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FuzzyRussianHat · 03-26-2024, 01:51 AM

1998 was the largest Hall of Fame class in the history of Austronesia Professional Baseball with five players earning induction. Previously, 1989 was the only time APB even had a three-player class. Impressively as well, all five selections were on the first ballot and earned more than ¾ of the vote. Pitchers and teammates Vhon Lasam and Dave Hermillo both led the way with 99.2% apiece. Two other starting pitchers got in with Ryco Bujang at 85.4% and Poh Tan at 81.8%. The fifth player in was closer Edhie Dalem at 79.4%.

Four others were above 50%. SP Ravi Peng nearly made it a six player class as he got 64.4% for his debut. Closer Stallion Ricciardi had a respectable 57.3% for his debut. Closer Hong Qinonez had 53.8% in his second go and closer Ting-Wei Ping saw 52.2% for his second ballot. No players fell off the ballot after ten tries.

Vhon Lasam – Starting Pitcher – Zamboanga Zebras – 99.2% First Ballot

Vhon Lasam was a 6’2’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from Bongabon, Philippines, a municipality of around 66,000 people in the Nueva Ecjia province. Lasam was known for having excellent stuff with above average to good movement and control. His fastball regularly was in the 98-100 mph range and was mixed with a great slider and good changeup. Lasam had solid stamina and excellent durability during his career. He was also considered very defensively sound. On top of that, Lasam was a team captain with great leadership skills and a strong work ethic.

All of these traits were evident even when Lasam was an amateur. Zamboanga had the #1 overall pick in the 1976 APB Draft and used it on Lasam, hoping he could reverse their fortunes. The Zebras had just come off a franchise worst 60-102 season. Lasam was split between the rotation and relief as a rookie, performing well enough to take second in Rookie of the Year voting. He was a full-time starter for the remainder of his career, tossing 230+ innings each year for the next 15 seasons.

Lasam emerged as an ace with his third season, beginning a streak of seven streak seasons worth 9+ WAR. He had 11 consecutive seasons striking out 300+ batters. With Zamboanga, he led the Taiwan-Philippine Association in wins twice, ERA thrice, innings once, strikeouts five times, WHIP four times, FIP- six times, and WAR four times. His 1.50 ERA in 1979 earned Lasam his first Pitcher of the Year award.

In 1981, Lasam tossed two no-hitters. The first came on May 28 with 12 strikeouts and four walks against Tainan. Then on June 16, he fanned 15 with two walks versus Taoyuan. Lasam won his second Pitcher of the Year this season and posted career bests in strikeouts (417), innings (289), and WAR (12.8). He took second in 1982 Pitcher of the Year voting, then won the award for a third time in 1983 and fourth time in 1984. 1984 also was a Triple Crown season with a 20-7 record, 1.72 ERA, and 377 strikeouts. Lasam also set an APB record with 23 strikeouts over 10.1 innings on July 6 against Cebu. That tied the world record for strikeouts in a game.

Lasam was also a popular player throughout the entirety of the Philippines for his work in the World Baseball Championship from 1978-91. He tossed 147 WBC innings with a 2.27 ERA, 255 strikeouts, 165 ERA+, and 7.6 WAR. Lasam was WBC Best Pitcher in 1983 with 16 scoreless innings. He took second for the award in 1988. Lasam was also dominant in his limited playoff appearances with Zamboanga, going4-0 in four starts with a 0.98 ERA over 36.2 innings, 51 strikeouts, and 1.4 WAR.

Despite his dominance, the Zebras were mostly below .500 in his run. They won the Philippine League in 1979 and 1981, but fell in the Association Championship both seasons. Still, he was a great leader and was committed to seeing Zamboanga succeed. They signed him to a six-year, $4,540,000 contract extension after the 1984 season. However, he was surprisingly traded the next summer.

For his Zamboanga run, Lasam had a 135-96 record, 1.96 ERA, 2259 innings, 2958 strikeouts, 142 ERA+, 59 FIP-, and 76.0 WAR. The Zebras would fall below .500 in1985 and decided to blow it all up, even though Lasam was only 30 and had just signed the big extension. He was traded on July 19 to Bandung for four prospects.

