Baseball: The World's Game

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Alexandria repeated as the top seed in the Arab League’s Western Conference, winning a very tough Nile Division at 96-66. The Astronauts were five games ahead of Khartoum and six better than Cairo. For Alexandria, it was their third division title in four years. 2003 ALB champ Casablanca bounced back from a losing 2004 season, taking the Mediterranean Division at 93-69. Algiers (81-81) and last year’s division winner Tripoli (80-82) were distant competitors. Since 1992, the Bruins have 11 division titles.

The big shock came in the Levant Division. Beirut had stunned everyone when they ended a nine-year streak of losing seasons in 2004 by winning the Arab League title at 100-62. The Bluebirds collapsed back to 64-98 in 2005. That left the door open for Jerusalem to take the division at 89-73 as the only team above .500. That ended a three-year playoff drought for the Jets.

Jerusalem 2B Mustafa bin Nazim won his third Western Conference MVP, although the other two were way back in 1997 and 1999. The 31-year old Omani switch hitter posted the fifth ever ALB Triple Crown by a hitter with 64 home runs, 140 RBI, and a .338 average. Bin Nazim also was the leader in runs (122), total bases (432), OBP (.407), slugging (.741), OPS (1.148), wRC+ (214), and WAR (11.2). He won his seventh Silver Slugger as well in 2005.

For the second time in three years, Casablanca’s Abdullah Al-Tamtami won Western Conference Pitcher of the Year. The 24-year old Omani righty led in strikeouts (364), K/BB (12.6), complete games (9), shutouts (4), FIP- (51), and WAR (10.6). Al-Tamtami added a 2.51 ERA over 257.2 innings and a 21-8 record.

The highlight of the season saw Al-Tamtami throw the third Perfect Game in ALB history. On July 12, he struck out 15 in a dominant effort against Alexandria. That remains the ALB record for most Ks in a perfect game as of 2037. The Bruins signed Al-Tamtami to a seven-year, $12,180,000 extension in late May to keep him as Casablanca’s ace for the long haul.

Casablanca edged Jerusalem 2-1 in the first round of the playoffs, giving the Bruins their eighth Western Conference Final appearance. Alexandria was the top seed favorite for back-to-back years, but once again was ousted. Casablanca edged the Astronauts 3-2 to become six-time conference champs (1993, 94, 95, 01, 03, 05).



For the third consecutive season, the Eastern Conference had the same three division winners. Defending conference champ Basra won the Iraq Division and Medina took the Saudi Division, both at 101-61. The tiebreaker gave the Mastodons the top seed and forced the Bulldogs to play in the first round. The one competitive division race was in the Gulf Division with Dubai (97-65) outlasting Abu Dhabi (94-68). The Diamonds extended their division title streak to five seasons, the longest active streak in ALB.

Basra LF Nordine Soule was again Eastern Conference MVP, joining Mohammed Mohamed as the only five-time winners of the award. The 30-year old Comoran lefty had set the single-season home run record the prior season with 68. He broke his own mark with 70 in 2005 and had 169 RBI, breaking Mohamed’s single-season record of 162 from 2000. It was the sixth time in Soule’s career that he his 60+ homers in a season.

Soule also led the conference in total bases (454), OBP (.429), slugging (.814), OPS (1.234), wRC+ (224), and WAR (11.4). The slugging and OPS marks were both new single-season records that held until 2010 and still both sit fourth as of 2037. His .360 average was second best, falling short of a Triple Crown behind teammate Farouk Adam at .377. Soule also scored 134 runs, which would have been a new single-season record if not for Adam crossing home 139 times.

Soule also became the new career home run leader and the first in ALB history to reach 600 dingers. Basra kept their megastar slugger Soule by giving him another six years and $14,520,000 in early 2006. His amazing 2005 also netted him a ninth Silver Slugger. Soule would only continue to rewrite the record books for what a slugger could be in ALB.

Dubai’s Uria Lerner earned back-to-back Pitcher of the Year awards and repeated as a Triple Crown winner. As of 2037, he’s the only ALB pitcher to earn the Triple Crown twice. The 24-year old Israeli righty had a 21-2 record, 1.67 ERA, and 362 strikeouts over 237.2 innings. The ERA mark was the fourth lowest in ALB history for a qualifying starter. Lerner also led in WHIP (0.79), K/BB (13.9), quality starts (27), FIP- (37), and WAR (12.3). The WAR mark still stands in 2037 as the second-best season by an ALB pitcher behind Lerner’s own 13.37 from the prior year. Dubai had locked up their ace with a seven-year, $9,700,000 extension in late 2004.

Basra swept Dubai in the first round to set up a rematch with Medina in the Eastern Conference Final. It was the third straight ECF for the Mastodons, who had come up short in 2003 and 2004. Medina got its revenge on the Bulldogs, ousting the reigning EC champs 3-2 in a classic. This was the fifth pennant for the Mastodons, who hadn’t taken the Eastern Conference their 1992-96 four-peat.



The 16^th Arab League Championship renewed an old playoff rivalry between Casablanca and Medina. The Mastodons won their first encounter in 1993, then the Bruins were victorious in both 1994 and 1995. Medina evened up the series by taking the 2005 title over Casablanca 4-2. This was the third ring for the Mastodons, joining their 1992 and 1993 wins. Finals MVP was 3B Abdul Rahman Abu Hamal, who had 11 hits, 5 runs, 4 doubles, and 5 RBI in 11 playoff starts.



Other notes: It was the final season for seven-time Pitcher of the Year winner Rashid Tariq. He set a bad record in 2005 by allowing 296 hits, the most by an ALB pitcher in a season as of 2037. Tariq did set a good milestone by becoming the first pitcher to 4000 strikeouts, ending with 4008. He remained the strikeout king until 2016 and sits seventh as of 2037. Tariq also retired with the most wins (285) and WAR (125.5) and held both distinctions until the 2030s. As of 2037, he’s still third in both stats. Tariq is still the all-time leader in both complete games (167) and shutouts (48).

Adlen Sharif became the third reliever to 300 career saves. OF Amin Arafat won his eighth Gold Glove. It was his first in left field, the previous seven came in right.

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Lahore missed out on the playoffs by a tiebreaker in 2004, but took the top spot in the ABF East League in 2005 at 101-61. It was the second berth in three years for the Longhorns. Karachi repeated as a playoff team by taking the second place slot at 94-68. Multan’s three-year streak was snapped in 2004, but the 2003 ABF champs took third in 2005 at 93-69.

The fourth and final playoff spot went to Bishkek at 88-74. The Black Sox had finished first the prior year and earned a fifth playoff spot in six years. Gujranwala was their closest competitor for the last spot at 83-79. Dushanbe, last year’s EL champ, fell to eighth at 73-89. Almaty, who had been in the ELCS the prior two years, also struggled with a seventh place 78-84.

Bishkek’s two-way star Tomas Pataki repeated as East League MVP. The 29-year old Hungarian switch hitter had 115 games in the field primarily at third base, picking up 117 hits, 65 runs, 19 home runs, a .288/.363/.525 slash, 178 wRC+, and 5.7 WAR. On the mound, he had a 18-8 record over 246 innings, 2.20 ERA, 221 strikeouts, and 5.0 WAR.

That two-way effort gave him MVP despite Gujranwala LF Borzoo Atashi posting only the seventh-ever Triple Crown by an Asian Baseball Federation hitter. The 25-year old Iranian lefty had 50 home runs, 117 RBI, and a .325 average. He also led in runs (99), hits (193), total bases (385), OPB (.370), slugging (.649), OPS (1.019), wRC+ (248), and WAR (9.1). He was clearly the best pure hitter, but the voters sided with the two-way exploits of Pataki.

Bishkek also saw Oskar Tamm win a third consecutive Pitcher of the Year. The 28-year old Estonian lefty had the ERA title at 1.80 and led in WHIP (0.79), and quality starts (28). Tamm added 312 strikeouts over 275.1 innings, a 14-12 record, and 7.3 WAR. He also had a no-hitter on June 26 with 11 strikeouts against Hyderabad.

Top seed Lahore ousted Bishkek 3-1 and Multan edged Karachi 3-2 in the first round of the playoffs. This was only the fourth time the Longhorns had made it to the East League Championship Series, while it was the second in three years for the Mighty Cocks.

Lahore seemed on their way to a sweep by winning the first three games of the series. Multan rallied to force a game seven, but the Longhorns avoided the collapse to win the finale and their first-ever pennant. Lahore’s win leaves Faisalabad as the only Pakistani team without at least one pennant.



Reigning ABF champ Bursa and Shiraz had an intense battle for first in the West League standings. The Blue Claws took it at 106-56, edging the Suns by one game. Bursa’s playoff streak grew to nine years, tying Isfahan (1995-03) for the longest streak in ABF history. Shiraz earned repeat playoff berths and set a franchise best at 105-57.

Istanbul (94-68) and Ankara (90-72) both kept their playoff streaks alive by taking the remaining two slots. The Ironmen grew their run to three years, while the Alouettes snagged a sixth straight berth. Asgabat at 84-78 was the next closest team in the playoff battle.

West League MVP was Shiraz center fielder Rahman Polat. The 25-year old Turkish lefty was the WARlord at 10.3 and added 43 home runs, 111 RBI, a 164 wRC+, and a .287/.365/.593 slash. The Suns had wisely given Polat an eight-year, $24,400,000 extension after the 2003 campaign.

Mashhad was eighth place, but they had the Pitcher of the Year in Basrai Syed. The 26-year old Pakistani righty led in strikeouts (380), WAR (9.4), innings (289), WHIP (0.89), and quality starts (29). Syed also had a 2.30 ERA and 18-12 record. Syed stayed one more year with the Mercury before leaving for an unremarkable South American run.

The top two won their first round playoff encounters with Bursa over Ankara and Shiraz over Istanbul, both 3-1. The Blue Claws were looking to repeat and were in their sixth West League Championship Series in seven years. Meanwhile, the Suns had never gotten this far before and were the only original West Asia Association team without a pennant to date. The series was an all-timer that went all seven games with Shiraz upsetting the defending champion Bursa.



The 21^st Asian Baseball Federation Championship was guaranteed to have a first time champ and the 12^th unique franchise to win it all. It was anti-climactic as Shiraz swept Lahore, becoming the first Iranian ABF champ since Isfahan in 1998. League MVP Rahman Polat was a beast in the postseason, winning finals and WLCS MVP. In 15 playoff starts, he had 20 hits, 8 runs, 5 doubles, 4 home runs, 13 RBI, and 9 stolen bases.



Other notes: Lahore’s Hasan Afshin threw ABF’s 11^th Perfect Game, striking out 12 against Hyderabad on May 31. He joined the very short list of pitchers in pro baseball history with two perfect games, having also done it in 1996. As of 2037, Afshin is the only ABF pitcher with two perfectos.

Cuneyt Solak and Alireza Omidvar became the second and third members of the 2000 hit club. Omidvar also won his seventh Silver Slugger at catcher. LF Humayun Kahil also became a seven-time Silver Slugger winner.

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The Indian League had the same four playoff teams as it had in the prior year and in 2002. Positions were reversed around though as Jaipur took the top seed at 106-56 atop the Central Division. The Jokers had never finished with the best record and it was their first-ever season with 100+ wins. Jaipur also earned their eighth playoff appearance and seventh division title in a decade.

Ahmedabad’s historic playoff streak grew to 21 seasons, tying the European Baseball Federation’s Zurich for the second-longest streak in pro baseball history. The Animals won the West Division for the 20^th time in that streak with a 99-63 record.

Mumbai gave them chase at 92-70, taking a fifth consecutive wild card. The closest competitor in the wild card race was Kanpur at 87-75. Defending IL champ Bengaluru secured the South Division for the fourth straight year. The Blazers dropped from 106 wins in 2004 to only 85-77 in 2005, but they still held off their closest foe Hyderabad by five games.

Indian League MVP went to Mumbai 1B Basava Sanjahay. Appropriately nicknamed “The Comet,” the 25-year old Indian righty led in home runs (54), slugging (.668), OPS (1.051), wRC+ (229), and WAR (11.2). Sanjahay also had 109 runs, 115 RBI, a .302 average, and won his second Gold Glove. Mumbai committed long-term to keep Sanjahay as the face of the franchise with an eight-year, $36,800,000 extension in the winter.

Ahmedabad’s Arkakara Raja won his second Pitcher of the Year. The 26-year old lefty led in wins (19-8), strikeouts (373), FIP- (49), and WAR (10.1). Raja had a 2.01 ERA over 251.1 innings, falling five points short of a Triple Crown. The Animals would extend Raja after the 2006 season for five years at $20,800,000.

Both first round playoff series needed all five games. Mumbai upset Jaipur and Ahmedabad outlasted the defending champ Bengaluru. This was the first-ever Indian League Championship Series appearance for the Meteors. For the Animals, this got them back in after having their ILCS appearance streak snapped the prior season at 18 years.

The series needed all seven games and the finale was an all-time great pitcher’s duel. The game was scoreless after regulation and stayed scoreless until the 16^th inning. Mumbai finally went ahead in the top half and pulled off the upset 1-0 over their divisional foe Ahmedabad. The Meteors became the sixth Indian League franchise to win a pennant.



After back-to-back South Asia Baseball championships, Ho Chi Minh City showed no sign of slowing down. The Hedgehogs went 121-41 to win a 17^th South Division title in a row and extend their own playoff streak to 19 years. HCMC set a new SAB record for home runs as a team with 316, which would hold until 2030. Their 602 walks draw was also the third most in SEAL history.

Yangon was determined to keep in the arms race, setting their own franchise record at 115-47 atop the North Division. The Green Dragons grew their playoff streak to 11 years with their ninth division title in that run. Hanoi was the first wild card at 104-58, earning their sixth playoff spot in a decade. Dhaka (87-75) narrowly edged Da Nang (85-77) for the second spot to end a two-year drought.

In his third year with Ho Chi Minh City, RF Kamlesh Kanmani won his first Southeast Asia League MVP. The 30-year old led in hits (214), doubles (48), total bases (406), and WAR (9.9). Kanmani added 46 home runs, 144 RBI, a 1.028 OPS, and 191 wRC+. That allowed him to take the top spot over Hanoi DH Devavesman Toppo, who had a powerful 65 home run, 145 RBI effort.

Pitcher of the Year was Hanoi’s Ramadhan Zakaria. The 25-year old Singaporean lefty was the ERA leader at 2.26, while adding a 15-7 record over 207 innings, 262 strikeouts, and 5.2 WAR. Also of note, Taj Kanikaraja won his fourth consecutive Reliever of the Year. After seven years with Surat, he had joined HCMC in 2005 and posted 44 saves and a 1.77 ERA. Kanikaraja also became the third SAB closer to earn 300 career saves.

Ho Chi Minh City cruised to a first round sweep of Dhaka, advancing to a 12^th straight SEAL Championship. Hanoi would upset Yangon 3-1 on the other side, giving the Hounds their fifth finals berth and first since 2000. The Hedgehogs dynasty rolled on with no troubles, sweeping Hanoi. HCMC earned a SEAL three-peat and won their 13^th pennant in 19 seasons.



