[FuzzyRussianHat]

Three of the newcomers to the ABF repeated as playoff teams in 2000. Dushanbe and Bishkek tied for the top spot at 97-65 with first place officially going to the Dynamo. It was Dushanbe’s first time taking first since 1982. For the remaining two playoff spots, defending ABF champ Tashkent and Multan took them at 89-73. The Mighty Cocks had the tiebreaker to take third, while the Tomcats were eighth. Tashkent extended their playoff streak counting the EPB days to seven seasons. Rawalpindi and Peshawar both were one game short of the postseason at 88-74. Hyderabad’s seven-year postseason streak came to an end as they were seventh at 79-83.

East League MVP went to Rawalpindi first baseman Altaf Aslam. The 28-year old Pakistani lefty led in runs (104), home runs (69), RBI (127), total bases (380), slugging (.687), OPS (1.041), and wRC+ (214). Aslam’s 69 homers was tied for the second-most in ABF history. He also had 9.0 WAR in a contract year and would leave for MLB and Quebec City in the offseason on a four-year, $32,300,000 deal.

Pitcher of the Year was Bishkek veteran Procopie Lungu. The 36-year old Moldovan was in his third year with the Black Sox, after playing the prior 12 years with Almaty. It was Lungu’s second Pitcher of the Year, as he won all the way back in 1992 with the Assassins. He led in ERA (1.64), K/BB (9.6), quality starts (32), FIP- (61), and WAR (8.9). Lungu also had 345 strikeouts and an 18-9 record over 264 innings.

The favorites prevailed in the first round of the playoffs with Dushanbe sweeping Tashkent and Bishkek sweeping Multan. That ended the Tomcats’ hope for a fourth straight pennant. The Black Sox earned repeat East League Championship Series appearances, while the Dynamo hadn’t gotten this far since their 1981 EPB pennant. Dushanbe would claim the title 4-1 over Bishkek for their fourth-ever pennant (1958, 60, 81, 01).



The West League had the same four playoff teams as the prior year, albeit in different spots. Ankara was the top squad at 106-56, setting a franchise record. Reigning WL champ Isfahan finished second at 99-63, extending their playoff streak to seven years. The Imperials had 1924 strikeouts and an 11.77 K/9, both of which remain West League records as of 2037. Bursa took third at 96-66 to grow their own streak to five years, while Adana grabbed fourth at 88-74. Istanbul was the first team out in fifth at a distant 81-81.

For the third time in four years, MVP went to Adana’s Humayun Kahil. The 24-year old Pakistani left fielder was the WARlord (10.4) despite playing only 127 games. He also led in RBI (115), average (.346), slugging (.677), OPS (1.093), and wRC+ (225). Kahil had 44 home runs, falling one short of a Triple Crown.

Isfahan’s Yazeed Anwari won a historic sixth West League Pitcher of the Year. As of 2037, he’s one of only three ABF pitchers to win the award six times or more. The 28-year old Pakistani righty also prevailed despite injury, losing the final two months to elbow inflammation. Anwari led in ERA (1.76), K/BB (15.6), and FIP- (46). He added 7.9 WAR, 266 strikeouts, and an 18-4 record over 189.1 innings.

In the first round, #4 seed Adana stunned top seed Ankara 3-1, while #3 seed Bursa upset #2 Isfahan with a sweep. The Axemen earned their first WLCS since 1996, while the Blue Claws earned a third straight berth. Bursa battered Adana with a sweep to take their second West League pennant in three years.



In the 17^th Asian Baseball Federation Championship, Dushanbe beat Bursa 4-2, sending the ABF title to Tajikistan for the first time. It is the third ring overall for the Dynamo, who won the EPB title in both 1960 and 1981. In his Dushanbe debut, 1B Maksim Ignashevich won finals MVP. The 32-year old Russian signed a five-year, $18,400,000 deal after previously playing for Baku. In the playoffs, Ignashevich had 14 starts, 20 hits, 8 runs, 11 doubles, 4 home runs, and 8 RBI.



Other notes: Hasan Afshin became the first ABF pitcher to 3500 strikeouts.