Lasam wasn’t as dominant with the Blackhawks, but he was still excellent. He took third in 1986 Pitcher of the Year voting and second in 1988. In 1987, he threw two more no-hitters, one on June 26 with 13 Ks and 1 walk against Pekanbaru and the other on July 20 with 14 Ks and 1 BB versus Semarang. He joined Muljadi Suwandi as the only APB pitchers to that point to have thrown four no-nos in a career. Lasam also led in strikeouts and quality starts in 1988. Bandung was generally mid during his tenure and never made the playoffs.

In 1989, Lasam made more history by throwing a perfect game against Depok, striking out 19 of the 27 batters he faced. This also set a world record for most strikeouts in a perfect game, which amazingly enough was matched the very next day by Dana Bancu in Eurasian Professional Baseball. On April 12, 1990, Lasam threw a second perfect game with 15 strikeouts against Palembang. As of 2037, he’s the only APB pitcher with six no-hitters and one of four with two perfect games.

Lasam became the first APB pitcher to reach 5000 career strikeouts in 1991. That was his final year in Bandung, as his contract expired that winter. For his Blackhawks tenure, Lasam saw a 1.63 ERA, 94-70 record, 1609.1 innings, 2164 strikeouts, 149 ERA+, 63 FIP-, and 48.2 WAR. A free agent for the first time at age 37, Lasam returned to the Philippines on a three-year, $3,340,000 deal with Quezon.

Unfortunately, Lasam’s velocity dropped to the 94-96 range by this point, rendering his stuff far less impressive. He only pitched one season with the Zombies, leading in losses and posting a subpar 88 ERA+. Lasam opted to retire at age 38. Soon after, Zamboanga announced that they would be retiring his #47 uniform.

Lasam’s career line had a 237-184 record, 1.91 ERA, 4137.2 innings, 5365 strikeouts, 735 walks, 0.86 WHIP, 410/497 quality starts, 170 complete games, 46 shutouts, 139 ERA+, 64 FIP-, and 126.5 WAR. At induction, he was APB’s strikeout king, third In pitching WAR, and fourth in wins. Lasam’s K mark would fall in the early 2010s to Dedi Dewi, but as of 2037, he’s still second in strikeouts all-time and seventh in WAR. His spot as an inner-circle level Hall of Famer was assured, getting 99.2% in the loaded 1998 class.

Dave “Shoebox” Hermillo – Starting Pitcher – Zamboanga Zebras – 99.2% First Ballot

Dave Hermillo was a 6’2’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Caliling, Philippines; a small town of around 5,000 in the Western Visayas region. Hermillo was best known for having excellent control, although he also boasted very good stuff with decent movement. His fastball reached 99-101 mph regularly and was part of a five-pitch arsenal that included a forkball, slider, curveball, and changeup. Hermillo had outstanding stamina, leading seven times in complete games and four times in innings pitched. He was also an ironman, tossing 240+ innings in all but his rookie season.

Hermillo was picked 10^th overall by Zamboanga in the 1975 APB Draft. He was a part-time starter as a rookie, but a full-timer from year two onward. Hermillo began his seven year streak of having the most complete games in the Taiwan-Philippine Association with the 1978 season. He generally wasn’t as dominant as his teammate Vhon Lasam, but Hermillo was still excellent with 5+ WAR in each of his full seasons as a Zebra. In 1979, he posted an impressive 53 inning scoreless streak. Despite their one-two punch in the rotation, Zamboanga’s team success was limited with only two playoff appearances in Hermillo’s tenure.

Hermillo and Lasam were also regular teammates for the Philippines in the World Baseball Championship. From 1978-91, Hermillo had 167.2 innings, a 2.52 ERA, 199 strikeouts, a 149 ERA+, and 5.1 WAR. He would be overshadowed often in Pitcher of the Year voting, taking third in 1979 and 1980. Hermillo also won his lone Gold Glove in 1980. He would ink a five-year contract extension after the 1981 season worth $1,700,000.

1982 was his finest season with a TPA best 1.44 ERA and 10.7 WAR. He also led in wins, innings, and shutouts, while posting a career-high 339 strikeouts. Hermillo won his lone Pitcher of the Year and was third in MVP voting. He took second in POTY in 1983, third in 1984, and second again in 1985. On June 23, 1984, Hermillo tossed a perfect game against Quezon, striking out 11 batters.