The Ho Chi Minh City dynasty dominated Mumbai 4-1 to win the 26^th SAB Championship. The Hedgehogs three-peated as SAB champs and won their fifth ring overall (1997, 2000, 2003, 2004, 2005). Pitcher Van Khang Nguyen was the finals MVP. Nicknamed “Cooter,” the 33-year old Vietnamese was 3-0 in four playoff starts with a 0.57 ERA over 31.2 innings and 39 strikeouts.



You could argue this HCMC dynasty was the best three-year stretch by any team in pro baseball history. The Hedgehogs had won 361 regular season games in three years, which was one win behind the world record of 362 by Ahmedabad (2000-02) and West African Baseball’s Kano (1998-2000). However, the Hedgehogs won the league title all three seasons, while the other two had gone 2-1 in their championship series.

This was also the climax for Ho Chi Minh City’s dynasty and the final year as the undisputed kings of South Asia Baseball. Their playoff streak would run through 2009 and they would win the SAB title that final year. If not for their finals losses to Ahmedabad in the 1980s and 1990s, HCMC might have a shot for the best 20 or 25 year run in baseball history.

Other notes: SAB’s ninth and tenth perfect games were thrown in 2005. On May 8, Bengaluru’s Jaya Chaudhury did it with 13 strikeouts against Surat. Then on May 28, Khulna’s Khac Suu Bao fanned seven against Johor Bahru. There wouldn’t be another perfect game in SAB until 2013.

Pune’s Rajeesh Jai set a single season record with 0.28 walks per nine innings. He walked only five batters over 162.2 innings for a 43.4 K/BB. That was the second-best BB/9 for a qualifying pitcher in any world league, only behind El-Siraj Lahoud’s 0.22 in the 1990 EPB season.

In their second season post expansion, Lucknow tied the Indian League’s all-time worst with only 415 runs scored. Khulna also stunk offensively and set the SEAL all-time worst with 463 runs and a .324 team slugging. The Claws’ .263 team OBP, 1123 hits, and 181 doubles are all the second worst in league history.

Amoda Shah became SAB’s first-ever member of the 700 home run club, retiring after the 2005 campaign with 729. He’d only have the all-time lead for a little more than year before being passed by Tirtha Upadhyaya. As of 2037, Shah is still seventh on the homers list. Shah also became the third to 1500 career RBI, ending with 1555.

Manju Abbas became the fourth to 1500 runs scored. C Quoc Pham won his eighth straight Gold Glove. SS Dhruv Snajay won his eighth Silver Slugger and RF Kamlesh Kanmani won his seventh.

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WAB’s Western League looked very different in 2005 than it had in a number of years. The three playoff teams each snapped notable postseason streaks, led by first place Monrovia at 97-65. The Diplomats hadn’t seen the postseason since 1991. Second place was Abidjan at 95-67, although it had only been three years since their dynasty run ended. Third went to Conakry at 90-72, ending a 14-year skid.

Defending West African Champion Kumasi was fourth at 87-75, ending a three-year playoff streak. Nouakchott, first in 2004, was fifth at 82-80. Bamako’s three-year streak ended with the Bullfrogs falling to eighth at 73-89.

MVP went to Conakry designated hitter Germain Rabiou. The third-year righty from Niger had 56 home runs, 125 RBI, 205 hits, 115 runs, a .322/.357/.648 slash, 171 wRC+, and 7.1 WAR. His Coyotes teammate Fode Kourouma was Pitcher of the Year, also in his third season. The 23-year old Guinean led in wins at 19-4. He had a 2.66 ERA over 203 innings with 240 strikeouts and 3.6 WAR. By WAR at least, Kourouma is of the weaker POTY winners of all-time.

Conakry upset Abidjan 2-1 in the wild card round, giving the Coyotes their first Western League Championship Series appearance since their 1990 title. For top seed Monrovia, they hadn’t been there since 1982. The Diplomats downed Conakry 3-1 to win their second-ever pennant, joining the 1980 campaign.



For the first time since 1994, Lagos had the top record in the Eastern League. The Lizards extended their postseason streak to three seasons with a 104-58 record. Eight-time defending ELCS winner Kano grew its playoff run to 11 years, taking second at 97-65. There was a big drop to third place, which saw Ouagadougou (86-76) edge out Niamey (84-78) and last year’s first place team Ibadan (83-79). The Osprey hadn’t gotten to the playoffs since 1983.

Kano SS Darwin Morris won a historic tenth Eastern League MVP. He joined OBA/MLB’s Jimmy Caliw and CABA’s Kiko Velazquez as the only players in world history with ten or more MVPs. Morris also did something he hadn’t done before; won the Triple Crown. He became the fourth WAB batter to do so with 59 home runs, 147 RBI, and a .354 average. The 33-year old Liberian also led in runs (136), total bases (408), OBP (.437), slugging (.756), OPS (1.192), wRC+ (234), and WAR (13.8).

For Morris, this was his 12^th straight seasons leading in WAR, his ninth season with 10+, and his sixth with 13+. As of 2037, the top seven WAR seasons by a WAB position player are all Morris. He as the only position player in world history with six 13+ WAR seasons; only Beisbol Sudamerica GOAT pitcher Mohamed Ramos had more with eight. The Condors gave their franchise icon another five years and $14,160,000 at the start of 2005.

Pitcher of the Year in the Eastern Conference was Lagos’ Mustafa Khalaf. The 26-year old Mauritanian righty led in wins (21-8) and K/BB (10.3). Khalaf added a 2.95 ERA over 256.2 innings, 267 strikeouts, and 6.3 WAR.

In the wild card round, Kano topped Ouagadougou 2-1 to send the Condors to the Eastern League Championship Series for the 11^th straight year. For Lagos, it was their second ELCS in three years. Despite having home field, the Lizards couldn’t upend the Condors’ dynasty. Kano took the series 3-1 and won a ninth consecutive pennant and their 13^th overall. The only other franchise in world baseball history to win nine straight subleague pennants was SAB’s Ahmedabad from 1994-02.



Kano reclaimed the overall perch by winning the 31^st West African Championship 4-1 over Monrovia. CF Sosthene Boussari was finals MVP in his final year in WAB before leaving for MLB. In his fifth year with the Condors, the 31-year old Beninois had 16 hits, 12 runs, 6 doubles, 2 home runs, and 8 RBI over 12 playoff starts.



This gave the Kano their seventh WAB ring in nine years, joining SAB’s Ahmedabad (1986-99) and OBA’s Honolulu (1982-90) as the only franchise to pull off seven overall titles in nine seasons. This decade of excellence is almost always considered WAB’s best dynasty and has a case as one of the finest in pro baseball history. 2005 did also mark the peak for the Condors, although they’d be back in the ELCS twice more in the next three years. Kano would remain competitive and one of WAB’s signature franchise, but they wouldn’t be back in the finals until 2017.

Other notes: Arnaud Aho became the first slugger to 1500 career RBI, which Darwin Morris matched later in the year. Morris also became the first to 1500 runs scored and held the top runs mark until the late 2020s. This was Aho’s last year and Morris would overtake him as the RBI leader in 2006, which he held until the early 2020s. Aho also became the second to 2500 hits, but retired just short of Abel Alemu’s 2692 record. This was yet another record Morris would overtake by the end of the decade.

Morris also crossed 150 career WAR in 2005, a mark no one else has sniffed in WAB. He also won his 12^th Silver Slugger at shortstop in 2005. Morris firmly was the WAB GOAT in many minds and he’d still have another decade left in his career.

Bamako’s Mahamane Dembele had a 34-game hit streak, falling one game short of Kelly Ballard’s 2001 record. Tiemogo Idrissa became the 12^th pitcher to 3000 career strikeouts.

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The Chinese Northern League had Tianjin atop the 2005 standings at 96-66, giving the Jackrabbits repeat playoff appearances. Dalian also earned a repeat spot, tying for second at 92-70 with Shanghai. For the Seawolves, this ended a 28 year playoff drought and was their first 90+ win season in that stretch. Shenyang at 89-73 and Qingdao at 86-76 were the closest competitors in the wild card race. After nabbing a playoff spot last year, Hangzhou dropped to 11^th at 70-92.

Tianjin’s Baogang Tian won Northern League MVP for the second time in three years. The 28-year old shortstop led in WAR (12.1), hits (190), triples (16), average (.324), and OBP (.365) while adding a 185 wRC+. The Jackrabbits locked up Tian after this effort with an eight-year, $43,320,000 extension in the offseason, becoming one of China’s richest ballplayers.

Shanghai’s John Vo won his second Pitcher of the Year, winning the ERA title at 1.32. The 27-year old Hongkonger also had a 17-8 record, 278.2 innings, 345 strikeouts, and 7.6 WAR. Also notable was Harbin’s Boyang Cao winning Reliever of the Year for the third time in four years. He posted a 1.07 ERA in 92.2 innings, 161 strikeouts, and 5.8 WAR.




The Southern League had the same three playoff teams from the prior year. Last year’s China Series runner-up Macau moved to the top slot at 105-57, something they hadn’t done since 1994. Defending CLB champ Changsha was second at 100-62 for a third straight playoff berth. Third place went to Wuhan at 98-64, extending the longest active playoff streak in Chinese baseball to five seasons. There was a big gap to fourth place Chongqing at 87-75.

Southern League MVP went to Wuhan second baseman Zifeng Zhou. The seventh-year righty had 9.9 WAR, 186 wRC+, a .265/.299/.476 slash, and 26 home runs. Notably taking third in the MVP race was Rookie of the Year winner Pengcheng Huang. The 30^th overall pick in 2004, Huang had an all-time great debut by leading in homers (32), slugging (.546), OPS (.893) and wRC+ (230) while posting 8.8 WAR.

Changsha’s Lei Li repeated as Pitcher of the Year, leading in WAR (8.8), shutouts (7), and FIP- (41). The 25-year old righty also had a 16-9 record and 10 saves over 220 innings with a 1.47 ERA and 281 strikeouts. Impressively from May 28 to July 21, Li had five shutouts. The Cannons wisely gave Li a seven-year, $36,840,000 extension in the offseason.

In the first round of the playoffs, Changsha swept Dalian 2-0 and Shanghai swept Wuhan 2-0. For the Seawolves, this was their first semifinal since winning it all in 1976. Both the Cannons and Macau were looking to win repeat semis, while the Jackrabbits had gotten there in 2001. Changsha outlasted Tianjin 4-3 to keep their repeat hopes alive, while Macau topped Shanghai 4-2.



The 36^th China Series was the first time in CLB history that the same two teams met in back-to-back seasons. The result was the exact same in 2005 as in 2004; Changsha over Macau 4-1. It was the third title for the Cannons (1997, 2004, 2005), who joined Kunming (1977-78), Beijing (1984-85), and Dalian (1991-94) as the only franchise to repeat. 1B Feng Du repeated as finals MVP, as the 24-year old 1B had 13 hits, 6 runs, 4 doubles, 2 homers, and 6 RBI in 14 playoff starts. There wouldn’t be another repeat champ in China until 2016-17.



Other notes: Shenyang’s Zhun Dai set the CLB single-season record with 299 innings pitched, which still holds as of 2037. Qingdao’s Wei Jia also set a pitching record with 68 games started as he was used in an experimental opener role. He did post a 1.19 ERA over 121.1 innings and 5.0 WAR. Changsha’s offense had 244 doubles, a Southern League record that still stands in 2037.

CLB had two perfect games in 2005, making 34 in league history. On April 6, Nanjing’s Kevin Hollis struck out seven against Tianjin. On June 28, Kunming’s Weiman Shen fanned 13 against Xiamen. Two players had a 20+ game hit streak in 2005. There hadn’t been a 20+ streak in the dead ball CLB since 1998. RF Wenjie Huang won his ninth Gold Glove in a row.

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Tainan made it four straight Taiwan League titles with a franchise record 108-54. The Titans had the Taiwan-Philippine Association’s top record for the third time in four years. It took work though as Davao was an impressive 104-58 atop the Philippine League. The Devil Rays set their own franchise record for their second PL title in four years. Zamboanga, who had won back-to-back TPA pennants, was a very distant second at 82-80.

Davao RF Junior Sanchez won Taiwan-Philippine Association MVP. In his ninth year as a pro at age 27, he led in hits (203), stolen bases (101), batting average (.333), OBP (.363), and OPS (.856). Sanchez added 7.8 WAR and a 165 wRC+. It was his fourth straight batting title and his fifth time leading in hits; fitting for the eventual APB hit king. It would be Sanchez’ only MVP though despite his exploits. The Devil Rays kept him as the franchise face with a massive six-year, $59,400,000 extension signed in June 2007.

Taichung’s Kan-Lin Tung earned Pitcher of the Year, leading in wins (22-11), innings (294), quality starts (31), and complete games (22). Tung added a 1.81 ERA, 306 strikeouts, and 8.5 WAR.



The Sundaland Association’s top two were fighting for the Java League crown. After just taking second the prior two years, Semarang reclaimed the throne at 99-63, edging Depok by three games. The Sliders’ pitching staff set an APB Baseball record by allowing only 940 hits all season. This remains the all-time mark as of 2037.

Reigning Austronesia Champion Jakarta was a distant third in the JL at 84-78. In a weak Malacca League, Palembang (81-81) managed to repeat over Pekanbaru (79-83), and Batam (78-84). The Panthers were the first playoff team in APB history to not have a winning record.

Although Palembang was unremarkable, they did have the Sundaland Association MVP Owen Puyol. The 28-year old Filipino right fielder led in slugging (.531), OPS (.880), and wRC+ (221). He added 7.6 WAR, a .298 average, and 30 home runs. In April 2006, the Panthers gave Puyol a mammoth six year, $54,900,000 contract extension.

Bayu Rotinsulu won Pitcher of the Year, having joined Semarang in a trade the prior summer from Taichung. The 29-year old Indonesian lefty led in strikeouts at 377 and quality starts at 31, but also had the most walks at 109. Rotinsulu had a 1.52 ERA over 278.1 innings with a 19-12 record and 6.1 WAR.

For the fourth straight year, Tainan couldn’t get beyond the Taiwan-Philippine Association Championship. Davao downed the Titans 4-2, giving the Devil Rays their fourth pennant (1975, 1995, 2002, 2005). Semarang was the heavy favorite in the Sundaland Association Championship, but perhaps overlooked the .500 Palembang squad. The Panthers pulled off the upset in six games to win their fourth pennant and first 1978.



Davao wasn’t about to make the same mistake as Semarang, as they swept Palembang in the 41^st Austronesia Championship. This was only the second-ever APB title for the Devil Rays, joining their 1995 title. Surprisingly, that was also the most recent title by a team from the Philippines. 2B Ray Constanza was finals MVP, as the third-year lefty had 8 hits, 6 runs, 3 homers, and 7 RBI in 9 playoff games.



Other notes: Depok’s Chih-Chiang Tu set a single-season APB record with a 0.37 BB/9. He walked only eight in 194.2 innings. Depok’s Kim Kuswanto also set an APB pitching record by appearing in 87 games.

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Defending Oceania Champions Melbourne won the Australasia League title for the third consecutive year. It is only the third-ever AL three-peat, joining their own four-peat from 1967-70 and Gold Coast’s 1971-73. The Mets were 99-63, 11 games better than second place finishers Sydney and Auckland. The Avengers had an impressive bounce back from only 69 wins the prior year.

