Beisbol Sudamerica history, striking out seven against Quito on August 7. Lazaro Rodriguez became the ninth pitcher to 2500 career wins. Valor Melo became the sixth to 1500 runs scored and the 25^th to 2500 hits. Celso Galo became the 13^th to 1500 RBI. Leonardo Valez won his 12^th and final Gold Glove at third base, a record for the position.

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Sendai had the best record in the Japan League in 1984 at 105-57, tying a franchise record. The Samurai snapped a five-year playoff drought, upending the North Division reign of defending JL champ Sapporo. The Swordfish were a non-factor at 81-81. Kobe claimed the Central Division at 98-64 for their fourth division title in five years, as Osaka was a distant second at 88-74 and last year’s division champ Nagoya was 86-76. Kawasaki claimed a fourth straight capital division as their 86-76 mark was three ahead of Chiba, five over Saitama and six better than Tokyo. Kitakyushu also won a fourth straight division title at 86-76 atop the West Division. It is the sixth playoff berth in seven years for the Kodiaks. Kumamoto was four games back and Hiroshima was five back. In their seventh season, the Monsters became the first of the 1978 expansion teams to post a winning record.

Japan League MVP was Sendai’s Katsunan Higashida. The 27-year old shortstop had joined the Samurai in a trade before the 1983 season after being Jeonju’s #1 draft pick, Higashida led the league in hits (213), runs (116), average (.354), OPS (1.021), and wRC+ (206), adding 9.4 WAR, 42 home runs, and 112 RBI. He would leave for MLB’s Dallas in the offseason. Hiroshima’s Aiya Kodama won his third straight Pitcher of the Year and joined Hall of Famer Chikara Ohkubo as the only two-time Triple Crown winners in East Asia Baseball. The 25-year old lefty had a 22-6 record, 1.84 ERA, and 371 strikeouts. Kodama also led the JL in WHIP (0.77), complete games (21), FIP- (43), shutouts (5), and WAR (11.5).

Kawasaki upset Sendai 3-1 in the first round, while Kobe topped Kitakyushu 3-1. This sent the Killer Whales to their third straight Japan League Championship Series and sent the Blaze for the first time since 1981. The JLCS was a seven game thriller with Kobe coming out on top. It is the fifth JL pennant for the Blaze (1935, 42, 57, 60, 84).



Daejeon (106-56) again had the best record in the Korea League, winning a fourth straight South Division title and a fifth in six years. Defending EAB champ Seongnam improved from a wild card spot the prior year to a 103-59 record atop the North Division. Yongin (98-64) and Suwon (95-67) were the wild cards by a large margin. For the Gold Sox, it was their third playoff berth in five years, while it was the fifth in six years for the Snappers. Busan’s four-year playoff streak ended with an 80-82 record.

Suwon DH Myeong-Won Song won his second Korea League MVP, five years after his first one. Song led in runs (123), OBP (.430), OPS (1.088), wRC+ (190), and 9.4 WAR. He also had 44 home runs and 123 RBI. Changwon’s Seung-Yu Woo won his fourth Pitcher of the Year in five seasons. The 28-year old righty led in wins at 21-12 and complete games with 20. He also had a 3.01 ERA over 280.2 innings, 325 strikeouts, and 6.9 WAR.

After four early exits in recent years, Daejeon topped Suwon 3-1 in the first round to finally advance to the Korea League Championship Series. The Ducks earned only their third-ever KLCS appearance, joining their 1947 and 1950 appearances. Wild card Yongin meanwhile earned a road upset 3-0 over Seongnam, giving the Gold Sox their second KLCS berth in three years. Yongin would deny Daejeon its first pennant with the Gold Sox taking the series 4-1. It is only Yongin’s second Korea League crown, joining the 1970 title.



