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FuzzyRussianHat · 03-29-2024, 10:21 AM

Ahmedabad retained its dominance of the Indian League with a 118-44 record in 1998. The Animals had a 2.33 team ERA and 385 earned runs allowed, both second-best in IL history behind their own 1995 efforts. The four-time reigning league champs extended their record playoff streak to 14 seasons, winning a 13^th West Division title in that stretch. The other three playoff spots went to different teams compared to 1997. Visakhapatnam won the South Division at 90-72 for their eighth division title in a decade. Kolkata claimed the Central at 85-77, ending a decade-long playoff drought. Delhi was two games back at 83-79, but this earned the Drillers the wild card. They were three games ahead of Chennai and four better than both Mumbai and Jaipur. Delhi snapped a two season playoff skid.

Bengaluru had the worst record in the Indian League at 66-96. Despite their continued mediocrity, 2B Tirtha Upadhyaya won a fourth straight MVP. The 24-year old Nepali led in home runs (56), total bases (372), slugging (.650), OPS (1.011), wRC+ (224), and WAR (11.0). Upadhyaya added a .292 average and 113 RBI. Anabhisastra Tyagi was Pitcher of the Year, having arrived in Ahmedabad for 1998 after a trade with Dhaka. The 29-year old led in wins (22-7), and WHIP (0.86). He added 312 strikeouts, a 2.40 ERA, and 5.7 WAR over 251 innings. Tyagi surprised many by stepping away from the game for five years after this, returning for a one-off season in 2004.

Delhi took Ahmedabad to the limit in the first round of the playoffs, but the Animals escaped with a 3-2 victory. Visakhapatnam edged Kolkata in five, giving the Volts their first Indian League Championship Series appearance since 1991. Ahmedabad’s dominance continued though as they took the ILCS 4-1. This gave the Animals five straight Indian League pennants, nine in ten years, and 11 in 13 years.

Defending South Asia Baseball champ Ho Chi Minh City extended their own dominance in the Southeast Asia League. The Hedgehogs had the best overall record for the seventh straight year and extended their overall playoff streak to 12 seasons, finishing 117-45 atop the South Division. They set new SEAL pitching records for strikeouts (1948), and H/9 (6.74), while also having the second lowest tallies in runs (459), and hits (1106). Yangon repeated as North Division champs for the fourth year in a row. At 96-66, the Green Dragons edged Hanoi by two games. The Hounds picked up a third wild card in four years. Bangkok narrowly secured the other wild card for a third straight playoff berth. The Bobcats got it at 86-76, topping Mandalay by one game and Phnom Penh by three.

LF Amoda Shah became a two-time SEAL MVP, having left Bangkok in the offseason and signing an eight-year, $12,000,000 deal with Ho Chi Minh City. The 27-year old Indian became the new single-season home run king with 70 dingers, passing Tirtha Upadhyaya’s record of 69 from 1996. Shah’s reign would last only two years, but as of 2037, he’s one of only five SAB hitters with a 70+ homer season. Shah also led in runs (119), RBI (140), total bases (405), slugging (.713), OPS (1.069), wRC+ (195), and WAR (9.8).

Another big free agent acquisition for the Hedgehogs was Kirpal Kushwaha, who won his second Pitcher of the Year. He had left Delhi after the 1996 season and sat out a year, making a return on a two-year, $1,770,000 deal. Kushwaha led in strikeouts (349), WHIP (0.89), shutouts (6), FIP- (51), and WAR (10.4). The 30-year old Indian also had a 2.30 ERA and 21-6 record over 254.2 innings.

Ho Chi Minh City outlasted Bangkok 3-2 in the first round, while Hanoi upset divisional foe Yangon 3-1. This was the Hounds’ first time in the Southeast Asia League Championship since 1993, while the Hedgehogs were making a fifth straight appearance. In the battle of Vietnamese squads, HCMC dominated with a sweep. The Hedgehogs repeated as SEAL champs, won their fourth pennant in five years, and eighth in 12 years.

Ahmedabad and Ho Chi Minh City had become the “evil empires” of South Asia Baseball. With their tremendous successes, both squads had blown out their peers financially. Both had used their funds to maintain superiority as both had payrolls above $30 million in 1998. No other team in SAB was above $20 million. The 19^th SAB Championship was the eighth time they had met in the final. After seven straight wins for the Animals, the Hedgehogs had finally won in 1997.

It would be Ahmedabad returning to their perch in 1998, taking the series 4-1 over HCMC. The Animals picked up their fourth SAB title in five years, and their tenth in 13 years. CF Anjan Sumanjit was finals MVP, posting 20 hits, 7 runs, 4 doubles, 2 home runs, 9 RBI, and 10 stolen bases in 15 playoff starts. Also notable was Pitcher of the Year Anabhisastra Tyagi , who tossed two shutouts in his four playoff starts, posting a 1.32 ERA over 34 innings with 45 strikeouts.

Other notes: Kolkata’s Jalal Mohammad had the third SAB perfect game on September 8, striking out 11 against Hyderabad. K.C. Choudhury set the SAB record for walks drawn at 136, which remains the all-time mark as of 2037. Choudhury also became the second player to 1500 runs scored. He would pass VJ Williams and become the runs leader at 1711 when he retired in 2000 and held that distinction for around 15 years. Tirtha Upadhyaya had his second four home run game and only the third by any player In SAB history. Arvind Lal became the third pitcher to 3500 career strikeouts. 3B Manju Abbas won his ninth Gold Glove, the first nine-time winner at any position. Thang Huynh won his eighth Silver Slugger. It was his first as a first baseman, with the previous wins at third.