Auckland had the Australasia League’s top awards with MVP going to last year’s Rookie of the Year Jonathon Reilly. The Australian LF led in runs (124), hits (196), triples (27), RBI (117), total bases (387), stolen bases (85), slugging (.655), OPS (1.031), wRC+ (174), and WAR (9.2). Reilly had been the ninth overall pick in the 2002 OBA Draft.

Pitcher of the Year went to 27-year old righty Oliver Durham, who led in wins (21-8) and ERA (2.87). Durham also had 237 strikeouts over 269.1 innings with a 5.3 WAR. His time with Auckland would end shortly, as they traded him to Melbourne in the summer of 2006.



Tahiti also three-peated in the Pacific League, as their 107-55 record was 20 games ahead of second place Fiji and Samoa. The Tropics matched their 1971 franchise record for wins and put up historic offensive numbers. They had a team .297 batting average and .349 OBP with 1672 hits and 880 runs, which are all OBA single-season bests still as of 2037. Their .498 slugging was also a record, but would be beaten in 2010.

Captaining that offense was Arjita Gabeja, who won Pacific League MVP and posted the sixth Triple Crown season by an OBA batter. It was the third MVP for the 26-year old Fijian left fielder, who led in runs (118), hits (194), homers (56), RBI (143), total bases (395), triple slash (.342/.421/.697), OPS (1.117), wRC+ (213), and WAR (9.0). Gabeja’s season also incuded a four home run game in August against Fiji and a 22-game hit streak.

Guam’s Timothy Manglona also made history, joining Tarzan Rao as OBA’s only six-time Pitcher of the Year winners. The 31-year old Northern Marianan lefty led in ERA (2.38), strikeouts (430), WHIP (0.83), K/BB (15.4), FIP- (48), and WAR (13.3). Manglona added a 16-15 record over 306 innings and also had a 20 strikeout game against New Caledonia. This season, he became the sixth OBA pitcher to 4000 career strikeouts and the 14^th to 200 wins.



The 46^th Oceania Championship was historic as it was the first-ever third consecutive meeting between teams in the finals. Tahiti had taken the 2003 final in seven games, followed by Melbourne winning 2004 in six. Round three saw the Mets take it 4-3 over the Tropics. RF George Philip was finals MVP, posting 10 hits, 8 runs, 3 doubles, 2 home runs, 4 RBI, and 7 walks in the series.



The Mets were the first repeat champ since Guam in 1999-2000. Melbourne earned a fourth title overall, having also won in 1967 and 1969. This wasn’t the rubber match quite yet, as the Mets and Tropics would battle again in 2007, 2008, and 2011; becoming a storied playoff rivalry.

Other notes: Perth stunk it up, posting the Australasia League’s worst-ever record at 52-110. The Penguins offense had only 77 home runs all year, tying the AL’s all-time low. Their pitching staff also allowed 1640 hits and had only 983, both of which are the second-worst in AL history.

Tahiti’s Jimmy Moreno had a 33-game hit streak, falling one short of the OBA record set the prior year by Kiryl Savchuk. Two bad finals records were set in 2005. Melbourne’s Edward Mathison was caught stealing six times and Tahiti’s Fraser Graham-Lee struck out 15 times.

2005 was also the final season of the Oceania Baseball Association’s original 16 team lineup. Both the Australasia League and the Pacific League would add two expansion teams beginning play in 2006.

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The longest playoff streak in pro baseball history came to an end in 2005. Minsk, who had earned 24 straight postseason berths and won five straight EPB European League titles, fell to fifth place at 85-77. It was only the third time in franchise history that the Miners weren’t in the top three in the standings, having most recently taken 5^th in 1980. Their streak of seasons win a winning record did grow to 25 years.

This opened up an opportunity for St. Petersburg, who took first at 105-57 and ended a 12-year playoff drought. The Polar Bears hadn’t placed first in the standings since 1983. Moscow took second at 95-67 for their third wild card in five years. Volgograd was third at 89-73, while last year’s first place finisher Kazan was fourth at 88-74.

St. Petersburg’s Jov Sakharov repeated as European League MVP. The 27-year old Russian right fielder led in runs (92), doubles (35), total bases (309), and WAR (9.9). Sakharov added 27 home runs and a 190 wRC+. The Polar Bears locked up Sakharov the following May with an eight-year, $32,760,000 extension.

Moscow’s Mateo Chaparro won Pitcher of the Year. The 31-year old Mexican had played for CABA’s Mexicali for eight seasons, but left for the Russian capital for 2005 on a five-year, $18,600,000 deal. Chapparo was the WARlord at 8.9 and led with a 64 FIP-. He added a 2.37 ERA over 292 innings with 315 strikeouts and a 17-11 record.



Two-time defending Eurasian Professional Baseball champ Yekaterinburg steamrolled the Asian League competition at 107-55, taking first by a 20-game margin. This was the Yaks’ fifth time in six years at the top of the standings and sixth playoff berth in seven years. Yekaterinburg set a new AL record for speed, stealing 391 bases on the season. Krasnoyarsk managed to extend its postseason streak to five years. The Cossacks narrowly took the wild card at 87-75, finishing one better than Novosibirsk and four ahead of Chelyabinsk.

Krasnoyarsk 3B Boxuan Long won his second Asian league MVP in three years. The 30-year old Chinese righty led in runs (108), home runs (36), RBI (100), total bases (330), OPS (.928), wRC+ (190), and WAR (11.6). Long also won his seventh Silver Slugger.

Pitcher of the Year went to Yekaterinburg’s Matvey Ivanov for a historic seventh consecutive season, making him the first seven-time winner. He also joined Markiyan Konoplya as the only EPB pitchers with two Triple Crown seasons, as Ivanov had a 23-10 record, 1.73 ERA, and 384 strikeouts. He also led in WAR (12.2), innings (296.2), WHIP (0.76), K/BB (14.2), complete games (28), shutouts (8), and FIP- (47).

The 30-year old Russian lefty’s dominance had been unparalleled. This was his sixth straight year as the WARlord, fifth straight as ERA champ, as well as the fifth time in his career as the Ks leader and fifth time as the wins leader. Ivanov also finished second in MVP voting.

In both the European League and Asian League Championship Series, the wild card upset the top seed in six games. Moscow upended St. Petersburg, giving the Mules their first pennant since 1975. More shocking was Krasnoyarsk denying Yekaterinburg’s three-peat bid despite the 20-win gap between the two. It was the fifth straight ALCS appearance for the Cossacks, whose only win in that stretch had been 2001.



The 51^st Eurasian Professional Baseball Championship was the fifth finals appearance for Krasnoyarsk and the fourth for Moscow. They actually met in 1974 with the Mules earning their first-ever title. It would by the Cossacks winning 4-1 in 2005 for their second-ever championship (1982).



Other notes: The 32^nd EPB Perfect Game came on June 2 as Rostov’s Drake Bull had 10 strikeouts against Moscow. There wouldn’t be another perfect game in EPB until 2022. Aleksandr Ghukasyan and Procopie Lungu became the 25^th and 26^th pitchers to 4000 career strikeouts. SS Gleb Khassanov won his 12^th Silver Slugger and OF Sapar Durdiyew won his 11^th. Khassanov was the first-ever 12-time winner of the award in EPB, a mark that only Durdiyew and two others would later reach.

[FuzzyRussianHat]

Defending European Champion Copenhagen and Kyiv both finished at 101-61 atop the EBF Northern Conference standings. The tiebreaker gave the Corsairs the #1 overall seed as they won their sixth consecutive Northeast Division title. It wasn’t an easy road for Copenhagen with Oslo close behind at 97-65. The Octopi picked up their third wild card in five years.

The Kings got their third berth in four years, although this was their first North Central Division title since moving to EBF. Kyiv’s last time in first place was back in the 1994 EPB season. The Kings also had fierce competition with Warsaw (97-65) and Berlin (93-69). The Wildcats earned a wild card to grow their playoff streak to three seasons. The Barons ended up the first team out in the wild card hunt. Kharkiv at 88-74 notably missed the field in back-to-back years for the first time since 1991-92.

Glasgow’s eight year reign atop the British Isles Division and nine year playoff streak came to an end. Dublin took the division at 94-68, edging the Highlanders by one game. This was the Dinos’ first playoff berth since their 1995 pennant and their first division title since 1989. Glasgow ended up four games short in the wild card hunt. Rotterdam won a competitive Northwest Division at 89-73 for their second title in three years. Luxembourg was three back, defending division champ Paris was four back, and Amsterdam was six back.

In the first year of promotion/relegation, Riga was the Northern Conference’s worst at 63-99, ending their EBF Elite run after six years since joining in the EPB exodus. Just escaping demotion were Birmingham and Cologne at 65-97. The Bees were the conference champ only a decade earlier, but had their third sub-70 win season in four years.

Northern Conference MVP was Copenhagen two-way Atanas Kalkanov. It was a comeback story for him, as he had missed 2003 to a torn rotator cuff while with Sofia. The Spikes traded him to the Corsairs in 2004, where he emerged as a star. The 28-year old Bulgarian righty on the mound led in innings pitched (282) while posting a 21-4 record, 2.81 ERA, 264 strikeouts, and 7.5 WAR. As a right fielder, he had 127 games with 43 home runs, 119 RBI, a .352/.393/.689 slash, 201 wRC+, and 7.5 WAR. Kalkanov was the third player in EBF history with a 15+ WAR season, just behind Danijel Cindric’s 15.4 in 1953 and Edgar Miranda’s two-way 15.5 from 1986.

Pitcher of the Year went to Warsaw’s Oleh Moroz. He had a tremendous comeback story, having missed most of 2003 and all of 2004 to a torn labrum. The 26-year old Ukrainian righty led in ERA (2.36) and quality starts (27). Moroz added a 17-9 record, 255 innings, 241 strikeouts, and 6.8 WAR. He would have a few more nice years for the Wildcats, but more injuries eventually caught up to him in his 30s.

Round one of the playoffs had the division champs sweep the wild cards with Rotterdam over Oslo and Dublin over Warsaw. Copenhagen rolled to a round two sweep of the Ravens, while Kyiv outlasted the Dinos 3-2. This kept the repeat hopes alive for the Corsairs. For the Kings, this was their first Northern Conference Championship since joining the EBF and first subleague final since the 1994 EPB season.

The series was a fierce seven game battle that came down to the wire. Copenhagen entered the bottom of the ninth inning of game seven down 3-1. MVP Atanas Kalkanov would smack a walk-off three-run homer to give the Corsairs the 4-3 win and the 4-3 series victory. Copenhagen became the first repeat Northern Conference champ since 1993-94 Birmingham. This was the Corsairs’ fourth pennant, as they also won in 1985 and 1950.



Munich won the South Central Division for the fifth year in a row and took the Southern Conference’s top seed at 110-52. The Mavericks allowed the fewest runs in EBF at 570. The #2 seed was Vienna, who cruised to the East Central Division at 100-62. It was the third consecutive division title and 100+ win season for the Vultures.

In a tight Southwest Division, Barcelona and defending conference champ Madrid tied for the top spot at 93-69, while Milan was at 91-71 and Lisbon was 88-74. The Bengals won the tiebreaker game for the division title, their first since 1996. Barcelona hadn’t seen the playoffs or a winning record since 1998. The Conquistadors still got the first round card to grow their playoff streak to seven years.

The Maulers and the South Central’s Zurich were both 91-71, tied for the second wild card. The Mountaineers won the tiebreaker game to advance for back-to-back wild cards and their fourth berth in six years. In the Southeast Division, Tbilisi took the top spot for the fourth year running. At 86-76, the Trains were four games better than Yerevan and five ahead of Bucharest.

Seville had won 100 games in 2001, but at 61-101 in 2005, they had the unfortunate distinction of being relegated. Just escaping demotion were Krakow (64-98), Odessa (65-97), Malta (66-96), and Rome (66-96).

For the third time in four years, Vienna 3B Ben Springer won Southern Conference MVP. The sixth-year Austrian righty nicknamed “Dump Truck” led in hits (227), RBI (150), total bases (406), slugging (.656), wRC+ (193), and WAR (11.0). Springer also had 45 home runs, a .367 average, and 1.061 OPS. In the offseason, the Vultures locked up Austria’s favorite baseball player to an eight-year, $68,000,000 extension to be the franchise icon for the next decade.

Vienna also saw Steffen Neumann repeat as Pitcher of the Year, leading in wins (21-5), strikeouts (308), quality starts (25), FIP- (64), and WAR (8.5). The 26-year old German also had a 2.59 ERA and 256.2 innings. Having just spent big on Springer, they weren’t yet able to lock up Neumann long-term. He was still under team control through 2007.

Tbilisi upset Madrid 2-1 and Zurich edged Barcelona 2-1 in the first round of the playoffs. Vienna rolled to a sweep of the Mountaineers in round two, while Munich survived an intense 3-2 challenge by the Trains. It was the Vultures’ second Southern Conference Championship berth in three years, having won the EBF title in 2003. The Mavericks last SCC was their 2001 pennant season. Despite Munich being the favorite, Vienna trounced them with a sweep. The Vultures became seven-time conference champs (1967, 69, 70, 72, 73, 03, 05).



In the 56^th European Championship, Copenhagen defeated Vienna 4-1 to become the first repeat EBF champ since Marseille in 1985-86. Veteran slugger Mattias Stole was the finals MVP at age 35. He had 12 playoff games and 7 starts with 13 hits, 6 runs, 5 home runs, and 12 RBI. This was the third title for the Corsairs, who also won in the inaugural 1950 campaign. The Vultures are an unfortunate 1-6 now in their finals berths.



Other notes: Luxembourg’s pitching staff allowed only 215 walks with a 1.32 BB/9 all season. That set a new Northern Conference record that would only get topped by Kharkiv in 2033. Lisbon set a new Southern Conference offensive record with 285 doubles, which still sits third in 2037. Munich had 134 triples, which is also third as of 2037. Bratislava stole 505 bases, the second most in SC history.

Copenhagen’s Evangelos Stathakis tossed EBF’s 29^th perfect game on April 12, striking out 10 against Kharkiv. Zurich’s Gabriel Cadete had a 31-game hit streak. CF Aime Ghys won his seventh Gold Glove. Roberto Baccin became the sixth member of the 3000 hit club. He would play three more years and end at 3439, just short of Jacob Ronnberg’s 3520. As of 2037, Baccin is sixth all-time in hits.

Both Baccin and Mattias Stole reached 1500 RBI in 2005, making it 16 players to reach that mark. Stole also became the 12^th member of the 600 home run club, ultimately finishing with 686 after retiring in 2008. Anders Maurstad became the ninth pitcher to 4000 strikeouts, finishing up his career at 4067. That is good for ninth as of 2037. There wouldn’t be another member of the 4k club until 2023.

Promotion/Relegation: Riga was dropped to the Second League’s Eastern Conference and Seville to the Western Conference. The promoted teams, Thessaloniki and Valencia, were both geographically Southern Conference fits. The Vandals slotted in nicely to the Stingrays’ Southwest Division slot as a swap between Spanish teams. The Greece-based Tritons were added to the SC’s East Central Division. To fix the balance, Krakow switched conferences and took the Roosters’ Northeast Division slot.