In the 64^th East Asian Championship, the Gold Sox earned their first-ever overall title. Yongin edged Kobe in a seven game battle, led by an excellent postseason from ace Ju-Eon Eun. He set the EAB playoff record with 2.3 WAR over the postseason, a mark that still stands in 2037. In five starts, he was 4-0 over 41 innings with a 1.76 ERA, 50 strikeouts, and two walks. Catcher Masaru Ikeda won the finals MVP, posting 14 hits, 4 runs, and 8 RBI in 15 starts.



Other notes: LF Ki-Chun Park won his 14^th Gold Glove, an EAB record at any position. Pitcher of the Year Aiya Kodama had a 20 strikeout game over 10 innings against Kawasaki on September 16.

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The Mexican League had three different playoff teams in 1984 than what they had in 1983. After going 83-79 the prior year, Puebla had the top mark in the ML at 105-57, winning the South Division. There was a big gap from the Pumas to the second best record in Juarez. The Jesters won the North Division at 87-75, putting the 1981 and 1982 ML champs back in the playoffs after missing the prior year. Mexicali at 85-77 was second and secured the wild card, beating Tijuana by one game, Ecatepec by two, and Monterrey by four. It was the first playoff berth for the Maroons since 1972. Last year’s MLCS teams Hermosillo and Torreon both went 75-87.

Juarez LF Caetano Penuelas became a four-time Mexican League MVP. The 32-year old Costa Rican led in average (.375), OBP (.426), and OPS (1.033), adding 6.5 WAR and 67 extra base hits. Puebla ace Junior Vergara won his sixth straight Pitcher of the Year and was five points away from his fifth Triple Crown. He had a 18-7 record, 366 strikeouts, and 1.73 ERA over 254.1 innings. Vergara also led the league in WHIP (0.73), K/BB (17.4), FIP- (46), shutouts (6), and WAR (11.0). Also of note, Chihuahua’s Franscisco Gonzalez won his fourth Reliever of the Year with the 28-year old posting 39 saves and a 1.65 ERA over 103.1 innings with 175 strikeouts.

Juarez edged Mexicali 3-2 in an intense wild card round, setting up a rematch from 1982 in the Mexican League Championship Series. Puebla was a heavy favorite, but the Jesters pulled off the stunning upset in seven games. For Juarez, it is their third pennant in four years and their sixth title in the last eleven seasons. Juarez has eighth ML titles overall (1912, 62, 74, 77, 78, 81, 82, 84).



Salvador snapped a four-year playoff drought to win the Continental Division at 105-57, posting the top mark in the Caribbean League. Defending league champ Guatemala was second at 97-65, which firmly grabbed them the wild card. This gave the Ghosts their fifth consecutive playoff berth. Santo Domingo also earned a fifth straight spot, cruising to the Island Division at 96-66. Puerto Rico, a CLCS finalist last year, was eight back at 88-74.

Pelicans CF Orlando Ramos was the Caribbean League MVP. The 25-year old Costa Rican led in runs (110), RBI (112), total bases (367), slugging (.620), OPS (1.012), wRC+ (189), and WAR (11.0). Ramos also had a .346 average and 43 home runs. Guatemala’s Franklyn Maldonado won his second Pitcher of the Year. The 28-year old Honduran was the WARlord (9.4) for the fourth straight year and led in innings (290) and quality starts (30). Maldonado also had a 2.36 ERA with a 20-7 record and 326 strikeouts.

Santo Domingo outlasted Guatemala 3-2 in the wild card round to send the Dolphins to the Caribbean League Championship Series. SD would knock off Salvador 4-2 to give Santo Domingo its third pennant in four years. The Dolphins are now 11-time Caribbean League champs, second most behind Honduras’ 12.



The 74^th Central American Baseball Association Championship was the fourth time that Juarez and Santo Domingo had met in the finale. The Dolphins won back in 1962, then more recently saw the Jesters win in 1981 and the Dolphins on top in 1982. SD dominated the 1984 edition with the first sweep in the championship since 1972. SS Juan Paulino was finals MVP with 20 hits, 7 runs, 5 doubles, 3 triples, 2 home runs, and 7 RBI in 14 starts. The Dolphins earned their second title in three years and their sixth overall title (1917, 27, 60, 62, 82, 84).