Like Lasam, Hermillo was traded in 1985. However, his trade came after the season as opposed to at the deadline. For his Zamboanga run, Hermillo had a 159-123 record, 2.23 ERA, 2711.2 innings, 2916 strikeouts, 126 ERA+, and 64.4 WAR. He also remained popular with Zebras fans and his #34 uniform would be retired at the end of his career. Zamboanga was looking to blow it all up and figured Hermillo was gone after his contract expired with the 1986 season. He was traded for three prospects to Pekanbaru.

The Palms quickly locked him up long-term with a six-year, $4,660,000 extension that summer. Hermillo was never as dominant with the Palms and wasn’t a POTY finalist, but he still provided reliable steady innings. Having to bat for the first time in the Sundaland Association, he also was decent for a pitcher, winning a Silver Slugger in 1987. Pekanbaru made the playoffs twice in his tenure, but couldn’t win the Association title. For his entire playoff career, Hermillo had a 3.48 ERA over 51.2 innings, 61 strikeouts, and 76 ERA+. Most of the bad numbers though came from an abysmal two starts with Zamboanga in 1981.

Hermillo’s innings and durability helped him reach some big milestones. In 1991, he was the first APB pitcher to reach 250 career wins. He was also the second to reach 4500 strikeouts, behind Lazam who had done it two years earlier. His strikeouts went down in his later years, but Hermillo was still a respectable starter in his final season. He opted for retirement after the 1992 campaign at age 38. With Pekanbaru, Hermillo had a 110-68 record, 1.94 ERA, 1816.2 innings, 1869 strikeouts, 125 ERA+, and 31.2 WAR.

The career stats were a 269-191 record, 2.11 ERA, 4528.1 innings, 4785 strikeouts, 758 walks, 423/535 quality starts, 249 complete games, 65 shutouts, 125 ERA+, 83 FIP-, and 95.6 WAR. Hermillo lost the wins mark by the end of the 1990s, but still sits fourth all-time as of 2037. He’s also still third in innings, fourth in complete games, tenth in strikeouts, and 19^th in pitching WAR. Hermillo wasn’t the most dominant pitcher of his era, but he was remarkably reliable and steady for 17 years. He was another easy first ballot choice, getting 99.2% alongside his teammate Lasam atop the five-player 1998 class.