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2005 was an odd one for the Bolivar League with no teams really standing out. The top three records all came out of the Colombia-Ecuador Division with Quito edging out defending Copa Sudamerica winner Bogota. The Thunderbolts took it at 94-68, ending a decade-long playoff drought. The Bats at 93-69 were the wild card, extending their playoff streak to three and earning their ninth playoff berth in a decade. Guayaquil was third at 87-75, which would’ve won the other two divisions. Alas, the Golds are on the outside.

Caracas won the Venezuela Division for the fourth year in a row and the tenth time in eleven years. The Colts barely got it though, finishing tied with Valencia at 83-79 while both Ciudad Guayana and Maracaibo were 82-80. Caracas won a tiebreaker game over Valencia to keep their hold on the division alive.

The Peru-Bolivia Division was an intense battle between five mediocre teams. La Paz won it at 75-87, edging Lima by one, Callao by two, and both Arequipa and Santa Cruz by four. It was the second berth in four years for the Pump Jacks. Only twice in pro baseball history has a team with a worse record made the playoffs (1995 Tokyo and 2002 Bengaluru, both at 74-88).

Bolivar League MVP went to Quito left fielder D.J. Serna. The 27-year old Venezuelan lefty led in runs (125), home runs (63), RBI (140), total bases (424), slugging (.744), OPS (1.160), wRC+ (199), and WAR (9.6). Serna also had 199 hits and a .349 average. The Thunderbolts eventually extended Serna after the 2007 season for seven years and $58,400,000. He’d spend 15 of his 18 seasons with Quito.

Pitcher of the Year was Valencia’s Franco Rodriguez. The fourth-year righty from Argentina led in WHIP at 1.05 and posted a 2.44 ERA over 228.2 innings, a 15-6 record, 278 strikeouts, and 7.8 WAR.

Because the top division winner faces the wild card in the Divisional Series, the top two records met up in round one. Bogota edged Quito 3-2 in a classic, keeping the Bats’ repeat hopes alive. They earned a fifth Bolivar League Championship Series berth in six years. On the other side, La Paz stunned Caracas with a sweep for their first BLCS since 1999. The 75-win Pump jacks gave a hearty effort, but Bogota beat them 4-2 to repeat. This was the Bats’ third pennant in six years and their sixth overall.



Rio de Janeiro had the top record in the Southern Cone League at 96-66. The Redbirds repeated as Southeast Division champs and earned a third straight playoff berth. In the North Division, Fortaleza broke up a ten-year postseason drought, taking first at 95-67. Salvador, last year’s league champ, fell off hard to 76-86. In a tight South Central Division, Santiago (90-72) edged out Mendoza (88-74). The Saints ended their own six-year playoff drought with their first division title since 1997.

The wild card race was intense with Mendoza and Buenos Aires tying at 88-74. Rosario and Belo Horizonte were both at 86-76 and Brasilia was 85-77. The Atlantics won the tiebreaker game over the Mutants, returning to the playoffs after having a five-year streak ended in 2004. BA has earned eight berths in the last decade, although they had no pennants to show for it. Brasilia’s playoff streak ended at three years.

Southern Cone League MVP went to veteran 3B Pedro Souza. It was the second MVP for the Brazilian switch hitter, who had won it all the way back in 1996 with Fortaleza. Now 32-years old in his second year with Santiago, Souza led with 53 home runs and posted 120 RBI, a .309/.347/.618 slash, 168 wRC+, and 7.8 WAR.

Belo Horizonte’s Juliao Costa won his fourth Pitcher of the Year in five seasons. The 29-year old Brazilian righty was the WARlord (10.8) and led in WHIP (0.83), K/BB (12.0), complete games (17), shutouts (4), and FIP- (51). Costa also had a 2.01 ERA over 268.1 innings, 337 strikeouts, and a 22-9 record.

Rio de Janeiro outlasted their divisional rival Buenos Aires 3-2 in the Divisional Series. The Redbirds earned their second Southern Cone Championship appearance in three years. Fortaleza downed Santiago 3-1, earning their first finals since winning the 1994 pennant. The Foxes surprised many by sweeping Rio in the final, taking their eighth Southern Cone title.



In the 75^th Copa Sudamerica, Bogota bested Fortaleza 4-2 to become the first repeat champ since Lima in 1997-98. There wouldn’t be another repeat Copa Sudamerica winner until the 2022-23 campaigns. The Bats became three-time champs, having also won in 2000. They’re the first BSA team to win three titles in a seven year stretch since Santiago in the 1960s.



Other notes: Caracas’ Milton Becker became the second to 800 career home runs. He finished the season at 808, second to Valor Melo’s all-time mark of 870. Becker also won his 10^th Silver Slugger, his seventh as a DH. Pedro Souza became the 11^th member of the 600 homer club. 1B DJ Del Valle won his 12^th Gold Glove. SS Luis Bravo won his seventh Gold Glove.

Mendoza’s bullpen had 62 saves in 2005, tying the Beisbol Sudamerica single-season record. Cordoba’s Ismael Velazquez became the seventh player to have a four home run game. 2005 didn’t have a single no-hitter in BSA. Caracas’ Randall Potter had a 37-game win streak, tying the second longest in BSA history.

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For the 2005 season, East Asia Baseball decreased its minimum service time for free agency from seven years to six years. EAB had been at six from 1965 to 1984, but bumped back up to seven for the 1985 season. This puts EAB back among the least restrictive major leagues.



Hiroshima was again the Japan League’s #1 seed with a 103-59 record atop the West Division. The Hammerheads earned a seventh consecutive division title, tying 1994-00 Sapporo for the longest streak in JL history. Unlike the Swordfish, Hiroshima didn’t have any pennants to show for it. They had to fend off a tough Kumamoto squad, who finished 95-67 for their first winning season since 1998.

Chiba ended a 15-year playoff drought by taking the Capital Division at 97-65. The Comets outlasted a solid 94-68 Kawasaki squad for the spot, while last year’s division winner Tokyo dropped to 76-86. Osaka was the only team above .500 in the Central Division at 87-75, earning their fourth berth in five years.

Saitama ended the second longest playoff drought in all of East Asia Baseball history, a 44-year run of futility dating back to 1960. The only one longer was Fukuoka’s 50-year skid from 1930-1979. The Sting won the North Division at 86-76, finishing three games ahead of two-time defending league champ Niigata. The Green Dragons’ playoff streak ended at four seasons. The new longest active postseason drought in EAB was both Changwon and Fukuoka at 25 seasons.

Japan League MVP went to Chiba RF Shigeyoshi Taguchi. Nicknamed “Big Train,” the 25-year old led in runs (106), home runs (47), total bases (358), triple slash (.350/.418/.674), OPS (1.093), wRC+ (226), and WAR (9.4). His 113 RBI fell three short of earning a Triple Crown season. The Comets had locked up Taguchi after the 2003 season on an eight-year, $35,600,000 deal.

Pitcher of the Year was Hiroshima veteran Mitsuo Fukazawa. The 30-year old lefty led with seven shutouts and posted a 17-9 record over 257.1 innings, 2.38 ERA, 321 strikeouts, and 6.7 WAR. Various major injuries meant that Fukazawa had only hit 200+ innings thrice in his eight year career.

Saitama shocked Hiroshima with a first round sweep, giving the Hammerheads another disappointing playoff exit. Osaka edged Chiba 3-2, putting the Orange Sox back in the Japan League Championship Series for the first time since their 2002 pennant. The Sting hadn’t been in the JLCS since 1960 and their only pennant was way back in 1930. Osaka dominated and sweep Saitama to become eight time Japan League champs (1923, 25, 43, 46, 58, 85, 89, 2002, 05). This was the second most behind Sapporo’s 14.



Yongin ended a three-year playoff drought by winning the South Division at 99-63 and earning the Korea League’s top seed. They won the division by 12 games over Gwangju, who just fell short in the wild card race. At 83-79, Ulsan’s playoff streak ended at five seasons.

In the North Division, Seongnam and defending EAB champ Seoul tied at 93-69. The Spiders won the one-game tiebreaker to win the division, earning home field for their playoff rematch with the wildcard Seahawks. Seongnam’s playoff streak grew to five seasons with their third division title in that stretch.

For the second wild card, Goyang (88-74) edged out Pyongyang (87-75), Gwangju (87-75), and Ulsan (83-79). The Green Sox ended an 11-year playoff drought and eight year run without a winning season. Goyang only two years prior was an abysmal 59-103. At 82-80, last year’s top seed Incheon saw their postseason streak snapped at four seasons.

Jeonju’s Soo-Geun Yim won his fourth Korea League MVP in five years and became the new EAB single-season home run king. The 26-year old designated hitter smacked 73 dingers, topping Tsukasa Kato’s record of 72. Yim’s 73 HRs would only get passed once in 2014. Yim also had 158 RBI, the first EAB player since 1989 to top 150 RBI. Yim broke his own single-season total bases record with 485, which stood until 2014 and still sits third as of 2037.

Yim also led in runs (129), hits (223), slugging (.780), OPS (1.187), wRC+ (214), and WAR (10.8). His .359 batting average fell two points short of earning a Triple Crown. This was his final season with Jeonju, becoming one of the most prized free agents in EAB history. Yim would sign an eight-year, $82,400,000 deal with Ulsan, becoming one of the first players in any world league to be making eight figures annually.

The Korea League’s Pitcher of the Year was Yongin’s Tae-Jun Oh. The fourth-year lefty led in wins (24-6) and K/BB (11.3), adding a 2.51 ERA over 258.2 innings, 215 strikeouts, and 4.8 WAR. Oh was only the third pitcher in KL history to win the award with less than 5 WAR in the season. He had a couple middling years after and eventually saw his 30s ruined by injuries.

Yongin swept Goyang in the first round, while wild card Seoul upset Seongnam with a road sweep. This kept the Seahawks’ repeat bid alive, while the Gold Sox got their first Korea League Championship Series appearance since their 2001. For back-to-back seasons, Seoul won the pennant as a wild card. The Seahawks outlasted the Gold Sox in a seven game thriller, becoming six-time KL champs (1948, 49, 51, 79, 2004, 05).



In the 85^th East Asian Championship, Seoul defeated Osaka 4-2 to win their fourth overall title, joining the 1948, 1979, and 2004 campaigns. The Seahawks became only the sixth franchise to repeat as champs and gave the KL its fourth title in a row over the JL. Catcher Yong-Chan Seomoon won both finals and KLCS MVP. In 16 playoff starts, he had 27 hits, 8 runs, 2 doubles, 1 homer, and 12 RBI.



Other notes: Seongnam’s Hoten Furukawa set the EAB single-season record for doubles with 59, passing the old mark of 57. This remains the top mark as of 2037. EAB’s 31^st and 32^nd Perfect Games came in 2005. On April 5, Kitakyushu’s Jushiro Katsuramoto struck out 14 against Kawasaki. On May 14, Kobe’s Noriyuki Kitamura fanned 11 versus Sapporo. In addition to MVP Soo-Geun Yim, Goyang’s Seung-U Lee also had 150 RBI in 2005, making 10 times it had been reached in EAB. The next player to get there would be in 2014.

Daegu’s Myeong-Hwan Sung became the 19^th member of the 3000 hit club, wrapping up his career at 3045. The next player to reach the milestone would do it in 2013. SS Tokuei Kato won his 11^th Gold Glove. 2B In-Soo Chi won his seventh Silver Slugger.

[FuzzyRussianHat]

Since 1988, the Central American Baseball Association had been the only major baseball league to require only five years of service time to reach free agency. For 2005, CABA expanded it back to six years, which is more restrictive but is still tied for the lowest of any league. CABA would keep it at six years until 2030, when the players won the fight to push it back to five.



For the third year in a row, the Mexican League had the same four teams earn playoff spots. Six-time defending ML champ and reigning CABA champ Ecatepec yet again dominated the South Division at 110-52. The Explosion earned the top seed and grew their division title streak to 10 years. There was a 26 game gap to second place Leon. There hasn’t been a wild card out of the South Division since 1996.

Positions did swap in the North Division. This time, Juarez took the top spot at 100-62, extending their playoff streak to four seasons. Last year’s division champ Torreon and Monterrey were both 93-69, taking the wild cards. The Matadors had the tiebreaker for the #3 seed and grew their CABA record playoff streak to 18 years. The Tomahawks picked up a third straight berth and their fourth in five years. The only nearby foe in the wild card race was Hermosillo at 88-74.

Chihuahua was 85-77, again led by historic offense from 1B Donald Gonzalez. The 26-year old Puerto Rican won Mexican League MVP for the third time in four years and posted his second Triple Crown season. Gonzalez also set the CABA single-season record with 151 runs scored, passing Stevie Montoya’s 148 from 1998. This is still the top mark as of 2037.

Gonzalez led in hits (232), home runs (62), RBI (144), total bases (466), triple slash (.380/.443/.764), OPS (1.207), and wRC+ (246). Amazingly, his 12.7 WAR was just behind Mexicali’s Iwan Valen, who used Gold Glove defense in center field to get to 12.8. Gonzalez was in great company, joining legends Kiko Velazquez and Prometheo Garcia as the only CABA batters with multiple Triple Crown years.

Ecatapec’s Gorilla Gomez was the Pitcher of the Year. The 28-year old Dominican signed with the Explosion in 2003 after largely forgettable years with Juarez. Gomez led in wins at 22-7 and posted a 2.35 ERA over 241 innings with 313 strikeouts and 8.7 WAR.

The division champs won in the first round of the playoffs as Ecatepec downed Torreon 3-1 and Juarez outlasted Monterrey 3-2. For the sixth year in a row, the Matadors were denied a Mexican League Championship Series appearance. The Explosion got their seventh straight, while the Jesters had their first since 2002.

Juarez was the ones to finally snap Ecatepec’s hold on the throne, taking the MLCS 4-2 in an upset. This prevented the Explosion from seven straight pennants and was the first for the Jesters since 1988. Juarez is now nine-time Mexican League champs.



The Caribbean League also lacked parity with the same playoff teams as the prior year as well. The division champs and wild cards did switch positions though. Haiti at 108-54 won the Island Division and took the top seed, expanding their playoff streak to nine years. Havana was second in the division at 93-69, which earned the second wild card. The Hurricanes got their third berth in four years. Bahamas was close by at 91-71, but just short.

Salvador won the Continental Division at 98-64 for their third straight playoff berth and 12^th since 1992. However, it was their first division title since 2000 due to Honduras’ hold on the spot. The two-time defending Caribbean champ Horsemen went 95-67 to take the first wild card. Honduras’ playoff streak grew to eight with their 15^th berth since 1988. Costa Rica was also solid at 90-72, but were three games behind Havana for the second wild card.

Costa Rica DH Juan Castro earned Caribbean League MVP. The 26-year old Panamanian led in home runs (60), RBI (139), total bases (422), slugging (.686), OPS (1.091), and wRC+ (184). Castro added 8.4 WAR and a .337 average. The Rays had locked him up in the prior offseason on an eight-year, $43,320,000 deal.

