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FuzzyRussianHat · 10-22-2023, 04:57 PM

The 34^th World Baseball Championship was hosted in Bogota, Colombia; the first time the event was back in South America since 1974. The event started with a surprise in Division 1 as the United States didn’t advance for the fourth time in WBC history. Haiti took the top spot at 7-2, one game better than the US and New Zealand. The only other prior division title for the Haitians was back in 1969. In Division 2, defending world champion China advanced at 8-1, beating France by one game and both the Netherlands and Venezuela by two. This was the 11^th division title for the Chinese.

Division 3 had a three-way tie for the top spot between Kazakhstan, Japan, and Thailand at 7-2. India at 6-3 was close behind as well. The tiebreaker ultimately went to the Kazakhs for their third-ever division title (1970, 1977). Division 4 had a tie as well with both Taiwan and South Korea at 8-1. The tiebreaker moved the Taiwanese ahead, surprisingly this was their first-ever division title. Division 5 was no contest with Italy going unbeaten at 9-0, the only team to sweep their division. Last year’s runner-up Nigeria was a distant 5-4. This was the seventh division title for the Italians.

In Division 6, neighbors Belarus and Ukraine tied for first at 7-2 with perennial favorite Canada a distant third at 5-4. The tiebreaker went to the Belarusians for their first division title. D7 saw Indonesia first at 8-1, beating Cuba by one and Singapore by two. The Indonesians were a semifinalist the prior year and earned their fourth division title. Russia, the other semifinalist last year, was 5-4 in D7. In Division 8, the Czech Republic grabbed the top spot at 8-1, one game ahead of Brazil. This was the third division title for the Czechs, who previously did it in 1974 and 1960.

In Round Robin Group A, Taiwan ran the table at 6-0, while Belarus, Italy, and Czechia were all 2-4. The tiebreaker would send the Czechs forward for their second-ever semifinal berth. In Group B, Indonesia at 5-1 was the leader to earn their third semifinal appearance. Haiti also advanced at 3-3, topping 2-4 efforts by China and Kazakhstan. It was the first-ever semifinal appearance for the Haitians. The semifinals also lacked the top five teams in the all-time WBC standings entering the event (United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, and South Korea).

Taiwan swept Haiti 3-0 in their semifinal series and the Czech Republic beat Indonesia 3-1. The Indonesians officially were third for back-to-back seasons, matching their all-time best effort. Fourth place was a new best for Haiti as well.

The World Championship had two first-time finalists in the Czech Republic and Taiwan and was the first final to have two first-timers since the earliest days of the event. It was a classic seven-game battle as well with the Czechs prevailing in the end, becoming the second-ever European team to win World Champion honors (Russia, 1956).

Leading the Czech effort was tournament MVP Zdenek Kuciak, a 27-year old CF with EPB’s Bratislava. Kuciak crushed 17 home runs in 26 games with 22 runs, 27 hits, 28 RBI, and 1.9 WAR. The 17 HRs was second most in a WBC run at that point behind Connor Neumeyer’s 20 in 1972. Haiti’s Augustin Desir was named Best Pitcher. The 31-year old journeyman pitcher with Monterrey tossed 11 innings with no earned runs (one run allowed), 14 strikeouts, two walks, and four hits.

Other notes: With Taiwan and Belarus’s performances, there have now been 53 nations in WBC history to advance to the elite eight at least once. With their division win, China passed South Korea for fifth most points in the all-time tournament standings. The Chinese were the only team in the top ten to get to the Round Robin in the 1980 event. In other notes, Sweden’s Linus Erlandsson had the lone no-hitter of the vent with 11 strikeouts and two walks against Mali.

10-22-2023, 04:57 PM	#658
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,410	1980 World Baseball Championship The 34^th World Baseball Championship was hosted in Bogota, Colombia; the first time the event was back in South America since 1974. The event started with a surprise in Division 1 as the United States didn’t advance for the fourth time in WBC history. Haiti took the top spot at 7-2, one game better than the US and New Zealand. The only other prior division title for the Haitians was back in 1969. In Division 2, defending world champion China advanced at 8-1, beating France by one game and both the Netherlands and Venezuela by two. This was the 11^th division title for the Chinese. Division 3 had a three-way tie for the top spot between Kazakhstan, Japan, and Thailand at 7-2. India at 6-3 was close behind as well. The tiebreaker ultimately went to the Kazakhs for their third-ever division title (1970, 1977). Division 4 had a tie as well with both Taiwan and South Korea at 8-1. The tiebreaker moved the Taiwanese ahead, surprisingly this was their first-ever division title. Division 5 was no contest with Italy going unbeaten at 9-0, the only team to sweep their division. Last year’s runner-up Nigeria was a distant 5-4. This was the seventh division title for the Italians. In Division 6, neighbors Belarus and Ukraine tied for first at 7-2 with perennial favorite Canada a distant third at 5-4. The tiebreaker went to the Belarusians for their first division title. D7 saw Indonesia first at 8-1, beating Cuba by one and Singapore by two. The Indonesians were a semifinalist the prior year and earned their fourth division title. Russia, the other semifinalist last year, was 5-4 in D7. In Division 8, the Czech Republic grabbed the top spot at 8-1, one game ahead of Brazil. This was the third division title for the Czechs, who previously did it in 1974 and 1960. In Round Robin Group A, Taiwan ran the table at 6-0, while Belarus, Italy, and Czechia were all 2-4. The tiebreaker would send the Czechs forward for their second-ever semifinal berth. In Group B, Indonesia at 5-1 was the leader to earn their third semifinal appearance. Haiti also advanced at 3-3, topping 2-4 efforts by China and Kazakhstan. It was the first-ever semifinal appearance for the Haitians. The semifinals also lacked the top five teams in the all-time WBC standings entering the event (United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, and South Korea). Taiwan swept Haiti 3-0 in their semifinal series and the Czech Republic beat Indonesia 3-1. The Indonesians officially were third for back-to-back seasons, matching their all-time best effort. Fourth place was a new best for Haiti as well. The World Championship had two first-time finalists in the Czech Republic and Taiwan and was the first final to have two first-timers since the earliest days of the event. It was a classic seven-game battle as well with the Czechs prevailing in the end, becoming the second-ever European team to win World Champion honors (Russia, 1956). Leading the Czech effort was tournament MVP Zdenek Kuciak, a 27-year old CF with EPB’s Bratislava. Kuciak crushed 17 home runs in 26 games with 22 runs, 27 hits, 28 RBI, and 1.9 WAR. The 17 HRs was second most in a WBC run at that point behind Connor Neumeyer’s 20 in 1972. Haiti’s Augustin Desir was named Best Pitcher. The 31-year old journeyman pitcher with Monterrey tossed 11 innings with no earned runs (one run allowed), 14 strikeouts, two walks, and four hits. Other notes: With Taiwan and Belarus’s performances, there have now been 53 nations in WBC history to advance to the elite eight at least once. With their division win, China passed South Korea for fifth most points in the all-time tournament standings. The Chinese were the only team in the top ten to get to the Round Robin in the 1980 event. In other notes, Sweden’s Linus Erlandsson had the lone no-hitter of the vent with 11 strikeouts and two walks against Mali. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports The Level Playing Field: Alternate MLB History From 1884-Onward Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)