03-26-2024, 01:51 AM	#1095
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,644	1998 APB Hall of Fame (Part 1) 1998 was the largest Hall of Fame class in the history of Austronesia Professional Baseball with five players earning induction. Previously, 1989 was the only time APB even had a three-player class. Impressively as well, all five selections were on the first ballot and earned more than ¾ of the vote. Pitchers and teammates Vhon Lasam and Dave Hermillo both led the way with 99.2% apiece. Two other starting pitchers got in with Ryco Bujang at 85.4% and Poh Tan at 81.8%. The fifth player in was closer Edhie Dalem at 79.4%. Four others were above 50%. SP Ravi Peng nearly made it a six player class as he got 64.4% for his debut. Closer Stallion Ricciardi had a respectable 57.3% for his debut. Closer Hong Qinonez had 53.8% in his second go and closer Ting-Wei Ping saw 52.2% for his second ballot. No players fell off the ballot after ten tries. Vhon Lasam – Starting Pitcher – Zamboanga Zebras – 99.2% First Ballot Vhon Lasam was a 6’2’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from Bongabon, Philippines, a municipality of around 66,000 people in the Nueva Ecjia province. Lasam was known for having excellent stuff with above average to good movement and control. His fastball regularly was in the 98-100 mph range and was mixed with a great slider and good changeup. Lasam had solid stamina and excellent durability during his career. He was also considered very defensively sound. On top of that, Lasam was a team captain with great leadership skills and a strong work ethic. All of these traits were evident even when Lasam was an amateur. Zamboanga had the #1 overall pick in the 1976 APB Draft and used it on Lasam, hoping he could reverse their fortunes. The Zebras had just come off a franchise worst 60-102 season. Lasam was split between the rotation and relief as a rookie, performing well enough to take second in Rookie of the Year voting. He was a full-time starter for the remainder of his career, tossing 230+ innings each year for the next 15 seasons. Lasam emerged as an ace with his third season, beginning a streak of seven streak seasons worth 9+ WAR. He had 11 consecutive seasons striking out 300+ batters. With Zamboanga, he led the Taiwan-Philippine Association in wins twice, ERA thrice, innings once, strikeouts five times, WHIP four times, FIP- six times, and WAR four times. His 1.50 ERA in 1979 earned Lasam his first Pitcher of the Year award. In 1981, Lasam tossed two no-hitters. The first came on May 28 with 12 strikeouts and four walks against Tainan. Then on June 16, he fanned 15 with two walks versus Taoyuan. Lasam won his second Pitcher of the Year this season and posted career bests in strikeouts (417), innings (289), and WAR (12.8). He took second in 1982 Pitcher of the Year voting, then won the award for a third time in 1983 and fourth time in 1984. 1984 also was a Triple Crown season with a 20-7 record, 1.72 ERA, and 377 strikeouts. Lasam also set an APB record with 23 strikeouts over 10.1 innings on July 6 against Cebu. That tied the world record for strikeouts in a game. Lasam was also a popular player throughout the entirety of the Philippines for his work in the World Baseball Championship from 1978-91. He tossed 147 WBC innings with a 2.27 ERA, 255 strikeouts, 165 ERA+, and 7.6 WAR. Lasam was WBC Best Pitcher in 1983 with 16 scoreless innings. He took second for the award in 1988. Lasam was also dominant in his limited playoff appearances with Zamboanga, going4-0 in four starts with a 0.98 ERA over 36.2 innings, 51 strikeouts, and 1.4 WAR. Despite his dominance, the Zebras were mostly below .500 in his run. They won the Philippine League in 1979 and 1981, but fell in the Association Championship both seasons. Still, he was a great leader and was committed to seeing Zamboanga succeed. They signed him to a six-year, $4,540,000 contract extension after the 1984 season. However, he was surprisingly traded the next summer. For his Zamboanga run, Lasam had a 135-96 record, 1.96 ERA, 2259 innings, 2958 strikeouts, 142 ERA+, 59 FIP-, and 76.0 WAR. The Zebras would fall below .500 in1985 and decided to blow it all up, even though Lasam was only 30 and had just signed the big extension. He was traded on July 19 to Bandung for four prospects. Lasam wasn’t as dominant with the Blackhawks, but he was still excellent. He took third in 1986 Pitcher of the Year voting and second in 1988. In 1987, he threw two more no-hitters, one on June 26 with 13 Ks and 1 walk against Pekanbaru and the other on July 20 with 14 Ks and 1 BB versus Semarang. He joined Muljadi Suwandi as the only APB pitchers to that point to have thrown four no-nos in a career. Lasam also led in strikeouts and quality starts in 1988. Bandung was generally mid during his tenure and never made the playoffs. In 1989, Lasam made more history by throwing a perfect game against Depok, striking out 19 of the 27 batters he faced. This also set a world record for most strikeouts in a perfect game, which amazingly enough was matched the very next day by Dana Bancu in Eurasian Professional Baseball. On April 12, 1990, Lasam threw a second perfect game with 15 strikeouts against Palembang. As of 2037, he’s the only APB pitcher with six no-hitters and one of four with two perfect games. Lasam became the first APB pitcher to reach 5000 career strikeouts in 1991. That was his final year in Bandung, as his contract expired that winter. For