Pitcher of the Year went to Bahamas’ righty Jeronimo Martin. The 23-year old Nicaraguan led in wins at 23-5 and posted a 2.64 ERA over 265.2 innings, 254 strikeouts, and 6.2 WAR. It was the one standout season in an otherwise unremarkable career. Also of note, Haiti’s Alejandro Valadez won a fourth consecutive Reliever of the Year award, leading in saves at 45 and posting 5.6 WAR and 159 strikeouts in 91 innings.

Haiti survived in five against Havana in the first round of the playoffs, while Salvador swept defending champ Honduras. It was the sixth time in the last decade in the Caribbean League Championship Series for both the Herons and Stallions, although they hadn’t met each other since Salvador’s 1997 and 1998 wins. The Herons were the favorite, but the Stallions won a seven-game thriller. This was Salvador’s first pennant since their 1996-99 four-peat and their 11^th title overall.



The 95^th CABA Championship was the second finals meeting between Juarez and Salvador. Back in 1978, the Jesters won 4-2 over the Stallions to repeat as champs. This time, Salvador won it 4-1 to become seven-time CABA champs (1915, 64, 65, 94, 97, 98, 05). Since 1990, five franchises (Salvador, Monterrey, Ecatepec, Haiti, Honduras) have split 16 titles between them. 3B Eric Bolton was finals MVP, a journeyman American who had been generally a career backup. In 14 playoff starts, he had 14 hits, 4 runs, 3 extra base hits, and 10 RBI.



Other notes: Haiti’s Pasqual Cantu tossed CABA’s 31^st Perfect Game on May 15, striking out eight against Santo Domingo. Hugh Boerboom became the ninth member of the 3000 hit club. He played one more year and ended with 3083. Maikel Loya became the 22^nd to 1500 RBI. Rafael Perez became the ninth pitcher to 250 career wins, ending his final season with 255. CF Iwan Valen won his seventh Gold Glove and won his sixth Silver Slugger. SS David Davila won his 10^th Silver Slugger.

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Cleveland took the top seed in the National Association at 103-59, winning the Upper Midwest Division for the second time in three years. Historic pitching led the way for the Cobras, who allowed 450 runs all season. This was the fewest in MLB history, topping New York’s 454 from way back in 1906. It would remain the record until Kansas City’s 442 allowed in 2019.

The #2 seed came down to a tiebreaker game for the Northeast Division. Both Hartford and Quebec City finished 97-65 in the regular season, with the Huskies taking the tiebreaker and the division. This was Hartford’s third playoff berth in four years, but their first division title since 1992. The Nordiques were the first wild card and ended a four-year playoff drought. Boston, last year’s Northeast winner and NACS runner up, fell to .500.

Philadelphia won the East Division at 95-67 and were the only returning playoff team from 2004 in the National Association. The Phillies won a third straight division title and fifth in seven years. They edged Brooklyn by only two games. In the Lower Midwest, St. Louis took it at 93-69, outlasting Cincinnati by one game. That gave the Cardinals their third division title in five years. Last year’s division winner Wichita, who won 100 games in 2004, plummeted to 69-93.

For the second wild card, Detroit (94-68) won a fierce battle over Brooklyn (93-69), Cincinnati (92-70), Buffalo (91-71), and Ottawa (89-73). The Tigers ended a three-year playoff drought. Reigning National Association champ Winnipeg missed the playoffs, dropping from 106 wins in 2004 to only 85 in 2005. Milwaukee, a wild card last year, also saw a rough drop down to 74 wins.

Pushing Detroit was National Association MVP Adrian Vega. The 30-year old Peruvian second baseman led in runs (107), OPS (.978), wRC+ (204), and WAR (10.2). Vega added 36 home runs, 117 RBI, and a .327 average. He was in his fifth year with the Tigers, having joined them in a 2001 trade with Cleveland.

Detroit also had Pitcher of the Year Theron Summers, who they acquired in a July trade from Pittsburgh. The 27-year old righty led in wins at 23-8 and complete games with 16. Summers added a 2.23 ERA over 271 innings, 199 strikeouts, and 5.7 WAR, plus his fourth Gold Glove. He used this big season to cash in with a six-year, $67,800,000 deal in the offseason with St. Louis, although he’d be delightfully average for the rest of his career.

Quebec City beat St. Louis 2-0 and Philadelphia topped Detroit 2-1 in the first round of the playoffs. Both pulled off round two upsets as the Phillies swept Hartford and the Nordiques stunned Cleveland 3-2. This was only Quebec’s second-ever National Association Championship Series berth (1999), while it was the third in five years for Philly.

The NACS ended up being an absolute classic and the first to need all seven games since 1997. Game seven went 11 innings with Philadelphia winning it 5-4 on a walk-off. It was only the second time in NACS history that game seven went extras, joining 1972. This was the 11^th pennant for the Phillies (1917-18, 1941-47, 2001, 2005), tying Ottawa for the most among National Association teams.



Seattle’s playoff streak ended at six years in 2004 after they just missed the wild card at 90-72. The Grizzlies bounced back and earned the American Association’s top seed at 105-57. Seattle won the Northwest Division and took the top seed for the fifth time in six years.

Albuquerque earned the other bye and extended their playoff streak to five years. The Isotopes won the Southwest Division at 100-62 for their first division title since 2001. Two-time defending World Series champ Phoenix limped to an 80-82 record, ceding control of the division.

Houston won the South Central Division for the fourth consecutive season, finishing 95-67. Memphis was two back at 93-69, which earned them the first wild card. The Mountain Cats ended a 12-year postseason drought. In a weak Southeast Division, Jacksonville prevailed at 84-78, edging Atlanta by two games, Tampa by four, and Orlando by five. The Gators ended an 18-year playoff drought and got their first division title since 1984. Nashville, last year’s division winner, dropped to 78-86.

Salt Lake City and San Diego tied for the second wild card at 91-71. Austin, Portland, and San Francisco were all two back at 89-73. In a one-game tiebreaker, the Loons defeated the Seals. SLC earned repeat playoff berths and grabbed their fourth in six years.

Repeating as American Association MVP was Salt Lake City CF Morgan Short. The 24-year old lefty led in runs (130), doubles (40), average (.356), OBP (.438), OPS (1.036), wRC+ (170), and WAR (11.9). Short joined Hall of Famer Elijah Cashman as the only MLB batters with multiple seasons above 11+ WAR.

Houston’s Jared Huddleston won Pitcher of the Year in his Hornets debut. They picked him up in the offseason by sending five prospects to Buffalo. The 26-year old righty led in ERA (2.25) and quality starts (28). Huddleston added an 18-9 record over 272 innings, 168 strikeouts, and 7.6 WAR. Also of note was Oklahoma City’s Cody Lim, who won Rookie of the Year. He became the third ROTY winner in MLB history to debut with a 50+ homer season. Lim led the AA with 53 dingers and had 6.9 WAR.

Jacksonville swept Memphis and Houston edged Salt Lake City 2-1 in the first round of the playoffs. The top seeds survived in five games in round two with Seattle over the Gators and Albuquerque over the Hornets. This was the Grizzlies’ four American Association Championship Series berth in six years. One of the two years they missed was 2002, which saw the Isotopes win the pennant. Seattle cruised to an AACS sweep to earn their second pennant, joining the 2000 campaign.



Despite their success in the 2000s, Seattle hadn’t been able to win it all. When they made the World Series for the first time in 2000, they were swept by Cleveland. The 105^th Fall Classic finally saw the Grizzlies on top, defeating Philadelphia 4-2. It was fitting that after 15 seasons for his hometown club that 1B Bryson Wightman won World Series MVP. The three-time AA MVP had 15 playoff starts with 20 hits, 10 run, 2 doubles, 1 homer, and 9 RBI.



With Seattle’s win, 40 of MLB’s 56 teams have a World Series ring through 105 seasons. Of the original 48 teams, 38 have won it all. The original teams remaining without a title are Buffalo, Brooklyn, Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, Columbus, Minneapolis, Omaha, San Antonio, Portland, and Oakland. Of those, the Blue Sox, Hawks, Oilers, and Owls are the only ones to never make it to the Fall Classic at least once.

Other notes: For the first time in MLB history, there were two perfect games in the same season. On April 18, St. Louis’ Jinlong Han tossed MLB’s 18^th perfecto by striking out seven versus Ottawa. On July 24, Oakland’s Reuben Blush tossed the 19^th perfect game with nine Ks versus Los Angeles. Vancouver’s Kulputih Najamuddin had a 37-game hit streak, the fifth-longest in MLB history.

Cincinnati pitcher Grayson Whittaker sent numerous single-season rate records that still hold as of 2037. He had a 4.92 H/9, 0.77 WHIP, .161 opponent batting average, and .459 opponent OPS. Whittaker only had 162.2 innings, but posted 6.5 WAR and a league-best 1.83 ERA. His season and career were both effectively ended by a torn rotator cuff and he’d never sniff a full season again.

Salt Lake City’s Reginald Parker had 152 RBI, becoming the first player since 1978 to reach the mark. Houston stole only 17 bases as a team in 2005, the lowest in American Association history. Bryson Wightman won his eighth Silver Slugger at first base and crossed 1500 runs scored.

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Pitcher Chris Greer was the lone inductee into Major League Baseball’s Hall of Fame in 2006, earning a slam dunk first ballot addition at 98.5%. CF Will Kemme was the closest to the 66% threshold, getting 61.1% on his second try. RF Xavier Chojnacki had 59.0% on his third try. SP Ollie Husband (eighth ballot) and 1B Roy Cote (ninth) both received 58.7%. Reliever Brendan Gordon debuted at 55.1%. Also just above 50% were RF Brian Ostrovskaya on his second ballot, RF Mike Castaneda on his fifth, and CL Alex Cantos on his eighth.



Dropped after ten ballots was SP Dorian Ferrer, the 1981 Pitcher of the Year with Hartford. In 17 seasons with four teams, he had a 202-205 record, 3.38 ERA, 3691.1 innings, 3225 strikeouts, 8881 walks, 110 ERA+, 86 FIP, and 76.4 WAR. Aside from one great year, Ferrer was largely an above average guy with some longevity. He peaked at 26.3% on his second ballot and ended at only 7.8%.

3B Owen Brewster fell off the ballot after ten tries as well. The popular 13-time all-star won two Silver Sluggers over a 23 year career with seven teams, but only started 125+ games in six of his 23 seasons thanks to injuries. Still, Brewster had 2269 hits, 1135 runs, 354 doubles, 346 home runs, 1244 RBI, a .308/.384/.506 slash, 158 wRC+, and 86.6 WAR. He had many great flashes, but couldn’t stay healthy long enough to reach his potential. Still, Brewster got 39.2% on his second ballot before ending at 6.3%.

Another 3B, Christopher Sollinger, fell from the ballot after ten failed tries. He’s arguably the greatest defensive 3B in baseball history with 15 Gold Gloves and the all-time lead in zone rating at the position in any league (204.6). Only the 1910s Dusty Knight and South Asia Baseball’s Manju Abbas have 15 Gold Gloves at third base.

Sollinger had a 19 year career almost exclusively with Louisville, finishing with 3058 hits, 1250 runs, 451 doubles, 300 home runs, 1388 RBI, a .293/.316/.429 slash, 117 wRC+, and 91.4 WAR. He was merely above average as a batter, but by no means a liability. You’d think 15 GGs and 3000+ hits would get Sollinger more love, but he peaked at 42.5% in 1998. He fell below the 20% range for most of his run and ended at only 6.0%. Still, his defensive technique at 3B would be shown as the gold standard for decades to come.



Chris Greer – Starting Pitcher – Austin Amigos – 98.5% First Ballot

Chris Greer was a 6’6’’, 195 pound left-handed pitcher from St. Petersburg, Florida; on the other side of the Bay from Tampa. Greer threw fire with terrific stuff and movement along with above average to good control. His fastball hit 99-101 mph regularly and was mixed with a forkball, changeup, and splitter; each of which was equally potent. Greer’s sharp movement led to an extreme groundball tendency.

Greer had reliably solid stamina and was very durable in the front end of his career with 265+ innings in each of his first 10 seasons. He was below average defensively, but strong at holding runners. Greer was known as a prankster in the clubhouse and was generally well liked by both teammates and fans.

Greer remained a Florida Man in college and became a Gator. After three great seasons for the University of Florida, he was a top prospect in the 1982 MLB Draft. This was the second rookie draft for the 1982 expansion teams and one of those squads, Austin, had the #2 overall pick. They used it on Greer, but couldn’t come to terms with him. He returned for his senior season with the Gators and finished his college career with a 23-11 record, 2.06 ERA, 331.1 innings, 382 strikeouts, 172 ERA+, and 14.3 WAR.

Austin was still interested in Greer in the 1983 MLB Draft and picked him again, this time with the #3 pick. They were able to come to terms and made Greer a full-time starter immediately. In the 1980s for the Amigos, they had a remarkable one-two punch atop the rotation with Greer and 2005 Hall of Famer T.J. Nakabayashi. Greer was even more electric in his earliest seasons, while Nakabayashi’s best years came later on.

Greer’s rookie season saw a remarkable 9.9 WAR effort, but because of how hard it was for pitchers to win Rookie of the Year, he somehow was third in voting. His first six seasons saw 8.9 WAR or better with three years above 10+. Greer led the American Association in both WAR and strikeouts in 1986, 1987, and 1988. 1988 was a career high for Ks with 301 and his second best WAR total at 11.1.

1986 would be Greer’s finest season, winning Pitcher of the Year and taking third in MVP voting. His 11.9 WAR broke the single-season MLB record by a pitcher and still sits sixth best as of 2037. Greer also had an AA and career best in ERA at 1.96 and innings pitched at 302.2. His 21-10 record fell one short of earning a Triple Crown season.

Greer was second in Pitcher of the Year voting in 1988, but wouldn’t be a finalist for the rest of his Austin run. The Amigos signed him to a seven-year, $15,580,000 extension after the 1988 campaign. Although not a league leader during the extension, Greer was consistently great with five seasons worth 6.9 WAR or better.

He also pitched in seven editions of the World Baseball Championship for the United States from 1986-93, posting a 10-1 record, 2.35 ERA, 115 innings, 165 strikeouts, 155 ERA+, and 4.1 WAR. Greer earned world champion rings with the 1988 and 1992 American squads.

Austin became a contender for the first time with division titles in 1988, 89, and 1992. The Amigos fell in the AACS in both 88 and 89 and lost in the second round of 92. You couldn’t fault Greer for them not doing deeper, as he posted a 2.40 ERA in 78.2 playoff innings, 6-3 record, 58 strikeouts, 165 ERA+, and 2.5 WAR. In total with Austin, Greer had a 178-128 record, 2.94 ERA, 2949.1 innings, 2760 strikeouts, 873 walks, 135 ERA+, 67 FIP-, and 94.4 WAR.

In 1994, Greer was now 32 years old. He and the Amigos got off to a slow start with Austin ultimately finishing 74-88 that year. A sprained ankle would put Greer out for all of June. At the deadline, Austin were sellers and opted to move Greer and LF Martin Herrera to Denver in exchange for prospects. Greer would remain very popular in the Texas capital long after being traded and his #2 uniform would eventually be retired.

In his third week with Denver, Greer tossed the lone no-hitter of his career, striking out 14 on August 17 against Miami. He had a strong finish to the year, but the Dragons still only went .500. They had Greer for one more year and hoped he could help them make a run in 1995.