Other notes: Solomon Aragon became the third CABA batter to 700 home runs. He would play two more seasons and pass Prometheo Garcia as CABA’s home run king, retiring with 772 dingers. Aragon held the top mark until the early 2000s. Rafioby Barajas became the 14^th to reach 1500 RBI. LF Julio Santana won his eighth Gold Glove. 3B Kenedy Ortiz won his eighth Silver Slugger.

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Leading the National Association in 1984 was Hartford at 113-49, setting a franchise record. The Huskies won the Northeast Division and earned a fourth consecutive playoff berth, the longest active streak in MLB. Defending World Series champ Ottawa was second in the division at 101-61 to take the first wild card and earn their fourth berth in five years. In the Lower Midwest Division, Louisville was first at 105-57. The Lynx got their third straight division title and their eighth playoff appearance in the last decade. 1982 World Series winner St. Louis, who narrowly missed the playoffs in 1983, were second in the division at 98-64. This got them the second wild card easily with an eight game gap to the next contender Kansas City.

In the East Division, Baltimore dominated the field at 100-62. The Orioles have won the division three straight seasons now. And in the Upper Midwest Division, Chicago snapped a three-year postseason drought and took the title at 89-73. Last year’s division winner Omaha and Cleveland were distant second places at 80-82.

The Cubs claimed the top awards, led by CF Janus Garcia’s fourth National Association MVP. The 27-year old led in WAR (9.5), adding a .341 average, .937 OPS, 26 home runs, and 99 runs. Third year pitcher Jonah “Warthog” Moore was Pitcher of the Year. A Chicago native, Moore was the WARlord (9.9) and leader in quality starts (30), and FIP- (61). He added a 2.21 ERA and 22-8 record over 285.2 innings with 233 strikeouts.

In the first round of the playoffs, Chicago knocked out Ottawa 2-0 and St. Louis topped Baltimore 2-0. The Cubs upset Louisville 3-2 in round two, while Hartford survived in five against the Cardinals. For the Huskies, they earned their first National Association Championship Series appearance since 1964, while the Cubs got their fifth in the last decade. The NACS went all seven games for the first time since 1972 as Chicago edged Hartford. It is the third pennant for the Cubs, who also won in 1964 and 1980.



The best record in the American Association was 108-54 San Francisco, earning back-to-back Southwest Division titles. The division was loaded with all seven teams posting a winning record and both wild cards coming from there. Albuquerque at 101-61 easily had the first wild card for their third berth in five years. The second spot went to Phoenix at 93-69 for their third berth in four years. The Firebirds finished one game ahead of Oakland and four ahead of Oklahoma City.

The Outlaws, who won 105 games the prior year, ended up second in the South Central Division as well at 89-73. At 98-64, Houston took back-to-back division titles. Defending AA champ Calgary dominated the Northwest Division at 102-60. In a tight Southeast Division, Jacksonville finished first at 85-77, topping Tampa by two games and Nashville by five. The Gators snapped an 11-year playoff drought and had a first place finish for the first time since 1967. Denver, the AACS runner-up the prior season, fell off a cliff from 98 wins to 65 wins.

San Francisco RF Mike Castaneda was the American Association MVP. He led the AA in total bases (370), slugging (.645), OPS (1.046), and wRC+ (180). Castaneda added 9.1 WAR, 122 runs, 45 home runs, and 140 RBI. The Gold Rush also had the Pitcher of the Year in Charlie Desprez, who had won the award twice in the European Baseball Federation with Hamburg. In his second year in the Bay Area, the 29-year old Frenchman led in wins at 23-6, ERA at 2.33, and quality starts at 27. He added 256 strikeouts in 285.2 innings with 8.5 WAR.