03-29-2024, 10:21 AM	#1105
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,931	1998 in SAB Ahmedabad retained its dominance of the Indian League with a 118-44 record in 1998. The Animals had a 2.33 team ERA and 385 earned runs allowed, both second-best in IL history behind their own 1995 efforts. The four-time reigning league champs extended their record playoff streak to 14 seasons, winning a 13^th West Division title in that stretch. The other three playoff spots went to different teams compared to 1997. Visakhapatnam won the South Division at 90-72 for their eighth division title in a decade. Kolkata claimed the Central at 85-77, ending a decade-long playoff drought. Delhi was two games back at 83-79, but this earned the Drillers the wild card. They were three games ahead of Chennai and four better than both Mumbai and Jaipur. Delhi snapped a two season playoff skid. Bengaluru had the worst record in the Indian League at 66-96. Despite their continued mediocrity, 2B Tirtha Upadhyaya won a fourth straight MVP. The 24-year old Nepali led in home runs (56), total bases (372), slugging (.650), OPS (1.011), wRC+ (224), and WAR (11.0). Upadhyaya added a .292 average and 113 RBI. Anabhisastra Tyagi was Pitcher of the Year, having arrived in Ahmedabad for 1998 after a trade with Dhaka. The 29-year old led in wins (22-7), and WHIP (0.86). He added 312 strikeouts, a 2.40 ERA, and 5.7 WAR over 251 innings. Tyagi surprised many by stepping away from the game for five years after this, returning for a one-off season in 2004. Delhi took Ahmedabad to the limit in the first round of the playoffs, but the Animals escaped with a 3-2 victory. Visakhapatnam edged Kolkata in five, giving the Volts their first Indian League Championship Series appearance since 1991. Ahmedabad’s dominance continued though as they took the ILCS 4-1. This gave the Animals five straight Indian League pennants, nine in ten years, and 11 in 13 years. Defending South Asia Baseball champ Ho Chi Minh City extended their own dominance in the Southeast Asia League. The Hedgehogs had the best overall record for the seventh straight year and extended their overall playoff streak to 12 seasons, finishing 117-45 atop the South Division. They set new SEAL pitching records for strikeouts (1948), and H/9 (6.74), while also having the second lowest tallies in runs (459), and hits (1106). Yangon repeated as North Division champs for the fourth year in a row. At 96-66, the Green Dragons edged Hanoi by two games. The Hounds picked up a third wild card in four years. Bangkok narrowly secured the other wild card for a third straight playoff berth. The Bobcats got it at 86-76, topping Mandalay by one game and Phnom Penh by three. LF Amoda Shah became a two-time SEAL MVP, having left Bangkok in the offseason and signing an eight-year, $12,000,000 deal with Ho Chi Minh City. The 27-year old Indian became the new single-season home run king with 70 dingers, passing Tirtha Upadhyaya’s record of 69 from 1996. Shah’s reign would last only two years, but as of 2037, he’s one of only five SAB hitters with a 70+ homer season. Shah also led in runs (119), RBI (140), total bases (405), slugging (.713), OPS (1.069), wRC+ (195), and WAR (9.8). Another big free agent acquisition for the Hedgehogs was Kirpal Kushwaha, who won his second Pitcher of the Year. He had left Delhi after the 1996 season and sat out a year, making a return on a two-year, $1,770,000 deal. Kushwaha led in strikeouts (349), WHIP (0.89), shutouts (6), FIP- (51), and WAR (10.4). The 30-year old Indian also had a 2.30 ERA and 21-6 record over 254.2 innings. Ho Chi Minh City outlasted Bangkok 3-2 in the first round, while Hanoi upset divisional foe Yangon 3-1. This was the Hounds’ first time in the Southeast Asia League Championship since 1993, while the Hedgehogs were making a fifth straight appearance. In the battle of Vietnamese squads, HCMC dominated with a sweep. The Hedgehogs repeated as SEAL champs, won their fourth pennant in five years, and eighth in 12 years. Ahmedabad and Ho Chi Minh City had become the “evil empires” of South Asia Baseball. With their tremendous successes, both squads had blown out their peers financially. Both had used their funds to maintain superiority as both had payrolls above $30 million in 1998. No other team in SAB was above $20 million. The 19^th SAB Championship was the eighth time they had met in the final. After seven straight wins for the Animals, the Hedgehogs had finally won in 1997. It would be Ahmedabad returning to their perch in 1998, taking the series 4-1 over HCMC. The Animals picked up their fourth SAB title in five years, and their tenth in 13 years. CF Anjan Sumanjit was finals MVP, posting 20 hits, 7 runs, 4 doubles, 2 home runs, 9 RBI, and 10 stolen bases in 15 playoff starts. Also notable was Pitcher of the Year Anabhisastra Tyagi , who tossed two shutouts in his four playoff starts, posting a 1.32 ERA over 34 innings with 45 strikeouts. Other notes: Kolkata’s Jalal Mohammad had the third SAB perfect game on September 8, striking out 11 against Hyderabad. K.C. Choudhury set the SAB record for walks drawn at 136, which remains the all-time mark as of 2037. Choudhury also became the second player to 1500 runs scored. He would pass VJ Williams and become the runs leader at 1711 when he retired in 2000 and held that distinction for around 15 years. Tirtha Upadhyaya had his second four home run game and only the third by any player In SAB history. Arvind Lal became the third pitcher to 3500 career strikeouts. 3B Manju Abbas won his ninth Gold Glove, the first nine-time winner at any position. Thang Huynh won his eighth Silver Slugger. It was his first as a first baseman, with the previous wins at third. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)