They were right, as he a 7.1 WAR effort and led the AA with 27 complete games. Denver was the weakest division winner at 86-76, but went on a tear in the playoffs, culminating in a World Series win over Boston. Greer had an outstanding playoff run as all four starts were complete games and quality starts. He tossed two shutouts for a 1.25 ERA over 36 innings, 3-1 record, 29 strikeouts, and 319 ERA+. Greer would be a popular figure in Denver as well for his role in the title.

That run also earned him a five-year, $19,000,000 extension in the offseason. Denver wouldn’t see team success for that run, finishing below .500 each time. Injuries cost Greer about two months in 1996, but he bounced back with his second Pitcher of the Year in 1997. It was 11 years since his first POTY, as he led in ERA (2.43) for the second time. Greer posted 8.5 WAR at age 35, solidifying his status as an all-timer.

Greer had a good 1998, but looked very pedestrian in 1999 as his velocity dropped now towards the mid 90s after previously being reliably near 100. His strikeouts and dominance were gone in the last two years, but he still provided positive value and ate innings. Greer’s deal expired after the 2000 season and he decided to retire with that at age 39. With Denver, he had a 91-77 record, 3.14 ERA, 1528.2 innings, 1153 strikeouts, 393 walks, 126 ERA+, and 39.0 WAR.

The final stats for Greer was a 269-205 record, 3.01 ERA, 4478 innings, 3915 strikeouts, 1266 walks, 353/551 quality starts, 286 complete games, 53 shutouts, 131 ERA+, 71 FIP-, and 133.4 WAR. As of 2037, Greer is 7^th all-time in pitching WAR, 13^th in strikeouts, 8th in complete games, 7^th in shutouts, and 25^th in wins. Only he and Spenser Emond have 130+ WAR in fewer than 4500 career innings.

His greatness was almost underappreciated due to being on an expansion team with another Hall of Fame ace early on, then on some weaker Denver teams at the end. Advanced stats suggested Greer might deserve more consideration than he gets when discussing the top ten pitchers in MLB history. Despite that, his Hall of Fame status was undisputed. With 98.5%, Greer stood alone for MLB’s 2006 class.

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The 2006 Central American Baseball Association Hall of Fame ballot was an odd one as only three players debuted and the best of those had a whopping 7.6%. The lone inductee was 3B/2B Bienvenido Ramon, who got the bump up to 74.5% on his sixth ballot. Two players on their fourth try also crossed 50% with CF Manuel Rodriguez (56.6%) and LF Luis Martinez (53.0%). SP Jeronimo Talavera had 47.8% on his penultimate try. No one else was above 1/3s of the vote and no players fell off after ten ballots.



Bienvenido Ramon – Third/Second Base – Santo Domingo Dolphins – 74.5% Sixth Ballot

Bienvenido Ramon was a 6’2’’, 200 pound switch-hitting infielder from Santiago de Cuba; Cuba’s second largest city. Ramon was a solid contact hitter that was very good at avoiding strikeouts and respectable at drawing walks. His gap power was quite good, averaging 29 doubles and 13 triples over his 162 game average. Ramon wasn’t a major power hitter, but did still get you reliably around 15 home runs per season. He had pretty good speed and was a very smart baserunner.

Ramon made about 2/3s of his career starts at third base with most of the rest at second. He was a crappy defender at both spots as he generally lacked both range and smooth glovesmanship. Ramon was quite durable and could be counted on to always be ready to go. He was a soft spoken and humble player that didn’t draw attention to himself.

In the 1974 CABA Draft, Ramon was picked 17^th overall by Santo Domingo, where he’d play his entire two decade pro career. He wasn’t able to crack the lineup immediately with only 22 games and three starts between 1975 and 1976. Ramon didn’t see the field in the 1976 playoff run as the Dolphins won the Caribbean League title. They would be around .500 for the next four seasons before eventually starting an early 1980s dynasty.

1977 saw Ramon’s first real action with 123 games and 67 starts, performing well enough to earn the Rookie of the Year. He was never one to put up gaudy stats and his only Silver Slugger came in 1983. Ramon did lead the Caribbean twice in batting average (1979 and 1983), as well as twice in OBP (1982, 1983). He led in hits in 1982 and doubles in 1981. Being a reliably solid starter earned him a four-year, $2,400,000 extension after the 1981 season, followed by a seven-year, $4,770,000 extension in March 1985.

Ramon would also return home to Cuba for the World Baseball Championship from 1978-86. He made 71 starts in 75 games with 65 hits, 36 runs, 10 doubles, 12 home runs, 33 RBI, a .238/.342/.407 slash, 116 wRC+, and 1.7 WAR.

Santo Domingo had six straight Island Division titles from 1981-86. The Dolphins won the Caribbean League pennant in 1981, 82, 84, and 85; then won the CABA crown in 1982, 84, and 85. Ramon was a reliable starter during this dynasty run for the Dolphins. In his playoff career, he had 86 games and 80 starts, 97 hits, 43 runs, 13 doubles, 8 triples, 8 home runs, 33 RBI, a .300/.345/.464 slash, 123 wRC+, and 2.1 WAR.

Ramon’s production remained remarkably steady into his 30s. Santo Domingo narrowly missed the playoffs in 1987 and 1988, but earned five berths from 1989-94. However, that stretch saw three exits in the CLCS and two in the first round. Ramon kept chugging along and Santo Domingo gave him another three years and $4,220,000 after the 1991 season.

Now entering his late 30s, small injuries finally started to cost Ramon some time and production. He lost seven weeks in 1992 and ten weeks in 1993 to various injuries. By 1994, Ramon looked merely average and saw limited starts. He’d be benched and only play 19 games in 1995. Ramon opted to retire after the 1995 campaign at age 40.

Ramon ended with 2844 hits, 1470 runs, 477 doubles, 205 triples, 237 home runs, 1048 RBI, 695 stolen bases, a .299/.351/.467 slash, 126 wRC+, and 65.2 WAR. Working in his favor was a long tenure with one team and being part of a great dynasty. Ramon didn’t have big power numbers and his other accumulations seemed still borderline for his tenure. Some of the advanced stats suggested more of a “Hall of Pretty Good” resume for many voters.

Ramon debuted only at 42.2% in 2001, but the humble infielder slowly gained support. He got up to 60.2% in 2004, then fell less than a point short in 2005 at 65.2%. With no impressive debuts on the 2006 ballot, Ramon earned another look from some skeptics and got across the line at 74.5%. He earned the sixth ballot addition as the lone member of CABA’s 2006 class.

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The 2006 East Asia Baseball Hall of Fame voting didn’t have any slam dunk additions debuting on the ballot. Only one player was inducted, but he only narrowly crossed the 66% requirement. SP My-Sung Jo earned a first ballot nod with 69.3%. LF Jin-Uk Song came close to joining him with 63.4% for his fourth try. The only other player above 50% was CL Geon Byung at 56.9% in his eighth ballot. No players were dropped after ten failed ballots.



My-Sung Jo – Starting Pitcher – Nagoya Nightowls – 69.3% First Ballot

My-Sung Jo was a 5’10’’, 185 pound right-handed pitcher from Iksan, a city with around 270,000 people in western South Korea. Jo had very good stuff with solid movement and average control. His fastball hit the 96-98 mph range regularly and was part of an arsenal that also included a screwball, splitter, and knuckle curve.

Jo’s stamina was quite weak compared to most aces and he rarely went the distance. He did avoid major injuries for most of career, meaning teams still managed a good workload from him. Jo was considered a bit of a loner and mercenary, thus ending up with six teams over his 17 year pro career.

In October 1979, a teenaged Jo was signed on an amateur free agent deal with Nagoya. He spent four full years in the Nightowls academy before debuting with 78.1 innings at age 20 in 1984. Jo looked respectable in his limited sample size, earning a full-time spot in the rotation after that. He’d spend six years atop Nagoya’s staff, which was his most impressive run.

Jo led the Japan League in WHIP in both 1988 and 1989. He was also the WARlord in 1988 with a career-best 8.2. Jo wasn’t an awards finalist with the Nightowls, but did post five seasons worth 5+ WAR. The highlight was July 3, 1989 when Jo struck out 17 and walked one in a no-hitter against Saitama.

Nagoya was firmly mediocre in this run, which didn’t inspire Jo to want to stick around for the long haul. 1991 was to be his last year under team control and the Nightowls traded him before the season, grabbing four prospects in a swap with defending EAB champ Seongnam. With Nagoya, Jo had an 85-63 record, 2.60 ERA, 1366 innings, 1526 strikeouts, 233 walks, 130 ERA+, and 36.5 WAR.

Jo had one solid season with the Spiders, posting 7.6 WAR. Seongnam made the Korea League Championship Series again, but was upset by Goyang. Jo’s playoff starts were merely okay with a 4.00 ERA over 18 innings and 20 strikeouts. His season was solid enough though to earn plenty of attention entering free agency at age 28. It would be the 1991 KL champion Green Sox that grabbed Jo on a seven-year, $9,940,000 deal.

1993 was a banner year for Jo, leading in ERA at 1.73 and taking second in Pitcher of the Year voting. It was his only time as a finalist. Apart from that year, he was merely above average during his Goyang tenure. Recurring elbow stains cost him starts in multiple seasons, thus he never topped 4+ with the Green Sox except for the 1993 campaign.

Goyang made the playoffs again in 1992 and 1993, but were ousted both times in the first round. Jo had a 2.75 ERA over 19.2 playoff innings for the Green Sox. They withdrew from the playoff picture for the remainder of Jo’s tenure. In six years total for Goyang, Jo had an 80-44 record, 3.05 ERA, 1073 innings, 1148 strikeouts, 123 ERA+, and 22.6 WAR.

Entering the last year of his deal, the now 34-year old Jo was traded to Suwon for three prospects. Although healthy, Jo was primarily used as a reliever in his one season with the Snappers. He posted a 2.72 ERA over 112.1 innings with 3.3 WAR. Jo was a free agent for 1999 and found an MLB team willing to pay him a nice chunk. He secured a three-year, $9,720,000 bag with Tampa.

Jo was unimpressive in his limited time splitting between the rotation and bullpen in 1999 with Tampa, posting -0.2 WAR. The Thunderbirds cut him after spring training 2000, ending his brief MLB tenure. Jo returned to Korea for the 2000 season with Daejeon and was subpar with a 4.42 ERA and 0.2 WAR over 159 innings. He decided to retire after the 2000 campaign at age 37.

Jo’s EAB career had a 199-130 record, 2.88 ERA, 2942.2 innings, 3191 strikeouts, 633 walks, 257/415 quality starts, 125 ERA+, 77 FIP-, and 70.3 WAR. Some of the advanced stats suggest he was quietly stronger than a lot of people realized. Still, Jo rarely got awards consideration or was a league leader. With a very weak 2006 EAB ballot overall, Jo’s ballot was good enough to get noticed by enough voters. He only narrowly crossed the line, but at 69.3%, he picked up a first ballot induction as the lone 2006 inductee.

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Beisbol Sudamerica added two first ballot Hall of Famers in 2006. RF Eric Rodriguez received 80.2% and SP Michel Shigemitsu picked up 79.3%. Catcher Sancho Sanchez fell short again with 60.4% on his eighth ballot. On his second try, SP Gonzalo Argueta got 58.8%. 2B Leonardo Salvador was just behind at 58.2% on his second ballot. No one else was above 50%.



Dropped from the ballot after ten failed attempts was closer Shawn Figueroa. He had a 14 year career, but spent four seasons in MLB. His BSA tenure with Quito and Medellin saw one Reliever of the Year, 284 saves, 1.89 ERA, 675.2 innings, 931 strikeouts, 146 walks, 194 ERA+, and 32.0 WAR. Figueroa didn’t have the tenure or accumulations most voters in BSA wanted from reliever candidates. He still debuted at an impressive 45.0% in 1997, but only went down and ended at a lowly 7.9%.



Eric Rodriguez – Outfield – Lima Lobos – 80.2% First Ballot

Eric Rodriguez was a 5’8’’, 205 pound left-handed outfielder from La Oroya, Peru; a town of 24,000 in the central part of the country known for significant pollution from smelting. Rodriguez was a good contact hitter with a strong pop in his bat, although he was very middling in terms of walks and avoiding strikeouts. His 162 game average saw 32 home runs, 30 doubles, and 12 triples per year; a solid platter of extra base hits. Despite his stocky build, Rodriguez had good speed and respectable baserunning chops.

Right field was Rodriguez’s primary spot, making about 2/3s of his career starts there. He graded out as reliably good to occasionally great there. Rodriguez also had some starts in center and left, but struggled in both of those spots defensively. Rodriguez had excellent durability, starting 140+ games in 13 of his 16 seasons. He was a hardworking man who became a fan favorite in Peruvian baseball during his 16-year run with Lima.

Rodriguez quickly shot up the rankings and was considered by most to be the top Peruvian prospect in the 1983 Beisbol Sudamerica Draft. Lima had the #2 overall slot and used it to bring Rodriguez to the capital city. The Lobos kept him on the reserve roster in 1984, then gave him a part-time starting role in 1985. Rodriguez was third in Rookie of the Year voting, earning the full-time gig the next year.

After a good sophomore and junior season, Rodriguez’s finest year came in year four. He led the Bolivar League with 8.6 WAR in 1988, as well as 406 total bases and .659 slugging. These were career bests, as was his 47 home runs, 116 runs, and 1.025 OPS. This earned Rodriguez his lone MVP and one of two Silver Sluggers. Lima gave Rodriguez an eight-year, $7,930,000 extension off his 1988 campaign.

Rodriguez was never quite that dominant or powerful again and only was a league leader once more, hitting 47 doubles in 1994. He would have ten seasons worth 4.5+ WAR and win his second Silver Slugger in 1992. Although he wasn’t a perennial MVP candidate, he helped usher in a historic run for the Lobos. Lima set the BSA record for the longest playoff steak, earning 14 straight berths from 1988-2001.

1990 forever earned Rodriguez a spot in Lima lore as they won the Bolivar League title. He was the BLCS MVP and in the playoff run had 24 hits, 16 runs, 6 doubles, 5 home runs, 13 RBI, a .343/.382/.700 slash, and 1.5 WAR. The Lobos would fall to Sao Paulo in Copa Sudamerica. Rodriguez was generally strong in the playoffs for his career with 116 games, 136 hits, 70 runs, 25 doubles, 11 triples, 20 home runs, 65 RBI, 39 stolen bases, a .298/.335/.533 slash, 139 wRC+, and 4.8 WAR.

Lima won the Bolivar League title in 1990, 91, 93, 97, 98, and 2001 during their dynasty run. They couldn’t get over the Copa Sudamerica hump in the first three appearances, but capped off the dynasty with titles in 1997 and 1998. Rodriguez was the finals MVP in 1997, getting 21 hits, 9 runs, 7 extra base hits, 13 RBI, and a .328/.380/.531 in 16 playoff starts.

Rodriguez was also a regular for Peru in the World Baseball Championship with 141 games and 139 starts from 1986-2001. Statistically, he was very average in international play, posting 118 hits, 61 runs, 17 doubles, 32 home runs, 73 RBI, a .222/.263/.445 slash, 100 wRC+, and 1.5 WAR.