Albuquerque outlasted Jacksonville 2-1 in the first round, while Phoenix topped Houston 2-0. San Francisco downed their division foe Firebirds 3-1 in round two, while Calgary survived in five over the Isotopes. For the Gold Rush, this was their first American Association Championship Series appearance since 1965. SF would defeat the defending champion Cheetahs 4-2 for their first AA pennant since winning the 1950 World Series. San Francisco now has five AA titles (1921, 24, 29, 50, 84).



In the 84^th World Series, Chicago downed San Francisco in six games to give the Cubs their second MLB title (1964). National Association MVP Janus Garcia was the playoff hero as well, winning World Series MVP and NACS MVP. In 20 games, he had 31 hits, 17 runs, 3 doubles, 4 triples, 3 home runs, 12 RBI, 11 walks, and 9 stolen bases.



Other notes: MLB’s 18^th Perfect Game came from New York’s Rogelio Robles on August 23, striking out nine against Philadelphia. Mike Lee became the 18^th MLB pitcher to 3500 career strikeouts. 3B Christopher Sollinger won his 11^th Gold Glove. Two-way player Khaled Scott won his 11^th and final Silver Slugger as a pitcher.

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For the fourth straight year, Major League Baseball had a four-player Hall of Fame class with the 1985 voting. Pitcher Luke Peters and RF/DH Harris Carney both were first ballot selections with 96.9% for Peters and 91.2% for Carney. RF/DH Bo Salinas made it across the 66% threshold on his fifth ballot, getting in with 73.8%. 3B Jim Booth was the fourth inductee on his third ballot with 67.7%. Two others were above 50% with 1B Braylen Nelson at 55.8% on his eighth try and catcher Gavin Geogham at 52.0% on his third attempt.



Among those dropped after ten failed ballots was CF Severiano Maldonado. He played 15 years in MLB between three teams with three Gold Gloves and two Silver Sluggers, 2636 hits, 1105 runs, 421 doubles, 839 doubles, a .312/.350/.423 slash and 63.5 WAR. The lack of power (only 74 home runs) hurt him with a peak at 44.9% on his fourth attempt and a finish at 31.3%.

Pitcher Thomas Hush was dropped finishing at 16.7% after peaking at 41.5% on his second ballot. He pitched 17 seasons with four teams and had a 229-167 record, 3.29 ERA, 2547 strikeouts over 3801.2 innings, 85 FIP-, and 80.4 WAR. He never won Pitcher of the Year though and got dismissed as a Hall of Very Good type. Also dropped as 1B Daniel Hadnott, who started at 36.4% and finished at 6.8%. He won three Silver Sluggers over 15 years mostly with Dallas and posted 2382 hits, 1391 runs, 486 home runs, 1386 RBI, a .296/.367/.536 slash and 66.3 WAR. Hadnott though never was in the playoffs and had totals just low enough compared to some of the other guys getting in recent classes.



Luke Peters – Starting Pitcher – Montreal Maples – 96.9% First Ballot

Luke Peters was a 6’5’’, 200 pound right-handed starting pitcher from Montreal, Quebec. Peters was known as a reliable ironman who made 33+ starts every year for 20 straight professional seasons. At his peak, he had great stuff with solid movement and stuff as well. Peters’ fastball peaked in the 97-99 mph range and was mixed with a slider and splitter. While not known as wildly dominant, Peters was consistently firm and reliable. He was a fan favorite at each of his stops, known for a great work ethic.

Peters left Montreal for the United States, playing college baseball with Ball State. In three years as a Cardinal, he had a 19-12 record, 2.32 ERA, 317.2 innings, 338 strikeouts, and 14.5 WAR. In the 1959 Major League Baseball Draft, he returned to his hometown as he was picked 11^th by Montreal. Peters was immediately a full-time starter and led the National Association in ERA as a rookie at 2.39. This earned him third in Rookie of the Year voting. Despite his success, he’d almost never be a league leader past this season. He did lead in WHIP, quality starts, and complete games in 1962; then was tied for the lead in wins in 1971.

