[FuzzyRussianHat]

Beginning with the 1999 season, the Oceania Baseball Association became the latest league to lower their active roster number. The OBA dropped it from 25 to 24, following the trend seen by many other world leagues recently. Teams still had full use of the reserve roster, but it forced an adjusted day-to-day strategy.



The Australasia League was yet again quite competitive for the 1999 season. Christchurch pulled away in the final weeks to take first at 89-73. It was the third pennant of the 1990s for the Chinooks and their eighth overall. Three teams tied for second at 83-79; Gold Coast, Melbourne, and Sydney. Perth (82-80) and Brisbane (81-81) were both in the mix for much of the season. Adelaide, the defending Oceania Champion, finished last at 72-90.

Gold Coast’s Woody Bolling repeated as Australasia League MVP, winning the award for the third time. The 30-year old shortstop was the WARlord (11.0) and leader in batting average (.328), RBI (107), and hits (187). He added 26 home runs and a 176 wRC+. Sydney’s Jim DeRossi won his second Pitcher of the Year and made history. He became the second pitcher in world history to win 30 games in a season, matching Nathaniel Doloran’s 1974 effort. The 28-year old Australian righty was one strikeout away from a Triple Crown, posting a 30-8 record, 1.61 ERA, and 369 Ks over a league-best 329 innings. He also led the AL in WHIP (0.78), K/BB (13.7), quality starts (31), complete games (26), FIP- (61), and WAR (10.7).



Two-time defending Pacific League champ Guam set a new OBA record for wins in a season, dominating the field at 119-43. They blew by their own previous record of 112 wins from both 1979 and 1992. As of 2037, that is still the PL’s record and would only be bested once in the AL. The Golden Eagles for the sixth time in the 1990s won the pennant and earned their 11th overall. Guam allowed 421, which was tied for the third-lowest allowed in PL history. Port Moresby had a fine season in second at 99-63, which was the first winning campaign for the Mud Hens since 1986. Honolulu notably dropped to 72-90, their first losing season in 20 years.

Although Guadalcanal stunk for the season, their CF Damien Patton won his second Pacific League MVP. The 29-year old Australian led in runs (98), walks (70), total bases (326), OBP (.370), slugging (.570), OPS (.940), wRC+ (173), and WAR (7.8). He added 40 home runs and a .294 average. Patton would get traded by the Green Jackets in the offseason to Gold Coast, where he would quickly sign a seven-year, $21,320,000 deal.

For the third year in a row, Guam’s Timothy Manglona won Pitcher of the Year. Still only 25 years old, the Northern Marianan lefty led in wins (28-9), innings (330.1), strikeouts (455), quality starts (30), complete games (18), shutouts (5), FIP- (60), and WAR (11.6). He posted a 2.13 ERA, third in the PL behind teammates Samuel Burridge (2.00), and Corbin Acupan (2.08). Manglona would also toss his second no-hitter of his career on May 17, fanning 13 with one walk against Fiji. He had signed a five-year, $9,760,000 extension prior to the 1999 season.



Guam entered the 40th Oceania Championship as a heavy favorite again, although that didn’t help them in the prior year’s loss to Adelaide. It would be a seven game classic against Christchurch, but the Golden Eagles would prevail for their second title in three years. It was the fifth ring for Guam (1979, 80, 93, 97, 99) while the Chinooks had the unfortunate distinction of now being 1-7 in the finals. LF Gunga Majhi was the finals MVP in his fourth season with Guam. The 28-year old American had 11 hits, 2 runs, 4 doubles, 1 home run, and 4 RBI in the series.



The 1999 Guam group certainly makes a case for OBA’s greatest-ever team. Few teams in any world league had won 119 games and also taken home the championship. As of 2037, one OBA team would match their record and win it all, while another topped it but lost in the finale.

Other notes: Perth’s Chester Sanchez threw OBA’s eighth ever perfect game on June 6, striking out six against Brisbane. Christchurch’s Ji-Hu Kim set a playoff record, hitting four triples in the finals. Slugger Vavao Brighouse played his final season and became the first OBA batter to reach 800 home runs. He finished with 804 and held the HR King until passed by Roe Kaupa in the 2020s. Brighouse also retired as the RBI leader (1629), but would lose that in the mid 2010s.

Quintin Basa became the first OBA player to reach 3000 career hits and 1500 career runs. He retired the next season with 3078 hits and 1506 runs. Basa held both top spots until the mid 2010s. SS Jay Lawrence won his ninth Gold Glove. 3B Errol Herne won his eighth. MVP SS Woody Bolling won his eighth Silver Slugger, while 3B Dan Molitor won his seventh.

The Australasia League’s offense stayed fairly level from the 1980s to the 1990s, while the Pacific League saw a bump up as they reintroduced the DH. The AL had an ERA of 3.20 and .235 batting average. The PL had a .234 average and 3.16 ERA. Both grade out as low offense on the historical scale. OBA would institute rule changes after the 1999 season to encourage more offense, which would bring it up to around world average numbers in the 21st Century.