Rodriguez did also have a unique distinction of hitting for the cycle thrice in his career. As of 2037, he’s one of ten BSA players to achieve this feat. Lima extended Rodriguez another four years and $7,500,000 in March 1996. Despite being healthy, he spent that season in a platoon role. He was back to the full-time gig the following three years and still put up reliably solid numbers. 1997 saw his second 40 home run season and 1998 had a career-best 129 RBI.

2000 was the last year of his deal and he still put up good batting totals in limited action, but Rodriguez was relegated to a bench role with only 39 starts and 99 games. He was an all-star for the eighth time this season, but was not re-upped at the end of the year. Rodriguez played for Peru in the 2001 WBC and hoped to find a job somewhere, but ultimately had no takers. He retired in the winter of 2001 at age 38. Lima quickly honored him by retiring his #15 uniform.

Rodriguez ended with 2646 hits, 1344 runs, 439 doubles, 174 triples, 471 home runs, 1432 RBI, 584 stolen bases, a .303/.339/.555 slash, 146 wRC+, and 79.7 WAR. He didn’t have the eye-popping flashy stats, but he was a very popular reliably strong contributor for a perennial contender. That was enough to get Rodriguez 80.2% and a first ballot induction in BSA’s 2006 Hall of Fame class.



Michel Shigemitsu – Starting Pitcher – Salvador Storm – 79.3% First Ballot

Michel Shigemitsu was a 6’1’’, 195 pound right-handed pitcher from Curitiba, the eighth most populous city in Brazil. Shigemitsu was renowned for having tremendous movement on his pitches. His stuff was quite good overall with above average control as well. Shigemitsu’s velocity peaked with a 95-97 mph sinker that led to an extreme groundball tendency. He also had a stellar curveball, great slider, and occasional changeup.

Shigemitsu’s stamina was viewed as a bit below average compared to most BSA aces. Sporadic injuries did limit his overall inning load as well. Shigemitsu was considered a great defensive pitcher, winning Gold Gloves in 1997 and 1998. He was one of the smartest pitchers in the game, knowing how to pick his spots and take advantage of the movement on his pitches.

Shigemitsu was viewed as a top prospect out of Brazil entering the 1986 BSA Draft, picked fifth overall by Salvador. His entire 14 year pro career came with the Storm. They planned to use him full-time in his rookie year, but he had a rough debut with shoulder inflammation and a torn triceps knocking him out most of the season. Shigemitsu had a full sophomore season and looked great with 7.2 WAR.

He looked good when healthy the next two seasons, but injuries kept him from getting to 200+ innings in years three and four. Salvador was still impressed enough to give Shigemitsu a five-year, $5,810,000 extension after the 1990 season. The Storm got a wild card in 1990 and 1994, but were one-and-done both seasons. Although rarely terrible, those would be the only playoff appearances during Shigemitsu’s tenure.

He did get to pitch on the world stage from 1989-1999 for Brazil with 136 innings in the World Baseball Championship. Shigemitsu posted a 10-7 record, 3.44 ERA, 148 strikeouts, 105 ERA+, and 2.1 WAR. He did earn world champion rings with both the 1989 and 1990 Brazilian squads.

In 1992, Shigemitsu led the Southern Cone League with a 2.05 ERA. He followed that up with an impressive 1.60 ERA in 1993, winning his lone Pitcher of the Year. He also led the league in innings (281.2), WHIP (0.74), quality starts (31), and shutouts (6); all career bests. Shigemitsu also had career bests in WAR (8.6), ERA+ (199), and strikeouts (291) in that 1993 campaign.

Shigemitsu followed it up with a good 1994, taking third in Pitcher of the Year voting. Salvador gave him another notable extension at six years and $13,920,000 inked in March 1995. That would be a snake bitten season though with a torn biceps costing him half the year. The next three years avoided major injuries and were good, but weren’t the dominance Shigemitsu had shown in his peak.

Back spasms cost Shigemitsu half of 1999 and he had looked marginally above average in the work he saw. In 2000, Shigemitsu’s stamina and velocity both took a hit, leading to a lousy 4.07 ERA. His career worst prior to that was 2.75 the prior year. Shigemitsu had more time left on his contract, but decided to retire after the 2000 season at age 36. Salvador honored him that winter by retiring his #57 uniform.

Shigemitsu ended with a 176-100 record, 2.31 ERA, 2698.2 innings, 2671 strikeouts, 535 walks, 269/360 quality starts, 141 ERA+, 79 FIP-, and 63.0 WAR. He didn’t have the innings or tenure to make a notable dent on the leaderboards with relatively low accumulations compared to many other BSA Hall of Fame pitchers. Shigemitsu also had the trouble of being on some unremarkable Salvador teams.

However, staying loyal to one team earns respect. Plus, the rate stats really reflect strongly for Shigemitsu, showing a guy that was quietly better than many fans realized. Most voters recognized those positive qualities when weighing Shigemitsu’s resume, giving him a first ballot induction at 79.3% in the 2006 class.

[FuzzyRussianHat]

Two players from Zurich’s historic playoff streak earned Hall of Fame nods with the 2006 European Baseball Federation class. 1B Daniel Galonopoulas was a no-brainer with 92.4% and a first ballot nod. Meanwhile, SP Angelo Silvestri saw a huge swing, going from a mere 33.4% in 2005 to 80.8% in 2006. That gigantic shift gave Silvestri a sixth ballot induction.



The next closest to the 66% requirement was 3B Thomas Indiani with 60.9% on his seventh try. LF Kenneth Hammer received 58.9% on his fifth ballot LF Husnija Kojic fell off the ballot with 57.0% on his tenth go and 1B Luigi Cuttone picked up 53.6% on his second try.

For Kojic, he peaked at 59.7% the prior year and bounced between the mid 30% to mid 50% range during his ten tries. He had a 13-year career with Brussels, winning five Silver Sluggers with 1637 hits, 1120 runs, 385 home runs, 965 RBI, a .293/.397/.562 slash, 168 wRC+, and 76.2 WAR. Kojic notably led the Northern Conference eight straight seasons in walks drawn and four times in OBP. He quickly fell off after his age 33 season though, which prevented him from reaching the accumulations required. Kojic had hoped to become the first Bosnian Hall of Famer, but no dice.

Pitcher David Jurik fell off after ten ballots also, peaking at 42.9% on his debut and ending at 15.2%. In 14 years primarily with Milan, he had a 185-155 record, 3.11 ERA, 3079.1 innings, 3042 strikeouts, 119 ERA+, and 78.1 WAR. Jurik won an ERA title, but never won Pitcher of the Year. His lack of dominant stats and being on mostly mediocre Milan teams caused him to be overlooked despite a respectable resume.

2B Jayden Smith also dropped after ten ballots. The Scotsman had a unique path as he didn’t join EBF until his age 27 season, having played on the independent circuit before that. In 11 seasons with Belgrade, he won four Gold Gloves and three Silver Sluggers, posting 1747 hits, 897 runs, 233 doubles, 308 home runs, 935 RBI, a .303/.351/.522 slash, 149 wRC+, and 80.4 WAR. If Smith hadn’t started late and had a few more years of accumulations, he probably gets a stronger look. He debuted at 39.9% but fell to 14.2% by the final ballot.



Daniel Galonopoulas – First Base – Zurich Mountaineers – 92.4% First Ballot

Daniel Galonopoulas was a 6’5’’, 200 pound right-handed first baseman from Ayia Varvara, Greece; a western suburb of Athens with around 27,000 people. Galonopoulas was a solid contact hitter with a powerful bat, hitting 40+ home runs in six different seasons. He’d also regularly get you around 30 doubles per season with his gap power. Galonopoulas was above average at drawing walks, but his strikeout rate was lousy.

Galonopoulas was a big galoot on the basepaths with terrible speed and grace. Despite that sluggishness, he managed to be delightfully average to sometimes good defensively as a first baseman. Galonopoulas had respectable durability and didn’t usually miss significant time. He was an excellent leader and one of Zurich’s team captains during their playoff run, earning tremendous respect throughout European baseball.

Galonopoulas’s big frame and potential was spotted even as a teenager in the greater Athens area. A visiting Swiss scout signed him as a teenage amateur in January 1977, bringing him to Zurich. Galonopoulas spent most of the next six years in the developmental academy. He did officially debut with 23 at bats in 1981 at age 20, but was back to the reserve roster in 1982. Zurich was already a decade into their playoff streak by this point, so roster spots weren’t easy to come by.

Galonopoulas secured a part-time role in 1983, then earned the full-time spot in 1984. He was the full-time first baseman from then onward, only missing time mainly in his later years due to injury. Galonopoulas’ first full season saw 49 home runs and 7.3 WAR, which snagged his first Silver Slugger. He only won once more in 1986 at the ultra-competitive first base.

1986 would be Galonopoulas’ finest season and his lone MVP. He led the Southern Conference with 138 runs and 162 RBI and also had career bests in hits (214), homers (57), OPS (1.048), and WAR (8.5). Galonopoulas had 11 seasons with 100+ RBI, 13 seasons with 30+ homers, and six seasons with 6+ WAR. Despite that, the 1986 campaign was his only time as a league leader.

Galonopoulas shined brightest in the playoffs as Zurich continued what would be a 21-year playoff streak with 24 berths in 25 years. Despite his efforts, the Mountaineers for the longest time couldn’t get over the playoff hump. They won the Southern Conference pennant in 1983 and 1984, but wouldn’t take it again from 1983-92. They made the conference final thrice in that stretch, but lost each time.

For his playoff career, Galonopoulas had 108 games, 131 hits, 58 runs, 23 doubles, 27 home runs, 68 RBI, a .319/.367/.582 slash, 160 wRC+, and a 5.1 WAR. As a team captain, he shouldered responsibility for the lack of playoff success. Galonopoulas stayed a popular and important figure for the franchise. Zurich gave him an eight-year, $7,540,000 extension in the summer of 1986.

While he carried on in Switzerland, Galonopoulas still held love for his native Greece. From 1984-2000, he played in 146 games with 142 starts in the World Baseball Championship, posting 117 hits, 78 runs, 28 doubles, 35 home runs, 84 RBI, a .225/.301/.481 slash, 126 wRC+, and 3.8 WAR.

In 1993, Zurich finally got the monkey off their back and won the European Championship in the 21^st and final year of their playoff streak. Galonopoulas was instrumental, winning MVP of the conference final and the championship against Birmingham. In 14 playoff starts, Galonopoulas had 23 hits, 10 runs, 3 doubles, 6 home runs, 19 RBI, a .418/.475/.836 slash, and 1.5 WAR. Finally, the Mountaineers captain had his ring.

Coming up on age 33, he signed for another five years and $9,500,000 in January 1994. Galonopoulas continued to play well, although that was the peak of the Zurich run. They missed the playoffs in 1994 to end the streak at 21 seasons, then a world record. They got back in 1995, 96, and 97, but were one-and-done each year. Then in 1998, Zurich had its first losing season since 1971.

Injuries started to plague Galonopoulas a bit in the later years, but he was still a good bat well into his 30s. In his twilight years he crossed the 600 home run and 1500 career RBI milestones. Zurich brought him back in 2000 on a qualifying offer, but he struggled and was limited to a bench leadership role. Galonopoulas retired that winter at age 39 and immediately saw his #19 uniform retired by the Mountaineers.

Galonopoulas had 2757 hits, 1534 runs, 481 doubles, 639 home runs, 1866 RBI, a .301/.357/.574 slash, 155 wRC+ and 91.0 WAR. As of 2037, he is still 14^th all-time in RBI and 15^th in home runs. Galonopoulas was a terrific leader and a huge piece of Zurich’s historic playoff run, making him an easy Hall of Fame choice. He received 92.4% to headline EBF’s 2006 class.



Angelo “Dog” Silvestri – Starting Pitcher – Zurich Mountaineers – 80.8% Sixth Ballot

Angelo Silvestri was a 6’0’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Chene-Bourg, Switzerland; a municipality of around 9,000 in the greater Geneva area. Nicknamed “Dog” Silvestri had excellent control and outstanding movement with his arsenal. His stuff was merely graded as above average to good with a 97-99 mph fastball, good curveball, and okay slider in his repertoire.

Silvestri was remarkably effective when healthy, but he had a lot of injury issues along with middling stamina. He always put in the time and effort, earning the respect of teammates and foes alike. Silvestri was also viewed as very intelligent with few pitchers as effectively able to pick the right spot for their pitches.

Silvestri started drawing attention from scouts as a teenager. His home country team Zurich quickly wanted to lock up the talented Swiss prospect, signing him to an amateur deal in February 1978. Silvestri officially debuted with three relief appearances in 1981 at age 21, then saw 14 games in 1982. The Mountaineers moved him into the full-time rotation starting with the 1983 season.

Despite being a full-time starter from 1983-86, he only narrowly topped 200 innings once due to various injuries. Silvestri was quite effective when healthy though and Zurich gave him a four-year extension worth $3,320,000 in June 1986. Silvestri had a very good 1987, then put it all together for a fantastic 1988.

That year, Silvestri was the ERA leader at 2.28 and WARlord at 11.5, winning his lone Pitcher of the Year award. He would lead the conference in K/BB five times and also lead in quality starts in 1990. Silvestri had a good 1989 despite some back troubles, but his excellent 1988 earned him another six years and $8,880,000 signed in early 1990.

1990 saw a 9.5 WAR effort, earning second in Pitcher of the Year voting. It was also his final full season as he went from having nagging smaller injuries to a major one. The third start of 1991 saw a torn UCL, knocking out Silvestri for 13 months. Silvestri made it back for sporadic starts the next three years, but his effectiveness with hit-and-miss.

Silvestri would post a 3.46 ERA in four playoff starts in 1993, helping Zurich finally win the European Championship after falling short in 20 straight playoff appearances. For his career, Silvestri had a 3.36 ERA and 9-9 in 187.2 playoff innings with 158 strikeouts, 18 walks, 110 ERA+, and 3.4 WAR.

Additionally, Silvestri was a regular for the Swiss national team in the World Baseball Championship. From 1982-94, he pitched 129 innings for Switzerland with a 9-3 record, 1.95 ERA, 166 strikeouts, 31 walks, 187 ERA+, and 5.6 WAR.

1994 started with an oblique strain costing Silvestri seven weeks. Then on June 30, he tore his UCL again, putting him on the shelf for another 11 months. Silvestri attempted a comeback in 1995, but only made it back for three lousy innings. He finally realized he was done, retiring that winter at age 35. Zurich would retire his #18 uniform for his lengthy service and role in both the playoff streak and the 1993 title.

Silvestri finished with a 153-70 record, 2.81 ERA, 2045 innings, 1785 strikeouts, 207 walks, 8.6 K/BB, 181/274 quality starts, 136 ERA+, and 71 FIP-, 58.9 WAR. His rate stats certainly weren’t out of place compared to other EBF Hall of Famers, but his accumulations were on the low end due to the injuries. Only two other starting pitchers had gotten inducted with fewer innings. His best year showed Silvestri could be absolutely elite, but he had trouble sustaining it.