Peters had 4+ WAR in all but his final season and had ten seasons worth 6+ WAR. He never won the Pitcher of the Year, but did take second in 1962 and third in 1964 with the Maples. Montreal made the playoffs thrice as a wild card while he was there, but they couldn’t advance out of the second round. In total with the Maples, he had a 102-89 record, 2.87 ERA, 1830 innings, 1582 strikeouts to 433 walks, and 43.9 WAR. Peters also began pitching for Team Canada with 62 appearances between 1960-78 in the World Baseball Championship. He had a 23-19 record, 3.63 ERA, 429.1 innings, 524 strikeouts, and 5.7 WAR. He was also part of their 1967 World Championship team. This kept Peters as a popular player in Canada despite a relatively short time in his home country.

Much to the chagrin of many hometown fans, Montreal traded Peters before the 1967 season for four prospects to Columbus. He spent two years with the Chargers with a 29-22 record, 3.43 ERA, 447 strikeouts, and 10.2 WAR. After that, the 29-year old Peters became a free agent for the first time. He signed a five-year, $1,240,000 deal with St. Louis.

With the Cardinals, he took third in 1972 Pitcher of the Year voting. St. Louis made four straight playoff appearances with Peters, but also never got beyond the second round of the playoffs. You couldn’t blame Peters, he had a solid 2.97 ERA in eight playoff starts with the Cardinals over 60.2 innings. Peters posted 30.2 WAR total in his first St. Louis stint with three seasons under an ERA of three. St. Louis didn’t re-sign him though when the contract was up and Peters was a free agent again at age 34.

For the 1974 season, he signed a three-year deal with Charlotte worth $1,212,000. He ended up playing two years as a Canary with a good 1974 but an iffy 1975 with his first season above an ERA of four. Charlotte traded him for three players before the 1976 season to Albuquerque, where he earned his 250^th career win. After a decent season with the Isotopes, Peters signed again with St. Louis for 1977 and reclaimed some of his old success.

In total between his two stints with the Cardinals, he had a 111-86 record, 3.11 ERA, 1831.1 innings, 1475 strikeouts to 368 walks, 83 FIP-, and 40.8 WAR. Peters remained popular with St. Louis fans as well, although opted to enter the Hall of Fame with his hometown Montreal. The Cardinals run ended with a trade to Vancouver for CF Ian Lynch before the 1979 season. Peters struggled hard in his one year with Vancouver, his final season in the majors. He did make a few starts in minor league Dayton in 1980, retiring after that season at age 41.

Peters’ final stats: 294-257 record, 3.28 ERA, 5181 innings, 4157 strikeouts to 1150 walks, 447/681 quality starts, 230 complete games, 84 FIP-, and 112.4 WAR. Despite rarely being viewed as a top five pitcher in his career, his longevity and reliability had him eighth in MLB wins at induction, eighth in pitching WAR, fifth in strikeouts, fourth in games started, and eighth in innings pitched. These totals made him an easy first ballot choice, getting the induction at 96.9%.



Harris “Scar’ Carney – Right Field/Designated Hitter – San Antonio Oilers – 91.2% First Ballot

Harris Carney was a 6’0’’ 200 pound right-handed right fielder from Edcouch, Texas; a small town of around 3,000 in the very south of the state near McAllen. Nicknamed “Scar,” Carney was generally a very well rounded hitter who had solid contact skills, power, and a good eye. He hit 30+ home runs in 12 different seasons while adding 25 doubles per season on average. Carney’s strikeout rate was fairly average most of his career, but he was better than most at drawing walks still. He was a slow baserunner and a lousy defender, making about 2/3 of his starts in right field and most of the rest as a designated hitter. Carney was a good leader and generally well liked both in the clubhouse and with teammates. He was also quite durable starting 140+ games in all but two of his 16 pro seasons.