his Blackhawks tenure, Lasam saw a 1.63 ERA, 94-70 record, 1609.1 innings, 2164 strikeouts, 149 ERA+, 63 FIP-, and 48.2 WAR. A free agent for the first time at age 37, Lasam returned to the Philippines on a three-year, $3,340,000 deal with Quezon. Unfortunately, Lasam’s velocity dropped to the 94-96 range by this point, rendering his stuff far less impressive. He only pitched one season with the Zombies, leading in losses and posting a subpar 88 ERA+. Lasam opted to retire at age 38. Soon after, Zamboanga announced that they would be retiring his #47 uniform. Lasam’s career line had a 237-184 record, 1.91 ERA, 4137.2 innings, 5365 strikeouts, 735 walks, 0.86 WHIP, 410/497 quality starts, 170 complete games, 46 shutouts, 139 ERA+, 64 FIP-, and 126.5 WAR. At induction, he was APB’s strikeout king, third In pitching WAR, and fourth in wins. Lasam’s K mark would fall in the early 2010s to Dedi Dewi, but as of 2037, he’s still second in strikeouts all-time and seventh in WAR. His spot as an inner-circle level Hall of Famer was assured, getting 99.2% in the loaded 1998 class. Dave “Shoebox” Hermillo – Starting Pitcher – Zamboanga Zebras – 99.2% First Ballot Dave Hermillo was a 6’2’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Caliling, Philippines; a small town of around 5,000 in the Western Visayas region. Hermillo was best known for having excellent control, although he also boasted very good stuff with decent movement. His fastball reached 99-101 mph regularly and was part of a five-pitch arsenal that included a forkball, slider, curveball, and changeup. Hermillo had outstanding stamina, leading seven times in complete games and four times in innings pitched. He was also an ironman, tossing 240+ innings in all but his rookie season. Hermillo was picked 10^th overall by Zamboanga in the 1975 APB Draft. He was a part-time starter as a rookie, but a full-timer from year two onward. Hermillo began his seven year streak of having the most complete games in the Taiwan-Philippine Association with the 1978 season. He generally wasn’t as dominant as his teammate Vhon Lasam, but Hermillo was still excellent with 5+ WAR in each of his full seasons as a Zebra. In 1979, he posted an impressive 53 inning scoreless streak. Despite their one-two punch in the rotation, Zamboanga’s team success was limited with only two playoff appearances in Hermillo’s tenure. Hermillo and Lasam were also regular teammates for the Philippines in the World Baseball Championship. From 1978-91, Hermillo had 167.2 innings, a 2.52 ERA, 199 strikeouts, a 149 ERA+, and 5.1 WAR. He would be overshadowed often in Pitcher of the Year voting, taking third in 1979 and 1980. Hermillo also won his lone Gold Glove in 1980. He would ink a five-year contract extension after the 1981 season worth $1,700,000. 1982 was his finest season with a TPA best 1.44 ERA and 10.7 WAR. He also led in wins, innings, and shutouts, while posting a career-high 339 strikeouts. Hermillo won his lone Pitcher of the Year and was third in MVP voting. He took second in POTY in 1983, third in 1984, and second again in 1985. On June 23, 1984, Hermillo tossed a perfect game against Quezon, striking out 11 batters. Like Lasam, Hermillo was traded in 1985. However, his trade came after the season as opposed to at the deadline. For his Zamboanga run, Hermillo had a 159-123 record, 2.23 ERA, 2711.2 innings, 2916 strikeouts, 126 ERA+, and 64.4 WAR. He also remained popular with Zebras fans and his #34 uniform would be retired at the end of his career. Zamboanga was looking to blow it all up and figured Hermillo was gone after his contract expired with the 1986 season. He was traded for three prospects to Pekanbaru. The Palms quickly locked him up long-term with a six-year, $4,660,000 extension that summer. Hermillo was never as dominant with the Palms and wasn’t a POTY finalist, but he still provided reliable steady innings. Having to bat for the first time in the Sundaland Association, he also was decent for a pitcher, winning a Silver Slugger in 1987. Pekanbaru made the playoffs twice in his tenure, but couldn’t win the Association title. For his entire playoff career, Hermillo had a 3.48 ERA over 51.2 innings, 61 strikeouts, and 76 ERA+. Most of the bad numbers though came from an abysmal two starts with Zamboanga in 1981. Hermillo’s innings and durability helped him reach some big milestones. In 1991, he was the first APB pitcher to reach 250 career wins. He was also the second to reach 4500 strikeouts, behind Lazam who had done it two years earlier. His strikeouts went down in his later years, but Hermillo was still a respectable starter in his final season. He opted for retirement after the 1992 campaign at age 38. With Pekanbaru, Hermillo had a 110-68 record, 1.94 ERA, 1816.2 innings, 1869 strikeouts, 125 ERA+, and 31.2 WAR. The career stats were a 269-191 record, 2.11 ERA, 4528.1 innings, 4785 strikeouts, 758 walks, 423/535 quality starts, 249 complete games, 65 shutouts, 125 ERA+, 83 FIP-, and 95.6 WAR. Hermillo lost the wins mark by the end of the 1990s, but still sits fourth all-time as of 2037. He’s also still third in innings, fourth in complete games, tenth in strikeouts, and 19^th in pitching WAR. Hermillo wasn’t the most dominant pitcher of his era, but he was remarkably reliable and steady for 17 years. He was another easy first ballot choice, getting 99.2% alongside his teammate Lasam atop the five-player 1998 class. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)