It seemed like Silvestri would be a Hall of Good guy with a debut of 33.0% in 2001. He grew to 49.0% in 2002, but dropped back to 32.8% in 2003. Silvestri saw a huge boost to 62.8% in 2004, but plummeted to 33.4% in 2005. The rollercoaster continued and he had the massive swing up to 80.8% in 2006. Regardless of why the change of heart happened, this earned Silvestri the sixth ballot induction, joining his longtime teammate Daniel Galonopoulas as the 2006 EBF Hall of Fame inductees.

[FuzzyRussianHat]

Pitcher Levka Khagba was the lone addition into the Eurasian Professional Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006. The Irkutsk ace was a first ballot pick with 76.0%. Fellow pitcher Petr Bidzinashvili almost joined him, but fell heartbreakingly short at 64.3% on his ninth ballot. That was the closest he had come to the 66% requirement yet. Two fourth-ballot pitchers also were above 50% with Dana Bancu at 59.7% and Giorgi Mkadze at 57.1%.



Reliever Vladislav Minev fell off the ballot after ten failed tries, peaking at 52.0% in 1999 but ending at 18.6%. The Bulgarian journeyman pitched for nine EPB teams with 319 saves in 1014.1 innings, a 1.95 ERA, 1164 strikeouts, 267 walks, 152 ERA+, and 36.0 WAR. His stats are fairly comparable to other EPB relievers that made the cut, but he had fewer strikeouts and no major awards.



Levka “Baby Bull” Khagba – Starting Pitcher – Irkutsk Ice Cats – 76.0% First Ballot

Levka Khagba was a 6’2’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Sayanogorsk, Russia; a town of around 50,000 people in southern Siberia. Nicknamed “Baby Bull” as a child, Khagba had great movement on his pitches with good stuff. His control was below average, but he was often able to overcome that. Khagba’s fastball was in the 97-99 mph range and was part of a five pitch lineup that included a great forkball, a curveball, slider, and changeup. Khagba’s stamina was merely okay compared to most other EPB aces. However, he was very durable and still could reliably get you 200+ innings each year.

Khagba spent his entire pro career with Irkutsk, who picked him sixth overall in the 1986 EPB Draft. He struggled as a part-time starter in his rookie year, but adjusted the next year when added full-time to the rotation. After a couple decent years, Khagba emerged as a bonafide ace in 1991, leading the Asian League in ERA (1.69) and quality starts (31). That earned him Pitcher of the Year honors.

Khagba actually bested his ERA in 1992 at 1.64 and posted 7.9 WAR with a career best 310 strikeouts, taking second in POTY voting. Irkutsk would emerge as an Asian League dynasty in the 1990s. 1990 marked the start of an eight-season postseason streak. From 1992-97, the Ice Cats had six straight ALCS appearances with five pennants (1992, 93, 95, 96, 97). Irkutsk took home the EPB Championship in both 1993 and 1995.

Despite being a big reason they were a contender, Khagba’s playoff stats were unremarkable. He was 8-8 in 26 starts and 183.1 innings with a 3.49 ERA, 184 strikeouts, 45 walks, and 3.5 WAR. Khagba had a lackluster 83 ERA+, but his 89 FIP- suggested he got some bad breaks. Regardless, Khagba had a big role in Irkutsk’s success.

In 1995, Khagba posted career bests in wins (23-3), ERA (1.59), and WAR (8.0), winning Pitcher of the Year for the second time. After a good 1996, Khagba was a free agent for the first time at age 31. He tested the market for a month, then decided to re-sign with Irkutsk for six years and $11,460,000.

Khagba look good in 1997 and 1998 with 6+ WAR seasons both years. His velocity started to drop though with a very middling 1999 campaign. When 2000 dawned, Khagba was now barely hitting the low 90s after previously regularly finding the high 90s. He was on roster in 2000, but only saw 4.1 innings. Khagba retired that winter at age 35 and the Ice Cats retired his #34 uniform.

Khagba finished with a 201-125 record, 2.37 ERA, 3146.2 innings, 3140 strikeouts, 124 ERA+, 81 FIP-, 303/396 quality starts, and 69.3 WAR. His stats weren’t at the top of the leaderboards, but they weren’t out of place either. Two POTYs, a starring role in a dynasty, and a relatively weak 2006 ballot swayed most voters that were worried about the accumulations. Khagba received 76.0% for the first ballot nod as the lone 2006 EPB inductee.

[FuzzyRussianHat]

The Oceania Baseball Association had two players added to the Hall of Fame with the 2006 voting. Both were first ballot picks with LF Quentin Basa a lock at 97.5% and a solid 76.8% by SP Evan Tofuola. RF Ryan Whatley got 53.9% in his tenth and final opportunity and CL Garnet Wallace earned 52.5% for his third go. No one else was above 50%.



For Whatley, he was hurt by having half his career in MLB. He had a decade in Sydney, winning three MVPs and seven Silver Sluggers. Whatley then spent nine years in MLB before playing a final OBA season with Honolulu. The extremely popular Australian for his full pro career had 2715 hits, 1388 runs, 412 doubles, 151 triples, 277 home runs, 1200 RBI, 1050 walks, 996 stolen bases, a .290/.359/.454 slash, 139 wRC+, and 92.6 WAR.

For just OBA though, Whatley had 1468 hits, 726 runs, 241 doubles, 156 home runs, 673 RBI, 541 walks, 664 stolen bases, a .289/.354/.467 slash, 149 wRC+, and 59.4 WAR. There was a lot of voters who couldn’t get over the low totals and the fact that Whatley played on some bad Sydney teams despite his efforts. Not many guys had three MVPs though and his brief dominance still got him as high as 61.2% on the 2003 ballot. Whatley ended at 53.9%, losing out on a likely HOF nod due to leaving for MLB.



Quentin Basa – Left Field – Tahiti Tropics – 97.5% First Ballot

Quentin Basa was a 6’1’’, 200 pound left-handed left fielder from Santa Cruz, Philippines; a city of around 120,000 on the main Luzon island. Basa was a very well-rounded hitter who generally graded out as good to great across the board. He was a solid contact and power hitter with a good eye, although his strikeout rate was average. Basa averaged around 34 home runs and 28 doubles/triples per his 162 game average.

Basa’s speed wasn’t awful, but was firmly below average. He played exclusively in left field defensively and graded out as reliably average for his career. Basa had excellent durability and started 130+ games in 19 consecutive seasons. He was a scrappy sparkplug with a tireless work ethic, becoming one of OBA’s most enduring superstars of the 1980s and 1990s.

The first three rounds of the OBA Draft had regional restrictions which didn’t include the few Filipino players that opted for OBA instead of Austronesia Professional Baseball. Basa declared his OBA intent and was viewed as an elite hitting prospect, even if he couldn’t be picked until the fourth round. He was the first pick of the fourth, 52^nd overall, in 1979 by Tahiti. Basa earned a starting spot immediately with the Tropics and took third in Rookie of the Year voting in 1980.

Basa was a respectable rookie, but was elite by year two, winning the 1981 MVP and leading the Pacific League in wRC+. That was his first of three seasons worth 8+ WAR. He’d post 11 straight worth 5+ WAR with six of those going for 6+. Basa’s well-rounded nature meant he wasn’t often the leader in the big stats, but he was regularly in the top five or top ten. With Tahiti, he led in hits once, batting average once, runs once, walks once, WAR once, and OBP twice.

Basa was third in MVP voting in 1983, 84, 88, and 89. He won six of his ten Silver Sluggers with Tahiti (1981, 82, 83, 88, 89, 93). Basa was a beloved superstar for Tropics fans and signed an eight-year, $6,420,000 extension in the summer of 1986. Despite his efforts, Tahiti was largely average during his tenure with their best years paling in comparison to the Honolulu dynasty. Over his 15 year with the Tropics, they averaged 78 wins per season.

Although playing in the Pacific League, Basa was extremely popular back home in the Philippines. He played in 163 games with 137 starts from 1981-99 in the World Baseball Championship. Basa had 136 hits, 88 runs, 13 doubles, 36 home runs, 80 RBI, a .264/.353/.510 slash, 149 wRC+, and 5.6 WAR with the Filipino national team.

Basa still was playing at a high level into his 30s, even leading in WAR in 1993 at age 34. After 1994, his contract was up and he and Tahiti mutually agreed to move on. With the Tropics, Basa had 2376 hits, 1134 runs, 330 doubles, 463 home runs, 1156 RBI, a .280/.341/.498 slash, 166 wRC+, and 93.4 WAR. He’d remain a beloved franchise icon for years to come and would see his #4 uniform retired at the end of his career.

Even at age 36, Basa still attracted plenty of free agent attention. He signed a three-year, $5,460,000 deal with Guam, who was the runner-up the prior year in the OBA Championship. Basa won Silver Sluggers in both 1995 and 1996 for the Golden Eagles, who finished behind Honolulu both seasons in the Pacific League standings. With Guam, Basa had 309 hits, 147 runs, 68 home runs, 160 RBI, a .279/.341/.509 slash, 156 wRC+, and 11.6 WAR.

Now 38 years old, Basa was traded by Guam of all places to their main rival Honolulu for two prospects. Basa still had no luck getting that elusive finals appearance, as the Honu finished third behind Guam and Samoa. He won his ninth Silver Slugger in his one year with Honolulu with 40 home runs and 104 RBI. It was his first triple-digit RBI season and his fourth time hitting 40 homers.

The 39-year old Basa signed for 1998 with Samoa on a three-year, $4,960,000 deal. He seemingly found the fountain of youth as he was moved to DH and hit league bests in runs (101), RBI (109), total bases (352), slugging (.644), OPS (.955), and 187 wRC+. All but the wRC+ mark were career bests for Basa, as was his 52 homers. He won his second Pacific League MVP a remarkable 17 years after his first. It was his last great shot at a pennant and he was thwarted again as the Sun Sox took second to Guam.

In that 1998 season as well, Basa passed Sione Hala’s 2872 hits and 1402 runs to become the new OBA career hits and runs leader. Age caught up to him and Basa looked merely okay as a part-time starter in 1999, but he became the first OBA batter to reach 3000 career hits and the first to reach 1500 runs scored. Basa also became the fourth to 1500 career RBI. He only saw 21 games and 2 starts in 2000 for Samoa, retiring that winter at age 42. Basa had 8.8 WAR and a 166 wRC+ with the Sun Sox.

For his career, Basa had 3078 hits, 1506 runs, 434 doubles, 87 triples, 643 home runs, 1582 RBI, 984 walks, a .279/.339/.509 slash, 165 wRC+, and 119.8 WAR. At retirement, he was the only OBA player to have played 3000+ games (3072). Basa also retired as the hits and runs leader, seventh in doubles, fourth in home runs, third in RBI, and third in WAR for position players.

As of 2037, Basa is still second in games played, sixth in hits, eighth in runs, ninth in homers, ninth in RBI, and fourth in WAR for position players. His longevity and reliability were remarkable and being to win MVP at age 22 and age 39 is incredibly impressive. That is believed to be the longest gap in pro baseball history between MVP wins. Basa was a slam dunk first ballot choice for the 2006 ballot at 97.5% and was an inner-circle level superstar.



Evan Tofuola – Starting Pitcher – Honolulu Honu – 76.8% First Ballot

Evan Tofuola was a 5’11’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Faleasiu, Samoa; a village with around 4,000 people on the island of Upolu. Tofuola had excellent stuff with roughly average control and movement. His fastball regularly hit 96-98 mph, but his most dominant pitch was an awesome slider. Tofuola also had a good curveball and okay changeup in the arsenal.

His stamina was considered fairly average, but he did run into sporadic injury issues. Tofuola was a team captain, known for being an excellent leader with a terrific work ethic. He was one of the important figures in the clubhouse during the second chunk of Honolulu’s great dynasty run in the Pacific League.

Tofuola was spotted as a teenager at a baseball camp in Samoa by a visiting scout from the Honu. They signed him to an amateur deal in February 1982, bringing Tofuola to Hawaii. He officially debuted in 1986 at age 21, but he saw limited action with 180.2 innings over his first three years. Cracking the lineup was difficult in the four-man rotation of OBA for a dominant club. Tofuola’s first OBA Championship ring came with the 1986 squad, although he didn’t play in the final.

1988 was Tofuola’s first time pitching in the final and he did well with a 1.93 ERA over 14 innings, helping Honolulu win the title over Christchurch. That helped earn Tofuola a full-time rotation slot going forward. He got to see their second three-peat in a decade as the Honu won the 1988, 89, and 90 OBA titles. Tofuola had a great 1989 finals with a 1.40 ERA in 19.1 innings, although he struggled with a 7.20 ERA in 10 innings in 1990.

Tofuola earned third in Pitcher of the Year voting in 1989. 1990 was Tofuola’s real breakout season, leading the Pacific League in strikeouts (401) and FIP- (65), and WAR (9.1). Those were all career bests, but amazingly he wasn’t a POTY finalist. He led in WHIP in 1991, but missed two months to an elbow strain. That year was also notable as he tossed a no-hitter on September 11 with nine strikeouts and two walks versus Tahiti.

Honolulu finished second in the PL in both 1991 and 1992. The Honu gave Tofuola a three-year, $3,360,000 extension in the spring of 1992. That was a tough year for him though as an elbow strain, followed by a torn meniscus cost him most of the year. A setback with his knee knocked him out nine months in total.

He came back for a pretty good 1993 though, helping Honolulu to another PL pennant. They lost the OBA Championship to Perth and didn’t have Tofuola for the final part of the season due to a partially torn labrum. He bounced back with a full 1994, leading in strikeouts for the second time with 368. Tofuola was again third in POTY voting, the closest he’d get. The Honu took second in the PL that year to Guam.

Honolulu committed long-term to the now 30-year old Tofuola in February with a six-year, $8,280,000 extension. He was solid in 1995 and 1996, helping the Honu win two more pennants. They took the 1995 OBA final, but lost in 1996. Tofuola was great in the 1995 run, but poor in his lone 1996 start. For his playoff career, Tofuola recorded a 2.85 ERA and 4-2 record over 66.1 innings with 80 strikeouts, 21 walks, a 105 ERA+, and 1.1 WAR.

On September 12, 1996, Tofuola made history with the seventh OBA Perfect Game, striking out 14 against Honolulu. He became the 13^th OBA pitcher to have multiple no-hitters in a career. That would mark the end of the great dynasty, as the Honu fell below .500 by the end of the century. In 1997, an elbow strain and shoulder inflammation limited him to only 13 starts for the full season.

When Tofuola returned for 1998, his ability had diminished notably. He stayed relatively healthy in his final three years, but put up mediocre numbers. He even led the league with 102 walks in 1999. Tofuola tore his meniscus late in 2000 and retired that winter at age 35. Honolulu honored their long-term captain by retiring his #37 uniform.

Tofuola ended with a 176-138 record, 2.82 ERA, 3062.2 innings, 3390 strikeouts, 777 walks, 267/398 quality starts, 113 ERA+, 91 FIP-, and 53.3 WAR. His numbers aren’t necessarily out of place, but he was neither overly dominant nor someone with great longevity and tallies. At a glance, Tofuola wasn’t an absolute slam dunk pick.

However, he was well respected for his great leadership, a hard to measure intangible that helped Honolulu keep its dynasty running. That was a helpful fact for some of the skeptical voters who had Tofuola on the borderline. He received 76.8%, good enough for the first ballot addition to round out the 2006 OBA class.