Carney attended Kansas State and had a very good college career, twice winning Silver Slugger and taking third in 1961’s college MVP voting. With the Wildcats, he had 61 home runs, 171 hits, 115 runs, 41 doubles, a .316/.403/.730 slash and 11.3 WAR over 144 games. In the 1963 MLB Draft, San Antonio selected Carney 18^th overall. He was a part-time starter and looked pretty good as a rookie, earning him the starting role from there on. Carney was a regular starter for the next 15 years, only missing a few weeks in 1974 to injuries.

He became an excellent cleanup hitter for the Oilers, leading the American Association in RBI three times. In 1966, his 147 RBI, 39 home run effort earned Carney a Silver Slugger as a DH and a third place in MVP voting. He won additional Sluggers in 1967, 69, and 70. In 1969, Carney won his lone MVP with AA and career bests with 56 home runs, 158 RBI, 398 total bases, and a 1.043 OPS. The 158 RBI was at the time the sixth most in a MLB season. He was also third in 1970 MVP voting with 49 home runs and 146 RBI.

San Antonio made the playoffs thrice in Carney’s tenure, but never got beyond the second round. For his tenure, Carney had 1455 hits, 820 runs, 199 doubles, 318 home runs, 997 RBI, a .314/.371/.567 slash and 40.7 WAR. Despite only an eight year run, the Oilers would later retire Carney’s #33 uniform. In his last year, San Antonio plummeted from 94 wins to 64 wins. The Oilers wouldn’t re-sign Carney, who entered free agency at age 29. For the 1972 season, he cashed in on an eight-year, $31,04,000 deal with Chicago.

Carney never matched his Oilers peak with the Cubs and didn’t win any awards, but he posted five solid seasons Chicago got to the National Association Championship Series in 1975, which was the only playoff run during Carney’s tenure. In five seasons, he had 801 hits, 432 runs, 170 home runs, 457 RBI, and 21.8 WAR. He decided to opt out after the fifth year of his contract and signed a five-year, $2,900,000 deal with Baltimore for the 1977 season.

His first two seasons with Baltimore kept up his same general production as with the Cubs. However, his 1979 season was historically bad with the Orioles keeping in the lineup despite his struggles. He led the NA with 227 strikeouts and had an abysmal .146 batting average and -5.5 WAR. His total WAR with Baltimore was 1.0 over three years despite posting 3.8 and 2.8 in his first two years. Carney opted to retire after the terrible season at age 36.

Carney’s final stats: 2634 hits, 1439 runs, 381 doubles, 559 home runs, 1703 RBI, 767 walks, a .290/.348/.521 slash, 138 wRC+, and 63.5 WAR. His power stretch especially with San Antonio was impressive and his totals didn’t look out of place, although the advanced stats might suggest he was maybe more borderline than the vote total suggested. But Carney was popular and well-liked and the voters didn’t hesitate to give him the first ballot nod at 91.2%.

[FuzzyRussianHat]

Bo Salinas – Right Field/Designated Hitter – Cincinnati Reds – 73.8% Fifth Ballot

Bo Salinas was a 6’3’’, 200 pound left-handed right fielder from Cogon, a small town of around 2,000 people in the Davao Region in the southeastern part of the Philippines. Salinas was a solid contact hitter with an excellent eye, leading in on-base percentage four times in his career. He had nice home run power with nine seasons of 30+ home runs, although he didn’t get a ton of doubles (25 per year). His strikeout rate was respectable and his baserunning speed was terrible, with many critics questioning his hustle and work ethic. Salinas made about 3/5 of his starts in right field and was considered a delightfully average defender. He was a designated hitter most of the rest of his starts with a few stints in left field with poor defense there. Despite his talents, Salinas often clashed with coaches and teammates due to a poor attitude.

