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Ahmedabad’s remarkable dominance of the Indian League continued in 1997. The three-time defending South Asia Baseball champs were 120-42, the second-best mark in IL history behind their own 124-38 two years earlier. The Animals in 1997 allowed 410 runs, which is the lowest by any team in SAB history as of 2037. Their 0.911 WHIP set a new IL record, while the 2.33 team ERA was second to their own 2.23 from 1995. Ahmedabad’s postseason streak extended to 13 seasons, while their West Division title streak and streak of 100+ win seasons both moved to ten.

Despite their dominance, the wild card race was also in the West Division. Pune took the spot at 90-72, edging out Mumbai by two games. It was the Purple Knights first playoff berth and winning season since 1987. Jaipur repeated in the Central Division at 96-66. Kanpur was a distant second at 83-79 and saw their seven season playoff streak snapped. The South Division was abysmal, but 76-86 Hyderabad was the best of the bad to earn their first playoff spot in a decade. Visakhapatnam had won 101 games in 1996, but collapsed to a 73-89 finish. The Hippos were only two games better than 1995 Tokyo, who holds the record for worst mark by a division champ in any pro league.

It was a bad year for Bengaluru with only 68 wins, but another great year for Blazers 2B Tirtha Upadhyaya. The 23-year old Nepali lefty won his third consecutive Indian League MVP, leading in runs (104), home runs (60), RBI (116), total bases (383), slugging (.696), OPS (1.075), wRC+ (247), and WAR (12.9). It was the third straight 60+ homer season for Upadhyaya. He also became the second SAB batter to have a four home run game, smacking them against Kanpur on July 3.

Pitcher of the Year was 29-year old Burmese righty Na Thinn. After six solid seasons with Bangkok, he joined the evil empire of Ahmedabad for 1997 on a five-year, $5,800,000 deal. Thinn led in strikeouts (344), WHIP (0.81), FIP- (58), and WAR (8.1). He added an 18-4 record over 234.2 innings with a 1.73 ERA. Thinn also won a Silver Slugger with a .278/.303/.319 slash in his starts on the mound.

Ahmedabad bounced divisional foe 3-0 in the first round, while Jaipur had no trouble sweeping Hyderabad. This set up a rematch in the Indian League Championship Series and gave the Animals their 12^th straight ILCS berth. The dynasty rolled forward as Ahmedabad won the pennant 4-1. This gave the Animals four straight Indian League titles, eight in nine years, and ten in twelve years.



Ho Chi Minh City maintained its dominance of the Southeast Asia League, taking top marks in the South Division at 119-43. This was the third-best season in SEAL history, behind the Hedgehogs’ 126 wins in 1993 and 124 in 1995. HCMC’s playoff streak extended to 11 seasons and the division title run grew to nine years. The Hedgehogs had the most runs (853) and fewest allowed (481) by a considerable margin in SEAL.

Reigning SEAL champ Yangon was an impressive 103-59 atop the North Division, tying a franchise best. This made back-to-back-to-back division titles for the Green Dragons. There was a steep drop to the wild card race. Phnom Penh (84-78) ended up with the first spot while Bangkok (82-80) took the second. Mandalay (81-81) was right behind with a few others not far from that. The Pandas ended a five-year stretch without a playoff spot or a winning season. The Bobcats grabbed a third wild card in four years.

The big offseason change was veteran slugger K.C. Choudhury ending up with Ho Chi Minh City. He had been a beast for a decade plus within Ahmedabad’s dynasty, but he sat out the 1996 season as no one matched his price. The Hedgehogs were the only other team willing and able to spend on the level required and got the 37-year old legend on a one-year deal. Choudhury won his third MVP award and led in runs (120), walks (106), OPS (1.030), wRC+ (189), and WAR (9.7). He added 44 home runs and 110 RBI. It would be his only season in Vietnam, as Choudhury went back to the Animals the next year.

Pitcher of the Year also went to a HCMC player as Ansin “Godzilla” Mohammad was a repeat winner. He became the third SAB pitcher to earn a Triple Crown season in his second year as a Hedgehog. The 30-year old righty had a 25-5 record, 1.97 ERA, and 356 strikeouts over 273.2 innings. He also led in quality starts (27), shutouts (6), FIP- (61), and WAR (9.3). Mohammad also had a 20 strikeout game versus Bangkok on April 13, putting him one short of the SAB single-game record. He was only the third SAB pitcher to fan 20+.

In the first round of the playoffs, Phnom Penh stunned Yangon 3-1. This was the third-ever Southeast Asia League Championship Series for the Pandas, joining the 1988 and 1989 campaigns. Ho Chi Minh City would best Bangkok 3-1 for a fourth straight SEALCS berth. The Hedgehogs rolled their divisional rival 4-1 to earn a third pennant in four years. It was HCMC’s seventh SEAL title in eleven years.



The 18^th South Asia Baseball Championship was yet another battle between Ahmedabad and Ho Chi Minh City. The Animals were looking to four-peat for the second time and had a 6-0 record against the Hedgehogs in the final. The 239 combined wins between the two was the second most ever for a final in any world league, only behind the 248 wins from their 1995 battle. This time, HCMC finally slayed the great dragon to win their first SAB title. Not only did the Hedgehogs win, but they swept Ahmedabad. Veteran 3B Thang Huynh, who played with the Animals in the 1995 championship, was finals MVP in 1997 for the Hedgehogs. The 35-year old had 20 hits, 11 runs, 4 doubles, 3 home runs, and 10 RBI in 13 playoff starts.



Other notes: For the third time in SAB history, there were zero no hitters thrown. Janapati Sara became the second pitcher to 3500 career strikeouts. Dhavalapaksa Dattatreya was the seventh member of the 400 home run club. 3B Manju Abbas won his eighth straight Gold Glove; the first player in SAB history to win the award eight or more times. 2B Abdul Deepkaran won his ninth Silver Slugger and 3B Thang Huynh won his seventh.