Salinas left the Philippines as a teenager and attended Washington State to play college baseball. In 126 games, he had 145 hits, 82 runs, 25 home runs, 85 RBI, and 6.1 WAR. As a foreign born player, Salinas wasn’t eligible in the MLB Draft until the fourth round at the earliest due to the regional draft rules. With the 10^th pick of the fourth round, 161^st overall, he was picked by Cincinnati. Although his full pro career was in America, he would return to the Philippines for the World Baseball Championship. From 1956-74 with the national team, he had 86 games and 69 starts, 64 hits, 41 runs, 20 home runs, 39 RBI, and 3.2 WAR.

Salinas was a pinch hitter primarily as a rookie and a part-time starter in his second season. He earned the full-time job in 1959 and had a breakout season, leading the National Association in home runs (40), average (.346), OPS (1.056), and WAR (9.1). This earned Salinas a Silver Slugger and a second place finish in MVP voting. He never matched that production in the rest of his Reds run, with torn ankle ligaments costing him chunks of 1961 and 1963. Salinas would win an additional Silver Slugger in 1960. In seven seasons with Cincinnati, he had 822 hits, 466 runs, 159 home runs, 484 RBI, a .303/.400/.527 slash, and 31.0 WAR.

Cincinnati didn’t make the playoffs in Salinas’ run and neither sides wanted to continue the relationship. He became a free agent after the 1963 season at age 29 and signed a seven-year, $1,218,000 deal with Denver. Salinas’ Dragons debut was impressive as he won American Association MVP and his third Silver Slugger. As a DH, he led in RBI (122), walks (88), OPS (1.038), and WAR (8.1). Denver made it to the AACS, falling to Phoenix despite five home runs in 12 games from Salinas. This would ultimately be the only playoff games in his career.

Denver fell off and struggled for the rest of his tenure. Salinas was hurt and unremarkable in his second season with the Dragons, although he bounced back with a solid 1966 where he led again in OPS (1.072) and posted 8.0 WAR. After a respectable fourth season, he decided to opt out from the rest of his deal. With Denver, Salinas had 622 hits, 369 runs, 139 home runs, 398 RBI, and 22.7 WAR. At age 33, he signed a five-year, $1,320,000 contract with Houston.

Salinas wasn’t an MVP candidate during this down period for the Hornets, but was a decent enough starter over five years. He posted 14.5 WAR, 731 hits, 421 runs, 122 home runs, and 426 RBI with Houston. His production dropped to middling in his last season and the Hornets didn’t re-sign him. Salinas joined Jacksonville at age 38 for the 1973 season. He had one more full-time season, then made sporadic appearances for the next two years with the Gators. He had only 2.6 WAR with 215 hits in that stretch, retiring at age 40 after the 1975 season.

Salinas’ final stats: 2390 hits, 1366 runs, 347 doubles, 445 home runs, 1418 RBI, 1133 walks, a .296/.385/.508 slash, 146 wRC+, and 70.8 WAR. His OBP was among the better ones on the Hall of Fame list, although his other totals were on the lower end compared to other inductees. Combined with being generally a bit of a jerk and playing on lousy teams during his run, Salinas’ candidacy was borderline. He missed out on his first four ballots, although his lowest was 59.9%. The crowded fields of the 1980s ballots made it tough for Salinas to gain ground, but he got a boost on his fifth ballot and earned his spot with the 1985 group at 73.8%.



Jim “The Bird” Booth – Third Base – Kansas City Cougars – 67.7% Fourth Ballot

Jim Booth was a 6’0’’, 205 pound right-handed third baseman from Lewisville, Texas; a city of around 110,000 people within the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. Booth in his prime was an above average contact hitter with good home run power, averaging around 30 dingers per season. He was very strikeout prone despite also being quite good at drawing walks. Booth only got around 20-25 doubles/triples per season and was a weak baserunner. Nicknamed “The Bird,” he was one of a very small group of MLB players that played all non-pitcher spots in the field at some point in his career. Booth was a third baseman by far the most and was an above average defender there while being subpar at other spots.

Booth was one of the most accomplished college baseball players of all time with the University of Kentucky. He twice won NCAA MVP and won three Silver Sluggers, posting 168 hits, 127 runs, 65 home runs, 138 RBI, and 12.0 WAR over 143 college games. Booth was the seventh player in NCAA history to win MVP twice and was the fifth to win Silver Slugger thrice. Naturally, this made The Bird the top prospect entering the 1953 MLB Draft and Kansas City selected him with the #1 overall pick. Booth had a solid rookie season as a part-time starter, then took over a full-time role after that.

Booth won four Silver Sluggers at third base (1955, 56, 60, 64) and one as a shortstop (1960) with the Cougars. He also won a Gold Glove at third in 1969, although Booth was never a MVP finalist. He wasn’t typically a league leader with his only black ink coming in RBI in 1960. That year was his best with 45 home runs, 122 RBI, and 7.7 WAR. He posted six seasons of 6+ WAR with Kansas City and put up reliably solid stats. Various injuries cost him big chunks though, such as a strained ACL in 1959, hamstring strain in 1961, herniated disc in 1962, and post-concussion syndrome in 1963.

Booth became well known nationally in the 1961 World Baseball Championship, playing for the United States team. In 22 games, he smacked 12 home runs with 28 RBI, 26 hits, and 22 runs; taking second in MVP voting. That was his only time as a full-time starter in the WBC, although he was on Team USA in eight WBCs, posting 46 hits, 41 runs, 20 home runs, and 46 RBI over 59 games. 1961 also saw Kansas City snap a 13-year postseason drought. They were National Association champs that year and in 1962, falling in the World Series both years. The Cougars made the playoffs four times in Booth’s tenure and he was a solid playoff performer with 47 hits, 24 runs, 11 home runs, 38 RBI, and 1.7 WAR in 49 starts.

Booth spent 16 seasons with Kansas City and posted exactly 2000 hits, 1218 runs, 283 doubles, 459 home runs, 1361 RBI, 965 walks, a .261/.344/.496 slash, 148 wRC+, and 77.7 WAR. After their earlier successes, the Cougars struggled to close the 1960s and moved on from the now 37-year old Booth. But he felt he had more years to give to the game and was right, being one of a very select few to play until his age 44 season.

He took on the journeyman role for the next decade and was still good enough to be a decent starter for most of that run, although age and injuries kept him off the field in notable chunks. He signed in 1970 with Atlanta, who had won the World Series the prior season. The Aces made the playoffs twice in his two years and change there with 5.5 WAR over 233 games. He’d get cut though in early May 1972, becoming a free agent midseason at age 39.

Milwaukee scooped Booth up and he earned his 500^th home run and 1500^th career RBI in the same at bat on June 1972. He would sign a three-year deal after the 1972 campaign and played all three with the Mustangs, posting 8.5 WAR over 442 games. Booth wasn’t ready to retire after that deal was up, signing for 1976 with San Antonio on a three-year deal. A torn hamstring cost him the second half of the season and the Oilers traded him in the offseason to Washington. He made 52 starts and played 97 games with the Admirals, retiring after the 1977 at age 45.

Booth’s final stats: 2631 hits, 1592 runs, 377 doubles, 598 home runs, 1767 RBI, 1328 walks, a .252/.338/.477 slash, wRC+ of 139, and 92.7 WAR. His totals certainly fit in within a vacuum, but many were dismissive that he didn’t have larger tallies considering his longevity. Booth also struck out 2854 times in his career, more than any other player in MLB history, a mark he still holds as of 2037. His .252 average would also be the worst of any Hall of Famer at induction. However, others credited him for still being a starting quality player well into his 40s. Plus, nearly 600 home runs, 1500+ runs and 1500+ RBI, and more than 90 WAR typically would make you a lock. Booth missed the cut on his first two ballots at 55.2% and 56.2%, but squeaked by the 66% threshold on his third try at 67.7%, taking his spot among the greats.